Union of Concerned Scientists

JANUARY 30, 2023

Now it’s on to the state Senate, where the question is: Will this be the year Minnesota sets a path toward 100-percent carbon-free electricity? Those scenarios showed that the IRA would accelerate solar and wind deployment and reduce carbon emissions to 80 percent below 2005 levels by 2030.

Electricity 264

Electricity Renewable Energy Fossil Fuels Clean Energy 264

Union of Concerned Scientists

SEPTEMBER 14, 2023

Since the beginning of 2022, electric vehicle sales in the United States have been downright electrifying. Last year, US drivers bought more than 800,000 new electric vehicles (EVs), 65 percent more than in 2021, even as overall car sales declined. billion to help California drivers switch from gasoline to electricity.

Electricity 338

Electricity Air Pollution 2030 Clean Air Act 338

Union of Concerned Scientists

MARCH 12, 2024

Fossil gas power plants currently provide the largest source of electricity generation and capacity in the United States. However, as we replace fossil fuels with clean electricity for heating and transportation to meet our climate goals, these peak demands will increasingly shift to the winter in many parts of the country.

Fossil Fuels 317

Fossil Fuels Electricity 2030 Clean Energy 317

Legal Planet

JUNE 16, 2022

According to the Energy Information Agency , South Korea’s power sector is heavily reliant on fossil fuels. Two thirds of generation capacity is based on fossil fuels, split evenly between coal and natural gas, with 17% nuclear, and 14% hydro and other renewables. 50% coal, 26% gas, and 25% nuclear.

Climate Change 246

Climate Change Fossil Fuels Paris Agreement 2030 246

Union of Concerned Scientists

MAY 12, 2021

We need to quickly transition to a clean energy future in Illinois to prevent additional negative public health impacts from fossil fuel plants. The Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA) HB 0804/ SB1718 is the only bill that puts Illinois on a path to 100% carbon-free electricity by 2030 and 100% renewable energy by 2050.

Fossil Fuels 264

Fossil Fuels Clean Energy Renewable Energy 2030 264

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. Most Minnesotans are familiar with their local electricity utility, since that’s who bills them for electricity they provide.

Renewable Energy 363

Renewable Energy Fossil Fuels Solar Power Electricity 363

Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 3, 2023

Illinois’ Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) sets a bold goal for the state—no carbon pollution from electricity generation by 2045, which means zero global warming emissions from coal- and gas-fired power plants. PowerGEM , an independent consulting firm, conducted the analysis for us, using the same data and process PJM uses.

Electricity 246

Electricity Fossil Fuels Clean Energy Waste 246

Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 28, 2022

And, in between, Consumers Energy—an investor-owned utility that provides electricity to nearly 2 million customers—submitted a proposed settlement agreement on its integrated resource plan pending before the Michigan Public Service Commission. Our modeling for our 100-percent report included Consumers’ coal plant commitments.

Clean Energy 279

Clean Energy Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy 2030 279

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. percent of the country’s electricity supply (up 1.1 It supplied 10.5

Clean Energy 306

Clean Energy Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy Solar Power 306

Legal Planet

MARCH 31, 2022

It turns out that most of them are 50-60% reliant on fossil fuels, with a lot of the remainder coming from nuclear and hydro. This table shows how much power is generated from fossil fuels by the top ten utilities (ranked by market value). There was more fuel oil in use in some places than I expected. Carbon Goal.

2030 246

2030 Natural Gas Fossil Fuels 2007 246

Union of Concerned Scientists

NOVEMBER 18, 2024

In extreme weather, when electricity demand is at its highest and the grid needs gas plants the most, gas plants have been failing at alarming rates. Even with the clean energy transition well underway, gas plants will be around for a while as we phase out fossil fuels. Gas power plants have a problem.

Fossil Fuels 290

Fossil Fuels Clean Energy Electricity Technology 290

Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 25, 2022

I’m going to let you in on a little secret: Without power grid modeling tools, the transition to clean electricity would be an absolute mess. Luckily, we don’t have to resort to guesswork because we have sophisticated grid modeling tools that help guide the transition to clean electricity. Surely that would not end well.

Electricity 279

Electricity Clean Energy Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy 279

Union of Concerned Scientists

MARCH 30, 2022

Fossil fuels are the root cause of climate change, of long-standing environmental injustices, and are also frequently connected to geopolitical strife and violent conflicts. Other countries are dependent upon these fossil fuels, they don’t make themselves free of them. This is a fossil fuel war.

Fossil Fuels 279

Fossil Fuels Climate Change Clean Energy 2030 279

Union of Concerned Scientists

OCTOBER 27, 2022

There is still much we can do to bend that emissions curve sharply within this decade—but only if world leaders, especially leaders of richer countries and major emitting nations, take responsibility to act together quickly and fossil fuel companies are held accountable for their decades of obstruction and deception.

Fossil Fuels 264

Fossil Fuels 2030 Clean Energy Climate Change 264

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. Renewable generation is variable—wind and solar power produce electricity when the wind is blowing and the sun is shining. Curtailment means we are wasting otherwise clean, perfectly usable electricity.

Fossil Fuels 162

Fossil Fuels 2030 Electricity Clean Energy 162

Union of Concerned Scientists

JULY 1, 2022

First and foremost, despite some fossil fuel interests swinging for the fossil fuel-favored fences, the Supreme Court’s decision in West Virginia v. What the Supreme Court decided in West Virginia v. That’s for two reasons.

Fossil Fuels 279

Fossil Fuels Clean Air Act Clean Energy Greenhouse 279

Union of Concerned Scientists

JULY 25, 2022

This week, the Midwest’s regional electric grid operators approved nearly $10.5 Allowing for more cheap renewable energy to meet demand, and addressing areas where the grid is vulnerable will provide fuel savings, avoided risk of controlled blackouts, and reductions in fossil fuel pollution. million homes. million homes.

Renewable Energy 264

Renewable Energy Fossil Fuels Electricity Clean Energy 264

A Greener Life

JULY 7, 2021

New research from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) confirms renewables are continuing to outpace fossil fuels on cost. They found that the share of renewable energy that achieved lower costs than the most competitive fossil fuel option doubled in 2020. With record-low auction prices of $1.1

Fossil Fuels 98

Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy 2010 2020 98

Union of Concerned Scientists

MARCH 16, 2022

They just released their 2022 “Annual Energy Outlook” (AEO), which is a big deal: it tells us where electricity is headed over the next 30 years. Here are five key takeaways from this year’s AEO, focused primarily on the electricity sector: 1. Relying on market trends is nowhere near enough to do the job. Carbon emissions remain high.

Natural Gas 290

Natural Gas Renewable Energy Climate Change Electricity 290

Legal Planet

JUNE 13, 2022

The national electricity plan projected that renewables will exceed coal in 2027. But given the growth of the economy, carbon emissions were projected to continuing growing steadily through 2030. The roadmap calls for Mumbai to get half its electricity from renewables by 2030 and 90% by 2050. As in the U.S.,

2030 246

2030 Carbon Emissions 2027 Sea Level 246

Union of Concerned Scientists

FEBRUARY 13, 2024

Last November, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) released an interdisciplinary study exploring the various pathways to meeting US goals to cut heat-trapping emissions economywide 50 to 52 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions no later than 2050. The good news? How are we doing on that?

Clean Energy 338

Clean Energy Renewable Energy Electricity 2030 338

Legal Planet

AUGUST 22, 2024

To address these dual needs, UC Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy and the Environment (CLEE) and the UCLA Law Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment are today releasing the new report Fueling & Financing: Addressing the Urgent Challenges Facing Electric Heavy-Duty Vehicle Deployment.

Electricity 147

Electricity Climate Change Fossil Fuels 2009 147

Union of Concerned Scientists

JULY 3, 2022

The majority 6–3 decision sharply curtails the EPA’s authority to set standards based on a broad range of flexible options to cut carbon emissions from the power sector—options such as replacing polluting fossil fuels with cheap and widely available wind and solar power coupled with battery storage.

Climate Change 334

Climate Change Fossil Fuels Carbon Emissions Nitrogen Oxides 334

Union of Concerned Scientists

JUNE 13, 2022

It means committing to incentives and standards that clearly align with the trajectory we need to be on across all sectors of the economy—both valuing the beneficial aspects of clean energy resources, and accounting for the negative effects of polluting fossil fuels. to 80 percent of electricity from zero-carbon resources by 2030.

Technology 264

Technology Technology Climate Change Fossil Fuels 264

Union of Concerned Scientists

DECEMBER 20, 2022

Perhaps most importantly, this rule doesn’t even attempt to grapple with the question of how to eliminate emissions from trucks, focusing exclusively on fossil-fuel powered engines to the exclusion of electrification. Bad news: electric trucks aren’t included in the rule. Electric trucks aren’t included in the rule.

Clean Air Act 278

Clean Air Act Electricity Fossil Fuels 2030 278

Union of Concerned Scientists

JULY 25, 2022

Today, the regional entity overseeing much of the electric power grid in the Midwest—the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO)—approved a set of major new transmission system upgrades that will bring billions of dollars in benefits to the region while better enabling states and utilities to pursue transitions to clean energy.

Solar Power 312

Solar Power Clean Energy Carbon Emissions Electricity 312

Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 3, 2023

It is overwhelmingly produced by a process known as steam methane reforming (SMR), which is heavily carbon-polluting, and the resulting hydrogen is primarily consumed as a feedstock for industrial purposes, such as oil refining and fertilizer production, not as a way to displace fossil fuels. And this isn’t just hypothetical.

Clean Energy 264

Clean Energy Fossil Fuels Electricity Renewable Energy 264

Union of Concerned Scientists

JULY 17, 2024

In the electric utility industry, this conflict is on display in the debate over who makes decisions on new electric transmission and how to include policies set by state laws. PJM directs the revenues and operation of the largest fossil fuel power plant fleet (124 gigawatts), making it the largest utility in the US.

Electricity 279

Electricity Fossil Fuels Climate Change Government 279

Union of Concerned Scientists

FEBRUARY 13, 2023

Transition to 100 percent clean energy by 2035 The state has already committed to reduce its heat trapping emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and 75 percent by 2040, and to be net zero by 2050. Now is the time to enact legislative proposals such as the 100% Clean Act , which is aligned with Healey’s own campaign commitment.

Fossil Fuels 246

Fossil Fuels Clean Energy Air Pollution Electricity 246

Legal Planet

JULY 29, 2021

These laws ban new fossil fuel plants and set aggressive targets for the state’s two major utilities, requiring emission cuts of 80% by 2030, 90% by 2035 and 100% by 2040. House Bill 2165 addresses electrical charging for vehicles. On Wednesday, Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed a package of four clean energy bills.

Fossil Fuels 264

Fossil Fuels Clean Energy Renewable Energy 2010 264

Legal Planet

MAY 5, 2022

Mexico’s climate commitment for 2030 under the Paris Agreement calls for cutting emissions 22%, cutting black carbon by half, and achieving net-zero deforestation. AMLO has come under criticism for his commitment to fossil fuel production and refining in Mexico. As always, the poor will be the most vulnerable to climate change.

Paris Agreement 264

Paris Agreement Carbon Emissions Climate Change Rainforest 264

Legal Planet

MAY 9, 2022

Texas and a number of other states have passed laws banning what they call “boycotts of fossil fuel companies.” ” More precisely, they ban state investment or contracting with firms that “boycott” fossil fuel companies. That’s generally — but not always — going to be firms “utilizing” fossil fuels.

Fossil Fuels 246

Fossil Fuels Law Carbon Emissions Politics 246

Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 19, 2023

The Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) rule, which I’ve blogged about in detail before, will phase out fossil-fueled trucks over the next several decades. A full transition to electric drayage truck operations in 2035. After 2036, all new MHDVs sold in California will be electric. There are more than 1.8 pollution from vehicles.

Electricity 279

Electricity Nitrogen Oxides Fossil Fuels Regulations 279

Union of Concerned Scientists

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

CARB has proposed to rapidly increase the stringency of the standard to increase demand for credits, but it should also address the supply of credits, to make sure the fuels supported by the LCFS help move California towards a clean transportation future. Each credit one metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent pollution below the standard.

Fossil Fuels 331

Fossil Fuels Regulations Renewable Energy Carbon Dioxide 331

Union of Concerned Scientists

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

It doesn’t make financial sense for many coal plants stay open due to competition from more affordable clean resources —such as wind and solar—as well as from other fossil fuel power plants, such as those fired by methane gas. That would be outrageous, wouldn’t it? But that’s exactly what’s happening right now.

2020 358

2020 Electricity 2019 Fossil Fuels 358

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.

Renewable Energy 264

Renewable Energy Clean Energy Electricity Fossil Fuels 264

Circle of Blue

AUGUST 3, 2021

Like all other industries, the clock is ticking for the sector to cut its carbon pollution, given President Joe Biden’s goal to halve the country’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. By generating its own energy, the facility cuts its electricity bill, or even turns a profit by selling the surplus.

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Carbon Emissions Waste Renewable Energy Carbon Dioxide 317