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Dr. Steve Koonin - US Undersecretary of Energy
INTERVIEW CLIPS
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The Basics and Potential of Wind
"I believe wind could get to 20 to 30% of our electricity in the next 20 years"
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Benefits of Coal
"It is domestic, readily extractable and we know how to use it"
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Carbon Capture and Storage
"We have demonstrated all the pieces and integration on a small scale"
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Oil Uses and Reserves
"There is at least a century of easily available oil still in the ground"
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Electric Cars
"There are many demands on a battery for a vehicle that are really quite a challenge"
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Hydroelectric
"I would not look to larger amount of hydropower as a part of our future"
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Coal
"The US is sometimes called the Saudi Arabia of coal"
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Pace of Energy Transitions
"Any new technology has to compete in cost and convenience with the technologies in place"
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Benefits of Nuclear
"Nuclear power is capable of making a difference at scale"
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Hydraulic Fracturing and Unconventional Natural Gas
"It's nothing new, but we've learned to do it with better control, finesse and economics"
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Transportation Alternatives
"We will see a gradual electrification, the pace driven by advances in battery technology"
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Meeting Our Variable Electricity Demand
"We need other sources that can be brought online quickly to balance intermittency"
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Versatility of Natural Gas
"It plays in all the big consuming sectors - transportation, heating and power"
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Cost and Future of Solar
"It’s several times more expensive than energy bought off the grid"
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Cost of Nuclear
"That’s a lot of money to risk up front"
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Nuclear Proliferation
"The world needs to build strong international incentives to stay in the confines of civilian nuclear power"
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Nuclear Waste
"I do not think it is a significant safety issue"
FULL INTERVIEW
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The Switch Interview
Dr. Steve Koonin, U.S. Undersecretary of Energy
     

    Switch Energy Project

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