“We Have To … Accelerate and Scale Up” Work at PNNL, Says Top Energy Department Nominee
Under questioning by Cantwell, Under Secretary of Energy nominee David Crane calls PNNL “truly awe-inspiring” and shares enthusiasm for groundbreaking energy innovations underway at Richland facility
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, at a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) put the Tri-Cities’ largest employer center stage as she questioned three of President Biden’s nominees for high-level roles in the Department of Energy (DOE).
Sen. Cantwell asked the nominees how they plan to further support the groundbreaking research at Pacific Northwest National Laboratories (PNNL) in Richland. She questioned David Crane, under consideration to serve as Under Secretary of Energy (Infrastructure); Gene Rodrigues, a candidate for Assistant Secretary of Energy (Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability); and Jeffrey Marootian, nominated as Assistant Secretary of Energy (Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy).
Sen. Cantwell asked Mr. Crane about his recent visit to PNNL, and to indicate research breakthroughs he plans to leverage if nominated.
“The first national lab I got to visit was the Pacific Northwest, and it was truly awe-inspiring,” said Mr. Crane. “And I think the thing that personally most excited me about my visit was the work that was being done within that lab on next-generation electrolyzers, which will be essential to highly successful hydrogen. The current generation of electrolyzers that we're looking at of course, rely on iridium, of which is something that the United States does not have a supply of currently. So we have to promote more special metals, domestic sources.”
“But solid oxide electrolyzers,” he added, “where the work is being pioneered out in Washington State, I think is something we have to … focus on very quickly to accelerate and scale up.”
In questioning Mr. Rodrigues, Sen. Cantwell asked how he will support the pioneering grid modernization work at PNNL and the Grid Storage Launchpad, a new grid energy storage research and development facility identified as a top priority by the DOE. PNNL was chosen as the site for the project and Cantwell spoke in its groundbreaking ceremony last April.
“The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has been a critical contributor on electricity issues since its inception, and (on) grid modernization, cybersecurity, energy storage, all of those things. They're the home to the largest collection of power system engineers and will soon be home to the Office of Electricity's new Grid Storage Launchpad,” said Sen Cantwell. “So how do you see the Grid Storage Launch Pad moving forward with PNNL and helping to roll this out?”
“Grid storage, I believe, represents the most important breakthrough our country can make. And the PNNL is fortunate, and we are fortunate, that it is the home of the Grid Storage Launchpad. That's going to put not just good rigorous technology demonstration work, but intellectually rigorous, plus muscular in terms of the size and the breadth of the effort. I'm very excited about the work being done there,” Mr. Rodrigues responded.
Sen. Cantwell asked Mr. Marootian about PNNL’s role in developing decarbonization technology.
“If confirmed, [I] look forward to working with the PNNL team,” said Mr. Marootian. “They are doing some cutting-edge research and work across the board. And I think it's critical that we as a department focus on how to take the R&D work that's being done at the labs and apply it to real-world applications and look forward to doing that if confirmed.”
Last August, Sen. Cantwell hosted U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm at PNNL. They toured the facility’s Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, where PNNL researches molecular sciences, and the Applied Process Engineering Laboratory, where PNNL is conducting research into high-performance metal manufacturing with a low carbon footprint.
Video of Sen. Cantwell’s floor speech is available HERE; audio can be found HERE. A full transcript of the exchange at yesterday’s ENR hearing is below:
Senator Maria Cantwell
Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
November 17th, 2022
Nominees: Mr. David Crane, to be Under Secretary of Energy (Infrastructure); Mr. Jeffrey M. Marootian, to be an Assistant Secretary of Energy (Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy); Mr. Gene Rodrigues, to be an Assistant Secretary of Energy (Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability)
Q&A
CANTWELL: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you for this important hearing and all of you for your willingness to serve. These are very important positions, and I certainly appreciate the focus that you've brought to this morning's feedback and answering questions.
Mr. Rodrigues, I would like to drill down a little more - You and I had a chance to meet, but obviously the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has been a critical contributor on electricity issues since its inception, and grid modernization, cybersecurity, energy storage, all of those things.
They're the home to the largest collection of power system engineers and will soon be home to the Office of Electricity's new Grid Storage Launchpad, which provides a place to accelerate and vindicate grid scale storage. So very, very important.
Obviously, we're very interested in smart grid technology and moving forward on the Office of Electricity's support of the Grid Storage Launchpad once it opens in 2024. So I wanted to ask you about the investment and timeframe because utility operators and consumers agreed to dynamically control large electrical loads, like EV chargers, water heaters, pumps, all of these things that we have to do to drive down cost and look at consumer affordability.
I think they released a study that showed if this technology were used across the country, it would cut peak loads by up to 15% and deliver $50 billion in economic benefits to customers. So how do you see the Grid Storage Launch Pad moving forward with PNNL and helping to roll this out?
RODRIGUES: Thank you for that question, Senator Cantwell, and again thank you for taking the time to meet with me yesterday.
Let me start with a personal story. I've been in the energy industry some 32 years. When I first entered that, some 32 years ago, I remember having a conversation with one of the leads of the utility on the technology side, saying, "You know what the next breakthrough is for renewable energy? Storage."
And that's because, from a utility perspective, the thing that makes these technologies used and useful in making affordable energy and reliable energy for people is the ability to control the portfolio resources you have.
Grid storage, I believe, represents the most important breakthrough our country can make. And the PNNL is fortunate, and we are fortunate, that it is the home of the Grid Storage Launchpad. That's going to put not just good rigorous technology demonstration work, but intellectually rigorous, plus muscular in terms of the size and the breadth of the effort. I'm very excited about the work being done there.
CANTWELL: Thank you. Mr. Marootian, obviously, in the energy efficiency and renewable energy portfolio PNNL is also a big player on renewable grid integration and coastal and marine integration as well. How do you think the role of the national lab would help in support of these priorities and moving forward on decarbonization?
MAROOTIAN: Thank you, Senator Cantwell, for that question. I've had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Ashby and very much, if confirmed, look forward to working with the PNNL team. They are doing some cutting-edge research and work across the board. And I think it's critical that we as a department focus on how to take the R&D work that's being done at the labs and apply it to real-world applications and look forward to doing that if confirmed.
CANTWELL: And Mr. Crane, I understand that PNNL was one of the first labs you visited in your current role, so thank you.
Given the strong capabilities the department has invested in for many years, how do you plan to leverage these investments? Particularly some of the things we need to do on the security side.
CRANE: Well, Senator, you're absolutely correct, the first national lab I got to visit was the Pacific Northwest, and it was truly awe-inspiring. And I think the thing that personally most excited me about my visit was the work that was being done within that lab on next-generation electrolyzers, which will be essential to highly successful hydrogen.
The current generation of electrolyzers that we're looking at of course, rely on iridium, of which is something that the United States does not have a supply of currently. So we have to promote more special metals, domestic sources. But solid oxide electrolyzers, where the work is being pioneered out in Washington State, I think is something we have to very focus on very quickly to accelerate and scale up.
CANTWELL: I'm not sure – you could probably explain it in a short period of time. But I look forward to helping everybody understand this cutting-edge change. If you have a soundbite, you could say it…
CRANE: No, as a lawyer, I'm at the very edge of my technical understanding right now.
CANTWELL: I think it could change a lot in manufacturing. I'll just say that. I think it could be a game changer in manufacturing.
Could I, just for the record, Mr. Chairman, I know we have people who want to ask a second…
MANCHIN: Sure.
CANTWELL: Mr. Rodrigues, you and I also had a conversation about grid fiber. The Chairman literally pioneered this idea in his state with people working together on grid fiber as a way to drive a smarter grid. And do you think that a program to encourage more utility investment in grid fiber is a good idea?
RODRIGUES: Thank you for that question, Senator Cantwell. I don't think it's a good idea. I think it's an excellent idea.
CANTWELL: Great, okay. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
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