In The News — EFI Foundation experts are in-demand sources of knowledge on the energy transition for major media outlets.

A nuclear energy renaissance?

In an episode of the Brookings Climate Sense podcast, hosted by Samantha Gross (director of the Brookings Energy Security and Climate Initiative), EFI Foundation CEO Ernest J. Moniz discussed how the climate crisis has renewed interest in nuclear power. Moniz said that nuclear power was a zero-carbon, reliable energy source that could counterbalance more intermittent sources, such as wind or solar: “It’s power that’s available when we want it, when we need it, and where we need it.”

Hydrogen’s unique role in a zero-carbon energy system

This podcast, hosted by Samantha Gross, director of the Brookings Energy Security and Climate Initiative, features a discussion with EFI Foundation CEO Ernest J. Moniz about how hydrogen could be a zero-carbon fuel source in the clean energy transition. Moniz explained: “We are going to need something that replaces carbon-bearing fuels in the system, and hydrogen is certainly one of the most important pathways.”

Closing the Loop on Clean Energy

This podcast, hosted by S2G’s Chief Marketing Officer Tonya Bakritzes, discussed U.S. electricity load growth. EFI Foundation CEO Ernest J. Moniz explained trends and potential: “I don’t think that the long-term load growth is going to be the issue. In fact, I think it will be a decarbonization opportunity.”

Political chaos rattles clean energy investors

This article by Peter Behr examines how the 2024 presidential election and the current political landscape affects clean energy investments. Jeffrey D. Brown, managing director of the EFI Foundation’s Energy Futures Finance Forum (EF³), emphasized the need for policy certainty in climate finance: “Long-term decarbonization assets need to generate long-term cash flow to repay long-term financing. That repayment plan depends on long-term policy certainty and durable incentives,” he said.

What’s The One Obstacle That Could Slow AI’s Rapid Advancement?

This article by Jay Bhatty discusses how the advance of article intelligence could be slowed by the massive amount of energy it requires, referencing a quote from Moniz at CERAWeek 2024: “Utilities will have to lean more heavily on natural gas, coal and nuclear plants, and perhaps support the construction of new gas plants to help meet spikes in demand.”

DOE unveils critical grid corridors for Biden climate goals

This article by Peter Behr discusses the U.S. Department of Energy’s announcement of ten new federal transmission corridors, and quotes analysis from EFI Foundation researchers on how the economic benefits of investing in grid infrastructure outweigh the costs.

The Future Of Hydrogen: DOE And Moniz Start Setting Up A Demand Market

This article by Llewellyn King discusses the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hydrogen Demand Initiative (H₂DI) consortium led by Ernest Moniz and the Energy Futures Initiative Foundation. The consortium will work to organize a market for clean hydrogen, specifically focusing on industrial and transportation uses. “The H₂DI program, which the DOE is initiating and which we could help shape has two phases,” Moniz said. ” The first phase is five years, then there will be an evaluation…with success, there would be a second five years. But 10 years is the maximum for this program.”

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How the World’s Biggest Plane Would Supersize Wind Energy

How would the world’s biggest plane advance wind energy? Ernest Moniz told Jennifer Hiller and Brian McGill from The Wall Street Journal that utilities are increasing their demand forecasts due to electrification of various industries. “They also want clean electricity,” Moniz said.

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‘Oppenheimer’s’ best performance — reminding us that we live in dangerous times

EFI Foundation CEO Ernest Moniz and executive chair of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Jerry Brown wrote an opinion piece for Los Angeles Times about how Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster film “Oppenheimer” serves as a poignant reminder of the danger nuclear weapons pose to civilization. They discuss how the possession of thousands of nuclear weapons, some of which are 80 times more powerful than the bomb shown in the film, presents unprecedented risks to the world given current global conflicts. Moniz and Brown emphasize the need to take steps towards a world without nuclear weapons “with speed and deliberation.”

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The world wants to triple nuclear energy: What will it take?

EFI Foundation CEO Ernest Moniz and Clean Air Task Force Executive Director Armond Cohen wrote an opinion piece for The Boston Globe about the pledge made at COP28, the United Nations climate change conference, to triple nuclear energy by 2050 to help mitigate climate change. “To succeed,” they said, “nations must rethink how to build, regulate, and finance nuclear technology.” Moniz and Cohen emphasized the need to focus on standardized products over singular projects.

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