Report on Clean Energy Sector Innovations and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

A discussion during National Clean Energy Week, featuring leaders from the American Conservation Coalition, Gevo, Helion Energy, Hydrostor, LandGate, and the Smart Electric Power Alliance, highlighted advancements in the American energy sector. The dialogue focused on delivering abundant, affordable, and reliable energy, with significant implications for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), and SDG 13 (Climate Action).

Hydrostor: Long-Duration Energy Storage for Grid Stability

Hydrostor’s contributions focus on grid reliability, a cornerstone for achieving SDG 7. The company’s technology and objectives were outlined as follows:

• Technology: Advanced Compressed Air Energy Storage (A-CAES) solutions that store energy by injecting compressed air into hard rock caverns for later deployment.
• Contribution to SDG 7: Addresses the intermittency of renewable energy sources, which is critical for grid balance and making clean energy affordable and reliable. Long-duration storage is essential to fully utilize renewable energy capacity.
• Contribution to SDG 9: Represents significant technological innovation in energy infrastructure. The company has operational plants and multiple sites in development, contributing to resilient infrastructure.

Key challenges and policy requirements identified include:

1. The need for robust policymaker support to deploy large-scale, “mega projects.”
2. The assertion that projects are “shovel-ready” and await policy and financial backing to proceed with construction.

Gevo: Advancing the Bioeconomy for Sustainable Production

Gevo is focused on renewable fuels and carbon abatement, aligning its operations with SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 13 (Climate Action).

• Initiatives:
  • Producing low-carbon ethanol with integrated carbon capture and storage.
  • Developing Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) from ethanol to meet rising demand in the aviation sector.
• Alignment with SDGs:
  • SDG 12: Creates a circular economy by utilizing existing ethanol infrastructure, monetizing all co-products (fuel, protein for animal feed), and reducing waste.
  • SDG 2 (Zero Hunger): Supports farmers by promoting regenerative agricultural practices that improve their bottom line and supply lower-carbon-intensity corn.
  • SDG 13: Directly contributes to climate action by producing lower-carbon fuels and sequestering carbon emissions from fermentation.

Policy stability was cited as a critical factor for success:

1. Helpful policy levers include the Section 45Z clean fuel production tax credit and the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program.
2. A call was made for policy stability, emphasizing that long-term projects require consistent regulatory frameworks to attract investment and allow time for implementation.
3. An educational initiative is needed to inform global policy about the sustainable nature of modern American agriculture.

Helion Energy: Commercializing Fusion for Clean Energy Generation

Helion Energy’s mission to deploy commercial fusion power directly supports the long-term goals of SDG 7 and the innovation targets of SDG 9.

• Progress and Milestones:
  • Development of seven working fusion prototypes in twelve years, with the latest, Polaris, demonstrating electricity generation.
  • The world’s first power purchase agreement for fusion energy signed with Microsoft, targeting energy delivery by 2028.
• Contribution to SDGs:
  • SDG 7: Aims to provide a transformative, clean, and abundant energy source for the global grid.
  • SDG 9: Embodies cutting-edge industrial innovation. The company advocates for building a domestic manufacturing supply chain for fusion components to ensure economic and strategic benefits.

To achieve commercial scale, the following policy actions are required:

1. Government partnership is needed to scale manufacturing capabilities within the United States.
2. The Fusion Advanced Manufacturing Parity Act, which expands the Section 45X Advanced Manufacturing Tax Credit to include fusion components, is seen as a critical piece of proactive legislation.

LandGate: Data Analytics for Sustainable Infrastructure Development

LandGate utilizes data to optimize land use for energy projects, contributing to the efficient build-out of infrastructure required for SDG 9 and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).

• Function: A data and analytics platform that assesses the suitability of land parcels for various types of energy generation, streamlining a previously laborious process.
• Alignment with SDGs:
  • SDG 9: Fosters innovation by applying digital modernization to the development of renewable energy infrastructure.
  • SDG 11: Facilitates the strategic planning and placement of energy projects essential for powering sustainable communities.

Major systemic challenges to renewable energy deployment were highlighted:

1. Grid modernization and interconnection reform are the two most significant national challenges.
2. State-level permitting and regulatory boundaries frequently terminate viable projects. A proposed solution is to grant the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) national authority over these processes.
3. Standardized community benefit agreements are needed to address local opposition and ensure equitable outcomes.

Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA): Fostering Partnerships for a Decarbonized Grid

SEPA provides a broad industry perspective, emphasizing collaboration and policy engagement to achieve a clean and reliable energy system, which is the essence of SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

• Industry Priorities: SEPA members are focused on innovations in long-duration energy storage, geothermal energy, and software solutions like AI and virtual power plants to enhance the efficiency of the existing grid.
• Contribution to SDG 17: The organization works with all segments of the power industry, underscoring the need for multi-level policy engagement (federal, state, regional) to overcome systemic barriers like interconnection queues.

The path forward involves a combination of technology and policy:

1. Policy tools such as clean energy standards, renewable portfolio standards, and energy storage targets continue to drive progress at the state level.
2. Building regulator comfort and familiarity with new technologies is crucial.
3. Real-world pilot projects are essential to demonstrate the benefits of new solutions, thereby encouraging regulators to approve similar projects at scale.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article highlights several issues and technological advancements in the clean energy sector that directly connect to multiple Sustainable Development Goals. The primary focus is on energy, innovation, and infrastructure, but the implications extend to economic growth and climate action.

• SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy: This is the most central SDG addressed. The entire article discusses the efforts of various companies to deliver “abundant, affordable, and reliable energy” through clean sources. It covers innovations in energy storage (Hydrostor), renewable fuels (Gevo), and fusion energy (Helion), all aimed at ensuring access to sustainable energy for all.
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure: The article is a showcase of innovation in the energy industry. It details new technologies like advanced compressed air energy storage, sustainable aviation fuel production with carbon capture, and commercial fusion energy. Furthermore, it emphasizes the need for building new infrastructure (“mega projects,” “generation facilities”) and modernizing the existing grid to support these advancements.
• SDG 13: Climate Action: While not explicitly named, the goal of combating climate change is an underlying theme. The development of low-carbon and zero-emission energy sources such as renewable fuels from Gevo (which focuses on “lower carbon intensity”), and fusion energy from Helion, are direct measures to decarbonize the energy sector and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: The article connects the energy transition to economic opportunities. It mentions “onshored manufacturing,” the potential for the U.S. to reap “economic and strategic benefits” from fusion technology, and supporting farmers through the monetization of co-products from ethanol production. These initiatives promote sustainable economic growth and the creation of new industries.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the discussion of technology, policy, and infrastructure, several specific SDG targets can be identified:

1. Target 7.2: By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.
   • The article directly supports this target by discussing technologies essential for increasing renewable energy’s share. Hydrostor’s long-duration energy storage is presented as a solution to the intermittency of renewables, making them more reliable and affordable. Gevo’s work on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from ethanol also contributes to diversifying the energy mix with renewable sources.
2. Target 7.a: By 2030, enhance international cooperation to facilitate access to clean energy research and technology… and promote investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy technology.
   • The article repeatedly emphasizes the need for policy support and investment to scale up clean energy technologies. Chris Phebus of Hydrostor states, “We need your support to put them in the ground.” The call for tax credits like the Section 45X for fusion manufacturing and policy stability for SAF production are clear examples of promoting investment in clean energy infrastructure.
3. Target 9.4: By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies…
   • Gevo’s process of producing low-carbon ethanol with “on-site carbon capture and storage” is a direct example of retrofitting an industry (ethanol production) to make it more sustainable. Helion’s mission to deploy commercial fusion and Hydrostor’s compressed air storage represent the adoption of new, clean technologies to upgrade energy infrastructure.
4. Target 9.5: Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors… encouraging innovation…
   • The article is replete with examples of this target. Helion Energy’s development of “seven working fusion prototypes in twelve years” and its achievement of being the first to demonstrate electricity production from fusion exemplify enhanced scientific research and technological advancement moving from an “academic to commercial” paradigm.
5. Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning.
   • The article highlights several national policies designed to support the clean energy transition, which are de facto climate change measures. These include the “Section 45Z clean fuel production tax credit,” the “U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program,” and the proposed “Fusion Advanced Manufacturing Parity Act.” These policies integrate climate goals into national economic and industrial strategy.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, the article mentions or implies several quantitative and qualitative indicators that can be used to track progress:

• Indicator for Target 7.2 (Share of renewable energy):
  • Installed capacity of energy storage and generation: The article mentions Hydrostor’s “first four gigawatt-hour plant” in Ontario. The capacity (in gigawatt-hours) of new storage and generation facilities is a direct measure of progress.
• Indicator for Target 7.a (Investment and access to technology):
  • Number and value of power purchase agreements (PPAs): Helion’s signing of the “world’s first power purchase agreement for fusion energy with Microsoft” is a significant milestone and a measurable indicator of commercial viability and investment.
  • Implementation of supportive financial policies: The existence and expansion of policies like the “Section 45X Advanced Manufacturing Tax Credit” serve as an indicator of government support and investment promotion.
• Indicator for Target 9.4 (Adoption of clean technologies):
  • Carbon intensity of products: Gevo’s focus on sourcing corn with a “lower carbon intensity” to produce “lower-carbon-intensity fuel” implies that the carbon intensity score (e.g., grams of CO2 equivalent per megajoule) is a key performance indicator.
• Indicator for Target 9.5 (Innovation and research):
  • Number of technological prototypes developed and deployed: Helion’s completion of “seven working fusion prototypes in twelve years” is a clear indicator of rapid innovation and progress in research and development.
  • Time to deployment for new technologies: Helion’s plan to start delivering fusion energy by 2028 provides a specific timeline, which can be used as a metric to measure the speed of technological deployment.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: thebusinessdownload.com