The Libertarian View On The Distributed Energy Transition

Energy Gang

Wood Mackenzie

Tech News, Environment, Sustainability, Innovation, Renewable Energy, Technology, Alternative Energy, Energy, News, Cleantech, Wind Energy, Business, Climate Change, Solar Energy

4.6 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 18 March 2016

⏱️ 44 minutes

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Summary

It wasn't just science that got Eli Lehrer to accept the reality of climate change. It was insurance markets. As a free-market expert on insurance policy, Lehrer realized many years ago where the industry models were headed. "Every modeling firm used by the insurance industry acknowledged climate change is real. If markets have the ability to aggregate information, then either markets don't work or climate change is real. My judgment is that markets work and therefore climate change is real," says Lehrer. In 2012, Lehrer founded the R Street Institute, a think tank devoted to spreading free market principles. In recent years, he's become a libertarian thought leader on environmental protection, carbon pricing and, most recently, the distributed energy transition. In this episode, the gang talks with Lehrer about how to make these issues more palatable to the political right. In our second segment, we'll talk about a new consumer poll on rate design and subsidies for solar. We'll end the show with a look at United Airlines' big biofuels announcement. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transcript

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0:00.0	For the week of March 17th, 2016, this is the Energy Gang from Green Tech Media. Today the Libertarian perspective on distributed energy and climate change.
0:19.7	How do we promote freer markets and consumer choice in a highly regulated electricity system.
0:25.0	And can a carbon tax ever gain traction in the U.S.?
0:28.4	We'll discuss with our guest.
0:30.4	Then in a related story we'll talk about a new consumer poll on rate design and
0:33.7	subsidies for solar. Finally United Airlines is the first US airline to use
0:38.2	biofuels for commercial flight. How big of a deal is it for the industry?
0:42.8	In Boston, I'm Stephen Lacy.
0:44.8	Catherine Hamilton joins us from Washington, D.C.
0:47.3	Hey, Catherine.
0:48.0	Hi.
0:48.8	Jiggershaw joins us from San Francisco.
0:50.6	How are you, sir?
0:51.6	Doing well, getting excited about the Vots solar fundraiser tonight.
0:56.3	So today we're grappling with the topic
0:58.2	that I have a deep personal interest in,
1:02.3	the libertarian approach to the energy transition.
1:04.6	And I find this interesting because it's simultaneously the simplest and most complicated
1:10.3	way to look at distributed energy and climate solutions.
1:13.0	It's simple because I think free market principles are very easy to understand
1:17.0	and for many to rally behind.
1:19.0	It's complex because our energy market is anything but free, particularly the electricity system.
	...

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