Offshore Wind for America

Offshore wind has the technical capacity to power the country with clean energy. The United States has the technical potential to produce more than 7,200 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity from offshore wind, which is almost two times the amount of electricity the U.S. consumed in 2019 and about 90% of the amount of electricity the nation would consume in 2050 if we electrified our buildings, transportation system and industry and transitioned them to run on electricity instead of fossil fuels.

Offshore wind can help repower the U.S. with clean energy – but taking advantage of the opportunity will require support …

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Climate Tech for Real Estate: The Elephant in the Room

It is not an exaggeration to suggest that eliminating real estate’s 40% share (EIA Outlook 2017) of global emissions will spawn the most significant technological shift in the history of modern buildings. And yet, this fact is gravely underappreciated by both traditional real estate investors as well as prop-tech investors, the two pools of financial capital that not only have the greatest power to directly catalyze the inevitable transition to net zero buildings, but also to most directly profit from its realization.

And it is not just the investment community that is under-indexing climate tech for buildings in their portfolio …

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Integrating low-temperature renewables in district energy systems: Guidelines for policy makers

Reducing the heating and cooling sector’s emissions is critical to mitigating the effects of climate change and reducing air pollution. District heating and cooling systems can assist in scaling up renewable energy use, decreasing the utilization of fossil fuels in the heating and cooling sector, and improving urban air quality.

District heating systems have been built to run at high temperatures to meet the demands of poorly insulated buildings. In most cases, this necessitates the use of fossil fuels. However, technology innovation, digitalization and current trends towards more energy-efficient buildings may enable the broader deployment of clean energy technologies – …

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Bringing Heat Pump Water Heaters into the Mainstream: Background, Activities and Outcomes of the West Coast AWHI

The Advanced Water Heating Initiative (AWHI) Playbook and 2020 Progress Report summarizes the activities of AWHI through the end of 2020. The West Coast AWHI has made tremendous progress in the two years it has been underway. The Initiative includes four dedicated working groups, each of whom is identifying and addressing policy, market, and technical barriers for different heat pump water heater (HPWH) applications. The working groups are coordinating research efforts, developing technology road maps, engaging manufacturers, educating and advocating to policy makers and program administrators.

In this report we’ve documented progress organized by the three strategic focus areas, followed …

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The Carbon Emissions Impact of Demand Flexibility

Traditionally, a building acts as a relatively unsophisticated consumer of power from the electrical grid, paying a particular price for the electricity it uses (kWh) and a charge for its peak power (kW). A building consumes energy whenever needed, without regard to potential generation costs or emissions.

Emerging demand flexibility strategies enable buildings to manage their electric demand to provide grid services. Grid services could include capacity reduction (similar to demand response efforts), avoiding renewable curtailment, avoiding high-cost generation resources, or reducing emissions.

Laws setting building performance targets exist across the country, but Local Law 97 (LL97) in New York …

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Wringing More Value from Building Energy Operations and Upgrades: Monetizing Demand Flexibility in Public and Institutional Facilities

Many states, local governments, public school districts, and other institutions—often referred to as the MUSH (municipalities, universities, schools, and hospitals) market—seek greater energy savings from their facilities to save money as well as to meet emissions and other objectives. However, other energy management value streams offer additional rewards to building owners.

This report discusses demand flexibility (DF) as a way to tap value from peak demand management, time-differentiated electricity rates, demand response (DR) programs, and nascent grid-service markets. Beyond offering financial benefits, DF can help improve building performance while also supporting resilience, environmental, and other policy and organizational goals.…

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Minnesota Energy Policy Simulator Insights: Current Emissions Trajectory, 1.5°C Scenario

New research using the Minnesota Energy Policy Simulator developed by Energy Innovation and RMI evaluates the state’s climate policies, finding they could reduce emissions 8 percent, but fall short of achieving the Minnesota’s Next Generation Economy Act’s goals. A proposed 100 percent clean energy goal could cut statewide emissions 20 percent by 2050, but a broader set of climate policies is needed to put Minnesota on the IPCC’s recommended pathway to limit warming to 1.5° Celsius. Implementing additional policies across the transportation, buildings, industrial, land, and agricultural sectors can transition the state to a low-carbon economy while generating significant economic …

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Data Access for a Decarbonized Grid: Policy Solutions to Improve Energy Data Access and Drive the Clean and Resilient Grid of the Future

California’s electricity infrastructure is entering a period of profound change. From a policy perspective, the state is moving toward goals of 60 percent renewable electricity by 2030 and 100 percent zero-carbon power by 2045, while state and local governments are striving to electrify more buildings and vehicles. At the same time, climate change is destabilizing these efforts, as extreme heat waves and record-setting wildfires are leading to electricity demand spikes, public safety power shutoffs, and questions about the reliability and resilience of an increasingly renewable-powered grid.

As the grid becomes more defined by flexible, distributed assets that generate, store, and …

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Accelerating Decarbonization of the U.S. Energy System

The world is transforming its energy system from one dominated by fossil fuel combustion to one with net-zero emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), the primary anthropogenic greenhouse gas. This energy transition is critical to mitigating climate change, protecting human health, and revitalizing the U.S. economy. To help policymakers, businesses, communities, and the public better understand what a net-zero transition would mean for the United States, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine convened a committee of experts to investigate how the U.S. could best decarbonize its transportation, electricity, buildings, and industrial sectors.

This report, Accelerating Decarbonization of the United …

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Building Toward Decarbonization: Policy Solutions to Accelerate Building Electrification in High-Priority Communities

California’s drive toward statewide carbon neutrality by 2045 relies on two related transitions: completely decarbonizing the state’s electrical grid; and shifting as many energy sources and fuels to electricity as possible. Transitioning buildings from natural gas to electricity–their heating and cooling systems, water heaters, and cooking equipment–is among the state’s highest priorities for the coming decade. But the transition also presents significant regulatory, economic, and infrastructure challenges, from high retrofit costs to utility regulations that may inhibit removal of gas service. These challenges could substantially hinder progress throughout the state, particularly in communities with limited capital to finance projects, high… View Full Resource