Is it possible to decarbonize the economy of the United States, and get to net-zero emissions by 2050? A team of researchers from 15 countries who are part of the Deep Decarbonization Pathways Project think so, based on their deep modeling of the US economy as part of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN). We introduced this work at a high level in Episode #129, during our conversation with Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, the Director of the SDSN. In this episode, we take a deep dive into the modeling itself with one of the modelers involved in the project. We’ll look at the specific energy technologies, devices, and grid management strategies that will make decarbonization by 2050 possible, and see why they think that decarbonizing the US is not only achievable by 2050, but practical, and very, very affordable.
Jamil Farbes is a principal at Evolved Energy Research. His work focuses on long-term energy system planning for deep decarbonization, and he has extensive experience in electric portfolio development, utility planning, and wholesale market design for enabling new products and services. Prior to joining Evolved Energy Research, Jamil worked at Rocky Mountain Institute, Pacific Gas & Electric, and Energy & Environmental Economics.
On the Web: https://www.evolved.energy/
Recording date: August 28, 2020
Air date: September 30, 2020
Geek rating: 9