CERAWeek returns to Houston as 'energy transition' discussion grows

HOUSTON - While talk of 'energy transition' continues, fossil fuels remain a large focus of a conference that has drawn thousands to Houston, this week. 

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More than 7,000 people have come for this year's CERAWeek, by S&P Global, to grapple with how to move forward with the world's energy needs, while balancing traditional energy sources with new technologies. 

As it takes over the downtown Hilton Americas hotel and George R. Brown Convention Center, CERAWeek is a series of conversations and ideas about how to power the future. 

Now in its 41st year gathering in Houston, those ideas have evolved, dramatically, from exclusively oil & gas to a wealth of 'energy transition' ideas that were once unimaginable. 

"What it really means is finding solutions that aren't 'either, or', but as 'either, and'; pulling together," says CERAWeek founder James Rosenfield. "We're seeing that Houston, really, embodies this." 

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More than 200 energy transition startups, many from Houston, are also here to fuel the discussion. However, while there is a vision of a future that relies less on fossil fuels, cannot happen without them. 

The challenge for traditional oil and gas producers, who've enjoyed record profits, recently, is to demonstrate why they're an important part of the future. 

"This industry should not only explain the necessity of their existence, but also all the ways that they are contributing to people's daily lives," says Houston energy consultant Joe Brettell. "A lot of times, without folks even knowing it." 

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However, with President Joe Biden's Clean Energy Implementation Advisor, John Podesta, a keynote speaker for CERAWeek's first day, the addition of alternative energy sources will come. 

The energy industry, represented by all these perspectives, will play a central role in that journey. 

"They're the ones who have the capital; they have the project management skills; they have the technology expertise," says Rosenfield. "They're the ones who are going to drive, at scale, this energy transition." 

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It won't all be smooth sailing; the White House is sending voices adamant about moving away from fossil fuels, while energy executives will come to argue an "all of the above" strategy. 

Finding common ground will be needed to meet the enormous energy needs of the future.