Gerard Anderson on energy transition
From Policy Talks @ the Ford School: Gerry Anderson on energy policy and Michigan's economic recovery · · University of Michigan
“We have to do 100% carbon removal, we will do 100% renewables. We are going to need new technologies to keep the grid stable and reliable. In particular, we are going to need zero carbon base loader technologies, technologies that run when you tell them to, versus intermittent. We will need technologies that generate zero carbon electricity. It may be oil and gas with carbon capture, some talk about nuclear reactors, but we'll do a ton of renewables and pair them up with technologies to pull off the net zero aspiration.”
On , Gerard Anderson, Former Chairman & Chief Executive Officer at DTE Energy, spoke about energy transition during Policy Talks @ the Ford School: Gerry Anderson on energy policy and Michigan's economic recovery on University of Michigan.
About Gerard Anderson
In an April 2021 appearance at the Ford School, former DTE Chairman and CEO Gerry Anderson discussed energy policy and Michigan's economic recovery from COVID-19. Anderson stated that the utility industry is "desirous of trying to establish what we call an ambitious, but technically grounded clean energy standard," and said the industry favors such a standard over a carbon fee because a fee "doesn't necessarily correlate to a known carbon reduction." He noted that DTE announced in early 2017 a plan to reduce carbon emissions 80% and retire its coal plants, and described the reaction as "overwhelmingly positive." Anderson also addressed the Texas power crisis, attributing high residential bills to a deregulated market where "marketers can pass through the provider spikes to homeowners." He distinguished between rates and bills, saying DTE has "relatively high rates and relatively low bills" due to lower electricity usage in Michigan. Anderson also reflected on the pandemic's impact, predicting that reduced business travel would be a "permanent change for the better in terms of lower energy use," while noting that home energy use had risen and was "likely to be permanent, too." He served as co-chair of the Michigan Economic Recovery Council, which was tasked with forming a reopening plan during the pandemic.