Energy Update: Week of July 20

Friends,

Now that was a busy week.  So much action and so little time last week.  And Congress is expected to pick right up where it left off with another frenetic week – pending the still-developing funeral arrangements for civil rights-icon Rep. John Lewis.  Just a quick word about Lewis. When I first came to the House side in 1990, the members of Congress I worked for were always at odds with Lewis over policy issues, but as a young staffer on the other side, Lewis never let that get in the way of being a warm, humble person who would greet you with kind words and interest in your speaking with him. I always found that to be one of the most special qualities he possessed and why I respected him so much – even beyond the historic civil rights struggles he endured.  Unfortunately, it is a trait missing from much of our politics today.

If they do get to legislating, the annual defense authorization bill (NDAA) is on the agenda in both the Senate/House and the House will finalize a bunch of spending bills  The House is also tackling the Senate-passed land conservation legislation, which after being passed, is expected to head to the President for final approval.  NDAA has a number of environmental issues attached to it and EPA-Interior funding is in the first round of House spending bills that look like they will be packaged together.  Finally, look for the Congress and the White House to start coming to shore on what elements will be part of the next round of COVID legislation including extending the additional unemployment funds and providing some COVID liability protections for schools, businesses and others. 

Not much hearing action this week, but Senate Energy will have the highest profile hearing on Thursday looking at COVID issues’ impact on public lands. Tomorrow, a House spending panel looks at ocean plastic issues with Sens. Sullivan and Whitehouse, while Wednesday Senate Environment looks at illegal wildlife trafficking.

With the outlook for demand uncertain due to COVID-19, oil prices have remained stable but concerns still persist about production with OPEC+ and US producers starting to normalize supply.  We likely see more of the COVID damage when Halliburton, Baker Hughes and Equinor all release their second-quarter results this week, while ConocoPhillips, Total and Royal Dutch Shell all announce next week.

And it is a busy “virtual” Hill “fly-in” week with Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions and the Conservative Energy Network kicking off a three-day virtual fly-in today with more than 90 business leaders, farmers and state officials. The event will include more than 70 meetings with conservative leaders in Congress to advocate for greater investment in clean energy. CRES will also hold a forum on Thursday at Noon featuring our friends David Banks and Christopher Guith of the Chamber’s GEI. In addition to CRES, the American Public Power Association will hold its own virtual fly-in tomorrow with mayors, PUD commissioners, city councils and utility board members all talking COVID impacts, smart infrastructure investment and climate change.

Finally, if you are looking for something fun to start this week, today at 3:00 p.m. Washington Post columnist Jonathan Capehart interviews “Weekend Update” co-anchor on “Saturday Night Live,” Colin Jost. Capehart and Jost will discuss comedy, politics and the comedian’s new book, A Very Punchable Face: A Memoir.

Call with questions, stay safe & healthy. 

Best,

Frank Maisano

(202) 828-5864

C. (202) 997-5932

 

FRANKLY SPOKEN

“The findings outlined in these reports demonstrate that today’s oil and natural gas jobs are better for energy construction workers across the country in both the short and long term,”

Sean McGarvey, President of North America’s Building Trades Unions, announcing a two new reports on Friday about Oil & Gas jobs

“This is a great example of the kinds of investments we need to be making to ensure we have a 21st century energy system.  It’s a clean way to power these facilities.”

Maryam Brown, president of Southern California Gas, in a Bloomberg story about SCG effort to power two power plants with Bloom Energy Fuel Cells in Los Angeles.

ON THE PODCAST

MIT Expert Highlights Says Stiffer Roads Means Fewer Emissions – BYU Radio’s Top of Mind radio show/podcast with Julie Rose hosted MIT Civil & Environmental Engineering Researcher Jeremy Gregory late last week to discuss a hidden problem with America’s roads that is draining our gas tanks and causing every mile to emit more CO2 in the atmosphere. The fix, according to Gregory’s MIT researchers, is to make our roads out of stiffer material, like cement.

NRECA Looks at 2020 Get Out The Vote – The National Rural Electric Cooperatives Assn’s (NRECA) Along Those Lines podcast looks at engaging Co-op Members for the 2020 Election. Part one of the episode features NRECA's Laura Vogel and Nonprofit Vote's Brian Miller, who discuss national initiatives and resources to get out the rural vote. In part two, Stephanie Johnson of Jasper County REMC in Indiana describes what voter engagement efforts look like on the ground in her co-op’s territory.

FUN OPINIONS

VOX: Emissions Tracking, Transparency Key to Reducing GHGs – In his column on Vox, our friend (and sometimes nemesis) David Roberts details the facts behind a new artificial intelligence (AI) effort to provide real-time tracking of emissions on a global scale. Roberts writes it will likely be helpful to keep all countries accountable to their climate goals, a significant problem in all agreements over the years. A new alliance of climate researchers, the Climate TRACE Coalition, is assembling a team to collect and disperse the emissions data which is expected to be ready by COP26 in November 2021. Roberts write, if successful, it will gather comprehensive data, build the AI to make sense of it, and make its results accessible to the public, more or less overnight, making the world’s real-time flow of GHG emissions (previously just estimated) visible for all.

FROG BLOG

Bryce: High Cost of CA Electricity Increases Poverty – In a blog piece/report for the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity, energy author/columnist Robert Bryce argues that new restrictions on natural gas will increase electricity costs and make California’s poverty problem worse.  Bryce argues – and the recent Cal Energy Commission-funded UCLA study seems to underscore his point – that a growing element of this problem is the cost of electricity, which disproportionately impacts lower- and middle-income families who lack the disposable income to absorb the extra costs.  Bryce: “Banning the use of natural gas imposes a regressive energy tax on low- and middle-income consumers. Prohibiting the direct consumption of natural gas in furnaces, stoves, clothes dryers, and water heaters forces consumers to buy electricity, which in California is four times as expensive as natural gas on an energy-equivalent basis.”  Bryce adds three additional key points: 1) the Wealthy are benefiting as the median household incomes in the places that have banned or restricted natural gas use are 80% higher than the national average and 46% higher than the California median; 2) the restrictions are being implemented at the same time natural gas prices are plummeting; and 3) restrictions add more Load to an already unstable electric grid. 

IN THE NEWS

Bloom, SoCal Gas Using Fuel Cells in Cali Plants – Southern California Gas has begun powering two of its largest Los Angeles-area facilities with Bloom Energy solid oxide fuel cells.  The switch to fuel cells will reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, air pollutants and the cost of power, as well as provide reliable electricity independent of the power grid. To produce electricity, Bloom Energy's fuel cells could use natural gas, renewable natural gas, or hydrogen. The fuel cells at SoCalGas intake natural gas and oxygen, and through an electrochemical reaction, produce electricity without any combustion. Bloom Energy Servers can operate at 60% efficiency and are considered one of the most efficient power solutions currently available. More information on how fuel cells work may be found here.

Fuel Tax Collections Show Increase in Driving, Demand – Recent media and data reports show drivers are starting to return to the road after months of coronavirus stay-at-home orders. The U.S. government collected more than $2 billion in fuel taxes in June, up from less than $1 billion in May, according to a Bloomberg Government analysis of data from the Federal Highway Administration. Fuel taxes feed into the Highway Trust Fund, the primary federal funding source for highway and transit projects. BGov says receipts have still not returned to pre-pandemic levels, however, and may decline again as regions reinstate quarantine orders.

Building Trades Release Study – The North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) released two comprehensive reports assessing construction opportunities and job quality in the energy sector. The reports, commissioned by NABTU, present new perspectives showing the great opportunities and high value of training, safety, health and compensation in energy construction. NABTU commissioned these studies to better understand the important role that trades jobs play in the US economy and the differences in those jobs across various energy sectors. The results found quality job opportunities in oil and natural gas construction, and both union and non-union energy construction workers report that oil and natural gas jobs are better overall careers for them.

AVs Can Help Low-Income Communities – Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE) has a new paper that says autonomous vehicles can provide a more inexpensive alternative to allow low-income households to access economic opportunities that are out of reach because of systemic gaps in transit systems.  The report, Fostering Economic Opportunity through Autonomous Vehicle Technology, concludes that on-demand, point-to-point AV transit can cut financial stress by providing reliable, affordable and efficient transportation that is a crucial factor in determining the upward social mobility of low-income households. Although the post-pandemic priority for transit agencies is to get current transportation systems back up to speed, AV trials are still necessary to incorporate low-cost, autonomous transit into the future transportation mix as soon as possible—at per-mile costs far lower than today’s transportation options. As a result, low-income communities would be able to access opportunities that are out of reach due to enduring gaps in current systems, particularly outside of traditional business hours.

EIA: Power Plants Only Slightly Delayed by COVID – EIA’s March and April preliminary monthly electric generator inventory data says efforts to mitigate the spread the COVID-19 have delayed the start dates of proposed power plants slightly more than average.  About 20% of the power projects due online within 12 months in 2018 and 2019 experienced some delays. In March and April, 21% and 29% of projects, respectively, experienced delays, some of which were attributed to efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The minimal increase in delays suggests that COVID-19 mitigation efforts “may have been a contributing factor” in some project delays, but not the only factor involved, EIA said. The EIA data showed that projects in construction were more likely to be delayed as a result of COVID-19 than projects in earlier stages of development. Sixty-one projects, totaling 2.4 GW, that were under construction in March and April were delayed as a result of the COVID-19. Even though construction workers are considered essential, building a power project requires scheduling of simultaneous and dependent activities that involve numerous components, equipment, and specialized workers. The impacts of COVID-19 mitigation efforts, including supply chain disruptions, permitting delays, and restricted travel of specialized workers, affected project scheduling and increased the risk of project delays.

More EIA: Who is Most Impacted – Among technology types, solar photovoltaic projects were most affected by COVID-19 restrictions. In March and April, 53 solar projects, totaling 1.3 GW, were delayed as a result of COVID-19. Wind power projects were the second most affected by COVID-19, with 1.2 GW of wind projects citing the pandemic's mitigation factors as a cause for delays.

FERC Meeting: Good, Bad News for Renewables – It was a mixed day at FERC last week for renewables and utilities.  All four FERC commissioners voted to dismiss a petition to declare state-run solar net metering policies illegal in a clear win for solar providers.  The New England Ratepayers Association (NERA) argued in a petition that FERC, not states, should have jurisdiction over sales of electricity from customer-sited generators like rooftop solar. But in the same meeting, changed the rules for a federal law that allows independent energy projects to secure utility contracts for their power. Utility groups say the changes will reduce costs for customers, but clean-energy groups and independent power developers say they’ll stifle open competition. FERC’s new rule for PURPA, which closely matches its proposal from last year. FERC’s new rule doesn’t change current long-term contracts already in place with qualifying facilities. But many years, utilities have sought changes on the length and pricing of these contracts that have led to significant reductions in PURPA-driven development.

MI Utility to Launch Wind Project by December – Michigan-based Consumers Energy is advancing the 60-turbine Gratiot Farms Wind Project it purchased from Enel Green Power and plans to bring the Michigan site online by the end of the year. Wind energy is a very beneficial industry for Michigan because many components are manufactured in the state and projects financially benefit counties and landowners, says Keith den Hollander of the Christian Coalition of Michigan.

ON THE SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

MOST EVENTS SCHEDULED ARE NOW ONLINE WEBINARS

Unconventional Resources Conference Set for Austin – The Society of Petroleum Engineers, the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, and the Society of Exploration Geoscientists sponsor the Unconventional Resources Technology Conference in Austin, Texas, starting today. DOE’s Steve Winberg Keynoted this morning.

NEI to Host Fuel Supply Forum – The Nuclear Energy Institute holds the NEI Nuclear Fuel Supply Forum tomorrow.  The forum explores policy issues related to the nuclear fuel industry. Speakers from key government agencies and organizations that shape nuclear fuel supply policy present the latest insights on the future of the industry.

DOE Bioenergy Office to Host Workshop – Tomorrow to Thursday, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) will host a virtual workshop to discuss how to collect and valorize underused datasets and associated knowledge, with the goal of making this information public on existing databases. This workshop seeks to connect industry scientists, data owners, and lawyers with federal government, academic, and National Laboratory representatives to shepherd valuable datasets and other knowledge to be used to maximum benefit. This effort would bolster the growing bioeconomy with industrially-relevant data across the supply chain, and result in accelerated development and utilization of biotechnologies.

Forum to Look at India Oil, Gas – Tomorrow at 8:30 a.m., the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center and South Asia Center hosts a conversation with H.E. Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and the Minister of Steel of the Republic of India. Minister Pradhan will discuss developments in India’s oil and natural gas sectors as COVID-19 continues to disrupt trends in global oil and gas demand.

House Panel Look at Monuments – The House Natural Resources National Parks, Forests and Public Lands Subcommittee holds legislative hearing tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. on monumental decisions on public lands. 

Forum Looks at Climate Concerns – Third Way holds a webinar tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. on Black Americans and their concern about climate change.  The event will begin with opening remarks from Congresswoman Lucy McBath. Third Way’s Jared DeWese and Jackie Toth will walk through what we learned from our focus groups, followed by TIME’s Justin Worland who will moderate a panel discussion.

Bloomberg Rolls Out “Green” Magazine – Bloomberg will convene a virtual event tomorrow at Noon to mark the launch of the inaugural issue of the Bloomberg Green Magazine, a collector’s volume of premier climate journalism. The event will highlight some of the top features from the magazine and Bloomberg Green journalists will discuss the most pressing climate news you need to know now.  Former VP Al Gore is among the speakers.

Forum to Look at Environment, Middle Class – The Hudson Institute holds a webinar tomorrow at Noon on boosting the middle class and improving the environment. The event will feature a discussion with Michael Shellenberger, an environmental journalist and author, on how high-tech energy policies can be used to revitalize the environment, the economy and the middle class.

Water Summit Set – The Atlantic hosts a Water Summit webcast tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. that will gather leading voices in the world of water, from environmentalists and policymakers to academics and activists, to discuss the critical water issues of our time. Sylvia Earle and Ocean Conservancy CEO Janis Searles Jones will speak. 

DOE to Hosts Buildings Webinar – DOE’s EERE office will hold a web event tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. to look at strategies for combining energy and health upgrades to help promote health and wellness for residents of multifamily buildings. Panelists will present case studies of innovative partnerships between affordable housing providers, public health, and building science stakeholders to advance energy + health initiatives and will share experiences pursuing the FitWel® certification for healthy buildings.

Senate Approps Panel Looks at Ocean Plastic Pollution – The Senate Appropriations State, Foreign Operations Subcommittee holds a hearing tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. on U.S. government efforts to address ocean plastic pollution internationally. Witnesses including “Save Our Seas” legislation sponsors Sens. Dan Sullivan and Sheldon Whitehouse, as well as State Department official Jason Moore and US AID Michelle Bekkering.

APPA to Host Web Events on Rates, COVID – The American Public Power Association holds a webinar tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. on strategies for transitioning to new rates. Mark Beauchamp, president for Utility Financial Solutions, will speak.  Then on Thursday at 2:00 p.m., APPA holds another webinar on leadership in crisis during COVID-19 and beyond featuring crisis comms expert Bruce Hennes.

Forum Looks at Climate, Peace Solutions – The Atlantic Council Global Energy Center will host a web forum tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. with Sherwin Das, Managing Director at Energy Peace Partners, who will discuss new finance solutions that promote peace in the world’s most fragile regions.  Energy Peace Partners leverages climate and finance solutions that promote peace. Das will explain how the new revenue streams unlocked by P-REC transactions can fund emerging renewable energy projects that lead to positive social, economic, and environmental outcomes, including local economic growth, improved health and education, enhanced security, reduced emissions, and new peacebuilding opportunities—vital for long-term enduring peace.

NAS Holds Disaster Workshop – The National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine holds a workshop via webinar Wednesday and Thursday on exploring themes in disaster human services focused on children and youth in disasters. 

WaPo Hosts Euro Bank Head Lagarde – Former UN climate official and current European Central Bank president Christine Lagarde will join the Washington Post LIVE on Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. for a conversation about leading the euro zone’s monetary policy and how the new shape of the post-COVID-19 global economy will affect job security, public health and safety and deglobalization.  Foreign Policy columnist David Ignatius will interview Lagarde, the first woman to serve as president of the European Central Bank.

Web Event to Look at Energy Auctions – The Scaling Up Renewable Energy project holds a webinar on Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. on how to effectively design and implement energy auctions Energy auction programs help developing countries transition to a more self-reliant future, powered by renewable energy. Event attendees will receive access to the USAID Renewable Energy Auction Toolkit, a one-stop-shop resource for policy makers, international development professionals, and energy stakeholders to design and implement successful energy auctions that expand access to affordable and sustainable clean energy.

Senate Enviro Looks at Illegal Wildlife Trafficking – The Senate Environment Committee holds hearing on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. examining the increased risk of zoonotic disease from illegal wildlife trafficking.

POWER to Host Storage Seminar – POWER Magazine will hold a webinar on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. to look at non-battery energy storage solutions and their applications with a focus on utility-scale technologies. Speakers include Jeremy Dockter of Expansion energy and William Leighty of the Leighty Foundation. 

CSIS Talks Clean energy with IEA – On Wednesday at 10:00 a.m., the CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program holds a discussion of the Clean Energy Innovation, an Energy Technology Perspectives report from the International Energy Agency (IEA).  Timur Gül, Head of the Energy Technology Policy Division at the IEA will present highlights from this recently released special report.  Clean Energy Innovation looks at the role that key technologies and innovation can play in creating a more resilient energy sector.  The report identifies 5 principles necessary for these technologies to deliver zero-emissions energy. Timur will discuss which technologies are most ready move to market, what role government R&D can play in developing and supporting these technologies, and how to keep energy innovation and investment a top priority.

Forum to Look at Green Transition – The Atlantic Council and the Center for Houston’s Future hold a webinar on Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. looking at green stimulus and the energy transition. The event will feature an expert panel, moderated by GEC senior fellow and Greentech Media senior editor Julia Pyper, which will discuss how green stimulus investments can spur the efforts of oil and gas companies to advance the low-carbon energy transition.

Web Event to Tackle Resilience, Climate – The Wildlife Habitat Council and ArcelorMittal host a webinar on Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. on climate change resilience.  Climate change impacts, such as sea level rise, higher-intensity storms and wildfires, and droughts, can damage infrastructure and impede operations, leaving companies vulnerable to risk. Speaker will discuss how companies can harness the power of nature to build resilience against these impacts and hear case studies about companies who have implemented successful nature-based solutions.

DOE to Discuss Water Research Goal – On Wednesday at 1:00 p.m., DOE’s Water Security Grand Challenge (WSGC) will host a webinar on National Alliance for Water Innovation’s (NAWI’s) research goals and how those goals support DOE’s WSGC. NAWI leads DOE’s Energy-Water Desalination Hub, bringing together industry and academic partners to help reduce the cost and energy use of desalination technologies through early-stage applied research. NAWI’s five-year research program is guided by an annual roadmapping process designed to engage stakeholders; an annual request-for-proposal process to solicit research ideas; and systems-level data, analyses, and tool development.

House Resources Panel Looks at Legislation – The House Natural Resources Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States holds a legislative hearing on four bills on Wednesday at 2:00 p.m.

Forum to Look at Trillion Trees, Other Natural Solutions – ConservAmerica holds a web event on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. to take a look at policy proposals intended to expand natural carbon sinks and facilitate private sector investment in voluntary carbon markets. Panelists will include Congressman Bruce Westerman (R-AR), Senator Mike Braun (R-IN), and David Tenny, President and CEO of the National Alliance of Forest Owners.  

USEA to Look at DOE Hydrogen Plans – The US Energy Association holds a webcast Thursday at 9:00 a.m. to hear from DOE officials on their effort to enable a sustainable hydrogen economy.  Dan Simmons, Steve Winberg, Shawn Bennett and others will discuss. The potential of a hydrogen economy has been discussed for decades and a growing number of countries and industries are now investing in its potential. This webinar will highlight various hydrogen technologies and the R&D that enables them, as well as a global perspective on the technology, relevant policies and potential markets.

WRI Forum Looks Air Pollution Impacts – The World Resources Institute holds a webinar Thursday at 9:30 a.m. on the Science Based Targets initiative.  SBTi is creating a framework for financial institutions to set science-based climate targets in line with the ambition of the Paris Agreement. During the webinar, SBTi staff will be joined by OS-Climate and technical developers from Ortec Finance to initiate tool beta testing. Speakers will also introduce a first draft of target-setting guidance for the financial sector and launch the external consultation process.

Senate Energy Looks at COVID-19 – The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee holds a hearing at 10:00 a.m. on impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on users of public lands, forests and national parks.  SD Game/Wildlife Commissioner Kelly Hepler, CO Water Congress Doug Kemper, Ethan Lane of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Assn, National Park Foundation’s Will Shafroth and Jess Turner of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable.  The Committee’s Natural Resources Water and Power Subcommittee will also hold a legislative hearing on several pieces of water legislation. 

Conservatives Talk Climate – Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions will hold a forum on Thursday at Noon featuring a discussion with conservative leaders that will focus on immediate opportunities and actionable policies that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  David Banks will make opening remarks followed by a panel with Christopher Guith of the Chamber’s Global Energy Institute, R Street Institute’s Devin Hartman and Mary Beth Tung of the Maryland Energy Administration.

RFF Looks at COVID, Transportation – Resources for the Future (RFF) holds a webinar on Thursday looking at driving behavior and how COVID-19 has slowed transportation.  The event will feature Abel Brodeur of the University of Ottawa who will discuss his research on how the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, social distancing and limited travel have affected the number of vehicle collisions over the past several months. He will also discuss his broader research examining the literature on the socioeconomic consequences of COVID-19 and government interventions, with a focus on environmental aspects.

NAS Workshop to Look at TSCA – The National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine holds a webcast on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. to review of EPA’s Toxic Substance Control Act Systematic Review guidance document. In this virtual meeting, the committee will hear from EPA as they provide a summary of their innovations in the TSCA data evaluation and evidence integration process.

Murkowski to Headline RPS Event – On Thursday at 3:00 p.m., the National Hydropower Association and the National Association of State Energy Officials hold the inaugural Path to Clean Energy Virtual Event looking what's after Renewable Portfolio Standards.  The webinar will showcase a panel of leading state energy officials to discuss options for achieving states' increasingly ambitious clean energy goals.  The webinar will also feature a discussion with U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), chair of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, who will share her thoughts on America’s clean energy future.

House Resources Looks at Puerto Rico Energy – The House Natural Resources Committee holds a hearing on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. on the transformation of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority. 

Energy Economists Talk Energy Transition – On Friday at 10:00 a.m., the National Capital Area Chapter of the United States Association for Energy Economics hosts a web event with T.J. Conway, Head of Energy Transition Research at Energy Intelligence, who will address “The Energy Transition and Corporate Strategy: From Adaptation to Transformation.” While the coronavirus crisis has sent shockwaves through the oil and gas industry, the energy transition remains companies’ biggest existential threat. During the pandemic, many firms have placed even more attention on the energy transition and its implications.  Conway leads the new Energy Transition Service, which analyzes how the low-carbon energy transition is unfolding, and which companies and countries are best-placed to survive and adapt.

IN THE FUTURE

Forum to look at Climate – The New York Academy of Sciences hosts a webinar next Monday at 11:30 a.m. to discuss the impacts climate change is having a significant effect on the biological, topological, and geophysical traits of various ecosystems. This webinar will explore how climate change has caused massive ecological alterations through impacts on plant physiology and ice sheet melting.  Speakers include Eric Rignot of UC-Irvine and U of Utah’s William Anderegg.

NREL to Detail Tech Baseline Report – The National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) will host a webinar next Monday at Noon to discuss its just-released 2020 update to its Annual Technology Baseline (ATB), a key source of reliable electricity-generation technology cost and performance data that can support and inform electric sector analysis in the United States. Now in its sixth year, the ATB documents technology-specific information on a broad spectrum of electricity-generation technologies—wind, solar, geothermal, hydropower, biopower, coal, natural gas, nuclear, and battery storage. In addition to updates to technology-specific data, this year’s ATB website update also offers an improved user experience with expanded features, including interactive, downloadable charts.

CSIS to Look at Decarbonizing Heavy Industry – On Tuesday July 28^th at 10:00 a.m., CSIS holds the fourth session in the Climate Solutions Series on Decarbonizing Heavy Industry. This online event will examine emissions from the industrial sector and opportunities and challenges for its decarbonization. Rebecca Dell (ClimateWorks Foundation) will give an overview of the industrial sector, the sources of emissions, and the policy landscape involved in reducing emissions from manufacturing and energy-intensive industry. Andreas Bode (BASF) will provide the perspective of a major company in the chemicals industry and how the industry is attempting to reduce emissions from its products and processes. Adam Rauwerdink (Boston Metal) will then elaborate on the experiences of a small startup attempting to decarbonize the production of iron, steel, and other metals.  The session will close with a panel discussion on the policy and technological aspects of the decarbonization of heavy industry, moderated by Sarah Ladislaw (CSIS).

Grid Evolution Virtual Summit Locked In – The Smart Electric Power Alliance hold its Grid Evolution Summit as a virtual meeting on Tuesday July 28^th to Thursday July 30^th.    Lots of great speakers including NEI’s Maria Korsnick and Jigar Shah. 

Forum to Look at Beneficial Electrification – On Tuesday July 28^th at 1:00 p.m., Assn of Energy Service Professionals hold a webinar to discuss the positive economic and environmental benefits inherent within the declining carbon intensity of electricity.  Speakers include Tri-State Generation’s Shaun Tuyuri, NRDC’s Ben Longstreth, SCE’s Michelle Thomas and Southern Company’s Kenneth Schiver.

Bloomberg Green Summit Set – The Bloomberg Green Summit will be held on July 29^th.  The Green Summit will feature the voices of those people working at the edge of change to deliver real solutions. Built to foster solutions-oriented conversations with a festival atmosphere, the Bloomberg Green Summit will feature a cross section of visionaries from business, design, culture, food, technology, science and entertainment.

Forum to Look at Efficiency – The EEGlobal webinar series continues on Wednesday July 29^th at 10:00 a.m. with a forum on how prioritizing energy efficiency can contribute to global economic recovery. The series highlights the experience of the SEforAll Energy Efficiency Accelerators in scaling up collaborative public-private program models to improve energy efficiency in various economic sectors.

The first webinar in the series focuses on energy efficiency in buildings. Panelists will discuss opportunities for boosting recovery efforts by leaning into global building retrofit efforts -- yielding significant economic, resilience, and climate mitigation benefits.

Forum on Infrastructure Set – The third installment of Powering Forward will be held by the Business Council for Sustainable Energy in partnership with the Pew Charitable Trusts and National Governors Association on Wednesday July 29 from 1:45 p.m. The webinar will examine the state and local response to COVID-19. Panelists will explore how state governments are responding to the pandemic, identify what energy resilience solutions are critical for communities in the wake of this crisis, and discuss federal infrastructure legislation currently pending in Congress.

Forum to Launch Climate Tool Kit – On Wednesday, July 29^th at 1:00 p.m., the Georgetown Climate Center will launch its Equitable Adaptation Legal and Policy Toolkit. The effects of climate change disproportionately affect overburdened and low-income people and communities of color, who already face significant economic and social challenges. The cumulative impacts of pollution, racism, and political and economic disenfranchisement make it difficult for these communities to withstand and recover from extreme heat, flooding, and other climate impacts.

Clean Tech Virtual Trade Show Ready – On Wednesday, July 29^th at 3:00 p.m., CleanTechnica is hosting an On-Line Event via Zoom to highlight some of the companies making the newest and most useful products for your Tesla cars.  Each participating company will have a short introduction and pitch, and then we will divide the meeting into dedicated booths (aka “Zoom breakout rooms”). Attendees can then drop into the different booths for any length of time to learn more about specific products, ask the manufacturers questions, or just have a chat with the founders. The Virtual Trade Show will be hosted by CleanTechnica’s CEO, Zachary Shahan, and many on the CleanTechnica team will moderate.

Renewables, EE Expo Set – The 23^rd annual Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency EXPO and Policy Forum is set for Thursday July 30^th from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ONLINE.  It will bring together 23 businesses, trade associations, and government agencies to showcase renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. In every state across the country, these technologies are having a significant impact in business development and job creation in the manufacturing, transmission, power, transportation, and building sectors.  The bipartisan House and Senate Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Caucuses are the EXPO's honorary co-hosts.  Speakers include DOE’s Dan Simmons and DOE Building Technology Office head David Nemtzow, as well as BCSE’s Lisa Jacobson, SEIA’s Abby Hopper, American Assn of Black in Energy head Paula Glover, NRECA’s Keith Dennis and Growth Energy’s Chris Bliley among others.

BPC to Launch Farm, Forest Agenda – On Thursday July 30^th at 2:00 p.m., the Bipartisan Policy Center will launch the BPC Energy Project’s Farm and Forest Carbon Solutions Initiative and release of a new policy options synthesis report. Robert Bonnie, former Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, is joining the Energy Project to lead the initiative. The event will discuss promising areas of common ground and opportunities to build a shared, bipartisan agenda that can unite stakeholders from agriculture, forestry, conservation groups, rural communities, and other related interests. Other speakers include Rep. Greg Walden, CA Agriculture Sect Karen Ross and National Alliance of Forest Owners head Dave Tenny.

Vet Energy Conference Set – The Atlantic Council, in partnership with many other groups like Citizens For Responsible Energy, will host a virtual conference August 10 – 13^th for Veterans Advanced Energy Week.  The event is an interactive virtual learning and networking experience dedicated to veterans and military spouses working to strengthen US national security through careers in the advanced energy industry.  Participants will gain insights into the technology, policy, and economic trends that are driving the global energy transition from senior leaders and experts across industry, academia, and government.  Speakers will include VA Deputy Assistant Secretary Matt Zais, Sen Tammy Duckworth and Rep. Jason Crow, as well as our friend/podcaster Julia Pyper.

Chatterjee, Cruz Headline TX Oil, Gas Forum – The Texas Oil & Gas Forum 2020 will be held on August 11 and 12 at the Petroleum Club in Houston.  The event will be an in-depth and off the record dialogue between U.S. Congressional and government leaders and the energy industry.  Speakers include Keynoter Ted Cruz, FERC Chair Neil Chatterjee, Reps. Randy Weber, Mike McCaul, Michael Burgess, Jodey Arrington and Kelly Armstrong.