Legal Planet

NOVEMBER 15, 2021

The decision at the Glasgow climate conference to phase down fossil fuels is an important step forward — and not just because of climate change. We think of fossil fuels as a source of climate change, but that’s only a one part of the problem. Fossil fuels are a case in point. Consider coal.

Fossil Fuels 246

Fossil Fuels Carbon Dioxide Clean Water Act Climate Change 246

Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 27, 2023

Fossil fuel power plant owners are facing increased accountability for their air and water pollution, including from a new round of environmental and public health protections that are being rolled out by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). We’ve heard these lazily disingenuous narratives before.

Fossil Fuels 251

Fossil Fuels Electricity 2014 Climate Change 251

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

JANUARY 24, 2023

Utilities and grid operators prepared for the storm as it was coming down the pike, but they still underestimated the energy demand it would trigger, as well as the number of outages at fossil fuel power plants—mainly natural gas-fired, plus some coal-fired plants.

Fossil Fuels 257

Fossil Fuels 2014 Climate Change Electricity 257

Union of Concerned Scientists

JUNE 12, 2023

What happens when promise of electricity reliability fails in bad weather? How can gas power plant owners claim to be reliable but fail to make adequate efforts to purchase fuel? We know that consumers pay for electricity reliability and bear the cost when supplies are tight.

Fossil Fuels 216

Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy Electricity Regulations 216

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 216

Fossil Fuels 2023 Clean Energy Nitrogen Oxides 216

Union of Concerned Scientists

DECEMBER 21, 2023

While industry tried to paint hydrogen combustion engines as a “bridge” technology to hydrogen fuel cells, their own presentations undermined that very point—instead, this path is a clear dead end. We need to make sure regulators like EPA and CARB restrict its usage before it gains a fossil-fueled foothold in the marketplace.

Technology 308

Technology Technology Fossil Fuels Electricity 308

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. EN: What were your top findings? Our analysis also demonstrates renewables’ power.

Electricity 279

Electricity Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy Nitrogen Oxides 279

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 260

Technology Technology Climate Change Fossil Fuels 260

Legal Planet

NOVEMBER 4, 2024

For more than 50 years, we have pioneered new policies and ushered in new technologies to clean our air and protect our climate. Over its short lifetime, the program has already transformed many segments of the fuels market. If CARB approves amendments to the program, the shift to clean fuels in California will only accelerate.

Air Pollution 279

Air Pollution Fossil Fuels Greenhouse 2010 279

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. Battery storage is very cost-effective.

Electricity 114

Electricity Regulations Renewable Energy Fossil Fuels 114

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 334

Electricity Air Pollution 2030 Clean Air Act 334

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 329

Carbon Emissions Fossil Fuels Clean Energy 2030 329

Union of Concerned Scientists

JANUARY 23, 2025

It depends on the costs The levelized cost of energy (LCOE) represents the average cost to build and operate a generating resource per unit of electricity generated. The cost of other energy technologies matters as well. And the answer to that question depends heavily on the costs of new nuclear power plants.

Nuclear Power 223

Nuclear Power Clean Energy Technology Technology 223

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. And we’re already seeing the prominent role that renewables are starting to play in our electricity mix. by 2035 is needed. by 2035 is needed.

Renewable Energy 363

Renewable Energy Fossil Fuels Nitrogen Oxides Clean Energy 363

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 277

Electricity Renewable Energy Clean Energy Law 277

Union of Concerned Scientists

MAY 8, 2023

Electric transportation is essential for a cleaner and healthier world. Replacing gasoline vehicles with electric can reduce emissions that cause climate change and illnesses. Researchers like me are putting a microscope to the electric vehicles (EVs) because, as with any extraction and manufacturing, there are associated impacts.

Electricity 304

Electricity Recycling Fossil Fuels Climate Change 304

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 291

Electricity Clean Energy Greenhouse Technology 291

Union of Concerned Scientists

AUGUST 22, 2023

But extreme heat also hits our electricity system in ways that make it more expensive, more polluting, and less reliable. Extreme heat means more expensive electricity Extreme heat can sharply increase electricity consumption as people turn up their air conditioners for relief. One factor is the dirtiness of fossil fuels.

Electricity 243

Electricity Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy Cooling 243

Union of Concerned Scientists

JUNE 15, 2022

The ones that’ll soon be gracing areas over the horizon are powerful enough, each one, to generate the equivalent of an average home’s daily electricity use in just a few seconds. Even more important, though, wind is an impressive piece of our electricity supply. Wind is now the largest source of renewable energy in the country.

Wind Power 360

Wind Power Fossil Fuels Electricity Climate Change 360

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. Most Minnesotans are familiar with their local electricity utility, since that’s who bills them for electricity they provide.

Renewable Energy 359

Renewable Energy Fossil Fuels Solar Power Electricity 359

Legal Planet

JULY 15, 2024

The first efforts to use of wind to generate electricity was 134 years ago, and the photoelectric effect was discovered six decades earlier. So in a sense, these are old technologies — about the same age as the very first internal combustion engines. Persian experts were sent by Genghis Khan to establish the technology in China.

Renewable Energy 264

Renewable Energy Fossil Fuels 2005 Technology 264

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. percent of the country’s electricity supply (up 1.1 It supplied 10.5

Clean Energy 306

Clean Energy Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy Solar Power 306

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 245

Electricity Renewable Energy Climate Change Sea Level 245

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 252

Fossil Fuels Clean Energy Electricity Climate Change 252

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. A small number of big corporations are responsible for the climate crisis.

Fossil Fuels 322

Fossil Fuels Paris Agreement Renewable Energy Carbon Dioxide 322

PA Environment Daily

MARCH 19, 2025

By Matthew Carroll, Penn State News Moving from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources like wind and solar will require better ways to store energy for use when the sun is not shining or the wind is not blowing. over the existing technology. over the existing technology.

Technology 70

Technology Technology Renewable Energy Clean Energy 70

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. However, as we replace fossil fuels with clean electricity for heating and transportation to meet our climate goals, these peak demands will increasingly shift to the winter in many parts of the country.

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Fossil Fuels Electricity 2030 Clean Energy 291

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

Legal Planet

APRIL 29, 2024

The Department of Energy estimates the cost of an electric vehicle lithium-ion battery pack declined 89% between 2008 and 2022. Different batteries may be ideal in settings where charging speed is not a factor, such as utility-scale electricity storage. 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

OCTOBER 16, 2023

That’s a really good thing given the central role we expect and need solar to play in a just transition away from fossil fuels. Last year, solar accounted for almost 5 percent of US electricity. Back then, my focus was on small (really small) systems, measured in tens of watts. Single projects can be hundreds of megawatts.

Solar Power 310

Solar Power Fossil Fuels Electricity Technology 310

Circle of Blue

AUGUST 3, 2021

utilities have been slower to adopt the energy- and emissions-saving technologies than those in other parts of the world. Despite the economic advantages of these technologies and their potential environmental benefits, U.S. Despite the economic advantages of these technologies and their potential environmental benefits, U.S.

Carbon Emissions 317

Carbon Emissions Waste Renewable Energy Carbon Dioxide 317

A Greener Life

JULY 7, 2021

New research from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) confirms renewables are continuing to outpace fossil fuels on cost. They found that the share of renewable energy that achieved lower costs than the most competitive fossil fuel option doubled in 2020. With record-low auction prices of $1.1

Fossil Fuels 98

Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy 2010 2020 98

Union of Concerned Scientists

JULY 1, 2022

First and foremost, despite some fossil fuel interests swinging for the fossil fuel-favored fences, the Supreme Court’s decision in West Virginia v. What the Supreme Court decided in West Virginia v.

Fossil Fuels 279

Fossil Fuels Clean Air Act Clean Energy Greenhouse 279

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. Here are five key takeaways from this year’s AEO, focused primarily on the electricity sector: 1. Renewable energy generation increases faster than any other technology.

Natural Gas 291

Natural Gas Renewable Energy Climate Change Electricity 291

Circle of Blue

JUNE 6, 2022

Besides the kilowatt-hours it generates, Glen Canyon provides key services to the electric grid. The country’s second largest reservoir and a lynchpin in the intermountain electric grid, Powell is more dirt than water these days. Hydropower generation will likely shut down when Lake Powell’s elevation drops below 3,490 feet.

Electricity 338

Electricity Fossil Fuels Carbon Emissions Greenhouse 338

PA Environment Daily

JANUARY 24, 2025

Rising electricity demand from U.S. data centers risks deepening Americas reliance on fossil fuels and can put consumers and communities at risk, according to the report. Electricity demand to power these centers is projected to increase as well. The 71 data centers in Pennsylvania are already responsible for about 3.2%

Nuclear Power 80

Nuclear Power Fossil Fuels Natural Gas Electricity 80