New DOE Under Secretary David Crane Ups the Pressure on Deployment

In his new position, Crane oversees the new Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, the Loan Programs Office, and other DOE offices critical to the deployment of clean energy infrastructure that will improve access to reliable energy sources across the nation. He also brings a unique perspective to the position due to his private sector experience as CEO of NRG Energy and expressed his hopes of shifting energy progress from “private sector-led and government-enabled” to “government-enabled and government-accelerated.” With hundreds of billions of dollars at his disposal, Crane intends to match the private sector pace for energy innovation, pressure hard-to-abate sectors to reduce their emissions, and provide demand-side support and government procurement options for promising technologies. Still, he acknowledges the uncertainties of scaling up clean energy prototypes, remarking, “we’ve got to be prepared to try some things” and “if nothing we ever do fails, then we didn’t take enough chances.”

Crane’s vision for energy innovation also implies a new role for the private sector. To speak on the future of the energy industry, BPC also hosted a panel discussion led by Tanya Das, BPC Senior Associate Director for Energy Innovation, with Norm Augustine, Chad Holliday—co-chairs of BPC’s American Energy Innovation Council—and Tom Steyer, co-executive chair of Galvanize Climate Solutions, a leading voice in the conversation about clean energy and climate.

The panel closed with Augustine, Holliday, and Steyer, all who have held comparable leadership positions, providing the Under Secretary with advice about how to be successful in his position.