U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm says the transition to clean energy continues to progress but must take into consideration energy security concerns that have increased in light of geopolitical uncertainty.

“I think we have to recognize that this is a transition and it’s not going to happen overnight. I consider this to be growing the energy pie — adding in as much clean energy as possible so that the transition comes smooth when the time is right,” she told attendees of New York City-based Columbia University’s annual Columbia Global Energy Summit Wednesday.

“Obviously we have to 2050 to get to net zero. We know that oil and gas is going to be around for awhile. We want to decarbonize as much as possible. But if people start paying $5 a gallon for gasoline again, or more here in New York, there’s a backlash that can also happen. There’s a social dimension that we have to consider, as well,” Granholm added.

Granholm believes that clean energy development will lead to improved energy security in her country, as well as globally.

“And so the purpose of being able to be energy secure is also being able to produce your own solutions in a clean way at home. No country has ever been held hostage to access to the wind or access to the sun. Clean energy is energy security.”

How does the energy security crisis affect clean energy transition?

Granholm was asked if the “energy security crisis” was accelerating the transition to cleaner forms of energy even as the U.S. sets records for LNG exports.

“We had a hiccup last year, clearly, because people had to [keep] the lights on. This again gets to the point that we have to recognize that on Maslow's hierarchy of human beings people need to be able to turn on the lights, heat their food or keep their food cold. So we have to understand that,” she said.

“But the acceleration last year, I think, is very much a temporary one. I mean all of the new energy that was added in the past year, 90 per cent was clean. So we’re going to see this acceleration to clean as countries are desperate, of course, to provide energy security for their people in the means that are available at the moment. And LNG is one of those ways.”

Granholm doesn’t currently see a conflict between the U.S. government’s desire to enhance and grow green energy sources and solutions while fossil fuel production holds steady and exports increase.

“If you were thinking in a pure way about either clean or fossil fuel energy security, it’s not just a binary choice. You will have to do both to ensure there’s not a backlash and to make sure that people have power,” she said.

“And then when you have the luxury of being able to have energy security through whatever means, you can really accelerate the clean side because then you get to the values people care about. In addition, people still have to be persuaded that the cost of clean is cheaper. And they have to see that in real terms.

“In Europe it is cheaper. In the U.S. we still have a ways to go to ensure that all pieces, including the storage or renewable energy, make the whole system cheaper. And we’re working on all of that.”