The Debate Over America's 2050 Energy Mix
Energy Gang
Wood Mackenzie
4.6 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 31 January 2019
⏱️ 50 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What will the U.S. grid mix look like in 2050? It depends on which models you follow.
The future according to the Energy Information Administration's latest report: wind will stop growing, coal will stop declining, demand for electricity will keep going up, and emission reductions will moderate. A lot of people are unhappy about it.
It's no secret that EIA is ultra-conservative in its modeling. But why is there such a disconnect from the technological and economic shifts in energy markets? And why does EIA have such a hard time mapping technological change? We'll offer some solutions to the government's data problem.
Then: cancel your trip to Disneyland, stock up on Coca-Cola, and hoard as many iPhones as possible. We'll look at how the world’s biggest companies are detailing their risks to climate change.
Finally, we'll end on a philosophical note: who is to blame for climate change? Individuals? Companies? Governments? We'll take a cue from an articulate 16-year-old in Davos.
Don't forget to rate and review us on Apple podcasts. We're giving away a free subscription to GTM Squared to the person who writes the most interesting review by February 1.
Read along with us:
- InsideClimate News: What the Government Misses in Its Energy Outlook and Why It Matters
- Utility Dive: US Far Off Track for Global Climate Goals as Fossil Fuel Reliance Persists
- Twitter: Jesse Jenkins thread on EIA data
- Twitter: Alex Gilbert reactions to EIA data
- Bloomberg: Corporate America Is Getting Ready to Monetize Climate Change
- Barron's: Climate Change Could Hit These Companies Hardest
- LinkedIn: Discussion of Greta Thunberg's Davos Speech
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Support for the Energy Gang comes from Wonder Capital. Wonder Capital is the leading |
| 0:04.4 | commercial solar financier in the US, according to Wood Mackenzie Power and |
| 0:08.0 | Renewables, that's our research arm, and they are super smart. Wonder has already |
| 0:12.4 | supported more than 100 megawatts |
| 0:14.0 | of small commercial solar projects, |
| 0:15.7 | and they now have this new community solar offering |
| 0:18.5 | that you'll hear about later in the show. |
| 0:20.1 | It changes the game. |
| 0:21.4 | To learn more about how Wonder can help you support your project, |
| 0:24.5 | commercial or community or otherwise, go to wonder capital.com slash GTM. From Green Tech Media, this is the Energy Gang, weekly debates and discussions on the fast-changing world of energy, clean tech, and the environment. |
| 0:44.4 | I'm Stephen Lacey, a contributing editor with Green Tech Media. Welcome. |
| 0:48.0 | This week, a picture of America's Energy Landscape in 2050, |
| 0:52.2 | as painted by researchers in the US government and a lot |
| 0:56.7 | of people think those researchers might be colorblind offshore wind will be |
| 1:00.8 | non-existent coal will still be a prominent force, load growth |
| 1:04.2 | will continue, and greenhouse gas emissions will only incrementally fall. |
| 1:08.1 | It's no secret that government projections have been historically way off, but how do we fix it? We'll compare the |
| 1:14.4 | latest modeling with today's reality and then we'll paint some happy trees and a |
| 1:18.4 | happy little sky. Then cancel your trip to Disneyland, stock up on Coca-Cola and hoard as many iPhones as possible, |
| 1:25.5 | the world's biggest companies are detailing their risks to climate change, and they are numerous. |
| 1:30.5 | Finally, a slightly philosophical ending, who is to blame for climate change? We know it's all of us, but |
| 1:37.1 | do we need someone more specific to blame, companies, politicians, or does that hinder consensus building? |
... |
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