# S5E13 Paul Lee | Cities of the Future & Renewable Energy

- Show: [Being an Engineer](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer)
- Published: 2024-03-29
- Length: 40m
- Episode: 13
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-03-29-s5e13-paul-lee-cities-of-the-future-renewable-energy
- Listen: https://teampipeline.us/Paul-Lee-cities-of-the-future/

## Summary

Paul Lee, a renewable energy engineer transitioning from the City of Los Angeles to the US Department of Energy, discusses his role in the ASCE documentary 'Cities of the Future.' He details emerging technologies featured in the film, including Caltech’s space-based solar power, vertical air taxis, and smart buildings, while contrasting them with established solutions like utility-scale wind and solar. Lee emphasizes that the primary barrier to a 100% clean energy transition is not technology but political will and the economic burden on lower-income households who cannot afford higher energy costs. He also highlights hydrogen fuel cells as a critical solution for hard-to-decarbonize sectors like shipping and aviation, where battery weight limits EV viability.

## Chapters

- [0:05](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-03-29-s5e13-paul-lee-cities-of-the-future-renewable-energy#t=5) Introduction: PDX Expo Sponsor Read
- [2:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-03-29-s5e13-paul-lee-cities-of-the-future-renewable-energy#t=120) Introduction: Paul Lee and Career Transition
- [4:27](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-03-29-s5e13-paul-lee-cities-of-the-future-renewable-energy#t=267) The 'Cities of the Future' Documentary and Paul's Role
- [7:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-03-29-s5e13-paul-lee-cities-of-the-future-renewable-energy#t=430) Space-Based Solar Power and Wireless Energy Transfer
- [10:22](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-03-29-s5e13-paul-lee-cities-of-the-future-renewable-energy#t=622) Vertical Air Taxis and Smart Buildings
- [15:36](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-03-29-s5e13-paul-lee-cities-of-the-future-renewable-energy#t=936) Wind Energy Technology and Tower Height
- [18:27](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-03-29-s5e13-paul-lee-cities-of-the-future-renewable-energy#t=1107) Policy, Political Will, and Consumer Costs
- [20:42](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-03-29-s5e13-paul-lee-cities-of-the-future-renewable-energy#t=1242) Hydrogen Fuel Cells for Hard-to-Decarbonize Sectors
- [26:58](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-03-29-s5e13-paul-lee-cities-of-the-future-renewable-energy#t=1618) Rooftop Solar Costs and Battery Storage Economics
- [31:23](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-03-29-s5e13-paul-lee-cities-of-the-future-renewable-energy#t=1883) Filming Experience and Engineering Collaboration Frustrations

## Topics

- [Energy & climate tech](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/energy-and-climate-tech)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)
- [Batteries & low-power design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/batteries-and-low-power)
- [Industrial & consumer product design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/industrial-design)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Caltech (company)
- American Society of Civil Engineers (company)
- Cities of the Future (product)
- Dream Big (product)
- Tesla (company)
- Ford (company)
- NASA (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Enter the electric supercycle](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-06-18-enter-the-electric-supercycle) (Catalyst)
- [HIBT Lab! Universal Hydrogen: Paul Eremenko](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-10-20-hibt-lab-universal-hydrogen-paul-eremenko) (How I Built This)
- [Solving the Hydrogen Storage and Transport Challenge with Natasha Kostenuk, Founder and CEO of Ayrton Energy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2024-07-04-solving-the-hydrogen-storage-and-transport-challenge-with-natasha-kostenuk-found) (Hardware to Save a Planet)
- [The All-Electric Trend Needs To Stop. There Are Other Power Options | Hard Tech #9](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2023-07-02-the-all-electric-trend-needs-to-stop-there-are-other-power-options-hard-tech-9) (Hard Tech Podcast)
- [Can We Electrify Aviation? Electric vs Fuel Planes #24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2024-10-04-can-we-electrify-aviation-electric-vs-fuel-planes-24) (Hard Tech Podcast)

## Citing this page

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