Union of Concerned Scientists

OCTOBER 15, 2024

The fuel, commonly known as natural gas, now powers the biggest portion of US electricity generation—more than 40 percent. It has also grown to be the largest source of carbon pollution from the US power sector, even as zero-carbon renewable energy has been growing by leaps and bounds. of that fuel.

Renewable Energy 306

Renewable Energy Fossil Fuels Electricity Nitrogen Oxides 306

Union of Concerned Scientists

AUGUST 30, 2023

One notable example is in Michigan, where utilities are phasing out coal plants and momentum is building for legislation that would support an equitable clean energy transition. In 2022, the MPSC similarly approved a revised version of utility Consumers Energy’s long-range energy plan following settlement negotiations.

Clean Energy 264

Clean Energy Electricity Renewable Energy Climate Change 264

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. New demands for electricity and the need to reduce climate-changing emissions are driving new grid planning efforts.

Electricity 298

Electricity Renewable Energy Clean Energy Law 298

Union of Concerned Scientists

MARCH 17, 2025

In the rush to integrate artificial intelligence into the economy, fast-moving information technology companies are running into a problem: slow-moving electric utilities. In more ways than one, the electricity supply so vital to running a data center simply doesnt respond the way Silicon Valley and big investors want.

Electricity 259

Electricity Nuclear Power Technology Technology 259

Union of Concerned Scientists

NOVEMBER 27, 2023

Senate Bill (SB) 271 requires utilities to achieve, at a minimum, renewable energy-generated electricity sales of 50 percent in 2030 and 60 percent in 2035. Additionally, SB 271 requires utilities to achieve a “clean energy” portfolio of at least 80 percent in 2035 and 100 percent in 2040. What’s In the Bills?

Clean Energy 278

Clean Energy Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy Nuclear Power 278

Union of Concerned Scientists

NOVEMBER 21, 2024

Bidirectional EVs Could Be the New Standard Electric vehicles (EVs) should be a clean transportation and a clean energy solution. This could let drivers use these batteries to power critical appliances during emergencies, their homes during power shutoffs, or even the grid when electricity demand is high.

Fossil Fuels 245

Fossil Fuels Recycling Clean Energy 2004 245

Union of Concerned Scientists

DECEMBER 22, 2022

Lithium-ion batteries are essential for decarbonizing transportation through electric vehicles and building a resilient, renewable energy grid through energy storage batteries. By 2050, battery recycling could supply 22 to 27% of lithium, 40 to 46% of nickel, and 45 to 52% of cobalt needed for electric vehicles in the US.

Recycling 284

Recycling Clean Energy Renewable Energy Electricity 284

Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 9, 2025

I came to Madison ten years ago to pursue a masters in electrical engineering. planned capacity additions in 2025, with the bulk of these new plants planned for states without a current clean energy standard (the proposed Wisconsin plants wont show up in the EIA data unless they are approved by the state). Madison is our home.

Fossil Fuels 238

Fossil Fuels Climate Change Natural Gas Clean Energy 238

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

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.

Electricity 279

Electricity Clean Energy Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy 279

Union of Concerned Scientists

FEBRUARY 21, 2023

Last spring, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) , which operates the electricity grid serving 45 million people across the central United States, found o ut it was at a higher risk of power outages than it believed. The result, as I explain below, was skyrocketing electricity bills for thousands of people.

Electricity 264

Electricity Clean Energy Natural Resources 2022 264

Legal Planet

SEPTEMBER 17, 2024

You don’t have to look beyond the front pages of newspapers , or beyond rooftops in your neighborhood to know that we are in the midst of a clean energy revolution, with renewable energy technologies dramatically decreasing in price and increasing in availability.

Law 325

Law Renewable Energy Clean Energy Fossil Fuels 325

Union of Concerned Scientists

AUGUST 13, 2024

As electric vehicle charging stations sprout like mushrooms along our roads and clusters of new wind turbines come online, these two clean energy solutions to the climate crisis are becoming more commonplace. But beyond more electric cars and solar panels, what can everyday people do?

Fossil Fuels 288

Fossil Fuels Clean Energy Electricity Climate Change 288

Union of Concerned Scientists

FEBRUARY 9, 2024

Gas, which now generates 40 percent of US electricity, is considered by some to be critical to maintain grid reliability. For example, Dominion Energy, an electric and gas utility in Virginia, is planning to build a mammoth 1,000-megawatt gas plant in an area with a high percentage of residents who are people of color and low-income.

Clean Energy 359

Clean Energy Nitrogen Oxides Fossil Fuels Electricity 359

Law and Environment

NOVEMBER 3, 2022

The Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) and Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) announced that proposed amendments to the state’s Clean Energy Standard (CES) were finalized earlier this month without substantive changes from draft language initially proposed by the agencies in April 2022.

Clean Energy 130

Clean Energy Electricity Renewable Energy 2030 130

Union of Concerned Scientists

SEPTEMBER 20, 2022

For instance, pilots can help utilities learn how to effectively integrate distributed energy storage, including batteries installed in ratepayers’ homes, which will be key to reducing emissions. Consumers Energy proposed $10 million. Other state regulators are setting an example.

Clean Energy 262

Clean Energy 2005 2020 Technology 262

Circle of Blue

OCTOBER 28, 2021

The second-most expensive campaign in Maine history is a debate over energy infrastructure. New England Clean Energy Connect, a 145-mile-long transmission line will cut through the commercial timberlands of western Maine. Lobbying campaigns are being funded largely by rival energy groups.

2021 317

2021 Clean Energy Carbon Dioxide Electricity 317

Union of Concerned Scientists

AUGUST 26, 2024

As one example of these rising costs, Californians’ electricity bills have been skyrocketing over the past few years. The new rate structure guidance lowers electricity bills on average for lower-income households and those living in regions most impacted by extreme weather events.

Climate Change 278

Climate Change Fossil Fuels Clean Energy Electricity 278

Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 3, 2023

Last year’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) included a clean hydrogen production tax credit (known as “45V”) that is one of a slew of new incentives intended to help catalyze the next and necessary phase of advancing the nation’s clean energy transition as a whole. The costs will be too great otherwise.

Clean Energy 264

Clean Energy Fossil Fuels Electricity Renewable Energy 264

Union of Concerned Scientists

JULY 22, 2022

Unfortunately, the Minnesota Legislature failed to act on climate and clean energy investments this session, leaving progress toward a more affordable, equitable, healthy Minnesota on the table. 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

Legal Planet

AUGUST 5, 2021

electricity. With some notable exceptions, they’ve tended to drag their feet on the energy transition. The proposed Clean Energy Standard is one effort to deal with this problem. In those states where rates are regulated, regulators can do some things to shift these incentives.

Fossil Fuels 299

Fossil Fuels Regulations Clean Energy Renewable Energy 299

Law and Environment

AUGUST 11, 2022

5060 ), titled An Act Driving Clean Energy and Offshore Wind, into law on Thursday August 11, 2022. DPU is directed to promulgate updated regulations in accordance with the legislation. Electric Grid. Governor Baker signed the climate bill ( H.5060 4524) and the Senate’s proposed omnibus climate bill (S.2819). GW by 2027.

Clean Energy 147

Clean Energy Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy 2027 147

Union of Concerned Scientists

JANUARY 23, 2024

The governing bodies that regulate California’s energy system are almost as complicated and arcane as the sprawling network of wires, poles, and power plants they oversee. For anyone who isn’t an energy expert this can make substantive participation in the process difficult, if not impossible. California needs a new approach.

Clean Energy 283

Clean Energy Regulations Fossil Fuels Government 283

Union of Concerned Scientists

JANUARY 18, 2024

In late December, the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released proposed regulations for the Section 45V Clean Hydrogen Production Tax Credit. The tax credit, passed as part of 2022’s Inflation Reduction Act, provides a generous incentive for the production of clean hydrogen. the “three pillars”).

Fossil Fuels 261

Fossil Fuels Clean Energy 2028 Carbon Emissions 261

Union of Concerned Scientists

JUNE 13, 2022

We already have so many of the foundational technological building blocks of the clean energy transition at hand: renewables, energy efficiency, energy storage, and pathways to electrifying a vast array of energy end uses. Now we need to rapidly accelerate the clean energy momentum already underway.

Technology 264

Technology Technology Climate Change Fossil Fuels 264

Union of Concerned Scientists

OCTOBER 16, 2024

I work in the electric utility sector, specifically on the grid issues that shape our energy supply choices. I heard some early warnings of data center growth running into grid limits first from tech companies and then from electric utility planners. This growth is a jolt to the usually slow-moving electricity sector.

Electricity 287

Electricity Clean Energy Nuclear Power Renewable Energy 287

Law and Environment

JULY 1, 2022

EPA on Thursday, June 30, 2022, curbing the power of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants across the country. The decision focuses on EPA’s authority under a specific section of the Clean Air Act. What does this mean for clean energy projects?

Clean Energy 130

Clean Energy Climate Change Clean Air Act Greenhouse 130

Union of Concerned Scientists

OCTOBER 24, 2023

A global transition to electric transportation is underway and momentum is growing. Even in California, where a tradition of stringent regulation has pushed the industry to innovate over the past 50 years, automakers are selling EVs at levels well above sales requirements. 4 electric vehicle and the VW Tiguan gasoline vehicle.

Electricity 338

Electricity Clean Energy Fossil Fuels Recycling 338

Union of Concerned Scientists

JUNE 22, 2022

For years, gas has been touted as a cheap fuel and a cheap electricity source. A recent analysis from UCS studied how gas plants operated in regional wholesale electricity markets in the Midwest in 2019. Regional electricity markets (ISOs/RTOs) are designed to reduce costs for power providers and for customers.

2019 276

2019 Clean Energy Electricity Regulations 276

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. 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.

Natural Gas 290

Natural Gas Renewable Energy Climate Change Electricity 290

Cresforum

NOVEMBER 8, 2023

Armchair Discussion: Grid Deployment Office During the 2023 National Clean Energy Week Policymakers Symposium , American Electric Power Senior Vice President of Federal Affairs Emily Duncan sat down with Maria Duaime Robinson , Director of the U.S. continues to transition to clean energy.

Clean Energy 105

Clean Energy Electricity Regulations 2023 105

Enviromental Defense

AUGUST 28, 2024

Statement from Keith Brooks, Programs Director, Environmental Defence Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – Today’s announcement by Energy Minister Stephen Lecce is a significant and shocking reversal on electricity planning in Ontario.

Electricity 132

Electricity Fossil Fuels Natural Gas Clean Energy 132

Union of Concerned Scientists

SEPTEMBER 23, 2022

An ambitious law that promises to accelerate the state’s clean energy transition, CEJA provides a detailed framework for greater utility transparency and accountability to update electricity distribution infrastructure to ensure a clean energy future.

Clean Energy 275

Clean Energy Fossil Fuels 2012 Law 275

PA Environment Daily

JULY 31, 2024

This is what happens when regulators sideline a wealth of historically affordable clean energy resources waiting at their doorstep and the transmission needed to bring them online. Related Articles This Week: -- PJM Electricity Auction Price 9 Times Higher Than Previous Auction-- $269.92/MW-Day Partners Host Aug.

Natural Resources 107

Natural Resources Clean Energy Electricity Fossil Fuels 107

Union of Concerned Scientists

OCTOBER 2, 2024

For hydrogen to have any role in the clean energy transition , it must be cleanly produced. This framework enables regulators to verify that the direct and significant indirect emissions associated with electrolyzer operations are zero. But the tell is in the asks.

Carbon Emissions 182

Carbon Emissions Clean Energy Electricity Air Pollution 182

Legal Planet

SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

Last month, DOE solicited applications from states to develop clean energy projects. Another development with multi-state implications involves electric vehicles. Under the Clean Air Act, California has the unique ability to set its own standards for tailpipe emissions from new vehicles, including greenhouse gases.

Carbon Emissions 246

Carbon Emissions Clean Air Act Electricity 2030 246

Union of Concerned Scientists

SEPTEMBER 7, 2022

These days, the world is quickly learning that energy choices are determined by pipelines and electric grid infrastructure. In the face of Russia’s weaponized manipulation of energy supplies, the public and policymakers need to plan for the future. Grid planning is central to energy reliability, affordability and fuel choice.

Clean Energy 264

Clean Energy 2020 Electricity Regulations 264