Doug Arent has worked in research on energy and sustainability for more than 30 years, publishing extensively on topics including clean energy, renewable energy, power systems, natural gas, and the intersection of science and public policy. He is the Executive Director of Strategic Public-Private Partnerships at National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and a Distinguished Fellow of the World Economic Forum and a fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University. Doug came to Bellagio in October 2022 to work on a book capturing insights and strategies from the past four decades of clean energy and development with a focus on the evolution of renewable energy technologies and the sustainability of our ecosystems.
A few words from Doug
“During the residency, I received good feedback from other scientific authors to include tangible stories of individuals.”
A Quote from Our Renewable Energy Future
“It is 2050. The world is free of energy poverty, and there are sufficient energy services for a decent life for everyone. There is clean water, electricity, fast digital communications, well-insulated and comfortable housing, piped water and sanitation, and abundantly productive agriculture which provides enough food to feed everyone a comfortable and healthy diet. And, we are doing it all, everywhere, without polluting the earth, the oceans, or the atmosphere. How has this come to be? We have learned to harness renewable energy sources around the world, combined with other low-carbon solutions, enabled by a complex mix of digital controls, distributed energy systems, integrated energy systems, and interconnected power grids all transmitting clean electrons – the backbone of our clean-energy economy. Those clean electrons are used to create and support clean chemicals and fuels, which in turn go into nearly every product that we so enjoy. Steel, aluminum, and concrete are all made via processes that leverage this renewable electricity-dominated future. Plastics – and nearly all consumable materials – come from a full reuse-and-recycle industry. There is no more plastic waste. Energy is not a limitation, but an enabler of economic advancement, education, health… Utopia? Perhaps, or perhaps not.”
Synopsis
Our Renewable Energy Future delves into the clean energy technology evolution and where our energy system is going. While the book’s foundation is technology innovation, it brings a unique perspective that technology alone is not what has brought about the explosive growth of renewable energy and offers fresh insights into how technology, economics, social dynamics, policy, and geopolitics are forces affecting our energy future. This book is a culmination of Dr Arent’s lifelong passion for energy, sustainable development, and renewable energy technology. It covers the journey of evolving technology, economics, political economy and geopolitics of clean energy over the last 40 years and provides insights for the coming decades. From a technology perspective, the book traces the arc of recent innovations and synthesizes innovations across multiple interacting perspectives into a description of Our Renewable Energy Future.