Washington, D.C. Trek

On October 19 – 20, the Energy Club traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with Cypress Creek Renewables, the American Clean Power Association, the Department of Energy Loan Program Office, and the Zero Emission Transportation Association (ZETA). At Cypress Creek, the club learned about Cypress’ solar generation and storage operations across community, industrial, and utility-scale projects, and had a Q&A session with Cypress’ CEO on company strategy and future plans.

American Clean Power provided the club with an information session on the benefits of battery storage and insights into their efforts to advance policy initiatives around permitting reform, building domestic energy supply chains to meet goals under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and advocating for the modernization and construction of transmission.

At the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office, students learned about the DOE’s role in providing expanding affordable, patient financing options to scale companies with proven energy technologies  large-scale clean energy projects essential for meeting the nation’s decarbonization goals. On the final leg of our Energy Trek, the group had the honor of visiting ZETA’s office. Students had insightful discussions with the Policy Director, Regulatory Director, and their corresponding teams. The conversations revolved around ZETA’s dedicated advocacy, lobbying, and community education efforts, aimed at accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and bolstering support for their member organizations.

The Kenan-Flagler Energy Club would like to extend its gratitude to all participants. Their insights and mentorship will prove invaluable to its members as they venture into the energy sector.