As promised, we have a Part II with the brilliant Tom Starrs. Tom’s interview was so rich in information on cleantech government affairs and communications that we split this episode into two parts.
Here are Tom’s 3BP’s (Big 3 Points) for Part II:
2:11 - We need to scale up renewables to make it a larger portion of the electricity supply. But to do so, we need a new grid model and new technologies, such as battery storage and transmission enhancements.
19:04 - There have been missteps in managing the solar supply chain issue. While we’ve aimed to reduce dependence on imported solar panels from China, the transition takes time, and we still need materials from China in the short term.
24:01 - The most important barrier to the clean energy transition is transmission. We need to aggressively pursue new transmission policy. They should deal with streamlining the siting and permitting of new, high-voltage transmission lines across the country – in combination with new transmission technologies, including grid-enhancing technologies.
