Energy Explained
Get the latest as our experts share their insights on global energy policy.
Curtailing Fugitive Methane Emissions Amid a Potential US Regulatory Rollback
Fugitive methane emissions from the energy sector have become frontpage news over the last five years. Both the US and EU have developed legislative strategies to combat methane...
Podcasts
Hear in-depth conversations with the world’s top energy and climate leaders from government, business, academia, and civil society.
Climate as a Catalyst for Global Conflicts
Climate change isn't just an environmental threat—it's becoming a catalyst for conflict. Over the past decade, rising temperatures, water shortages, and other environmental disruptions have fueled tensions from...
Events
Find out more about our upcoming and past events.
January 30, 2025
• 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
est
Can AI Help Reduce Emissions of Greenhouse Gases?
Please join the Center on Global Energy Policy (CGEP) at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs for a special webinar "Can AI Help Reduce Emissions of...
Webinar
• Zoom Webinar
Guests
The headline from this year’s World Energy Outlook released by the International Energy Agency says, “The world is on the brink of a new age of electricity.” In the United States, electrification is set to transform the energy landscape, and the nation is expected to see a rapid rise in power demand.
Questions remain over how this demand will be met, and if this means increasing carbon emissions from the power sector. These questions are further complicated by the rise of artificial intelligence and an antiquated and fragmented electric grid.
So how do efforts to decarbonize the century-old power system impact both reliability and the cost of electricity? And what does this new era of rising electricity demand mean for domestic manufacturing, AI data centers, and other industries?
This week host Jason Bordoff talks with Cheryl LaFleur and David Hill about the incoming Trump administration, its impact on FERC, and the status of permitting reform measures.
Cheryl is an advisory board member at the Center on Global Energy Policy. Previously, she was one of the longest-serving commissioners on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission from 2010-2019, and served twice as FERC’s chair. Since 2019, Cheryl has served on the board of directors of the Independent System Operator of New England (ISO-NE).
David is a non-resident fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy. He served as general counsel of the U.S. Department of Energy during the George W. Bush administration. From 2012 to 2018, he served as executive vice president and general counsel of NRG Energy, Inc.
More Episodes
Climate as a Catalyst for Global Conflicts
Climate change isn't just an environmental threat—it's becoming a catalyst for conflict. Over the past decade, rising temperatures, water shortages, and other environmental disruptions have fueled tensions from...
COP29: A Veteran’s Account of the UN Process
The international climate negotiation process stands at a critical juncture. At the recent COP29 summit in Azerbaijan, nations struggled to find common ground on financial support and carbon...
The Cybersecurity Stakes of the Energy Transition
The energy transition is transforming how we power our world – clean energy systems are becoming more interconnected, automated, and reliant on digital infrastructure. But with this transformation...
Minimizing Damage as Mining for Critical Minerals Ramps Up
The clean energy transition has a dirty underside. To move away from fossil fuels and toward solar, wind, batteries, and other alternative sources of energy, we have to intensify mining operations for critical minerals like lithium, copper, and cobalt.
Relevant
Publications
Can AI Transform the Power Sector?
CGEP is pleased to announce a new AI & Energy series—part of our Energy Explained blog. In the first entry, the authors write about AI's potential impacts on the...
Insights from the US and India for Electricity Open Access in Kenya and South Africa
Kenya and South Africa have recently started moving toward an open access regime in their electricity sectors, while the US and India have been on this path for over two decades.
Addressing Energy Insecurity via Utility Ratemaking
About one in four American households experience some form of energy insecurity. Within this group, Black, Indigenous, Latine, low- and moderate-income (LMI), and other disadvantaged communities face a disproportionately higher burden.
