Director of NREL Discusses Key Initiatives to Enable a Decarbonized Economy by 2050

Dr. Martin Keller, Director of the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and President of the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, spoke virtually with the Scott Institute this week as part of the 2021-2022 Distinguished Lecture series.

His one-hour lecture discussed three key initiatives that NREL has found to ensure a resilient grid, and which will enable a decarbonized economy by 2050:

1. Integrated Energy Pathways: Optimize the integration of renewables, buildings, energy storage, and transportation
2. Circular Economy for Energy Materials: Modify from linear (take-make-dispose) to sustainable (make-use-return)
3. Electrons to Molecules: Convert low-energy molecules—such as water and carbon dioxide (CO2)—to generate higher-value, higher-energy chemicals, materials, and fuels as end-use products or as a means toward energy storage

Keller noted the recent increase of speed in which renewables are being deployed is a large factor helping the United States make decarbonization a reality. In 2020, he noted, renewable energy produced 21 percent of electricity generation in the U.S. (a total of 834 kWh). This indicates the U.S. energy supply is shifting, and from his perspective, it is pertinent to preserve this surplus energy. Keller posed a concept to take the electricity produced and combine it with CO2 molecules to convert and store it for later use. Keller noted that this process could change the United States energy grid as we know it.

In addition to a discussion of the above-noted initiatives, Keller also referenced a specific equity-centered technology solutions paired with workforce development that NREL has pursued via a project in Unalakleet, Alaska. In an area where erosion on the coastlines destroyed residences and where climate change is causing sea ice to disappear, NREL piloted container homes that can easily ship to these communities. NREL then trained local communities with the skills to build the houses themselves, with considerations in mind for multi-generational living. This project created net new jobs within each community, and Keller believes there are many other such energy economic development plans. He suggested that scientists and engineers continue to work collaboratively in with local communities to involve them in the energy transition.

While the research to develop sustainable energy practices has taken many years to fully develop, Keller appealed to current students, stating that it is important that we continue building momentum: “We need each of you to contribute, to deploy current technology and innovate the next generation of future technologies to decarbonize the economy by 2050.” In order to meet the 2050 clean energy challenge, he emphasized that time is of the essence. “We must speed up the process for developing new technologies and scale the time down to 10 years.”