Union of Concerned Scientists

JANUARY 6, 2025

As the year kicks off with a very cold January weather forecast, US power grid operators and the regulators who oversee them are paying close attention to ensure that the grid failures of several past extreme winter storms dont happen again. Ratepayers in MISO South could use that more affordable power but cannot currently access it.

Fossil Fuels

A Greener Life

APRIL 5, 2025

By Anders Lorenzen A leading energy think tank says that last month, less than half of the US electricity capacity came from fossil fuels. Date showing US fossil fuel generation in March 2025. As a result, clean energy sources generated the largest amount of electricity in the US last month, 50.8%a

Clean Energy

Union of Concerned Scientists

DECEMBER 12, 2024

This round of upgrades will help unlock vast amounts of clean energy and strengthen the reliability and resilience of the power grid. Clean Grid Alliance estimates that Tranche 2.1 This is enough to power more than 3.5 Clean Grid Alliance estimates that Tranche 2.1 Dubbed Tranche 2.1, Source: MISO.

Clean Energy

Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 21, 2025

The clean energy economy has been on an absolute rip-roaring tear. These are the policies that coiled the clean energy spring ; that assembled new workforces; that unlocked the economy-transforming, leveling-up types of investments that dont just prefer but require a long-term view. Two reasons.

Clean Energy

PA Environment Daily

JANUARY 26, 2025

Of Health, Penn State Project ECHO Host Feb. Of Health, Penn State Project ECHO Host Feb.

Conservation

PA Environment Daily

JULY 6, 2025

4 Webinar - Rewild Your Yard: How Meadows Support Pollinators And Clean Water [PaEN] -- Call For Posters: Alliance For The Chesapeake Bay 2025 Chesapeake Watershed Forum Nov. 23 Hard-To-Recycle Collection Events In Allegheny County [PaEN] -- Interfaith Partners For The Chesapeake Bay: Sept. 7, 21, Sept.

Natural Resources

Legal Planet

MAY 7, 2025

For the first time, fossil fuels provided less than half of U.S. electricity generation for a whole month March 2025 thanks to record-high solar and wind power, according to data released by energy think tank Ember. Electricity! His proposed budget, released last Friday, does the same. Pods of the Week Gov.

Fossil Fuels

Union of Concerned Scientists

JUNE 16, 2025

Here’s the clean energy momentum at stake, the threats to that momentum, and why there is still reason for hope. Years of clean energy progress, month by month The graph of progress on clean energy from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) shown below says a lot about where we’ve come from, over the long term and in recent times.

Clean Energy

Legal Planet

NOVEMBER 14, 2024

When Donald Trump returns to the Oval Office in January 2025, his second presidency will have widespread implications for the energy industry, especially new investments, but not necessarily in the ways his supporters might expect. Renewable Energy Vs. Fossil Fuels Renewables or fossil fuels?

2025

Legal Planet

JULY 10, 2025

Sheldon Whitehouse gave what’s billed as his 300th “time to wake up” speech on the floor of the Senate, a rollicking takedown of dark money, fossil fuel polluters, and Republicans who have let them “burrow into government.” All the more fitting that this week, Sen.

Climate Change

PA Environment Daily

JULY 2, 2025

This version of the bill removes a proposed tax on solar and wind and includes incentives for clean firm technologies like geothermal and advanced nuclear. However, it also quickly phases out clean energy tax credits that are crucial for lowering costs for families and creating family-sustaining careers.

Renewable Energy

PA Environment Daily

APRIL 8, 2025

Its outrageous that PJM has the gall to ask federal officials to turn a blind eye to illegal air pollution from the regions dirtiest power plants. Photos: Keystone and Conemaugh power plants.)

Clean Air Act

Union of Concerned Scientists

JUNE 15, 2022

We at the Union of Concerned Scientists think a lot about wind power. In honor of Global Wind Day , here’s a roundup of what we’re seeing and what we’ve been thinking—five facts about wind energy to keep in mind as you celebrate, or at least make note, on June 15. Wind power is big, and getting bigger.

Wind Power

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. The electric power system is trapped by gas-dependent power plants that cannot obtain gas when it needs it to keep the lights on. It’s a vicious feedback loop.

Fossil Fuels

Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 24, 2023

The progress in the numbers The new numbers are from the federal Energy Information Administration (EIA), which collects data from power plant operators from across the country. They offer a lot of good news about clean energy progress. Renewables up, coal down More renewable energy is desirable for a lot of reasons.

Clean Energy

Union of Concerned Scientists

DECEMBER 22, 2022

Once the battery looks up to code, it is off to the grid to power our renewable energy future! Battery energy storage is powerful and growing. Battery energy storage can help store clean energy for the grid. Challenges and Opportunities in Mining Materials for Energy Storage Lithium-ion Batteries.

Wind Power

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

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

Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 3, 2023

With respect to the electricity grid, CEJA directs the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) to prepare a Renewable Energy Access Plan (REAP) to help ensure that clean energy resources can connect to the grid and be ready to replace coal and gas plants.

Electricity

Legal Planet

APRIL 29, 2024

Climate policy has been boosted by dramatic changes in the economics of clean energy. Wind power costs fell by half from 2008 to 2021. Cheaper renewable energy attracts private investment and makes limits on fossil fuels more feasible.

Fossil Fuels

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

Union of Concerned Scientists

MARCH 16, 2022

Without additional climate or clean energy policies, gas (and to a lesser degree, coal) will both provide electricity and will be used to balance the grid with growing levels of variable wind and solar generation. These low gas prices play an interesting role in the US and world energy markets.

Natural Gas

Union of Concerned Scientists

DECEMBER 19, 2023

The results include two developers cancelling their offshore wind power contracts with states and utilities, another cancelling two projects altogether, and hesitation elsewhere. The good news-bad news balance, though, would seem to tip decidedly in favor of a whole lot more offshore wind.

Electricity

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

Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 11, 2023

Fuel transport – Spring floods can hinder the transportation of fuels like coal. While it is a heavily polluting fossil fuel that is set to continue declining as a fuel source for US electricity generation over the next decade, coal still accounted for roughly 20 percent of the country’s generation in 2022.

Fossil Fuels

Union of Concerned Scientists

MAY 30, 2023

That means that any renewable energy generation will supply a larger portion of demand. That lower-than-expected electricity demand also makes spring (and the other “shoulder” season, fall) the go-to seasons for fossil fuel and nuclear power plants to go offline for scheduled maintenance—or refueling, in the case of the nuclear plants.

Renewable Energy

Union of Concerned Scientists

DECEMBER 22, 2022

When the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing, batteries help store clean energy to continue supplying electricity to the grid and to customers consistently and reliably. A fossil fuel energy grid extracts and expends finite resources. Want Clean Energy? It is wasteful by design.

Renewable Energy

Legal Planet

MARCH 30, 2023

I sometimes ask students to guess what state produces the most wind power. Which seems a little hard to square with the state’s reliance on renewable energy. Which seems a little hard to square with the state’s reliance on renewable energy. The state will soon get more power from renewables than natural gas.

Wind Power

Ocean Conservancy

NOVEMBER 7, 2022

To avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis, it’s crucial that we shift energy production away from the unsustainable fossil fuels that cause climate change and towards those that release little to no greenhouse gases (GHG), such as solar and wind power. Clean energy is key to national security.

Clean Energy

A Greener Life

JANUARY 21, 2022

For the first time ever in the 27-year history of UN climate talks, at COP26 fossil fuels were mentioned in the final agreement. This shows that we are getting nearer to consigning the fossil fuel industry to history, even though there’s still a long way to go. Of those fossil fuels, coal will be the first to go.

Fossil Fuels

A Greener Life

APRIL 7, 2023

By Anders Lorenzen Tenders for 250 gigawatts (GW) of clean energy by 2028 are set to be unveiled by the Indian government, according to a government memo. Overall, India is also looking to boost its share of non-fossil capacity, which can include big hydro and nuclear to 50% by 2030. Photo credit: Reuters / Amit Dave.

Clean Energy

Enviromental Defense

MARCH 22, 2022

We all know that to successfully address climate change we need to phase out fossil fuels and switch to electric power. A s we transition our homes and vehicles to electric power, it’s imperative that the electricity sector be clean. The costs of wind and solar power have been dropping like a stone.

Solar Power

Law and Environment

MAY 4, 2023

SMR is a high-carbon process that uses fossil fuels for process heat. They typically refer to fossil SMR hydrogen as “ grey ” hydrogen. How is clean hydrogen produced? Ammonia could also be an important carbon-less fuel. Clean hydrogen could replace fossil fuels for large vehicles and vessels that make long trips.

Carbon Monoxide

Legal Planet

FEBRUARY 22, 2022

How then do we explain what is currently happening with energy prices? In the early days of the current price shocks, fossil fuel boosters blamed clean energy and climate policy. But as the clean energy transition accelerates, these broader questions of politics and price making should be front and center.

Natural Gas

PA Environment Daily

AUGUST 9, 2023

On August 9, the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority announced it would be committing to the purchase of wind power and the use of clean energy to support the production and operations of water services. PWSA holds the largest share at 30% of the total, underlining our strong commitment to sustainable energy practices.

Wind Power

Enviromental Defense

JUNE 17, 2024

Alberta: Speak Up For a SAFE Climate: Take Action Here How Climate Action Makes Life More Affordable Renewable energy, including solar and wind power, is much cheaper and less polluting than burning fossil fuels such as natural gas, oil and coal.

Climate Change

A Greener Life

FEBRUARY 22, 2023

Forecasts of cool weather and expectations of lower wind power output had driven up demand for more fossil-fuel produced energy. The EU’s emissions trading system forces manufacturers, power companies and airlines, to pay for each tonne of CO2 they emit, in an effort to reduce emissions and to meet climate targets.

Fossil Fuels