Brent Bennett, Ph.D., is the policy director for Life:Powered, an initiative of the Texas Public Policy Foundation to raise America’s energy IQ.
Dr. Bennett has an M.S.E. and Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and a B.S. in physics from the University of Tulsa. His graduate research focused on advanced chemistries for utility-scale energy storage systems.
With Gen Z reportedly being twice as likely to battle depression when compared to Americans over 25, there’s no denying that today’s youth are more mentally ill, or at least more inclined to respond to surveys about it, than the generations that precede them. But what if there was an unrealized factor in these perpetual...
Ryan Reynolds says, “When you have expectations, you are setting yourself up for disappointment.” But when it comes to Texas and our electric grid, we must have high expectations—our modern lives are completely dependent a reliable supply of electricity to our homes. And the reliability of electricity supply is the fundamental problem facing the ERCOT...
As Texas moves closer to the much-awaited conclusion of another hot summer—thankfully without any electric grid emergencies so far—it’s a good time to break from the conversation on grid reliability and talk about the coming rise in Texans’ electric bills. A common claim is that wind and solar are dampening the impact of rising natural...
It’s not just energy prices. Over the past year, the prices of a wide range of other commodities are also increasing—most notably the “critical minerals” needed for a wide range of advanced technologies. Lithium prices are up more than tenfold over the past two years, copper is up almost 50%, and nickel has roughly doubled....
As of June 2022, President Biden has authorized the use of the Defense Production Act (DPA) to accelerate domestic production of five energy technologies: solar, transformers and grid components, heat pumps, insulation, electrolyzers, fuel cells, and platinum group metals. The Biden administration also invoked the DPA in March to increase the domestic output of critical...
Texas is seeing record June heat, reminiscent of the scorching summer of 2011, and record electricity demand is being forecast. After the disaster in February 2021, many Texans are wondering how long the grid will be able to handle the state’s growing electricity demand. They’re right to wonder, and while the Texas grid should pass...
When we think about how American energy production is being undermined, we usually think about policies emanating from Washington, D.C., and the inexorable march of the federal regulatory state. But a quieter and more sinister movement is afoot to bypass the messy process of lawmaking and regulation and force large corporations to stop financing American...
Today, after nearly three months of taking input from electric market participants, the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) is now past the midway point of a lightning-fast effort (by the PUC’s historical standards) to come up with a market redesign plan by the end of this year. The open meeting held last week and...
With the tragic events of Winter Storm Uri fading into history and the expected success of the main electric grid reform legislation, SB 3, later this week, it is a good time to take stock of what we have learned from the event and what changes we can expect for the Texas electricity market in...
On Earth Day 2021, President Biden announced that the U.S. will cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 50% by 2030. The pledge marked a radical about-face from the Trump administration’s prioritization of poverty reduction, economic growth, and U.S. energy dominance over GHG emissions. It is also twice the size of the Obama administration’s pledge to...
Should power generators be required to guarantee that they can provide a certain amount of electricity? That’s what state legislators are considering at the Texas Capitol. A cadre of out-of-state banks and tech companies fretted in a letter to state leaders that such a mandate would “inappropriately and unfairly” impose more costs on renewable energy companies. Instead,...
The story of how Texas was brought to its knees by crippling cold weather leaving millions without power is a complex one, yet entirely predictable and avoidable. The details matter, so it is important to know the long story, but let’s start with the short version: For years, Texas’ grid operator (ERCOT) has overestimated the...