Union of Concerned Scientists

DECEMBER 8, 2023

Yet, driven by vested interests in the fossil fuel industry , misleading narratives aim to distort and hinder meaningful climate commitments. Fossil fuels are the problem It’s pretty simple: the burning of fossil fuels is the main driver of climate change. billion tons of the 40.5

Fossil Fuels 323

Fossil Fuels Climate Change Renewable Energy Carbon Dioxide 323

Legal Planet

JULY 15, 2024

So in a sense, these are old technologies — about the same age as the very first internal combustion engines. But the scientific and technological advances that made these technologies competitive with fossil fuels are much more recent. 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

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 216

Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy Electricity Regulations 216

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

Union of Concerned Scientists

MARCH 23, 2023

Renewable projects can experience delays due to the country’s antiquated (and slow) system of connecting to the grid, as well as other reasons like permitting and transmission constraints. And fossil fuel power plants may not stick to their retirement schedules for a variety of reasons. A bit more on those reasons later.

Fossil Fuels 216

Fossil Fuels 2023 Clean Energy Nitrogen Oxides 216

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 359

Renewable Energy Fossil Fuels Solar Power Electricity 359

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, 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

Ocean Conservancy

NOVEMBER 11, 2024

Collaborative Optimism The upcoming political landscape in the United States may seem like a setback for global climate action, but the momentum for climate action and energy transition remains unstoppable. This progress will continue to outpace any efforts to sustain outdated and inefficient fossil fuel systems.

Ocean 132

Ocean Fossil Fuels Paris Agreement Politics 132

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 140

Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy Clean Energy Solar Power 140

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. Wastewater-to-energy systems start with a process called anaerobic digestion, which treatment plants have been using for ages to reduce the volume of sewage waste. Photo © Richard Webb / Wikimedia Commons.

Carbon Emissions 317

Carbon Emissions Waste Renewable Energy Carbon Dioxide 317

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 306

Clean Energy Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy Solar Power 306

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.

Technology 70

Technology Technology Renewable Energy Clean Energy 70

Yale E360

MAY 18, 2021

In a new report , the International Energy Agency is calling for an immediate end to new investments in fossil fuel supply projects such as pipelines, the rapid adoption of renewable energy such as solar and wind power, and a large-scale research and development program to develop future technologies, including advanced batteries, producing energy (..)

Fossil Fuels 231

Fossil Fuels Wind Power Renewable Energy Atmosphere 231

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

Legal Planet

APRIL 29, 2024

Or in more technical terms: “Multiple junctions — or boundaries between layers of semiconducting materials — allow solar cells to break through the Shockley–Queisser limit, a theoretical limit which prevents single-junction cells from absorbing more than 30% of the solar energy that shines on them.” But it does make other things easier.

Fossil Fuels 279

Fossil Fuels 2008 2010 Clean Energy 279

Union of Concerned Scientists

JUNE 15, 2022

Wind is now the largest source of renewable energy in the country. And US wind jobs, currently totaling more than 100,000, should grow right along with the technology and the market. From 2010 through 2020, the cost of electricity from wind fell more than 60 percent, according to the Department of Energy. J Rogers/UCS.

Wind Power 360

Wind Power Fossil Fuels Electricity Climate Change 360

Enviromental Defense

MARCH 27, 2024

New analysis from Environmental Defence reveals that despite federal government promises, funding to the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries remains high Ottawa | Traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg People – New analysis released today by Environmental Defence reveals Canada’s federal government provided at least $18.6

Fossil Fuels 143

Fossil Fuels Government Renewable Energy 2028 143

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. C climate pathway.

Fossil Fuels 98

Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy 2010 2020 98

Enviromental Defense

DECEMBER 2, 2024

In fact, studies show that clean energy is a more affordable option than continuing to rely on fossil fuels. Ontario can meet its growing electricity needs with renewable energy when combined with storage technologies that enable the energy to be used when needed.

Electricity 114

Electricity Regulations Renewable Energy Fossil Fuels 114

Legal Planet

AUGUST 5, 2021

A big shift to renewables could leave stranded assets — existing fossil fuel plants that the utility will no longer get paid for using. It looks likely that the Clean Energy Standard will have a stick in the form of a tax on utilities that feel to achieve annual increases in their use of renewable energy.

Fossil Fuels 299

Fossil Fuels Regulations Clean Energy Renewable Energy 299

PA Environment Daily

NOVEMBER 11, 2024

On November 11, Energy Justice Advocates announced PECO has agreed to contract for 25 MW of solar energy as part of its default power procurement for electric customers from June 1, 2025 through May 31, 2029 as a result of a settlement recently approved by the Public Utility Commission. PECO serves nearly 1.7

Fossil Fuels 79

Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy 2029 Clean Energy 79

Union of Concerned Scientists

MARCH 16, 2022

The biggest takeaway : without robust new policies, US energy sector heat trapping emissions will continue to remain high, far off-track from where we need to be to meet our climate goals. Source: US Energy Information Administration, Annual Energy Outlook 2022 (AEO2022).

Natural Gas 291

Natural Gas Renewable Energy Climate Change Electricity 291

Legal Planet

APRIL 3, 2023

Investment and incentives for clean technologies under the Inflation Reduction Act. Energy efficiency standards for new appliances and lighting sources. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission rules bearing on electricity transmission E. FERC rules for wholesale markets that impact renewable energy.

Law 246

Law Endangered Species Act Clean Air Act Biofuels 246

Environmental News Bits

NOVEMBER 5, 2021

by Lisa Sheppard, Prairie Research Institute As renewable energy is poised to replace fossil fuels long term in Illinois, the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) is delving into a looming issue: what to do with solar modules, wind turbines, and electric vehicle batteries that are no longer used.

Renewable Energy 104

Renewable Energy Fossil Fuels Waste Electricity 104

Union of Concerned Scientists

MAY 30, 2023

This is different from long-term storage, which refers to the amount of time a system can store energy before discharging it. As large amounts of wind and solar resources are connected to the grid, long-duration energy storage could prevent curtailment of renewable energy sources resources during periods of excess generation.

Renewable Energy 267

Renewable Energy Clean Energy Technology Technology 267

Union of Concerned Scientists

AUGUST 13, 2024

Paul Arbaje is an energy analyst in the Climate & Energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists and an expert on electricity policies and reforms that reduce fossil fuel use and reliance. There are benefits to installing these clean appliances that go far beyond just contributing less to climate change.

Fossil Fuels 252

Fossil Fuels Clean Energy Electricity Climate Change 252

Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 9, 2024

A word about CCS : this technology has existed for decades but is only used at a handful of fossil energy facilities. C to 2°C,” and, “Implementation of CCS currently faces technological, economic, institutional, ecological-environmental, and socio-cultural barriers.” Who needs units anyway?

Carbon Dioxide 342

Carbon Dioxide Fossil Fuels Climate Change Atmosphere 342

A Greener Life

JULY 26, 2021

In order to make their portfolio more sustainable and respond to lower fossil fuel demand, oil majors are increasingly snapping up renewable energy projects as the pressure grows to take action on climate change. Many countries prefer the easier option of electrification through renewable energy sources.

Renewable Energy 98

Renewable Energy Fossil Fuels Solar Power 2030 98

Legal Planet

MAY 19, 2023

In 2016 Monterey County voters passed Measure Z, a citizen initiative intended to bar the drilling of new oil and gas wells in the county and ban the use of fracking technology for existing wells in Monterey County. The oil and gas industry, led by Chevron U.S.A.,

Law 264

Law Fossil Fuels Climate Change Regulations 264

Union of Concerned Scientists

MARCH 12, 2024

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. Decarbonizing the power sector also plays a critical long-term role by replacing fossil fuels in other sectors.

Fossil Fuels 291

Fossil Fuels Electricity 2030 Clean Energy 291

Union of Concerned Scientists

MAY 13, 2024

That means it includes the extreme wildfires exacerbated by the fossil fuel industry that burned more than 4% of California in 2021 and 2022. come from burning fossil fuels and pesticide use, and ultrafine particles (PM0.1) These particles are categorized by size. These particles are categorized by size.

2024 292

2024 Fossil Fuels Ozone Air Pollution 292

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. The obstacles to new technology and more effective investments need to be addressed.

Electricity 277

Electricity Renewable Energy Clean Energy Law 277

Union of Concerned Scientists

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

I’ve written recently about why a Cap on Vegetable Oil-Based Fuels Will Stabilize and Strengthen California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard , which addresses the bio-based diesel credits. This is a little different than other similar sounding policies like Renewable Energy Standards, which can create some confusion.

Fossil Fuels 306

Fossil Fuels Regulations Renewable Energy Carbon Dioxide 306

Union of Concerned Scientists

JULY 3, 2022

The majority 6–3 decision sharply curtails the EPA’s authority to set standards based on a broad range of flexible options to cut carbon emissions from the power sector—options such as replacing polluting fossil fuels with cheap and widely available wind and solar power coupled with battery storage.

Climate Change 272

Climate Change Fossil Fuels Carbon Emissions Nitrogen Oxides 272

Enviromental Defense

MARCH 31, 2022

A new report released today by Environmental Defence – Buyer Beware: Fossil Fuel Subsidies and Carbon Capture Fairy Tales in Canada – reveals that despite promises to phase out fossil fuel subsidies, the federal government provided the fossil fuel sector with at least $8.6 billion in 2021. .

Fossil Fuels 92

Fossil Fuels Government Renewable Energy Atmosphere 92