Rachel Meidl, Policy, Texas
Rachel Meidl, who has been in the industry for 28 years, is a Fellow in Energy and Sustainability at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy.
Why is clean energy important to you? Society and world are changing rapidly and policymakers need data-driven research and scientific evidence to guide decisions on complex issues like energy transitions and sustainability. Data and science help overcome systemic biases and achieve better policy outcomes. The world faces significant and growing challenges that require domestic learnings and global insights. Realistic and inclusive energy transitions require a systems-level approach and that means leveraging all forms of energy. This is why sustainability and understanding perspective is important to the discussion.
What's a memorable clean energy project you’ve worked on? My work across the energy spectrum has been broad and fulfilling, but my passion is providing thought leadership and research to guide policies in a meaningful and realistic way. I’ve been involved in many exciting energy-related issues on circular economy development, waste management, advanced recycling of plastics, carbon nanotubes, hydrogen, and more. However, helping companies and governments incorporate sustainability into their long-term strategic goals is an area I feel deeply connected to.
What did you do prior to working in clean energy? Why did you transition to the clean energy industry? I've held a variety of positions throughout my career, but my decision to focus on the intersection of sustainability and energy was driven by my desire to shape and influence the rapidly evolving energy landscape through leadership, policy, and rigorous research.
What do you wish more people knew about the clean energy industry? All forms of energy come with risks, trade-offs and all have impacts that populate across global supply chains. There needs to be greater focus on the role of policy and social dynamics and understanding the human dimension in energy transitions. We need new approaches for energy transition planning that factor positive social and environmental objectives across life cycles, not just cost or reliability metrics or unqualified assumptions on which technology is deemed best for all regions of the world.
Why should congress invest in clean energy jobs? In a sustainable, circular, and clean energy and materials future, we will need access to a wide range of skilled workers to manufacture/remanufacture, install, operate, maintain, repair, recycle, refurbish and regulate our complex energy systems. Investments should begin now on bridging the gap between the skills required for our energy future and the current available skills in our workforce and economy. Creating opportunities to gain and apply new knowledge is essential and will help workers convert new skills into productive results. Investing in clean energy should occur across the entire life cycle. It should include not only focusing and funding deployment of energy technologies and systems, but considering how to responsibly manage them at the end-of-use/end-of-life.
