Union of Concerned Scientists

DECEMBER 8, 2021

Legislative and policy victories in Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota bode well for the future.

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Environment + Energy Leader

JANUARY 4, 2023

According to International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the ILO's Renewable Energy and Jobs Annual Review 2022, the number of renewable energy jobs increased by around 700,000 globally between 2020 and 2021.

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Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 24, 2023

There’s good news in the recently released official data on electricity generation in the United States in 2022: renewable energy has continued to grow, coal power has continued to drop, and renewables are now firmly ahead of coal for the first time ever. They offer a lot of good news about clean energy progress.

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Union of Concerned Scientists

JULY 22, 2022

Minnesotans are facing concurrent crises of climate change, high energy prices and inflation, and the inequitable public health impacts of fossil fuel air pollution. Renewable energy will help with all of that—but we need a grid that is designed for wind and solar instead of having to rely on expensive coal and gas plants.

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PA Environment Daily

MARCH 15, 2025

In 2011, Tregs Independent Brewing worked with Solar Renewable Energy to install a rooftop solar array large enough to produce 15-20 percent of its annual electricity usage. The 1,628 panels, partnered with a new white roof membrane and added insulation, make the brewery more energy efficient while saving on their electricity bills.

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Circle of Blue

NOVEMBER 29, 2021

In the United States, a battle over renewable energy in New England has taken another turn. Though the project would cut through 53 miles of forest in western Maine, most of the electricity would be destined for Massachusetts, in order to fulfill that state’s clean energy standard.

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Union of Concerned Scientists

NOVEMBER 13, 2024

Energy storage, or the storing of electricity for later use on the power grid, plays an important role in the clean energy transition. Illinois is currently considering policy proposals to establish a statewide energy storage target. Illinois needs policies in place now to jump-start development for our 2030 needs.

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Environmental News Bits

FEBRUARY 1, 2022

The 2021 City Clean Energy Scorecard analyzes the efforts of 100 major U.S. cities to make buildings and transportation more energy efficient and scale up the use of renewable energy—and do so equitably. Read more →

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Union of Concerned Scientists

OCTOBER 28, 2022

Although the nuclear bailout was repealed and refunded in 2021, some of the law’s other egregious provisions requiring ratepayers across the state to subsidize money-losing coal plants and gutting renewable energy and energy efficiency standards are still in place today. The Union of Concerned Scientists opposed H.B.

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Union of Concerned Scientists

MAY 31, 2022

On the last day of the 2022 Minnesota legislative session, state legislators had a real case of the Mondays: They failed to deliver on climate and energy policies that would have accelerated renewable energy enough to forge a clear path to carbon-free electricity and set the state on track to meet science-based emission reduction targets.

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Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 16, 2024

Much of our electricity system is 50 to 70 years old, yet current plans for domestic manufacturing, electric vehicle fleets, community solar gardens and more clean energy all depend on a modern grid. In some states, when the legislature created new clean energy goals they also started transmission planning to help meet those goals.

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Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 27, 2023

From a national perspective, the land use needed to reach our clean energy goals is modest. But for states like California, with large populations, an ambitious and necessary clean energy timeline , and ongoing natural resource issues , where to actually build these projects will require thoughtful planning.

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Union of Concerned Scientists

JULY 25, 2022

These investments will bring more clean energy online, improve grid resiliency, and deliver significant consumer benefits and jobs. These estimates come from quantifying the benefits of a more efficient grid that enables lower cost energy, greater system resilience, and more rapid decarbonization. million homes.

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Environmental News Bits

MARCH 15, 2022

Clean energy installations in the U.S. dipped 3% in 2021 compared to 2020 as policy issues held back the potential for new wind and solar installations, according to a market report released by the American Clean Power Association (ACP). Read the full story at Utility Dive.

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Union of Concerned Scientists

JANUARY 30, 2023

On January 26, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed House File 7 —the 100% Clean Energy Bill. Now, with climate and clean energy majorities in both chambers, Minnesota is poised to join other leading states in updating its clean energy policies equitably with benefits for all residents.

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Environment + Energy Leader

JANUARY 4, 2023

According to International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the ILO's Renewable Energy and Jobs Annual Review 2022, the number of renewable energy jobs increased by around 700,000 globally between 2020 and 2021.

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Legal Planet

APRIL 29, 2024

Climate policy has been boosted by dramatic changes in the economics of clean energy. Perhaps the most important development of the past decade has been the dramatic decline in the cost of renewables. Wind power costs fell by half from 2008 to 2021. In short, we’re seeing something like a slimmed-down Green New Deal.

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Union of Concerned Scientists

MAY 12, 2022

Nearly all of the alliance members have a renewable electricity standard (RES), which requires utilities in their jurisdiction to increase their use of renewable energy to a particular percentage by a specific year. We found that states have technically feasible and highly beneficial ways to achieve 100-percent renewable energy.

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Union of Concerned Scientists

MARCH 16, 2022

It’s widely viewed as the “gold standard” for energy projections, even though there’s much debate in the energy community about the validity of the assumptions behind these projections. Source: US Energy Information Administration, Annual Energy Outlook 2022 (AEO2022). This year’s projections are a bit grim.

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Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 3, 2023

Along with interim goals and priorities for pollution reduction in environmental justice areas, the law provides authorization and resources for state agencies to enable the transition to clean, renewable energy. Illinois legislators and clean energy advocates celebrate CEJA’s signing in September 2021.

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A Greener Life

NOVEMBER 15, 2023

The United States supports Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) partners in meeting their clean energy goals. Over the last two decades, energy demand in Southeast Asia increased by an average of 3% annually, according to the International Energy Agency’s Southeast Asia Energy Outlook 2022.

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Legal Planet

JULY 29, 2021

On Wednesday, Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed a package of four clean energy bills. Here are a few details about the four bills: House Bill 2021 creates the emission reduction mandate. The law also contains provisions addressing wages and benefits for workers on renewable energy projects.

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Physics World

JANUARY 11, 2022

It is no longer whether hydrogen will be part of a sustainable energy system solution, but rather how large a role hydrogen will play in a clean, sustainable energy system for the planet. The post European hydrogen programs: from Hydrogen Manifesto to Clean Energy Act appeared first on Physics World.

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Law Columbia

JUNE 11, 2024

Local opposition has proven to be a significant barrier to the rapid expansion of renewable energy facilities across the United States. The report also identifies 395 local restrictions across 41 states, along with 19 state-level restrictions, that are so severe that they could have the effect of blocking a renewable energy project.

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Law and Environment

JUNE 11, 2021

As Anne Reynolds, executive director of the Alliance for Clean Energy – New York (“ACE-NY”) stated when the law was enacted, “[Section 94-c] improves the process and will hopefully get people to work, building wind and solar projects.”

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Cresforum

FEBRUARY 1, 2024

Mayors from all over the country are making strides in their communities to be at the forefront of clean energy development. Mayor Lucas is a strong advocate for implementing renewable energy sources, including solar, where possible. “Not

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Union of Concerned Scientists

NOVEMBER 16, 2023

The legislation committed nearly $400 billion to support, among other things, wind and solar power, battery storage, electric vehicles, and other clean energy technologies that will make a significant dent in US heat-trapping emissions. Energy efficiency also plays a critical role. How is that going to happen?

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Law and Environment

JULY 2, 2021

On June 29, 2021, a cohort of New York local governments (including many where large-scale solar projects are currently proposed), community organizations, and avian interest groups filed a lawsuit in the New York State Supreme Court (the State’s trial-level court) against the Office of Renewable Energy Siting (“ORES”).

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Environment + Energy Leader

MAY 13, 2022

And in January 2021, it said it would source 100% renewable energy to power GM facilities in the U.S. The post GM Has Become an ‘Energy Star’ with Efficiency and Circular Programs appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader. In 2010, GM committed to a 20% reduction in carbon intensity by 2020.

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Union of Concerned Scientists

DECEMBER 22, 2022

The renewable energy transition involves harnessing epic forces of nature. Sleek solar panels forged from silver and silica from the depths of the Earth translate the sun’s blindingly fiery light energy into electricity. Once the battery looks up to code, it is off to the grid to power our renewable energy future!

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Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 19, 2023

Change #1: 100% clean energy goals have spread At the beginning of 2018, the only state in the country with a 100% clean or renewable energy goal was Hawaii. Now, 22 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have 100% clean energy goals on the books.

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Union of Concerned Scientists

MAY 18, 2022

Space missions are a federal matter, but states determine energy policy and infrastructure decisions. Right now, states and the federal government have a choice that will define our country’s options for clean energy and planning the power grid for the challenges ahead.

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Union of Concerned Scientists

OCTOBER 19, 2022

The US solar industry was valued at $33 billion in 2021, employed more than 230,000 people, and continued to grow in power capacity at an average rate of 33 percent per year. Solar panels generated almost 4 percent of electricity in the US in 2021, up from less than 1 percent in 2015.

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Union of Concerned Scientists

DECEMBER 5, 2022

Today’s high energy prices are the result of recent events and long-term strategies. Reliance on fossil natural gas and the slow adoption of renewable energy contributed to electricity bills in New England in the first nine months of 2022 that are $5 billion higher than the prior year. Prices elsewhere in the country doubled.

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Union of Concerned Scientists

OCTOBER 3, 2022

The report charts continued progress in several important categories in 2021, including PV module efficiency, system costs, and the prevalence of batteries, which are a more and more important piece of the solar picture. percent in 2021—that’s a 48 percent increase, much of it in the last decade. Source: LBNL 2022.

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Law and Environment

AUGUST 11, 2022

Based on numerous sources, Governor Baker has now signed an Act Driving Clean Energy and Offshore Wind. This bill includes a number of key advancements for increased adoption of zero emission vehicles and clean transportation throughout the Commonwealth. According to the U.S.

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Union of Concerned Scientists

JANUARY 4, 2024

During the Texas energy market’s chaos in 2021, news organizations and industry players gave only brief attention to the worst-case scenario: an uncontrolled Texas electric grid blackout that could have lasted weeks or longer to get the lights back on. What Happened in Texas? It cited ERCOT 700 times.

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