Washington, D.C, January 26, 2021 — The Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure (Aii) on Wednesday released its newest report, A Sustainable Energy Model: Ensuring Robust Energy, Resilient Infrastructure, and Climate Balance. The report offers a new model to move beyond the energy and environmental status quo.
In the report, also featured in the Pipeline & Gas Journal, Aii proposes a three-pronged model, which relies on existing infrastructure while generating a climate solutions incubator. The model focuses on the use of natural gas, safe transportation of materials through state-of-the-art pipelines, and the use of voluntary high-quality carbon offsets.
Key highlights from the report include:
- The criticality of natural gas for energy, but more importantly for the supply chain
- The need for pipelines to move energy today and products of the future like hydrogen
- The ability of carbon offsets to jumpstart a self-sustaining industry dedicated to removing CO2
Natural gas, both in its natural and renewable forms, powers the U.S. with high-density, low-cost, minimal-impact energy. Beyond energy, natural gas is a vital component of the supply chain for manufacturing, fertilizers, and more. Pipelines play a vital role in the transportation of natural gas and will need continued innovation as they will play an increased role in the transportation of carbon-neutral fuels, hydrogen, and other products in the future energy transition. Finally, the use of voluntary carbon offsets provides companies with the opportunity to neutralize their carbon footprint and invest in climate solutions without sacrificing the efficiency or quality of their products and service.
“People often want to choose between robust energy and environmental protection, but that’s a false choice,” said Aii Director of Public Policy, Benjamin Dierker. “What may surprise people is that a second false choice is choosing between fossil fuels like natural gas and low carbon energy options. This model delivers energy and environmental enhancement in spades.”
While components within this model are not entirely new, renewed attention to each element of the model is crucial. Innovation in design and engineering has made the sustainable energy model possible and will continue to advance its functionality over time.
Click here to read the report.
To learn more about the Aii and our infrastructure work, visit Aii.org.
###
About the Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure
The Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure (Aii) is an independent, national research and educational organization dedicated to identifying our nation’s infrastructure needs, creating awareness of those needs, and finding solutions to critical public policy challenges. Aii strives to promote proven, innovative technology and higher safety standards in a non-partisan manner to achieve excellence nationwide. The Alliance is a think tank consisting of two non-profits: the National Infrastructure Safety Foundation (NISF) 501(c)(4) and the Public Institute for Facility Safety (PIFS) 501(c)(3). (Aii.org)