Neil Kern
Low-Carbon Resources Initiative Program Manager, Electric Power Research Institute
Bio:
Neil Kern is the Program Manager of the Low-Carbon Research Initiative at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). In this role, Neil leads the research portfolio development and execution within the Low-Carbon Resources Initiative focusing on developing technologies and integrated pathways for economy-wide decarbonization.
Prior to joining the Low-Carbon Resources Initiative, Neil led EPRI’s research program focused on technology cost, performance, and techno-economics. Before joining EPRI in 2019, Neil spent the first ten years of his career at Duke Energy where he served in multiple roles within engineering, regulatory strategy, planning, research and development, and project management. While there he served on several industry steering committees and advisory boards.
Mr. Kern earned a bachelor's degree from North Carolina State University in chemical engineering and a master’s degree in economics from West Virginia University. He also is a registered Professional Engineer.
Abstract:
Achieving net-zero energy across the United States by 2050 would involve an energy transformation that is unprecedented in scope, scale, and timeframe. A customer-focused approach to building, connecting, and operating this future energy system rests on dramatically increasing optionality, innovation, and collaboration across the energy sector:
- Optionality. Leveraging the full portfolio of existing and emerging energy resources while accounting for regional differences.
- Innovation. Developing and deploying new and creative technology solutions across the clean energy economy.
- Collaboration. Reaching across industry and government to align technology development and deployment with customer and community needs.
This presentation will provide an overview of the Low-Carbon Resources Initiative’s (LCRI) net-zero analysis. An integrated energy system scenario modeling exercise was performed to evaluate alternative technology strategies for achieving economy-wide net-zero emissions of carbon dioxide in the United States by 2050. Building on previous research, this study finds that a broad portfolio of clean energy technologies underpins an affordable and reliable clean-energy transition and offers new insights into three hypothetical net-zero scenarios.
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