Meet the Energy Leader: Franklin Orr; Stanford University USA

"In Transition: Climate and Clean Energy Challenges for the Biden Administration"

By: Franklyn Orr; Professor Department of Energy Resources Engineering
Stanford University; USA
Moderator: Kornelis Blok

After four years of negative progress on climate change and clean energy in the US, the change of administration in January marked an abrupt change of direction.  The new administration has made control of the COVID-19 pandemic its top priority.  But it is already clear that dealing with climate change will be a very important part of the administration’s policy agenda.  On the first day in office, the new president announced that the US would rejoin the Paris agreement.  And senior appointments at the White House and at key agencies make it clear that a deeply experienced team is being assembled.  It will renew US commitments to deep reductions in greenhouse gas emissions through a transition to much cleaner energy systems. Key elements will include putting in place ambitious goals for greenhouse gas emission reduction, using infrastructure funding to deploy clean energy technologies at every increasing scale, rebuilding the national regulatory structure for greenhouse gases, and supporting the clean energy transition through a vigorous program of fundamental and applied research and development to support energy innovation.  Some of the abundant research challenges and opportunities will be outlined.

Franklin Orr served as Under Secretary for Science and Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy from 2014 to 2017. He is the Keleen and Carlton Beal Professor Emeritus, Department of Energy Resources Engineering at Stanford University. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and the Board of Directors of the ClimateWorks Foundation.

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