Washington Examiner: US must counteract China’s rapidly increasing carbon emissions

Rep. John Curtis (R-UT) and ClearPath Executive Director Rich Powell penned a joint op-ed in the Washington Examiner, highlighting the need to counter China’s environmental record and its growing global energy influence. Rep. Curtis and Rich wrote, “The U.S. should strengthen our competitive position in global energy markets and promote the development of more U.S. clean energy technologies (including nuclear and carbon capture) to reduce global emissions and develop economic opportunities.” Read the full op-ed

Major Advanced Nuclear Technology Breakthrough

Yesterday, TerraPower and GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) announced the launch of a new reactor and energy system architecture called Natrium. They plan to commercialize stations within the next 10 years and say the advanced nuclear technology features a cost-competitive sodium fast reactor combined with a molten salt energy storage system. Read more

Idaho National Lab Makes Progress on Versatile Test Reactor

Battelle Energy Alliance (BEA) has initiated contract negotiations with a team including TerraPower and GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy – and led by Bechtel National Inc. (BNI) – to support the design and build phase of the Versatile Test Reactor (VTR). The announcement comes after BEA, the contractor that operates Idaho National Laboratory (INL) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and members of the VTR technical team reviewed submissions by industry teams in response to a request for proposal issued earlier this year. Since 2018, a team of experts from INL and five additional national laboratories (Argonne National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and Savannah River National Laboratory), 19 universities, and nine industry partners have been developing a conceptual design, cost estimate and schedule for VTR. Read more

Battelle names INL Director Mark Peters as Head of Lab Operations

Mark Peters has been named executive vice president of laboratory operations for Battelle. Peters has served as laboratory director at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) since October 2015 and will continue in that role until his successor has been selected. Following this transition at INL, he will assume his new role at Battelle. Read more

Hydropower Getting Love This Week

On Monday, droves of organizations, lawmakers and industry stakeholders celebrated National Hydropower Day, which was organized by the National Hydropower Association (NHA). Even President Trump declared hydropower as “one of my all-time favorites.”

“Hydro, I love, I have to tell you,” Trump said during an event at the Republican National Convention this week.

Recently, ClearPath published an Energy 101: Introduction to Hydropower, which highlighted beneficial uses that have existed for centuries. As of 2019, hydropower generated roughly 6.6% of electricity for the U.S., while some states’ electricity mixes are dominated by hydropower. The Pacific Northwest relies heavily on hydropower, where the electricity mixes of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho have significant amounts of hydropower.

Save the Date: Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) Open to All This Year

In 2010, a global forum, the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM), was created to bring top energy officials of major economies together to share best practices and promote policies and programs that encourage and facilitate the transition to a global clean energy economy. As an online event this year, everyone will be able to participate! Stay tuned for more specific information on events and times, but most events will be scheduled during the week of September 14. Details will be available here.

In addition to general participation, ClearPath helped produce a report for Nuclear Innovation: Clean Energy (NICE) Future, an initiative of the CEM’s flexible nuclear campaign. The objective of this campaign is to provide an understanding of the economic benefits of advanced nuclear to a wide spectrum of participating countries, including the qualitative and quantitative benefits (e.g. $/MW and $/MWh) of nuclear reactors with highly flexible power output across a range of select power markets.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Real Clear Energy: America Must Support Nuclear Energy

Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN) penned an op-ed in Real Clear Energy explaining the need for America to remain committed to boosting our nuclear energy industry. He wrote, “Nuclear energy can not only provide our nation with clean and reliable energy, but may provide a new path forward for Americans to obtain the economic opportunities enjoyed by previous generations that are so critical to our nation’s success in the 21st century.” Read the full op-ed

Gillette News Record: Wyoming is leading the way on carbon capture

Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) penned an op-ed in the Gillette News Record on the importance of carbon capture, following a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee field hearing in Wyoming, which showcased the state’s work with the technology. Read the full op-ed

Integrated Energy Systems: Getting More From Our Nuclear Workhorses

Our power grid is changing. As renewable energy generation increases, our baseload electricity sources — like nuclear, coal and natural gas — are often being asked to operate in ways they weren’t designed. Take nuclear reactors for example, they were not originally designed in the United States to ramp up or down quickly due to the financial benefits of operating at maximum output. They were designed to run like a car cruising down the highway on cruise control. But with the changing demands and more solar and wind entering the grid, the reactors are now having to navigate stop and go traffic. Read our latest Energy 101: Integrated Energy Systems: Getting More From Our Nuclear Workhorses.

An integrated energy system can increase the flexibility of nuclear reactors while making such flexibility not only cost neutral, but revenue-generating. When nuclear reactors are producing more electricity than the grid needs, they can divert some of their thermal heat and/or electricity to produce materials for clean electricity, clean transportation, clean industry, and clean water. Doing so can provide additional revenue, allow for operational flexibility, and contribute to the growth of clean markets for deeper decarbonization – it’s a win-win. Read more

NEW VIDEO: ION Clean Energy, Charting a Path to Net-Zero

ION Clean Energy – a Colorado company – is working on an exciting iteration on a tried-and-true carbon capture process: “post-combustion solvent” carbon capture. This means capturing the carbon dioxide after the fuel is burned, with a liquid.

In the latest ClearPath video, Rich Powell explains how ION Clean Energy’s first commercial project could capture more than 4 million tons of carbon emissions each year, the equivalent of taking nearly a million cars off the road. He also describes how the Colorado start-up partnered with the Department of Energy to test and refine its “secret sauce.”

ION is demonstrating that there’s an increasing number of ways to capture carbon, while decreasing costs. We think that’s a winning recipe! Watch ClearPath’s latest whiteboard video on how ION Clean Energy is on a path to net-zero.

Watch the video

THE PATH AHEAD

September 10: The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) is hosting an online event from 12:00pm – 1:15pm EDT on, “Growth with the Right Balance: The Future of the Federal Energy RD&D Budget,” featuring remarks from ClearPath Managing Director of Policy Jeremy Harrell. More details and registration information here