The federal government is pouring billions of dollars into developing clean power sources. In this conversation hosted by The Texas Tribune in Houston, panelists discussed how Texas companies are playing a major role in emerging technologies like hydrogen and geothermal.
The new energy race
By 2030, the Biden administration aims to cut the amount of climate change-causing pollution by half from 2005 levels. The federal government is investing billions of dollars into technologies to meet the goal, and businesses are competing to find the breakthrough solutions that will provide cost-competitive, clean power sources. Much of this work is happening in Texas, where oil and gas companies have dominated for generations. In this series, we examine the role Texans are playing in developing three emerging energy technologies: hydrogen, geothermal and small nuclear reactors.
Small nuclear reactors may be coming to Texas, boosted by interest from Gov. Abbott
A nuclear power plant hasn’t been built in Texas in decades because of cost and public fears of a major accident. Now the governor wants to find out if smaller reactors could meet the state’s growing need for on-demand power.
In Texas, ex-oil and gas workers champion geothermal energy as a replacement for fossil-fueled power plants
Texas has become an early hot spot for geothermal energy exploration as scores of former oil industry workers and executives are taking their knowledge to a new energy source.
Texas energy companies are betting hydrogen can become a cleaner fuel for transportation
Supporters say developing hydrogen as a fuel is critical to slowing climate change. Critics are concerned that producing it with fossil fuels will prop up the oil and gas industry.
