Union of Concerned Scientists

DECEMBER 1, 2022

DTE’s proposal, known as an integrated resource plan, describes how the utility intends to fulfill its customers’ electricity needs over the next 20 years. These types of long-term energy plans include forecasting the amount of electricity customers will need and examining different options for supporting that need.

Clean Energy 289

Clean Energy 2028 Electricity Wind Power 289

PA Environment Daily

MARCH 10, 2025

And how can we provide job opportunities for the tremendously skilled workers in traditional energy domains while also training the workers we need to accelerate emerging technologies? In fact, pursuing more climate-forward energy policies can be an opportunity to do right by our neighbors working in Pennsylvanias oil and gas fields.

Clean Energy 97

Clean Energy Cooling 2025 Greenhouse 97

Union of Concerned Scientists

JUNE 13, 2022

I was invited to speak at a panel discussion last Wednesday as part of The Economist ’s annual Sustainability Week, titled “What technologies are needed to avert a climate disaster?” True to the theme, I was asked about which technological innovations would be necessary to save our planet. And yet, we aren’t.

Technology 256

Technology Technology Climate Change Fossil Fuels 256

Yale E360

JANUARY 27, 2023

Solar, wind, electric vehicles, and other clean energy technologies saw a record-high $1.1 trillion in investment globally last year, matching investment in fossil fuels for the first time ever, according to a new report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Read more on E360 →

Fossil Fuels 250

Fossil Fuels Clean Energy 2022 Electricity 250

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 245

Clean Energy Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy Nuclear Power 245

Legal Planet

MAY 7, 2024

Chris Hunkeler, Wikimedia Commons In the West, the benefits of electricity market regionalization appear more attractive than ever. Regionalization” refers to efforts to expand coordination between Western states to buy and sell wholesale electricity through centralized federal power markets.

Electricity 246

Electricity Clean Energy Law 2026 246

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 268

Electricity Renewable Energy Clean Energy Law 268

Enviromental Defense

DECEMBER 2, 2024

Statement by Alienor Rougeot, Senior Program Manager, Climate and Energy, on Ontario’s claims regarding the federal Clean Electricity Regulations. The federal government’s proposed regulations to reduce emissions in electricity generation are achievable without breaking the bank.

Electricity 115

Electricity Regulations Renewable Energy Fossil Fuels 115

Union of Concerned Scientists

AUGUST 21, 2024

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) included a major—forthcoming—refresh for one of the biggest policy drivers of the nation’s clean energy transition to date: tax credits subsidizing the deployment of clean electricity resources. These incentives aren’t just historically important.

Electricity 283

Electricity Clean Energy Greenhouse Technology 283

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 205

Electricity Nuclear Power Technology Technology 205

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 330

Electricity Air Pollution 2030 Clean Air Act 330

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.

Electricity 278

Electricity Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy Nitrogen Oxides 278

Union of Concerned Scientists

FEBRUARY 6, 2025

This experience, not far from Seattle and with ties to the information tech industry, highlights some of the issues surrounding the electric power needs of data centers. He was obviously oblivious to the fact that old-style electric heat (i.e. He assured me he hadnt: it doesnt require electricity! Modernize, or bypass, the grid?

Nuclear Power 172

Nuclear Power Electricity Clean Energy Technology 172

Union of Concerned Scientists

JANUARY 22, 2024

When it comes to the transition to clean energy, 2023 was quite a year for progress: record-breaking amounts of solar installed in the United States, a solid drop in carbon emissions from the US power sector, more than one million electric vehicles sold in the country for the first time, “breakneck” growth in renewable energy globally, and more.

Clean Energy 177

Clean Energy Renewable Energy Electricity 2024 177

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. How is that going to happen? Their report, however, comes with a warning.

Carbon Emissions 326

Carbon Emissions Fossil Fuels Clean Energy 2030 326

Union of Concerned Scientists

AUGUST 21, 2024

Earlier this month, the US Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service hosted a public hearing on their recent proposed rules governing implementation of the Section 45Y Clean Electricity Production Credit and the Section 48E Clean Electricity Investment Credit. My testimony is copied below.

Electricity 244

Electricity Wind Power Greenhouse Clean Energy 244

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

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.

Clean Energy 305

Clean Energy Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy Solar Power 305

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 226

Recycling Clean Energy Renewable Energy Electricity 226

PA Environment Daily

MARCH 19, 2025

The researchers recently published their findings in the Journal of Energy Storage. CAES plants compress air and store it underground when energy demand is low and then extract the air to create electricity when demand is high. over the existing technology. over the existing technology.

Technology 70

Technology Technology Renewable Energy Clean Energy 70

Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 19, 2022

Climate Alliance (USCA) can meet all of their electricity needs with renewable energy—while decarbonizing other sectors of the economy and ensuring equitable benefits to all communities. States have technically feasible and highly beneficial paths to achieving 100 percent renewable energy. by 2035 is needed. by 2035 is needed.

Renewable Energy 363

Renewable Energy Fossil Fuels Nitrogen Oxides Clean Energy 363

Union of Concerned Scientists

SEPTEMBER 19, 2024

Extreme weather, which is increasing due to climate change , can degrade the electricity system and cause these failures. Power outages are costly, can have extreme impacts on both the health and safety of a population, and can happen at any point in the process of electricity generation, distribution, and usage.

Electricity 235

Electricity Renewable Energy Climate Change Sea Level 235

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 336

Clean Energy Nitrogen Oxides Fossil Fuels Electricity 336

PA Environment Daily

OCTOBER 24, 2024

Using an interactive online dashboard-- Renewables on the Rise 2024 -- documents the growth of six key clean energy technologies across the United States over the past decade and ranks states accordingly for solar power, wind power, battery storage, energy efficiency, electric vehicles and electric vehicle charging stations.

Renewable Energy 101

Renewable Energy Clean Energy Solar Power Electricity 101

Environmental Leader

JULY 30, 2021

Experts led by US National Laboratories will conduct on-site testing, measure and verify results, and draft field validation reports on clean, cutting-edge technologies in real-world conditions at five manufacturing plants; when these reports are made publicly available, C&I organizations can….

Clean Energy 111

Clean Energy Electricity Technology Technology 111

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 242

Fossil Fuels Clean Energy Electricity Climate Change 242

Union of Concerned Scientists

JULY 1, 2024

Together with other modes of transportation, our vehicles emit the most heat-trapping gases in the US economy: 28 percent, followed closely by the electricity sector. Contrary to claims made by some pundits, this transition away from fossil fuels can be done at moderate cost, primarily with technologies that are commercially available today.

Fossil Fuels 334

Fossil Fuels Biofuels Nitrogen Oxides Electricity 334

Union of Concerned Scientists

DECEMBER 4, 2023

Beyond the climate harms of fossil fuels, they also impose a terrible toll on human health, as numerous recent studies show—including the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change , a BMJ study on global deaths from air pollution caused by fossil fuels, and a study on US deaths attributable to coal-fired electricity generation.

Fossil Fuels 317

Fossil Fuels Nitrogen Oxides Clean Energy Paris Agreement 317

Legal Planet

APRIL 29, 2024

Climate policy has been boosted by dramatic changes in the economics of clean energy. The Department of Energy estimates the cost of an electric vehicle lithium-ion battery pack declined 89% between 2008 and 2022. I don’t mean to imply that technological progress will automatically fix things.

Fossil Fuels 279

Fossil Fuels 2008 2010 Clean Energy 279

Union of Concerned Scientists

SEPTEMBER 20, 2022

Rethinking the role of innovative pilots is an exciting development, because most utilities have not yet fully supported, let alone adopted, the technologies needed to reduce emissions. Pilot projects also can help spur widespread implementation of community solar, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and smart meters and thermostats.

Clean Energy 217

Clean Energy 2005 2020 Technology 217

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 354

Renewable Energy Fossil Fuels Solar Power Electricity 354

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. To meet our climate goals and reach net zero emissions by 2050, most studies show that we need to dramatically reduce gas use for generating electricity, heating homes and businesses, and running industrial processes.

Fossil Fuels 282

Fossil Fuels Electricity 2030 Clean Energy 282

A Greener Life

AUGUST 30, 2022

The combination of offshore wind turbines, floating solar panels and green hydrogen are some of the hybrid clean energy technologies currently under development off the Dutch coast. . The low-lying European country is using its expertise in water engineering to build up its next wave of clean energy infrastructure.

Clean Energy 98

Clean Energy Technology Technology Fossil Fuels 98

Union of Concerned Scientists

MARCH 16, 2022

The Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration (EIA) is one of the go-to sources for reliable information about the US power sector. 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. Carbon emissions remain high.

Natural Gas 291

Natural Gas Renewable Energy Climate Change Electricity 291

Law and Environment

AUGUST 11, 2022

5060 ), titled An Act Driving Clean Energy and Offshore Wind, into law on Thursday August 11, 2022. Other provisions include a ban on incentives and rebates from Mass Save related to fossil fuel powered systems, except as backup for electric heat pumps. Electric Grid. Governor Baker signed the climate bill ( H.5060

Clean Energy 147

Clean Energy Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy 2027 147

Environmental News Bits

NOVEMBER 12, 2024

Global spending on clean energy technologies and infrastructure is on track to hit $2 trillion in 2024. Much of this funding is slated to be put toward renewables, electric vehicles, low-emission fuels, storage solutions, nuclear power and other green technology. Read the full story at ESG Dive.

Clean Energy 40

Clean Energy 2024 Nuclear Power Fossil Fuels 40

Union of Concerned Scientists

MAY 30, 2023

And, long-duration storage is particularly important for the power grid’s transformation to clean energy and what I’m focusing on here. Long-duration refers to the amount of time a power system can discharge electricity. This results in a deliberate reduction of electricity output. Yes and no.

Renewable Energy 259

Renewable Energy Clean Energy Technology Technology 259