How does the United States meet rising energy demand, reduce GHG emissions, strengthen resilience and ensure clean, reliable, and affordable energy for its citizens? At the We Mean Business Pavilion, Charles Hernick, Head of Environmental Policy, Amazon; Justin Saia, VP of Corporate Affairs, Schneider Electric; and Helen Walter-Terrinoni, Director of Global Climate Policy, Trane Technologies discussed near-term solutions that can improve energy efficiency, optimize existing infrastructure, and scale clean and distributed energy resources.

In terms of policy solutions that can drive further growth, government is not only an actor but an enabler. The private sector would like to see increased incentives to invest in sustainable energy solutions, as well as the simplification of standards.

Speakers included:

Welcome – Maria Mendiluce, CEO, We Mean Business

Fireside Chat with Sen. Henry Stern, Nat Keohane and Clinton Britt (20 minutes)

• Henry Stern, California Senate
• Nat Keohane, President, C2ES
• Moderator: Clinton Britt, President, SEEC Institute Board of Directors

Panel:  U.S. Private & Public Sector Panel (30 minutes)

• Helen Walter-Terrinoni, Director, Global Climate Policy, Trane Technologies
• Charles Hernick, Head of Environmental Policy, Amazon
• Justin Saia, Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Schneider Electric
• Max Frankel, Executive Director, SEEC Institute
• Moderator: Andrew Prag, Managing Director for Policy, We Mean Business

Key takeaways:

Justin Saia, VP of Corporate Affairs, Schneider Electric: Supply will not keep up with demand by 2028. By 2033, there will be a 175 GW gap between supply and demand – equivalent to the power used by 130 million homes.

• Schneider Electric has invested over $700 million to bolster the U.S. energy infrastructure to power AI growth, boost domestic manufacturing, and strengthen energy security.
• The company’s partnership with NVIDIA will also combine expertise and innovation to enable AI’s future.
• The private sector is looking for the government to provide policy certainty, innovation incentives, and investments in a modernized grid. Industry must lead and drive innovation while the government sets guardrails.

Charles Hernick, Head of Environmental Policy, Amazon: In 2023, Amazon already hit its 2030 goal of powering its operations through 100% renewable energy.

• Now, Amazon is all in on building data centers, electrifying its delivery fleet, and improving local air quality.
• The company invested $500 million last year in developing small modular nuclear reactors.
• Permitting and transmission reform must be key policy priorities.

Helen Walter-Terrinoni, Director, Global Climate Policy, Trane Technologies: Energy efficiency should be our fuel of choice. It is key to stabilizing the grid and reducing peak load. Further education and financing are needed to increase demand for more efficient projects and drive investments that benefit all communities.

• The story to tell is one of cost and energy savings. The industry learned a lot about investment while federal incentives were in place and now will see some changes.

Max Frankel, Executive Director, SEEC Institute: The SEEC Institute focuses on how to make members of Congress more effective in their jobs, while also partnering with companies that are deploying sustainable energy projects.

• SEEC Institute’s Thriving Economy Project is a policy blueprint for an American economy to achieve long-term, sustainable growth and prosperity for all Americans across all economic sectors, to help realize a secure energy future, affordability, reliability, and jobs.
• We must address peak load. Even a .25% reduction can drive down costs for all parties.
• SEEC Institute’s goal is to set policies that will continue over the long term. Climate action is economic action. Business growth can be paired with good environmental policy.
• The public and private sectors can collaborate through better communication. Government should communicate actual load projections to utilities, and utilities should be clear to policymakers in return.