Changing the Way We Build with Electrified Construction

11/23/21 • 47 min

The landmark $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will restore and expand the United States infrastructure. From improving roads, bridges, and rail, to expanding electric vehicle charging, to developing a more resilient grid and more efficient buildings, or to ensuring clean drinking water for all—this historic investment will spur construction in nearly every community in America. But it’s also a tremendous opportunity to reconsider how we build. Since the majority of construction equipment rely on fossil fuels, this sector is ripe for innovations that address climate change and air pollution. A new movement, led by several cities around the world, including Oslo, Norway, is underway to create a market for climate-friendly construction practices like electrified equipment. In this episode of Electrify This!, three experts discuss the global effort to scale clean, electrified construction. Learn how governments, the private sector, and NGOs are working collaboratively to create greater demand for electrified equipment, and hear insights into how these technologies could revolutionize the way we build.
Guests:
Heidi Sørensen, is the Director of the Climate Agency for the City of Oslo. She was elected to the Parliament of Norway from Oslo in 2001, and went on to become the State Secretary to the Minister of the Environment between 2007-2012. She has also served as a member of the Norwegian Consumer Council, the Norwegian Board of Technology, the board of the Research Council of Norway and the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences.
Nils-Olav Haukaas is a senior consultant with CEPartnersAS and represents Nasta AS. For nearly three decades has been working in commercial sales and marketing of construction machines and mining machines. Nasta AS has represented Hitachi Construction Machines since 1982. He has also worked in health and safety, product compliance, risk assessments. He has also served on a Norwegian Committee on Zero Emission building and constructions sites and a Zero Emission Digger construction site.
Marta Lovisolo, is a Junior Policy Analyst at Bellona Europa in Brussels. Bellona is a climate NGO with headquarters in Norway and offices across several European countries. After supporting the city of Oslo in running the first zero emissions construction site in the world, Bellona is now disseminating the Norwegian experience to European cities and countries, as well as the the E.U.
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Previous Episode

Now We're Cooking With...Electricity!

Once considered a status symbol, gas stoves have become a popular choice for amateur and professional chefs alike. More than a third of U.S. households cook with gas and 50% of single-family homes now feature gas stoves. Yet, when it comes to climate stability, air quality, and our health, gas stoves have serious impacts. Gas stoves emit the same fumes found in car exhaust, and gas consumption in buildings is a significant contributor to climate change. But it is possible to cook dinner without cooking the planet: 60% of U.S. households are already using electricity to cook and newer induction technologies are gaining popularity. Still, market and policy changes are needed to make electricity the preferred choice. This episode features a pediatrician, a professional chef, and a real estate agent discussing the perils of gas stoves and the pioneering movement to clean up our kitchens.
Guests:

Dr. Lisa Patel is a pediatrician and an advocate for children's health priorities. She was the co-chair for the American Academy of Pediatrics Advocacy Committee, California Chapter, co-founder the Climate and Health task force, and Director for the pediatric resident's Community Pediatrics and Child Advocacy Rotation. Today she is the Co-Director for Stanford's Climate, Health, and Equity Task Force at the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research. She holds degrees from Stanford, Yale, and John Hopkins University.

Chef Rachelle Boucher is a national cooking appliance trainer, private chef, influencer and event expert with 20+ years of experience. She's worked as a private chef for celebrities and athletes, a corporate chef, and a home appliance expert and consultant with Monark Home, Sub-Zero & Wolf, and Miele. Today, Rachelle's new venture “Kitchens to Life” focuses on kitchen electrification for performance, people and planet.

Annie Trujillo is a real estate agent with Keller Williams Real Estate, based in Salt Lake City. In 2020 she was the third individual agent in her office and made the Top 500 Realtors in Utah list. Previously, Annie had an illustrious ten-year career working as a mountain guide, leading expeditions in remote areas from Greenland to Alaska. She holds a degree from San Francisco State University.

Must-Read Resources:

Kitchens to Life | Yale Appliance Induction Cooking Buying Guide & Yale Appliance Electric Cooking Buying Guide

Gas Stoves: Health and Air Quality Impacts and Solutions, RMI

We need to talk about your gas stove, your health and climate change, NPR

How the Fossil Fuel Industry Convinced Americans to Love Gas Stoves, Mother Jones

Next Episode

That’s A Wrap! 2021 Reflections and 2022 Predictions with Three Electrification Dynamos

An all-star line-up closes out the year with reflections on 2021 and predictions for 2022. Host Sara Baldwin speaks with electrify everything pioneer Saul Griffith, policy expert and former Energy Gang podcast co-host Katherine Hamilton, and leading climate and clean energy commentator David Roberts. Tune in to hear three electrification dynamos recap 2021’s biggest developments in the transition from fossil to clean electricity, share the latest scoop on the Build Back Better Act, and predict what’s in store for electrification in 2022.
Guests:

Saul Griffith is an engineer, inventor, entrepreneur, and author of the book Electrify: An Optimist's Playbook for Our Clean Energy Future. Saul is the founder and chief scientist at Otherlab, an independent R&D lab that helps government agencies and Fortune 500 companies understand energy infrastructure and deep decarbonization. He is also the founder and chief scientist at Rewiring America, a nonprofit dedicated to decarbonizing America by electrifying everything. Prior to pursuing his passion for electrification, Saul led research projects for the likes of NASA, the National Science Foundation and U.S. Special Operations Command, among others, and he has founded and co-founded numerous technology companies. He completed his PhD at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2004 and was a recipient of a MacArthur “genius grant” in 2007.

Katherine Hamilton is the Chair of 38 North Solutions, a clean energy public policy consultancy with expertise in state, federal, and international markets. Katherine is currently the co-chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Clean Electrification. Katherine has served as President of the GridWise Alliance, policy advisor for Good Energies, Inc., buildings research lead for National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and engineer at Virginia Power. She studied electrical engineering at Northern Virginia Community College and holds degrees from Cornell University and the Sorbonne. Katherine was an original and longtime host of The Energy Gang podcast.

David Roberts is a writer and owner of Volts, a newsletter on clean energy and politics featuring in-depth analysis of the latest research, technologies, policies, and the social and political forces shaping the clean energy transition. David has had a long career as a journalist, writing five years for Vox, ten years for Grist. He’s also written for publications like Outside magazine and appeared on a variety of TV shows, radio programs, and podcasts.

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