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2024 Year in Review: Clean Energy Progress Steeped in Solar and Storage

Union of Concerned Scientists

Wind While the amount of new wind turbine capacity installed looked to be the lowest in at least six years, wind power continued to set records for generation in different regions of the country.

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How Are Lithium-ion Batteries that Store Solar and Wind Power Made?

Union of Concerned Scientists

Batteries can also be used to assist with peak electricity demand; currently instead of batteries, fossil fuel-powered “peaker plants” are often used to supply energy during high-demand periods. Despite being used infrequently, these plants are inefficient and highly polluting, and contribute to US carbon emissions.

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Building a Better Power Grid for Minnesota

Union of Concerned Scientists

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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Climate Policy and the Audacity of Hope

Legal Planet

New California legislation will require corporations to disclose their carbon emissions. Wind power costs fell by half from 2008 to 2021. Cheaper renewable energy attracts private investment and makes limits on fossil fuels more feasible. In short, we’re seeing something like a slimmed-down Green New Deal.

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Boosting Michigan’s Energy Future with Regional Transmission Upgrades

Union of Concerned Scientists

This much-needed set of 18 projects will improve electricity reliability, address overloaded wires , and help unlock more lower-cost wind and solar power to replace costly, polluting fossil fuel plants in Michigan and many other states in the Midwest (including Illinois and Minnesota ). Source: MISO.

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7 Things to Know About Burning Hydrogen in Gas Plants: An H2 FAQ 

Union of Concerned Scientists

In turn, this means a given percentage of hydrogen (by volume) blended in doesnt lead to the same percentage reduction in the amount of gasor to the same reduction of carbon emissions. A blend with 50% hydrogen by volume, for example, gets you only 23% less smokestack carbon pollution. Is green hydrogen carbon-free?

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Wind-powered Cargo Vessel Holds Hope for a Greener Future

Ocean Conservancy

While a wind-powered cargo vessel may seem like a 19 th Century idea, the Grain de Sail may be a herald of a greener future rather than a nostalgic nod to the past. By the end of the week one thing seemed likely, a price on shipping fuel’s carbon emissions even if it doesn’t end up being the exact levy proposed by the Marshall Islands.