As energy transition proceeds we’ll need to move well beyond decarbonizing electricity generation and into transportation and space heating powered by renewables. But we’re only beginning to figure out the pathways by which we might do that, and since each region has its own particular sources of renewable energy and its own particular needs for energy, the solutions may vary quite a bit from place to place.
When do we figure out how to decarbonize space heating and transportation? What sorts of challenges will we face in adding those loads to the electricity grid? How much additional generation, transmission, distribution capacity, and storage will we need? How will we manage such a grid? And what if, once we have transferred some of those loads to the grid, it actually starts to look cheaper to not electrify everything? Our guest in this episode has studied such questions for years, and has some surprising insights into how deep decarbonization might actually evolve.
Mackay Miller is a Partner at ERM, where he leads the firm’s work at the nexus of energy and corporate strategy, with a focus on data centers, utilities, and financial sector clients.
When he first appeared on the show in September 2015, he was a senior analyst at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (now the National Laboratory of the Rockies), speaking in a personal capacity. He returned in February 2018.
After NREL, he later served as Principal Analyst in the US Strategy division of National Grid.
On Twitter: @mackaymiller
Recording date: January 18, 2018
Air date: February 21, 2018
Geek rating: 3