Confronting climate change will require transitioning to low-carbon electricity and expanding the grid to accommodate more electrified vehicles, heating, and industries. However, integrating variable wind and solar resources into an antiquated and isolated grid poses challenges for maintaining reliability. Dr. Daniel Cohan will draw on lessons from his new book, Confronting Climate Gridlock, and published research to discuss what it will take to accelerate the transition to cleaner electricity while maintaining reliability and lowering costs. He will show how wind and solar can be complementary resources and discuss what will be needed to balance their variable output while retiring coal power plants and reducing gas use. Specific attention will be focused on ERCOT and opportunities to improve interconnections with other grids.
Daniel Cohan is an Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rice University and a member of EPA’s Board of Scientific Counselors. He received a B.A. in applied mathematics from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in atmospheric science from Georgia Tech. Dr. Cohan is a recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER award and served as a Fulbright Scholar to Australia. He is the author of more than 50 peer-reviewed publications, 70 popular media articles, and the book Confronting Climate Gridlock: How Diplomacy, Technology, and Policy Can Unlock a Clean Energy Future (Yale University Press, 2022), which was named by the Financial Times as one of the best new books on climate and the environment.
PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW REGISTRATION POLICY:
Due to new protocol from the Downtown Club regarding their food ordering timeline plus the lack of a buffet during COVID to handle walk-in registrants, we have had to make the following changes:
- Registration will now close at 12 noon on the Tuesday before the luncheon.
- Any luncheon registrations that have not been prepaid by credit card will only be held until 11:40 AM on the day of the luncheon. After that, they will be released to any walk-ins who are onsite. Therefore, we strongly suggest that you prepay for your luncheon to guarantee your spot.
- The Downtown Club is charging an increased price for any plates added after the Tuesday noon deadline. Therefore, any late registrants will be charged an additional $10 for their luncheon. Late registrations will be accepted between 12 noon on the Tuesday before the lunch through 12 noon on Wednesday. All late registrants must prepay for their lunch. To place and pay for a late registration, please call Penny Sullivan at 281-974-0624.
- Walk-in spaces will be limited due to the lack of a buffet to handle overflow. The only walk-in spaces available will be those left vacant by pre-registered no-shows. Therefore, we strongly suggest that you pre-register for the lunch.
We thank you for your understanding and hope to return to a more relaxed policy as COVID cases decline.