Is the United States positioned to lead in the long term as the global energy mix continues to shift?

Fossil fuels have shaped the geopolitical map over the last two centuries. Now, the rapid deployment of renewables has set in motion a global energy transition that could have profound geopolitical consequences.

In this episode of Political Climate, we speak to Daniel Simmons, assistant secretary for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, about how the U.S. Energy Department is thinking about the intersection of geopolitics and cleantech.

We also discussed the DOE’s new Energy Storage Grand Challenge and how the agency is deploying capital to support clean energy innovation more broadly under President Trump — and how the DOE is defining “clean energy innovation” under President Trump.

Plus, we hear from Matt Myers, vice president of EarthxCapital. He’s just launched a new bipartisan initiative with the DOE’s Office of Technology Transitions to address commercialization barriers for cleantech solutions. We’ll learn more about it. 

And finally: The Political Climate crew couldn’t ignore the latest news, so we also touch on this week’s fiery Democratic debate and Jeff Bezos’ new $10 billion commitment to fund climate action. 

Recommended reading:

  • Washington Examiner: Bloomberg: U.S. Can't Afford to Ban Fracking "for Awhile"
  • GTM: What Would It Take for the U.S. to Become an Energy Storage Manufacturing Powerhouse?
  • Report: Bridging the U.S. Environmental Technology Gaps to Market

Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute.

Listen and subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, Overcast or any of these other services. Find us on Twitter @Poli_Climate! Follow our hosts at @JMPyper @ShaneSkelton and @BrandonHurlbut.