Interview by Sam Parnis
The landscape of energy policy and sustainability is rapidly growing, and understanding the intricate interplay between policy decisions and technological advancements has never been more important. In this Q&A with the GW Alliance Spotlight, John (J.P.) Helveston, an associate professor in GW’s department of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering, provides insights on the value of data-driven policy solutions, and reminds us of the pressing need for informed decision-making in tackling climate change.
Because Helveston’s background spans engineering and research on policy, he brings a unique perspective to evaluating policies and the role of policymakers in shaping our energy future. Helveston’s work stands at the nexus of academia and real-world impact. As he navigates through topics ranging from renewable energy adoption to international trade dynamics, he challenges conventional wisdom and offers thought-provoking insights into our path towards sustainability. For example, he is amazed that of all current power sources, solar power is the only source that does not involve spinning something to make a generator move and create electricity. His decision to pivot from engineering into policy came from his belief that technology is always improving, however policy and markets tend to fall behind this growth especially when there are barriers to accessing technology.
Here’s the conversation, lightly edited for length and clarity.
SPOTLIGHT: Why is it important to understand the policy-energy nexus at this point in time?
HELVESTON: It is like everything, this policy energy nexus is what will determine whether or not we can tackle climate change. There are other sources of carbon emissions, like large industrial processes that are going to be difficult to decarbonize, but renewable sources like solar and wind are incredibly affordable now. Just by scaling up these sources of energy production, even without any new technical development, would be the fastest and largest chunks of carbon reductions we can achieve in the next 10 years. However, that will mostly be a policy story.
Policymakers choose what to prioritize and can directly affect the economics of everything being developed; how much something is going to cost, and the choices energy companies make all depend on regulations set by the government. It is not the only point but it is the central one for solving some of the easiest things that we can solve with the technology we already have.
SPOTLIGHT: What can we learn from this work to point us toward a sustainable future?
HELVESTON: I think we need to have a much more nuanced and much more informed decision making process, when it comes to trade and engagement with other countries, China in particular. This is a bipartisan agreement; at this point it is one of the only things that everyone agrees on. It seems to be in the US that China is bad. However, being anti-China is a poor strategy. Are we being strategic? Are we signing agreements with the CCP (Chinese Communist Party), or with private business in China? It seems the position has to be that you put tariffs on everything coming from China and try to create it yourself in the US when it comes to energy production and EVs, but we don’t do this in other industries.
No one complains that the TV they bought at Walmart came from China, because that TV costs only $500, when three years ago it cost $2,000. People ask, “How did that happen?” Well, a Chinese manufacturer scaled up production and then cut the costs in half, and people are happy about that. So why are we okay with flat screen TVs, but not solar panels? They are almost the same tech. They even look the same. It’s a big flat sheet of glass. I would almost argue that LED TVs actually have more technology in them than solar panels.
The solar cell is the one where we feel it has to be made in America for jobs or whatever other reason. No policymaker is telling us this. To me, it is nonsensical, especially when TVs are for entertainment and solar cells are for trying to help the future of our existence on this planet. This is really detrimental to our economy, to our consumers, and to the planet.
I think we really need to have more informed discussions, and make sure we get our history straight, to understand why certain things are cheaper in China. It is not because of forced labor, or stuff like that. It is because they are better at making the stuff than anyone else. It is purely engineering know-how. They have done the research and development for the last 20 years, they have scaled up the production facilities, they have streamlined supply chains, which takes decades to accomplish. The United States has not done that, so it will take us decades to catch up if we want to do it on our own.
There is a mass misunderstanding of how this happened, and I think we need to recognize maybe we don’t need to make solar panels, or maybe making solar panels is not the thing we are going to be good at.
Maybe we should focus on other aspects like balancing the system and installing solar panels on people’ roofs and doing maintenance. Those areas have plenty of room for innovation and growth, and we won’t have to be manufacturing or competing with the Chinese market.