The recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Working Group III report sets some rather ambitious goals for avoiding the worst consequences of climate change, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 45% by the end of the decade. Achieving these goals will require a herculean effort in scaling up renewable energy deployment, primarily through wind and solar. This also means that the United States and other countries must coordinate and collaborate with China.
If you are looking for an expert to speak specifically about this issue, please consider John Helveston, assistant professor of engineering management & systems engineering at the George Washington University.
Professor Helveston is interested in understanding the factors that shape technological change, with a particular focus on transitioning to more sustainable and energy-saving technologies. Within this broader category, he studies consumer preferences and market demand for new technologies as well as relationships between innovation, industry structure, and technology policy. He has explored these themes in the context of China’s rapidly developing electric vehicle industry. He applies an interdisciplinary approach to research, with expertise in discrete choice modeling and conjoint analysis as well as interview-based case studies.
“Rather than continuing the Trump-era tariffs on Chinese solar panels, the U.S. and others should be partnering with Chinese firms to obtain low-cost technologies and components to increase domestic deployment of renewables as fast as possible to meet the narrow window left to decarbonize. The belief that the tariffs would boost U.S. jobs in solar has proven to be a myth. In contrast to rapid job growth prior to the tariffs, U.S. jobs in solar have since become stagnant.”
If you are looking for context on this matter or would like to speak with Professor Helveston, please contact GW Media Relations at [email protected] or 202-994-6460.
-GW-