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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Annual wind power capacity additions in the United States were modest in 2013, but all signals point to more-robust growth in 2014 and 2015. With the industry’s primary federal support—the production tax credit (PTC)—only available for projects that had begun construction by the end of 2013, the next couple years will see those projects commissioned. Near-term wind additions will also be driven by recent improvements in the cost and performance of wind power technologies. At the same time, the prospects for growth beyond 2015 are uncertain. The PTC has expired, and its renewal remains in question. Continued low natural gas …
View Full ResourceThis report demonstrates analysis methods to assess the potential costs and impacts on the U.S. economy of a more stringent national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS) for ozone, and provides our estimates of the potential costs and economic impacts if the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) were to set an ozone standard of 60 parts per billion (ppb). Our analysis is based on using the best available information on the emission reductions needed to attain a 60 ppb standard and the costs of those reductions; because that information is limited, we refer to our results as potential costs and economic …
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ATF’s study, Power Switch, proposes a common sense, highly cost-effective approach under Clean Air Act Section 111(d) for reducing carbon pollution from existing power plants. Simply by setting performance standards that result in displacing electricity generated by high emission rate coal-fired power plants with generation from existing currently underutilized, efficient natural-gas power plants, the U.S. can realize significant, near- term reductions in carbon pollution at a minimal cost. The economic modeling of the CATF proposal was conducted by The NorthBridge Group.…
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In this report, we examine the future of gas and renewable power in Texas analytically through the simulation of several future grid expansion scenarios. Using a state-of-the-art modeling system we simulate the ERCOT system through 2032 under the six scenarios.
In each scenario, our modeling system simulated both the market-driven additions and retirements of capacity by power generators and the operation of the system by ERCOT, down to the intra-hour time frame, once these additions are installed. By combining the long- and short-term time frames, our approach ensures that the resource additions selected by the market result in a system …
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Coal has long been the major fossil fuel used to produce electricity. However, coal-fired electric
power plants are one of the largest sources of air pollution in the United States, with greenhouse
gas (GHG) emissions from burning of fossil fuels believed to be the major contributor to global
climate change. Regulations under development at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
would impose new requirements on fossil-fueled (mostly coal-fired) power plants (CFPPs) to
control GHG emissions. The first of these requirements was issued in September 2013 with
proposed standards for the control of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from new electric
generating units …
The US government must use an official estimate of the “social cost of carbon” (SCC) to estimate carbon emission reduction benefits for proposed environmental standards expected to reduce CO2 emissions. The SCC is a monetized value of the marginal benefit of reducing one metric ton of CO2. Estimates of the SCC vary widely. The US government uses values of $11, $33, and $52 per metric ton of CO2, classifying the middle value as the central figure and the two others for use in sensitivity analyses. Three other estimates using the same government model but lower discount rates put the figures …
View Full ResourceAlthough natural gas is being used more widely for road transport, it shows particular promise for the marine transport sector, which faces pressure from more stringent engine and fuel quality standards that will demand major emission reductions to improve air quality and mitigate climate change impacts. The use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) instead of conventional residual and distillate fuels will substantially reduce emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and particulate matter (PM), obviating the need to pay a price premium for new, low-sulfur marine fuels and to install after-treatment equipment to meet the upcoming standards.
But …
View Full ResourceOver the years, there have been significant changes in the fuel mix used to generate electricity in the United States. Generally, this mix has become less carbon-intensive, relying less on coal and more on natural gas and renewable sources. Nevertheless, concerns over the environment and a desire to promote the emergence of “clean energy” industries have led a number of people to advocate policy measures to induce, if not compel, power suppliers in the United States to alter their fuel mix away from fossil fuels and towards non-carbon sources. For example, many states have established Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPSs), which …
View Full ResourceIn the last four years, President Obama and the Democratic Party have taken concrete steps to make us more energy independent. We’ve supported nearly 225,000 clean energy jobs and Americans are importing less oil, breathing cleaner air, and saving money on energy costs. Historic investments in clean energy technologies have helped double the electricity we get from wind and solar. New emissions and fuel efficiency standards for American cars are reducing our oil use, saving consumers at the pump, and putting Americans back to work. Our dependence on foreign oil is now at a 16-year low, and a new era …
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