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Join the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center on Wednesday, February 24 at 4 PM EST for a dynamic public conversation as experts discuss grid reliability and resilience amid increasingly severe weather events, like that affecting the state of Texas, and the ongoing energy transition.

The energy system in the United States is in crisis. Residents across Texas have no electricity, no heat, and no water, and are fending for themselves as power outages extend for days in subfreezing temperatures. The world is already in an urgent fight to protect the planet from climate change, but the extreme weather events over the last year show that the time to update energy planning, processes, and infrastructure to prepare for more frequent and intense climate-induced natural disasters is already upon us.

The transformation of the energy system is well underway. The annual installed capacity of renewable energy is outpacing the growth of conventional fuel sources, utilities are working to digitize and upgrade grid management technologies, and everyday citizens are buying solar panels and electric vehicles. When natural disasters strike, the first reaction of many stakeholders is to blame others, especially new entrants to the system, for the disruptions. This distinguished panel will articulate the challenges to maintaining safe and reliable energy supplies, in the context of the energy transformation and the increasing threats of climate change, and discuss how the energy industry can work together with policymakers to build a more secure energy future.

Please join this timely conversation via the web application Zoom, which is accessible through your web browser, the Zoom desktop or mobile app, and by phone. If you wish to join the question and answer period, you must join by app or web. You must register to receive further information on how to join the virtual audience.

Agenda

A conversation with

Rob Gramlich
Founder and President
Grid Strategies

Ben Hertz-Shargel
Head of Data Science and Demand Management
Rhythm;
Nonresident Senior Fellow
Atlantic Council Global Energy Center

Heather Rock
Director, Climate Resilience
Pacific Gas and Electric Company

Bentina Chisolm Terry
Senior Vice President, Metro Atlanta and Corporate Relations
Georgia Power

Michael E. Webber
Chief Science & Technology Officer
ENGIE;
Josey Centennial Professor in Energy Resources, Mechanical Engineering
University of Texas at Austin

Moderated by

Margaret Jackson
Deputy Director, Climate and Advanced Energy
Atlantic Council Global Energy Center

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