Energy system transformation centers in the west

In Nevada, researchers at Brookings Mountain West say that as the nation works out a clean energy future in order to create a more competitive “next economy,” it should look to the Intermountain West. Mark Muro, Senior Fellow and Policy Director, and Sarah Rahman, Senior Policy Analyst for the Metropolitan Policy Program said America needs to transform its energy system to reduce its carbon intensity and make clean energy cheap. The report, titled “Centers of Invention: Leveraging the Mountain West Innovation Complex for Energy System Transformation” points out that the Intermountain West region, including Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah, possesses a unique confluence of world-class innovation assets. These include research universities, national and corporate research labs; varied energy resources ranging from lowsulfur coal to solar, wind, and geothermal energy potential; and unparalleled opportunities to build out next-generation energy systems, whether smart energy grids or energy efficient buildings, as future population growth demands the building of new infrastructure from the ground-up.