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.
Resource Library
161 to 170 of 343 item(s) were returned.
Much has been said about the need for countries and companies to build a low-carbon global economy. Multiple estimates of the amount of capital that will be needed to fund the energy transition over the next several decades are stunning, putting the number at or above $100 trillion. Cognizant of the enormous task — and opportunity — before them, the private and public sectors have already begun the work of building a greener economy. Much of this work has been focused on investments in renewable energy, electric vehicle production and battery technology.
Until relatively recently, real estate has been somewhat …
View Full ResourceNatural gas and electric utilities across the United States are increasingly pursuing pilot projects to blend hydrogen with natural gas for various end-uses, including as a heating fuel in buildings or for power generation. However research shows these projects would increase consumer costs, exacerbate air pollution, and cause safety risks while minimally reducing greenhouse gases. By comparison, electrification is a proven, low-cost alternative that poses no safety or health risks and can rapidly cut building emissions. And in the power sector, increasing renewable electricity is a much more efficient clean energy pathway. State utility regulators and policymakers should require a …
View Full ResourceNASEO developed this brief on comprehensive state energy planning trends to support State Energy Offices and their partners as they engage in comprehensive energy planning processes. Comprehensive energy planning helps states take a holistic view of their energy sector covering key concerns around energy supplies, economic development, end–use sectors such as transportation or buildings, and overarching goals like energy equity and resiliency. This brief illustrates the approach and scope of several recent state planning efforts, identifies trends among these comprehensive energy plans, and highlights key issues…
View Full ResourceResearch using the Oregon Energy Policy Simulator developed by Energy Innovation, the Green Energy Institute, and Power Oregon evaluates the state’s recent climate policies, finding they would reduce emissions 25 percent below the 1990 baseline in 2035 and nearly 30 percent below in 2050, adding $140 million to the state’s economy and creating 570 jobs in 2050. The research shows Oregon can leverage its ambitious power sector policies for deeper emissions cuts and greater job benefits. Adopting stronger policies across the economy, especially for buildings and transportation, would reduce emissions 50 percent by 2035 and 74 percent by 2050, boosting …
View Full ResourceThe Ukraine invasion has led policymakers to consider how the U.S. and its allies could reduce demand for Russian fossil fuels and increase energy security. Increasing domestic oil production is not a short-term solution as it will take years to significantly ramp up production. Fortunately, new Energy Policy Simulator modeling finds the climate and clean energy provisions currently under consideration in the U.S. Congress would reduce annual U.S. oil consumption by 180 million barrels per year by 2030, or roughly twice current U.S. imports of Russian oil, with half of the reductions achieved by 2025. Clean energy deployment and electrification …
View Full ResourceOver the past decade, solar power has gone from an emerging, niche technology to a mature energy industry. By 2035, solar power could supply 40% or more of U.S. electricity demand, dramatically accelerating the decarbonization of buildings, transportation, and industry; and, if current technology trends continue, it could do so without increasing the price of electricity.
The rapid expansion of solar energy has the potential to yield broad benefits in the form of economic activity and workforce development. The solar industry already employs roughly 230,000 people in the United States, at an average wage that is higher than the national …
View Full ResourceSWEEP updated its study for 2022 on the benefits of heat pumps and heat pump water heaters (HPWHs) for Colorado homes, about 85% of which currently use gas for heating. Gas prices increased significantly in the second half of 2021, and as a result heat pumps and HPWHs are now much more cost-effective than they were only one or two years ago. In addition, heat pump and HPWH performance and availability have continued to improve. Efficient electric heat pumps and HPWHs have the potential to significantly reduce carbon and other pollutant emissions from Colorado homes, with a reasonable initial cost …
View Full ResourceThe world has made the transition from one dominant form of energy to another several times. The replacement of fossil fuels with renewables marks the next historic shift. Yet, to ensure sustainability and global climate stability, this latest energy transformation needs to happen much faster.
Countries around the world need a vast expansion of renewables, smarter and more flexible electricity grids, and huge increases in the numbers of vehicles and other products and processes that run on electricity. Those three elements – combined in a “Smart Electrification” strategy – will be crucial in shaping the world’s new, renewable-dominated energy system.…
View Full ResourceBuildings owned by municipal and state governments, universities, schools, and hospitals, otherwise known as the MUSH market, represent great potential for states to pursue energy savings. The opportunity for energy efficiency retrofits in the MUSH market could be as much as $66–208 billion in unrealized energy savings. However, MUSH market building owners face challenges that prevent them from completing the deep retrofits necessary to achieve high levels of energy savings. These challenges include tight budgets and high deferred maintenance needs, a lack of familiarity with available finan…
View Full ResourceNBI’s report presents language to incorporate embodied carbon requirements in building codes. Researchers explain the need to address the embodied carbon of the highest emitting materials and the carbon emission benefits for jurisdictions. Until the report’s release, there was a lack of understanding of what a regulation on embodied carbon would look like in a U.S. base code. The code acknowledges the importance of building materials in the construction industry and aims to achieve practical reductions in climate impact by selecting lower embodied carbon materials. Example code language can be adopted by jurisdictions starting with EPD reporting to target GWP …
View Full Resource