Jon Creyts - The Global Energy Transformation

Flanigan's Eco-Logic

Dr. Jon Creyts is the CEO of Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and joins Ted from RMI's Innovation Center in Basalt, Colorado... high in the Rocky Mountains. The Center "sails on the sun" Jon explains, a net positive building that produces more energy than it consumes... demonstrating off-the-shelf, cost-effective technologies. He calls is an emblem of what we can do... even in the cold of high mountain Colorado winters.

Ted asks what Jon is most proud of. In his 15-year tenure at RMI, three as CEO, the Institute has grown 10x in size, and arguably in stature making the world better RMI is leading the global energy transformation, and Jon is amazed by the change RMI is producing... operating in more than 50 countries... from promoting sustainable concrete production, to working with fleets of heavy duty trucks and demonstrating electric drive trains, fuel cells, and super efficient biofuels, to a rooftop solar pilot in India, to green steel standards for Chinese factories selling to European markets, to electrifying agriculture in Africa.

Jon discusses RMI's founder, Amory Lovins, and his guidance.. and his hugely optimistic and pragmatic notion of "applied hope," a term Amory coined years ago.. a vision that coupled with a little muscle... has been key to willing change into existence. For RMI's 650 staff and partnerships network collaborators, focusing on efficiency first and then market-based solutions, applied hope "unites us" explains Jon.

The conversation then shifts to a global perspective on the clean energy transition. Jon makes clear that it has not bee derailed by the current presidential administration. China is leading the charge, with 3 GW of solar being installed each day, half of its new cars sold are electric, and RMI believes that China is now past peak CO2 emissions. China has proven that a country can decouple carbon emissions and economic growth. And other countries such as India and Australia are on similar trajectories... every country surging in the transition. Jon emphasizes that 80% of the world is unlocking the economic opportunities of clean energy at scale. While the transition is "messy," Jon makes clear that it is happening faster than many of us thought it would.

That said, there is still tremendous energy waste in our global economy... some $2 trillion a year. This constitutes low-hanging fruit... economic opportunity indeed to fuel the transition. Jon presents a powerful and optimistic view, making clear that the long-term arc of history is bending toward efficiency, renewables, and sustainability.

Jon then turns a bit "nerdy" and provides an example of RMI's focus on new and exciting technologies, featuring a roof coating that repels heat, wicking heat away from buildings and sending long wavelengths of heat back into space. This is known as passive daytime radiative cooling and has tremendous global promise. Through radiative cooling coatings -- developed for aerospace initially -- our global society can offset the great need for additional cooling resulting from climate change.

Jon concludes with his focus for RMI at the upcoming COP-30 conference in Brazil... where he and others will focus on how to strengthen power grids worldwide... so critical to electrifying mobility and industry, and bringing renewables to the fore. He will also focus on RMI's work with decarbonizing hard-to-reach subsectors such as steel, cement, and chemicals.

At Ted's prompting, he ends with a few notes on balance and his passion for music. He travels the world with a guitar and takes time each evening to unwind and to find time for solace and quiet and harmony... essential ingredients for us all as we work the challenge of transforming the global energy economy for the benefit of all.