Is There a Trade-Off Between Equity and Effectiveness for Electric Vehicle Subsidies?

This working paper considers the welfare and distributional effects of electric vehicle subsidies.…

Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage: Technologies and Costs in the U.S. Context

The Biden administration has set a goal of reaching net zero economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS)—a suite of current and emerging technologies that remove carbon dioxide emissions (CO₂) from energy or industrial processes and then either sequester the carbon underground or use it for production of a variety of fuels or products—is very likely to be a key technology on most of the plausible paths for reaching this goal.

Among various applications of the technology, CCUS in combination with natural gas powerplants can be used to provide firm baseload electricity or …

Southern Company’s Troubled Vogtle Nuclear Project

Georgia Power Company (“Georgia Power” or “the company”), Oglethorpe Power Corporation, the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia, and the City of Dalton, Georgia (“the owners”) are the four owners of the two new reactors being built at the existing Plant Vogtle site. Originally estimated by the owners to cost slightly more than $14 billion and to be in service in April 2016 and April 2017, the total
cost has more than doubled, climbing above $30 billion. The owners now estimate commercial operation will not begin until 2022 and 2023—more than six years behind schedule.…

Cities Advancing Climate Action: Leveraging Federal Funds for Local Impact A Resource Guide

Cities will soon qualify for funding though the $1.2 trillion 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which can be used to magnify their impact on climate and resilience priorities. This crucial funding opportunity comes at just the right time for impactful climate action as well as economic recovery from impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Funding through the IIJA will advance transportation, energy, broadband, and resilience initiatives. The IIJA provides grant funding for state and local governments, increases the cap on private activity bonds—opening the door for more public-private partnerships—and sets a framework for reducing carbon emissions, investing in clean …

FERC Order 2222 Implementation: Preparing the Distribution System for DER Participation in Wholesale Markets

FERC Order 2222 requires exceptional coordination between distribution utilities, RTOs/ISOs, aggregators, and state regulators. This report, from Advanced Energy Economy and GridLab, a non profit mission-driven electric grid consultancy group, provides a framework for state regulators to navigate key issues as utilities look to improve integration of distributed energy resources (DERs) into wholesale markets in the coming years. Gleaning insights from an unprecedented coalition of energy utilities, advanced energy companies, and large scale energy buyers, the report includes recommendations and guidance for tapping the full potential of DERs in wholesale markets and ensuring a cleaner, more resilient grid.  …

Scaling Innovation: A Proposed Framework for Scaling Energy Demonstrations and Early Deployment

A Scaling Innovation Advisory Group, which included entrepreneurs and experts from industry, finance, academia, and government, came together to advise the AEIC on the critical but often challenging steps in the innovation life cycle: demonstration and early deployment. Between March and November 2020, AEIC held seven workshops on the need for greater federal support for demonstrations and deployment. The Advisory Group invited guest speakers from DOE, investment groups, private companies, and think tanks to highlight critical barriers to demonstration and deployment of new energy technologies. The successes and failures of several federal programs were analyzed for lessons learned. While critical …

Solar on Superstores: Big Roofs, Big Potential for Renewable Energy

Big retailers have a big impact on the environment. From the manufacturing and transportation of the goods they sell to the energy used to power warehouses, offices and stores, a significant share of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions and pollution can be traced back to the globe-spanning supply chains that bring everything from dish soap to diapers onto the shelves of our local shopping centers.

This report reviews the immense potential to generate clean solar power on the rooftops of big box retail stores across America. To meet their climate goals and to show leadership in their …

Assessing the Costs and Benefits of Mandatory Climate Risk Disclosure

Climate impacts are already threatening major economic sectors in novel ways and could cost the global economy trillions of dollars annually by 2100. Yet, despite their serious implications, climate-related financial risks are under-disclosed by companies and are rarely reported in a way that is useful for investors.

As the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) prepares a new climate risk disclosure rule, this report analyzes relevant case law and highlights best practices that the SEC can follow in estimating the rule’s economic impacts. With trade groups expected to challenge any new disclosure requirement by claiming that its costs exceed its …

The 2022 Global Energy Agenda

The year 2021 began with high hopes for climate action, as many members of the international community—including, once again, the US—rededicated themselves to the effort and looked to deploy resources accordingly. And there were certainly landmark achievements: the Global Methane Pledge was launched, the Paris Agreement rulebook was completed, and the private holders of $130 trillion in assets under management pledged their collective financial muscle to the fight against climate change, among other victories. But as global economic demand roared back from its pandemic-dampened level in 2020, energy supply failed to keep up, inflating hydrocarbon prices, driving countries back to …

North Carolina Offshore Wind Cost-Benefit Analysis

Recently codified in state-level legislation, North Carolina has asserted the carbon-reduction goal of 70% by 2030 and to achieve carbon neutrality by mid-century. To that end, the Governor’s administration, the North Carolina General Assembly, and Duke Energy have all endeavored to examine pathways to reliably and cost effectively decarbonize the state’s electric grid. While offshore wind has occasionally been an element of these discussions, due to relative cost and nascency of the U.S. offshore wind industry, it hasn’t been evaluated as a primary tool for decarbonization.

Absent from any of the decarbonization modeling or stakeholder processes conducted in the state …