{"id":7285,"date":"2014-04-24T11:32:25","date_gmt":"2014-04-24T16:32:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/?p=7285"},"modified":"2015-12-21T12:44:09","modified_gmt":"2015-12-21T18:44:09","slug":"what-it-takes-to-compete-in-the-global-energy-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2014\/04\/24\/what-it-takes-to-compete-in-the-global-energy-race\/","title":{"rendered":"What it Takes to Compete in the Global Energy Race"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"cleanenergyrace\"<\/a>As the international sporting world shifts its sights from somewhat snowy Sochi (host of the 2014 Winter Olympics) to balmy Brazil (host of this summer\u2019s soccer World Cup),\u00a0a recent European Commission report<\/a>\u00a0shows that the European Union (E.U.) has its eyes fixed on taking the lead in another global contest of sorts: The race for a more competitive, secure, and sustainable energy economy. At stake are neither medals nor trophies, but long-term economic strength. As Europe \u2013 and, indeed, the rest of the world \u2013 play energy hardball, what does it mean for the global energy competitiveness of Team USA? Let\u2019s look at the stats.<\/p>\n

Current energy costs and competitiveness<\/b><\/p>\n

Reliable, affordable energy powers industrial innovation and growth, making energy costs and policies one of the most important drivers of economic competitiveness.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

In the E.U., industrial gas and electricity prices are two to four times higher than in the U.S., and 12 to 20 percent higher than in China, according to the European Commission report, part of a\u00a0larger EU climate and energy strategy<\/a>\u00a0that extends to 2030. These are staggering statistics, due primarily to the high cost of imported gas from Russia, Europe\u2019s chief supplier.<\/p>\n

The picture is sunnier on the U.S. side of the pond as a result of the shale gas boom slashing domestic energy costs, creating a tremendous competitive advantage for U.S. industry, even as it continues to raise myriad\u00a0environmental issues<\/a>. Similarly, with low electricity costs and favorable government policies \u2013 especially with regard to\u00a0increased investment in renewables<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 China too is having its day in the sun, enjoying the title of \u201cmost competitive nation\u201d according to last year\u2019s Global Manufacturing Competitiveness Index.<\/p>\n

That said, even if the U.S. and China are currently enjoying the energy status quo, it\u2019s important to recognize that the pursuit of a robust energy economy for tomorrow is a marathon, not a sprint.<\/p>\n

Addressing the energy \u201cTrilemma\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

In\u00a0a recent speech<\/a>, International Energy Agency Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven identified today\u2019s \u201cenergy trilemma,\u201d which lies at the core of the global competitiveness issue: How do nations simultaneously achieve energy security, sustainability, and economic prosperity? There may be no universal solution, but there are certainly proven strategies and tools that hold enormous potential.<\/p>\n

For the U.S. to stay energy competitive, we must create a diverse energy supply that features responsible use of low carbon energy resources along with clean, renewable resources \u2013 and we must get the\u00a0right policies in place<\/a>\u00a0to ensure these resources are valued fairly, so as to encourage further clean energy investment. It\u2019s no longer a technological issue, but a regulatory one.<\/p>\n

Additionally, we must advance smart grid tools, such as\u00a0demand response<\/a>, which improve grid reliability and enable consumers to save money. China seems to agree: In 2013 China invested $4.3 billion in the smart grid market, marking the first time they outspent the U.S., which saw its own smart grid investment fall 33 percent to $3.6 billion. By the same token, it\u2019s critical that we continue to develop grid efficiency and\u00a0storage technologies<\/a>, which hold vast potential for increasing the broad-scale adoption of renewables and improving grid flexibility and resiliency.<\/p>\n

Every nation may face the same energy \u201ctrilemma,\u201d but those nations that can provide a\u00a0smarter, more resilient energy system<\/a>\u00a0at competitive costs will hold a distinct competitive advantage in the global economy. The time for us to invest in that capability is now. Lest the U.S. miss the opportunity to lead the world into the energy future \u2013 or we miss the opportunity for one last sports metaphor \u2013 let\u2019s just say that it\u2019s still early in the game, but the clock is ticking.<\/p>\n

This commentary originally appeared on our EDF Voices blog<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As the international sporting world shifts its sights from somewhat snowy Sochi (host of the 2014 Winter Olympics) to balmy Brazil (host of this summer\u2019s soccer World Cup),\u00a0a recent European Commission report\u00a0shows that the European Union (E.U.) has its eyes fixed on taking the lead in another global contest of sorts: The race for a …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32987,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[42996,254,84830,177,27600],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-7285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-smart-power","category-energy-efficiency","category-grid-modernization","category-renewable-energy","category-utilities"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat it Takes to Compete in the Global Energy Race - Energy Exchange<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2014\/04\/24\/what-it-takes-to-compete-in-the-global-energy-race\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What it Takes to Compete in the Global Energy Race - Energy Exchange\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As the international sporting world shifts its sights from somewhat snowy Sochi (host of the 2014 Winter Olympics) to balmy Brazil (host of this summer\u2019s soccer World Cup),\u00a0a recent European Commission report\u00a0shows that the European Union (E.U.) has its eyes fixed on taking the lead in another global contest of sorts: The race for a ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2014\/04\/24\/what-it-takes-to-compete-in-the-global-energy-race\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Energy Exchange\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-04-24T16:32:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2015-12-21T18:44:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/38\/files\/2014\/05\/cleanenergyrace.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Paul Stinson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Paul Stinson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2014\/04\/24\/what-it-takes-to-compete-in-the-global-energy-race\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2014\/04\/24\/what-it-takes-to-compete-in-the-global-energy-race\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Paul Stinson\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/#\/schema\/person\/aa1261fe280d35ea9406abf557a6bc7e\"},\"headline\":\"What it Takes to Compete in the Global Energy Race\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-04-24T16:32:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-12-21T18:44:09+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2014\/04\/24\/what-it-takes-to-compete-in-the-global-energy-race\/\"},\"wordCount\":636,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2014\/04\/24\/what-it-takes-to-compete-in-the-global-energy-race\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/38\/files\/2014\/05\/cleanenergyrace.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Clean Energy\",\"Energy Efficiency\",\"Grid Modernization\",\"Renewable Energy\",\"Utility Business Models\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2014\/04\/24\/what-it-takes-to-compete-in-the-global-energy-race\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2014\/04\/24\/what-it-takes-to-compete-in-the-global-energy-race\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2014\/04\/24\/what-it-takes-to-compete-in-the-global-energy-race\/\",\"name\":\"What it Takes to Compete in the Global Energy Race - 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