Most recent 40 articles: Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy
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Overcoming Unprecedented Oil and Gas Industry Influence at UN Climate Talks - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (Dec 5) |
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Dec 5 · Fossil fuel industry influence has been front and center in the UN international climate negotiations - the 28th conference of the parties (COP28) - in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. This is alarming but not surprising, given that the nations of the world are finally working toward an agreement to phase out fossil fuels. They know it’s the end of the fossil fuel era, and they’re showing up in force because they’re scared. Vested interests of the fossil fuel industry are pulling out all the stops by co-opting leadership roles, flooding the official negotiating space with lobbyists to water down text, and attempting to distract negotiators with bogus voluntary initiatives. ... Read more ...
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We Need an Agreement to Phase out Fossil Fuels at COP28 - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (Dec 4) |
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Dec 4 · We’re well into the first week of COP28, the annual UN climate talks, and have secured a promising early win on operationalizing the Loss and Damage Fund. The United States has made important announcements on standards to limit methane emissions, along with a contribution to the Green Climate Fund. But things are definitely getting harder here in Dubai. It’s not just the poor air quality, long lines, and excessive fossil fuel company representation; nations are still too far apart in their positions on a fossil fuel phaseout, the top priority for this COP.
To meet our climate goals, nations collectively have to cut global heat-trapping emissions roughly in half within this ... Read more ...
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If the US Meets Its Climate Goals, We Can Save Money and Lives - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (Nov 30) |
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Nov 30 · Communities and ecosystems continue to suffer the consequences of human-caused climate change, primarily from the burning of fossil fuels across our economy. The full lifecycle of fossil fuels, which includes exploration, extraction, processing, storage, transportation, combustion, and waste disposal, threatens the health of our planet and communities - with the burden disproportionately being borne by communities of color and low-income communities.
The case for phasing out of fossil fuels and making a just and equitable transition to clean energy has never been more clear.
Recently, The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) published a modeling analysis, Accelerating ... Read more ...
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Michigan Policymakers Must Keep Working Toward an Equitable Clean Energy Future - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (Nov 27) |
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Nov 27 · Michigan legislators recently passed a series of energy-related bills that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is expected to sign into law tomorrow. The package represents progress on a number of fronts. 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.
But the package also is significant for what is not in it. Specifically, it weakened or completely eliminated environmental justice communities’ key priorities ... Read more ...
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Taking Stock Ahead of UN Climate Conference: Five Things to Watch for at COP28 in Dubai - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (Nov 20) |
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Nov 20 · The annual UN climate conference, COP28, is slated to take place from November 30-December 12 in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE). As the climate crisis continues to deepen, the stakes at these annual negotiations are acutely high.
This year, they take place against the backdrop of relentlessly rising heat-trapping emissions, record-breaking temperatures, extreme climate impacts in the United States and around the world - and yet, unbelievably, there has been a continued expansion in fossil fuel production and use and a yawning emissions gap in countries’ climate efforts to date.
Lest one thinks this disconnect is a failure of the global climate architecture, the ... Read more ...
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Ask a Scientist: The US Has to Do More to Meet Its Carbon Emissions Reduction Goals - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (Nov 16) |
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Nov 16 · Last year, Congress passed the most ambitious climate bill ever enacted, the Inflation Reduction Act. 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. However, several analyses - including a recent one by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) - have concluded that the IRA, even when coupled with the bipartisan infrastructure act and other federal and state climate policies, will not be enough to meet US carbon emission reduction goals.
Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, the United States ... Read more ...
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Stepping Up to the Challenge: US Can Meet Climate Goals if Policymakers Take Immediate, Concerted Action - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (Nov 16) |
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Nov 16 · There is so much bad news about climate change these days. Global temperature records are being shattered, climate impacts are worsening rapidly around the world, and the latest IPCC report makes clear that critical global climate goals are on the verge of slipping from our grasp.
So today I’m glad to share some good news: a new UCS study that gives me fresh hope and determination to keep fighting for necessary actions to drive deep cuts in US heat-trapping emissions.
An interdisciplinary team of UCS experts set out to explore how the US can meet its goals to cut heat-trapping emissions 50%-52% below 2005 levels by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions no later than 2050. ... Read more ...
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Walkable Neighborhoods and Public Transit are Part Of the Clean Energy Transition - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (Nov 15) |
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Nov 15 · By expanding renewable power, phasing out fossil fuels, electrifying as much of the economy as possible, and deploying other technologies, the U.S. can achieve its climate goals by 2050 - and a new report from UCS shows how.
Transportation is the largest contributor to US global warming emissions, and we have choices around how we transform it. Electrifying cars and trucks is essential to solving the challenge. But vehicles are energy-intensive. By expanding public transportation and rail, and by planning our communities in ways that let people meet their needs with biking, walking, and shorter driving trips we can make the clean energy transition more achievable and ... Read more ...
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We Need Large-Scale Solar. A New Agreement Points the Way Forward - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (Oct 16) |
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Oct 16 · The solar energy sector is big and getting bigger. 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.
But solar’s growth, especially in large arrays, has made it much more visible in communities and landscapes across the country, sparking a lot of conversations about land use, technology options, community engagement, and how best to site the many more megawatts of solar we need.
That’s why it’s great to have a new “collaboration agreement” on large-scale solar, the result of a multi-year effort with scores of experts, nonprofit groups, and solar developers to address issues of siting and ... Read more ...
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Gas Has Reliability Issues. Why Is the Tennessee Valley Authority Doubling Down on It? - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (Oct 12) |
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Oct 12 · In our series on the increasing unreliability of fossil gas, my colleagues at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) have laid out why growing concerns about grid reliability should not be met simply by increasing the number of gas plants on the grid. In fact, too many gas plants are the problem, not the solution. Furthermore, it’s also clear that with the increase in extreme weather driven by climate change, gas plants are threatened by the very conditions they’ve helped contribute to.
Here where I live in the Tennessee Valley, customers experienced the first rolling blackouts in the history of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) last year. The TVA is the public power ... Read more ...
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What Happened in the California Legislature in 2023? - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (Oct 4) |
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Oct 4 · When I started with Union of Concerned Scientists back in January, the California legislative session was just ramping up. As bill introductions trickled in, it became clear there would be plenty of opportunities for UCS to leverage our science-based research to inform world-leading policy solutions.
As the trickle of bills became a rushing river of committee hearings, budget negotiations, and floor votes, not only did we stay afloat, but we built a solid, evidence-backed raft that will keep us skillfully navigating the treacherous white waters of the California legislature.
Now that I have reached the extent of my white-water rafting knowledge, here is a recap of our ... Read more ...
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NEPA, the “Magna Carta” of Federal Environmental Laws, May Be About to Improve - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (Sep 26) |
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Sep 26 · The National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, is often called the “Magna Carta” of environmental laws.
For many communities, the NEPA process is a vital–sometimes the sole–tool they have to try to ensure their voices are heard and that environmental justice considerations are part of federal decision-making processes. Section 101 of the statute states the aim of the law simply: “to create and maintain conditions under which [people] and nature can exist in productive harmony.”
A draft proposal from the Biden Administration to update NEPA’s implementing regulations is currently open for public comment until September 29th and is worthy of your support.
Signed into ... Read more ...
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Can the Inflation Reduction Act Advance Climate Justice? - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (Sep 20) |
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Sep 20 · One year ago, UCS worked in coalition with many other organizations to help pass the landmark Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a law with historic climate provisions that includes numerous programs, policies, and a $369 billion investment that will drive significant cuts in heat-trapping emissions across our economy.
The number of provisions in the IRA aimed at accelerating the transition towards clean energy are plentiful and evident, but most programs were not written into law with the intent to center marginalized communities. And, some programs missed the mark entirely and create the risk of continuing to prop up fossil fuel extraction, which would harm communities and our ... Read more ...
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Energy Equity: How Can Power Utilities Get It Right? - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (Sep 20) |
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Sep 20 · Like many other public-serving institutions throughout society, electricity and gas utilities are facing calls to be more equitable in their operations, planning, and treatment of customers.
But exactly what is energy equity and what does it mean for utilities to address energy equity directly or consider energy justice more broadly in their work?
Energy equity involves confronting the asymmetric suffering faced by the most disadvantaged groups in our communities in the context of access to energy resources.
For example, think of how unequal burdens manifest themselves amid Danger Season, when a range of climate impacts hit increasingly hard. It is a time when ... Read more ...
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Will World Leaders Step Up to Deliver at the UN Climate Ambition Summit? - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (Sep 18) |
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Sep 18 · On September 20, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres is hosting a Climate Ambition Summit seeking to galvanize greater climate action from world leaders. Coming on the heels of the powerful 'March to End Fossil Fuels’ last weekend, this summit continues the pressure on governments to meet the urgency of the moment.
Despite this year’s grim series of extreme climate-fueled disasters and record-breaking temperatures - part of a trend of worsening climate impacts - global heat-trapping emissions continue their alarming rise. The big question, though, is whether world leaders will show up and deliver - or will they, once again, fail us?
Back in March of this year, when ... Read more ...
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Extreme Summer Weather Threatens Gas Power Plants. Here’s How. - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (Sep 12) |
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Sep 12 · Despite the clean energy transition that is well underway in the United States, methane gas, or natural gas, remains the largest source of U.S. electricity generation. By a lot.
Renewables are continuing to increase their share of the power sector, rising to almost 23 percent of the nation’s electricity supply last year, which was higher than the generation from both coal-fired and nuclear plants. This is made possible in large part by the steep cost declines of wind and solar. But despite the more favorable economics of solar and wind compared to gas, that figure is only a little more than half of gas’s share of about 40 percent.
However, one important attribute of gas ... Read more ...
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One Year After the IRA, UCS Is Hard at Work Bringing Its Benefits to Bear - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (Aug 30) |
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Aug 30 · What I remember most was the shock, then jubilation, among my colleagues at UCS last summer.
After months of working to influence the whipsaw negotiations on a federal budget reconciliation bill that would unlock massive funds for climate action, even the most diehard among us were starting to lose hope that our partisan Congress would pull it together on climate. This political rollercoaster ride was also unfolding across last year’s Danger Season, stressing the urgency of the need to act big, and act now.
Then, suddenly, we learned that the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) had passed the Senate. And just as suddenly, on August 16, 2022, the bill became law: the ... Read more ...
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A Hot Summer for Clean Energy in Michigan - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (Aug 30) |
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Aug 30 · It’s Danger Season right now for climate impacts around the United States and the world. While we confront extreme heat, wildfires, and intense storms, crucial work to reduce global warming pollution and mitigate the worst effects of climate change continues.
One notable example is in Michigan, where utilities are phasing out coal plants and momentum is building for legislation that would support an equitable clean energy transition.
In July, the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) approved a momentous settlement agreement regarding the electric utility DTE Energy’s plan to provide electricity to its 2.3 million customers for the next 20 years. Some of the most ... Read more ...
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Extreme Heat Makes Electricity More Expensive, More Polluting, and Less Reliable - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (Aug 22) |
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Aug 22 · Extreme heat has hit hard lately from coast to coast and beyond, and it’s a major way Danger Season has shown up this year. Even as I write this, communities from the Northwest to the Southwest to the Southeast and Puerto Rico are under heat alerts.
The direct health impact of heat stress is bad enough, and dangerous. But extreme heat also hits our electricity system in ways that make it more expensive, more polluting, and less reliable. Here’s how.
Extreme heat can sharply increase electricity consumption as people turn up their air conditioners for relief. For example, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the electricity grid serving much of the Lone Star State, ... Read more ...
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How Reliable Are Gas Power Plants? What ICAP, UCAP, and ELCC Tell Us. - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (Aug 22) |
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Aug 22 · One of the biggest challenges with the transition to clean electricity is figuring out how to keep the grid reliable. Extreme heat, winter storms, and flooding regularly remind us that the grid is struggling to keep up in the face of more climate change-fueled extreme weather.
Now, if you thought I was going to say that clean energy technologies aren’t capable of providing a reliable electricity supply, you’re way off track. A diverse portfolio of clean resources is quite literally the key to a reliable power grid. The tricky part here is figuring out the extent to which all the different types of resources contribute to grid reliability. And if you get that part right, then ... Read more ...
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Too Many Gas Power Plants are the Problem Not the Solution - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (Aug 17) |
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Aug 17 · Extreme weather events have been burning, flooding, and freezing the country for years. And now, as the U.S. cranks its air conditioners to get through historic high temperatures, the need for energy that slows, not hastens, climate change is more apparent than ever.
Yet, in 2022, almost 40% of electricity in the US was generated by power plants fueled by natural gas. (Note: “Natural gas” is an industry misnomer; UCS considers methane, fossil gas, and gas to be much more appropriate terms. I’ll be using the term “gas” from here on out.) These gas plants produce significant heat trapping emissions despite a plethora of data that we need to reduce our heat trapping emissions ... Read more ...
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How Will EPA’s Proposed Power Plant Carbon Rule Impact Public Health? - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (Aug 9) |
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Aug 9 · We are at the height of Danger Season, the time of year when extreme weather events driven by climate change are most prevalent across North America. The power sector is the second highest source of climate pollution in the U.S. thus, it is crucial that we address carbon emissions from power plants.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently published a proposed rule which would limit carbon pollution from fossil fuel burning power plants, a move which is critically important, statutorily required, and long overdue.
Dr. Marc Futernick, an emergency physician in Los Angeles and steering committee chairman at the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, ... Read more ...
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Can California Cropland Be Repurposed for Community Solar? - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (Aug 7) |
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Aug 7 · When you think of solar power, California undoubtedly comes to mind. The state’s strong climate goals paired with abundant sunshine have helped California reach record rooftop and utility-scale solar buildout. But surprisingly, its community solar programs (not to be confused with community choice aggregation) haven’t been able to gain traction.
Out of the 5,700 megawatts of installed community solar in the country, less than 1% of that is in California. And for perspective, California has more than 40,000 megawatts of installed solar capacity.
Unfortunately, the state’s current community solar programs haven’t been able to incentivize these projects. Customers must ... Read more ...
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Batteries Now Can Replace Old Power Plants - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (Aug 4) |
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Aug 4 · Most of the oldest fossil fuel power plants in the United States are located near or in cities, making it more urgent - and more difficult - to shut them down. Now, with the changes in arcane rules announced just last week by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), it will be much easier to replace them with battery storage.
This is welcome news. The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) has long called for replacing old plants in urban areas with battery storage facilities, which can improve grid reliability, and renewable energy. FERC’s new rules for connecting batteries to the power grid remove a major obstacle to using big batteries for grid reliability. What may ... Read more ...
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Danger Season Underscores Need for Strong EPA Power Plant Carbon Standards - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (Jul 31) |
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Jul 31 · As of today, 79% of people in the US have been under extreme weather warnings of some kind or another since May 1. Record-setting heat, heavy rains, and wildfires scientifically linked to climate change are causing devastating and costly harm to people and communities across the country.
The destruction we see today is a direct result of decades of dependence on fossil fuels, enabled by decades of deception and obstruction on the part of the fossil fuel industry, and prolonged by decades of inaction on the part of policymakers who have been in their thrall. A rapid reduction in global heat-trapping emissions is critical to limiting needless suffering.
The consequences of ... Read more ...
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Yes, Climate Change Worsened that Heatwave, Flood, Wildfire. Yes, Fossil Fuels are the Root Cause. Policymakers, Please Act and Stop the Madness. - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (Jul 19) |
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Jul 19 · The unprecedented spate of climate-driven catastrophes unfolding around the world right now is just terrifying. Extreme heat. Record-breaking floods. Cataclysmic wildfires. It’s understandable to sometimes feel overwhelmed and unsure what to do. Take a beat if you need to, but please don’t tune out or feel helpless! Because what we choose to do next will make all the difference in how the future unfolds, especially in the lifetimes of our children and grandchildren. People around the world desperately need real solutions to the climate crisis and we’ve got to hold policymakers responsible for delivering them.
Danger Season is here. And those on the frontlines of these ... Read more ...
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States Can Plan Ahead for Clean Energy - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (Jul 17) |
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Jul 17 · 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? Transmission policy is vital to supplying grid modernization, and some state governments see their role in planning ahead for the grid we need. Without states at the table, we will not have a quick transition to clean energy and economy-wide decarbonization. With states calling transmission planning meetings to order, planning decisions can include a wider range of policies, benefits, and ... Read more ...
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An Attack on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant Could Still be Catastrophic - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (Jul 7) |
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Jul 7 · Ukraine has accused Russia of planning to carry out a sabotage attack at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant that it has controlled since it seized it by force in March 2022. Although it reports this morning that this current threat is decreasing, the situation is fluid and the plant remains vulnerable to both accidents and attacks. While this ongoing crisis should not lead to panic, there is no cause for complacency either. Unfortunately, the American Nuclear Society (ANS) and other commenters have been busy attempting to dismiss the risks that either an accident or a deliberate attack could lead to a significant radiological release with far-reaching consequences. Simply put, the ANS ... Read more ...
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Update the Electricity Grid Without Undermining Environmental Protections - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (Jun 26) |
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Jun 26 · There’s no question that the US electricity transmission system has to be modernized to enable a transition to an equitable clean energy economy, but how to do it is up for grabs. Although both sides of the aisle in Congress are now interested in legislation to reform the grid permitting process, their definitions of permitting “reform” vary widely, and some of those definitions would entail unacceptable tradeoffs.
Some members of Congress are mainly interested in speeding up permitting to undermine bedrock environmental protections and boost fossil fuel development, the exact opposite of what we need. What we need is more investment in the electricity transmission system to ... Read more ...
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Blog en español - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (Jun 21) |
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Jun 21 · Publicaciones en español de "The Equation," un blog sobre las ciencias y cómo utilizarlas para solucionar los problemas más urgentes del planeta.
Juan Declet-Barreto Senior Social Scientist for Climate Vulnerability
Ángel S. Fernández-Bou Senior Climate Scientist
Kristy Dahl Principal Climate Scientist
Carly Phillips Research Scientist
Guest Commentary
Sophia Marjanovic Bilingual Senior Organizer
Ángel S. Fernández-Bou Senior Climate Scientist
José Pablo Ortiz Partida Senior Bilingual Water and Climate Scientist
Kristy Dahl Principal Climate Scientist
Ángel S. Fernández-Bou Senior Climate ... Read more ...
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Ask a Scientist: Top Takeaways from the New EPA Carbon Pollution Rules - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (Jun 14) |
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Jun 14 · Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed new power plant carbon pollution standards that, if strengthened, would go a long way to help meet the Biden administration’s goal of slashing carbon emissions in half from 2005 levels by the end of this decade.
Given the EPA has the responsibility and the obligation to address carbon pollution, these standards - the first to limit carbon emissions from existing coal- and gas-fired power plants - are long overdue. Those currently operating fossil fuel plants generate 25 percent of U.S. global warming pollution, second only to the transportation sector. The rule, which also applies to new gas plants, would avoid as ... Read more ...
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Fossil Fuels vs. Renewables: A Price on Reliability? - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (Jun 12) |
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Jun 12 · 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. We now know that gas power plant owners will vociferously deny responsibility for their failings. And we also know that extreme weather will create more challenges for reliability.
Utility companies, as well as state and federal government regulatory agencies, made a series of questionable decisions that together created the situation we find ourselves in today.
Three decades of deregulation ... Read more ...
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Three Reasons Why Spring is a Great Time for Renewable Energy - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (May 30, 2023) |
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May 30, 2023 · I love spring. I love unmuffling as I - and the world around me - shake off winter. I love flowers popping up, trees leafing out, birds singing their hearts out. 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. Texas, which set nine new records for renewables generation from March through June last year, set a new one in April. That same month, New England recorded its lowest demand ever for electricity from the regional grid, which ... Read more ...
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Long-Duration Energy Storage is Key to Cleaning up the Power Grid - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (May 30, 2023) |
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May 30, 2023 · When reading about energy storage you may come across terms like long-term storage, seasonal storage, diurnal storage, or long-duration storage. Long-term storage can include seasonal energy storage, which can shift delivery of power to a different time of year. Diurnal storage can shift power delivery over a few days. 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. That is to say, once a battery is fully charged, the duration is equal to the number of hours that it can deliver power at a certain power ... Read more ...
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Biomethane Threatens to Upend the Clean Hydrogen Tax Credit - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (May 25, 2023) |
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May 25, 2023 · The Inflation Reduction Act’s new hydrogen production tax credit, known as code 45V, is intended to incentivize a shift to low-carbon hydrogen production by offering producers a credit that increases in value as the carbon emissions associated with produced hydrogen declines. With an outsized credit for the lowest-carbon tier, the incentive’s aim is clear: Drive deployment of hydrogen production technologies that will be needed by, and aligned with, the nation’s overall clean energy transition.
But instead of meeting that straightforward aim, a series of implementation loopholes threaten to fully undermine it. This includes loopholes related to biomethane, whereby heavily ... Read more ...
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Good News from Midcontinent Grid Operator - But We Still Need Market Reform - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (May 23, 2023) |
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May 23, 2023 · On May 17, 2023, the Midcontinent Independent System Operators (MISO), responsible for operating the energy markets and transmission infrastructure serving 45 million people across the central United States, released the results of its annual energy capacity auction, held to ensure enough electricity is available for consumers. The results show good news for the year ahead, while pointing to the need to adapt existing processes and market rules to accommodate the fast-approaching clean energy future.
MISO operates a capacity market, through which “energy resources” such as conventional fossil fuel power plants, wind and solar projects, and energy efficiency or demand response ... Read more ...
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Realizing Maine’s Tremendous Offshore Wind Potential - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (May 18, 2023) |
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May 18, 2023 · A proposed offshore wind procurement bill in Maine would go a long way to enable the state to meet its climate and clean energy targets and become a national leader in floating offshore wind technology.
The newly updated legislation (LD 1895), which the legislature is considering this week, builds on recommendations from Maine’s Offshore Wind Roadmap and policies adopted by other leading states. It would require the Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to conduct a competitive bidding process to procure 1,000 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind capacity by 2030 and 2,800 MW by 2035, enough to generate more than half of Maine’s electricity demand. Meeting these targets would ... Read more ...
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Both Utilities and Fossil Fuel Companies Are to Blame for Western Wildfires - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (May 15, 2023) |
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May 15, 2023 · Today, the Union of Concerned Scientists released a study that really caught my attention. I usually try to stay in my cozy power sector bubble, plugging away on electricity grid decarbonization. But this new study from my colleagues working on climate change and fossil fuel accountability couldn’t be ignored.
The reason: the findings of this study could ultimately have significant consequences for western electric utilities and the communities they serve.
In short, the study concludes that fossil fuel companies are in part to blame for the extraordinary damages resulting from western wildfires (including those sparked by utilities). And as a result, those fossil fuel ... Read more ...
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Repurposing Cropland Can Bring Environmental, Socioeconomic, and Water Justice to California - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (May 10, 2023) |
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May 10, 2023 · There is not enough water in California to sustain our current practices and everybody knows it.
In normal years and in dry years, California agriculture, industry, and households draw more groundwater than we should. And when we get wet years with deep snowpack and full reservoirs, we do not have the infrastructure to replenish the groundwater aquifers that much of the state relies on.
This deficit leaves California in an endless state of drought and at permanent risk of water insecurity, even in years like this one when it rained a lot.
Worse still, soil is sinking in some places at more than one inch per month, leading to a shrinking of California’s ... Read more ...
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Where is California Going to Site Its New Solar Power? - Union of Concerned Scientists - Energy (Apr 27, 2023) |
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Apr 27, 2023 · From a national perspective, the land use needed to reach our clean energy goals is modest. But for states like California, with large populations, an ambitious and necessary clean energy timeline, and ongoing natural resource issues, where to actually build these projects will require thoughtful planning.
A 2021 report by California state agencies calls for an additional 16,900 megawatts (MW) of utility-scale solar and an additional 12,500 MW of customer solar by 2030, making up 61 percent of new clean electricity resources. Along with solar, storage and wind will see significant growth.
Since solar is projected to be a major contributor to California’s clean ... Read more ...
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