5th Annual Expert Workshop: Challenges in Electricity Decarbonisation - Developments in electrification and their environmental, security, and electric sector implications

Background

Meeting mid-century decarbonisation goals requires both the decarbonisation of the electricity sector and the electrification of much of the rest of the economy.  This process involves switching traditionally fossil-fuel based technologies, such as automobiles, forklifts and furnaces, to technologies that instead rely on electricity.  As the electric supply decarbonises, electrification in turn reduces overall carbon emissions.  It can also lead to improved economics, energy efficiency, water use, air quality, noise levels, grid utilisation, productivity and safety. 

While still in its infancy in many sectors, electrification is growing rapidly.  This growth is facilitated by technological change, policy drivers, consumer choice and other ancillary benefits. 

Understanding and optimising electrification—as well as other advanced clean technologies such as hydrogen fuels—requires an examination of the challenges from a variety of angles, including environmental impacts, technological developments and hurdles, consumer preferences, policy challenges, impacts on the electricity sector, and security implications.  In most cases the issues are complex and involve trade-offs. 

This 1.5 day workshop analysed these issues from a variety of perspectives, including sessions on:

-  Electrification’s role in decarbonisation
-  Environmental impacts
-  Technological developments
-  Utility business strategies
-  Deep dive on transportation
-  Security implications

This was the firth workshop in the ongoing EPRI/IEA Challenges in Electricity Decarbonisation series. The 2017 workshop, Electrification and its Implications for the Electricity Sector, looked at technology, policy and security implications of electrification.  The 2016 workshop, Optimising the Path to 2050, explored the technological and economic challenges of different pathways to decarbonised power systems.  The 2015 workshop, Integrating New Technologies While Maintaining Resource Adequacy, focused on security of electricity supply through 2030.  The 2014 workshop, Electricity Market Design under Long-Term Decarbonisation focused on the challenge of ensuring reliable delivery of electricity under low-carbon scenarios through 2050.

The meeting was held under Chatham House Rules. 

Agenda

Workshop Overview and Introductions

Keisuke Sadamori, International Energy Agency (IEA)
Anda Ray, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)

SESSION 1 - ELECTRIFICATION’S ROLE IN DECARBONISATION: REGIONAL UPDATES

Moderator: David Hunter, Senior Government and External Representative, EPRI

Panellists:
David Hochschild - Commissioner, California Energy Commission
Henning Haeder - Manager Energy Policy, Climate & Sustainability, Eurelectric
John Bistline - Principle Technical Leader, EPRI
Dan Wetzel - China Program Manager, Rocky Mountain Institute-Beijing
Arunabha Ghosh - CEO, Council on Energy, Environment and Water, India

SESSION 2 - IMPLICATIONS OF ELECTRIFICATION

Moderator: Alejandro Hernandez, Senior Electricity Analyst, IEA

Panellists:
Knipping Eladio - Principal Technical Leader, Air and multimedia sciences, EPRI
Amro Farid - Associate Professor, Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth
Keith Dennis - Senior Director for Strategic Initiatives, NRECA
Ke Wei - Assistant Director for Infrastructure, New York City Mayor’s Office of Recovery and Resilienc


SESSION 3 - TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS

Moderator: Matthew Wittenstein, Senior Electricity Analyst, Gas, Coal and Power Markets Division, IEA

Panellists:
Ken Rider - Chief of Staff, California Energy Commission
David Hone - Chief Climate Change Advisor, Shell International
Rolando Fuentes - Fellow, Energy Transitions and Electric Power Program, KAPSARC
Craig Morris - Senior Manager for Energy Systems, Renewables Grid Initiative


SESSION 4 - UTILITY BUSINESS STRATEGIES

Moderator: Anda Ray, Senior Vice President, EPRI

Panellists:
Bernard Salha - SVP and Head of Research and Development,EDF
Thierry Lepercq - Former Executive Vice-President, ENGIE
Francisco Laveron Simavilla - Head of Energy Prospective, Iberdrola
Pradeep Vitta - Energy End Use R&D Manager, Southern Company

SESSION 5 - DEEP DIVE ON TRANSPORTATION

Moderator: Francisco De La Chesnaye,  Technical Executive and Senior Economist, EPRI

Panellists:
Pierpaolo Cazzola - Senior Energy and Transport Analyst, IEA
Antony Eggert - Program Director, ClimateWorks Foundation
Joury de Reuver - Director of Product Management, Europe, ChargePoint
Jurgen Weiss - Principal, The Brattle Group

SESSION 6 - SECURITY IMPLICATIONS OF ELECTRIFICATION

Moderator: Peter Fraser, Head, Gas, Coal and Power Markets Division, IEA

Panellists:
Takuma Inamura -  Counsellor, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan
Carol Hawk - Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, US Department of Energy
Dave Turk - Head, Strategic Initiatives Office, IEA
Marc McGranaghan - Vice President for Power Delivery and Utilization, EPRI

Closing Remarks

Keisuke Sadamori, International Energy Agency (IEA)
Anda Ray, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)