The OurEnergyLibrary aggregates and indexes publicly available fact sheets, journal articles, reports, studies, and other publications on U.S. energy topics. It is updated every week to include the most recent energy resources from academia, government, industry, non-profits, think tanks, and trade associations. Suggest a resource by emailing us at info@ourenergypolicy.org.
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Large-scale deployment of direct air carbon capture and storage (DACS) is required to offset CO2 emissions. To guide decision-making, a combined assessment of costs and environmental impacts for DACS systems is necessary. This report presents a cost model and life cycle assessment for several combinations of off-grid DACSs, powered by photovoltaic (PV) energy and heat pumps combined with battery storages to mitigate intermittency of the PV energy source. Utilization factors of DACSs are estimated for different locations, power of PV systems and battery capacities. They find that the cost optimal layout for a DACS in Nevada (USA) with a nominal …
View Full ResourceUnder the guidance of the NEA Nuclear Science Committee (NSC), the Working Party on Scientific Issues and Uncertainty Analysis of Reactor Systems (WPRS) studies the reactor physics, fuel performance, and radiation transport and shielding in present and future nuclear power systems. In 2022, the WPRS Expert Group on Reactor Systems Multi-Physics (EGMUP) mandated a new Task Force on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) for Scientific Computing in Nuclear Engineering to develop a benchmark that will provide guidelines and exercises to help participants to develop and evaluate the performance of their artificial intelligence and machine learning methods. The benchmark …
View Full ResourceIn 2023, Berkeley Lab conducted the first of its kind survey of industry professionals with direct experience working in community engagement and permitting of land-based, utility-scale wind and solar energy facilities in the U.S. The survey solicited information about project timelines over the last five years, leading causes of project delays and cancelations, community opposition, experience with permitting authorities, community engagement, comparisons between wind and solar, and other related topics. A total of 123 individuals responded to the survey for a response rate of 19.2%. Respondents were employed at 62 unique companies, which together are responsible for approximately half of …
View Full ResourceImproved access to delivery apps and websites, increasing customer demand, and other factors have led to exponential growth in on-demand last-mile deliveries (LMDs). In 2021, McKinsey estimated the on-demand LMD global market value at more than $150 billion.
In cities most affected by smog and particulate matter emissions, it is easy to see how tailpipe emissions from internal combustion engine vehicles (both from driving and idling) contribute to local air quality issues and public health concerns. For this reason, it is a critical time for city officials, app-based delivery platforms, and community-based organizations (CBOs) to take a multi-sector approach toward …
View Full ResourceThis report is aimed at sustainability professionals. It makes the case for engineered Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) solutions and presents guidelines on how to enter the nascent removals market. It draws on interviews with members of the First Movers Coalition (FMC), who have each committed to contract for 50,000 tonnes – or $25 million worth – of durable, scalable carbon removal by 2030. …
View Full ResourceThe Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center (MMAC) in Oklahoma City is a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) facility that has been the home of the Administration’s medical and human factors research and training operations for more than 75 years. Encompassing more than 1,000 acres and over 130 buildings, the MMAC is home to the FAA Academy for technical training, the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute, the FAA Logistics Center, the aircraft pilot and drone registries, and the Enterprise Services Center. The MMAC campus hosts more than 6,300 federal and contract employees, with an annual operating budget of over $1 billion.
The U.S. Department …
In this report, the PEAK Coalition documents progress made since the coalition was founded and examines the steps taken by state, city, utility, and energy industry stakeholders to hasten or delay the shift from polluting power plants to clean, zero-emissions alternatives. The report details evidence of encouraging progress, however, the transition has not progressed at the pace needed to protect the health of environmental justice communities and meet the state’s climate goals. More than 75 percent of the city’s fossil peaker capacity may remain online and operating beyond 2025, when stricter peaker emissions limits are intended to take full effect.…
View Full ResourceSmall modular reactors (SMRs) are technologies capable of harnessing the energy from nuclear fission reactions to produce heat and electricity with power outputs typically smaller than 300 MWe, with some as small as 1-10 MWe. SMRs are designed for modular manufacturing, factory production, portability and scalability. They also come in a variety of configurations and temperature ranges to create heat that can be used directly, or to generate electricity to decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors. The combination of these innovations presents additional potential benefits in terms of safety, operational and deployment flexibility, economics, as well as potentially spent fuel and waste
management.…
The annual Standard Scenarios Report—produced by National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE)—provides a picture each year of where the U.S. electricity sector is heading. The report showcases a wide range of possible future scenarios, highlighting potential new clean energy capacity, the associated CO2 reduction outcomes, and how much it might cost.
Standard Scenarios helps people make decisions about the future of power grids. The robust data is open source and available for anyone to use—from utilities and regulators to research institutions and think tanks. …
In 2022, fossil fuel subsidies in the United States totaled $757 billion, according to the International Monetary Fund. This includes $3 billion in explicit subsidies and $754 billion in implicit subsidies, which are costs like negative health impacts and environmental degradation that are borne by society at large rather than producers (i.e., negative externalities). In fiscal year 2016 (FY 2016), the federal government’s tax revenues from natural gas and petroleum exceeded its subsidies by $1.1 billion, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. But by FY 2022, subsidies exceeded revenue by $2.1 billion—a net loss for the government. Federal tax …
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