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.

Renewable Energy 301

Renewable Energy Fossil Fuels Electricity Nitrogen Oxides 301

Union of Concerned Scientists

MAY 8, 2024

Some years ago, I began to feel the most important thing I could do was learn how to replace fossil fuel with renewable energy. For 30 years I have been an advocate for offshore wind development off New England’s coast and for the creation of institutions to support a transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

Fossil Fuels 330

Fossil Fuels Wind Power Ocean Renewable Energy 330

Union of Concerned Scientists

MARCH 26, 2024

Soon after, García put her experience and her education into action, joining a consultant group that helped the Colombian government evaluate what policies could support the large-scale deployment of renewables for the country. Back home in Colombia, García’s family is witnessing the consequences of a fossil fuel-centered energy system.

Renewable Energy 320

Renewable Energy Fossil Fuels Clean Energy Electricity 320

Union of Concerned Scientists

FEBRUARY 21, 2023

The world’s biggest fossil fuel companies recently released their 2022 earnings reports, revealing record-breaking profits last year; just five companies–ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, Chevron, and TotalEnergies–reported a total of nearly $200 billion in profits.

Fossil Fuels 322

Fossil Fuels Climate Change Sea Level 2022 322

Union of Concerned Scientists

MAY 19, 2022

Minnesota needs substantial investments now to build toward an equitable clean energy future. The bad news is, they have to find a compromise between two vastly different clean energy bills—by Monday. Minnesotans are already experiencing the climate crisis, as well as health impacts, from burning fossil fuels.

Clean Energy 261

Clean Energy Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy Electricity 261

Union of Concerned Scientists

FEBRUARY 13, 2024

The simple fact is that ditching fossil fuels for low-cost clean energy resources is good for the planet, good for the US economy, and good for public health. UCS) UCS’s findings are consistent with the conclusions of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Transmission Needs Study , which it released last October.

Clean Energy 332

Clean Energy Renewable Energy Electricity 2030 332

Union of Concerned Scientists

MARCH 16, 2022

Deputy Policy Director Julie McNamara urges policymakers to see calls from the fossil fuel industry to invest more in their operations--in response to market instability because of the war in Ukraine--as an opportunistic attempt to lower their costs and increase their profits, at great cost to us.

Fossil Fuels 313

Fossil Fuels Clean Energy Renewable Energy 313

Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 28, 2022

Last week was a big one for clean energy in Michigan. First, Union of Concerned Scientists and the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition released a new report on how Michigan and other states can achieve 100-percent renewable energy standards that benefit all communities. No new gas plants. The Path Ahead.

Clean Energy 279

Clean Energy Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy 2030 279

Union of Concerned Scientists

MARCH 30, 2022

Replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy from wind and solar will depend on upgrading the electric power grid, which is currently plagued by planning delays and gridlock. Midwest (Sort of) Continues a Proud Tradition. What New England Sees. SPP & MISO Show “You Won’t Know Until You Try”.

Fossil Fuels 265

Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy Electricity Regulations 265

Union of Concerned Scientists

JULY 17, 2023

The fabulous growth of wind and solar builds on states’ clean energy policy and corporate decarbonization targets. However, great opportunities for more new clean energy supplies to replace fossil fuel energy need supporting grid investments. Where do we go for that modern infrastructure?

Clean Energy 246

Clean Energy Renewable Energy Fossil Fuels Regulations 246

Union of Concerned Scientists

JUNE 12, 2023

The same scenario has played out with the power plants that use fossil fuels, predominantly methane (“natural”) gas, delivered by pipelines. At the same time, extreme weather events are becoming more common as more fossil fuel is burned and carbon is released into the air. It’s a vicious feedback loop. Can we fix this?

Fossil Fuels 232

Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy Electricity Regulations 232

Union of Concerned Scientists

JULY 21, 2022

The most consequential vote to advance a clean energy future won’t be happening in Washington, D.C., billion in new transmission investments to accommodate a shift to clean energy. billion in new transmission investments to accommodate a shift to clean energy. or your state capital next week. billion to $11.6

Clean Energy 299

Clean Energy Renewable Energy Electricity Fossil Fuels 299

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.

Fossil Fuels 163

Fossil Fuels 2030 Electricity Clean Energy 163

Union of Concerned Scientists

NOVEMBER 27, 2023

It adds Michigan to the growing list of states, including Illinois and Minnesota , that have adopted standards to increase renewable energy on the grid and move toward 100-percent decarbonization of the power sector. It also will expand energy efficiency programs, streamline utility-scale renewable project siting approvals, and more.

Clean Energy 267

Clean Energy Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy Nuclear Power 267

Union of Concerned Scientists

MARCH 23, 2023

With the clean energy transition already under way, the US electricity mix is set to continue changing this year. Solar power is expected to make up about half of all additions of US electric generating capacity in 2023, according to data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). I’ll start off with the good.

Fossil Fuels 232

Fossil Fuels 2023 Clean Energy Nitrogen Oxides 232

Ocean Conservancy

NOVEMBER 15, 2024

If we are to protect the ocean, its marine ecosystems and the people who depend on them, we must address climate change at its root: the burning of fossil fuels for energy. But this cannot happen without clean-energy solutions, such as offshore wind and other marine renewables , that can replace them.

Fossil Fuels 133

Fossil Fuels Ocean Climate Change Clean Energy 133

Union of Concerned Scientists

MAY 30, 2023

And I love hearing about new renewable electricity records as spring unfolds. A few recent examples for that last love: California scored a new record for total generation from renewable energy in mid-April and a new record for solar production in mid-May. New York just broke its solar record.

Renewable Energy 245

Renewable Energy Fossil Fuels Climate Change Electricity 245

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.

Renewable Energy 362

Renewable Energy Fossil Fuels Solar Power Electricity 362

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 307

Clean Energy Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy Solar Power 307

Yale E360

SEPTEMBER 14, 2022

The world would save at least $12 trillion by phasing out fossil fuels and shifting to renewable energy by 2050, according to a new analysis from the University of Oxford. Read more on E360 ?.

Clean Energy 241

Clean Energy Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy 241

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 258

Fossil Fuels Clean Energy Renewable Energy 2030 258

Union of Concerned Scientists

NOVEMBER 16, 2022

Union of Concerned Scientists’ (UCS) research shows that top fossil fuel producers’ emissions are responsible for as much as half of global surface temperature increase. The best solution: Replace fossil fuels with renewable energy. The transition to 100-percent renewables is possible.

Fossil Fuels 322

Fossil Fuels Paris Agreement Renewable Energy Carbon Dioxide 322

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 279

Electricity Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy Nitrogen Oxides 279

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. It also will save US consumers money because they will spend less on fossil fuels.

Carbon Emissions 331

Carbon Emissions Fossil Fuels Clean Energy 2030 331

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

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 196

Clean Energy Renewable Energy Electricity 2024 196

Enviromental Defense

DECEMBER 29, 2023

Earlier this month at COP28 countries committed to transitioning off of fossil fuels and massively scaling up renewable energy instead. So you’re excused if, like me, you’re baffled by Minister Freeland’s first move in the wake of COP28: a giant new fossil fuel subsidy, via the new Canada Growth Fund.

Fossil Fuels 142

Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy Clean Energy Solar Power 142

Union of Concerned Scientists

MARCH 14, 2022

A new law in Illinois will prod utilities and grid operators in the right direction.

Fossil Fuels 280

Fossil Fuels Law Clean Energy Renewable Energy 280

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. The United States needs to speed its transition to clean energy in order to stave off even worse impacts of climate change.

Fossil Fuels 268

Fossil Fuels Clean Energy Electricity Climate Change 268

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.

Electricity 261

Electricity Renewable Energy Fossil Fuels Clean Energy 261

Environmental News Bits

AUGUST 4, 2022

2 renewable energy producer in the country after California. In fact, more than … Continue reading Who benefits from renewable energy subsidies? In Texas, it’s often fossil fuel companies that are fighting clean energy elsewhere.

Fossil Fuels 98

Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy Clean Energy 98

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

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.

Renewable Energy 263

Renewable Energy Fossil Fuels Clean Energy Electricity 263

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.

Electricity 245

Electricity Fossil Fuels Clean Energy Waste 245

Environment + Energy Leader

APRIL 3, 2023

As the world shifts from fossil fuels to clean energy, Australia’s lithium sector is poised to match thermal coal’s importance within the next five years. Read more » The post Lithium Mining Boom Continues in Australia as Demand for Clean Energy Grows appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

Clean Energy 189

Clean Energy 2028 Fossil Fuels Government 189

Enviromental Defense

DECEMBER 2, 2024

By refusing to admit the economic, employment and environmental benefits of clean energy, the government is depriving Ontario ratepayers of more affordable bills and making our electricity dirtier than it has been in years. In fact, studies show that clean energy is a more affordable option than continuing to rely on fossil fuels.

Electricity 128

Electricity Regulations Renewable Energy Fossil Fuels 128

Law and Environment

AUGUST 11, 2022

5060 ), titled An Act Driving Clean Energy and Offshore Wind, into law on Thursday August 11, 2022. Reduction of Fossil Fuels. 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. Renewable Energy.

Clean Energy 147

Clean Energy Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy 2027 147