ECG’s Jane Hotchkiss and Wally Johnston attended FUSION22, hosted by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and the Fusion Cluster, on October 18 at the Science Museum in London — no doubt a hub that will someday exhibit early fusion devices! Many of our friends and colleagues spoke at the conference, including ECG Board Member Laban Coblentz, and ECG Advisory Committee member Melanie Windridge (both pictured above).
The conference exuded hope, excitement, and a weighty solemnity which comes with the awareness of being part of something of global importance for the future. The focus of FUSION22 was the UKAEA’s steady approach to building the public infrastructure needed to support the fusion sector’s needs: workforce development, materials research, robotics, and tritium handling.
We challenge anyone who attended FUSION22 to think that fusion is still 30 years away!
ECG CFO Wally Johnston attended Seattle Fusion Week 2022, held October 12 and 13. In addition to the general sessions, attendees were invited to visit four private fusion companies in the area — Helion, CT Fusion, ZAP Energy, and Avalanche.
The Clean Tech Alliance, led by President and CEO Mel Clark and her staff, did a wonderful job of putting on this second annual conference. Among the attendees were Department of Energy (DOE) and White House staff, including Geraldine Richmond, Under Secretary for Science and Innovation; Sally Benson, Deputy Director for Energy, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; and David Conrad, Deputy Director of the Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs at DOE, to name a few.
Several northwest utility companies took part on a panel to discuss integration and deployment of fusion. There was a good dialogue with the audience and an eagerness to learn on both sides of the conversation.
Bianca and Patrick attended the 2022 Evening with Ceres, held at the JKF Library in Boston on October 17. Keynote speakers featured former Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, Sarah Bloom Raskin, and US Representative Jamie Raskin, D-MD, who spoke boldly and courageously to an audience of environmentally focused investment managers and non-profit organizations.
The prestigious Joan Bavaria Award of CERES honored Napoleon Wallace of Frontline Solutions, a consulting firm “dedicated to making the world more just for all.” In his acceptance speech, Napoleon made a lasting impression when he asked the audience to reevaluate the purpose of capital.
At the Bretton Woods Committee’s International Council during the IMF and World Bank annual meetings, ECG heard Secretary Yellen discuss climate risks to the planet, political order, and trade. The “world’s transition to a clean energy future is critical to saving our planet. And it’s critical to reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and the autocratic regimes that often control them.”
She also underscored the importance of climate adaptation, and lauded the Inflation Reduction Act as the most important domestic action on climate in US history.
Spotlight on Kayla Miller, ECG’s Director of Education
Kayla Miller joined ECG as the Director of Education earlier this year. Her interest in fusion was sparked in college, where she noticed there were few students who looked like her in STEM courses. When she graduated, she decided to be the change she wanted to see. She developed workshops that served as an early point of access to STEM education, with culturally relevant content — the representation she never had in her K-12 experience. She joined ECG in 2022 amid students’ growing concern about their future with respect to the climate crisis. ECG is poised to offer a solution, with fusion curriculum, that offers hope and agency in the future that they will inherit.
Prior to ECG, Kayla founded the organization STEM Kings & Queens to provide STEM awareness and enrichment to students from marginalized backgrounds. Since 2019, STEM Kings & Queens has developed workshops/curriculum for K-12 students in the context of their real-world applications while also highlighting the contributions of historically underrepresented people in those fields. Her workshops have been held both in-person and online at school districts like Albany City School District, and colleges including Siena College, in partnership with community-based organizations, and independently. Kayla graduated from Central Connecticut State University with a degree in Biomolecular Sciences.
Encouraging Climate News
EPA powers on!
Earlier this year the Supreme Court ruled that the Clean Power Plan established during the Obama administration went beyond the scope of the EPA’s mandate. The EPA had set national carbon limits that were unattainable for existing coal power plants. The Supreme Court argued that Congress had not intended to establish such a broad-based national emissions reduction system — but the Clean Air Act was left standing and the EPA continues its important work.
On October 11th the EPA announced plans to improve air quality in the Detroit area by reducing sulfur dioxide emissions. Under the Clean Air Act, areas that fall below federal minimum guidelines must take action. While no specific mention was made about coal, it happens to be the largest source of human caused sulfur dioxide pollution. And Michigan’s leading source of energy is coal fired power plants. Supreme Court rulings aside, coal plants continue to be in the cross hairs of the EPA. Fight on!
Upcoming in November!
As a US voice for commercial fusion energy at COP26 in Scotland (2021), ECG’s Jane Hotchkiss returns to COP27 in Egypt on November 15, 2022 to moderate the second-ever fusion energy panel, staged by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (webcast will be available here).
Hosted by Climate and Fashion industry leader Gabriela Hearst, Creative Director of Chloe, the fusion energy panel will focus will be on how global partnerships are preparing for fusion’s arrival and rapid deployment.