Analysis of Hourly & Annual GHG Emissions: Accounting for Hydrogen Production

Low-carbon hydrogen production has become an important component of many plans for reducing economy-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including in the electricity sector. Hydrogen can be a valuable resource to decarbonize hard-to-electrify sectors of the economy, such as high-heat industrial processes and medium- and heavy-duty transportation. Power generation from hydrogen can also provide firm zero-carbon capacity to the electric grid. The attention paid to hydrogen has only increased in the United States since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in 2022, which included a 10-year Production Tax Credit (PTC) for clean hydrogen (45V) produced with less than 4 …

Opportunities for US-China Engagement on Development Finance for Overseas Renewable Energy

A dramatic scaling of renewable energy is needed to achieve global climate goals. In this paper, we systematically present the potential set of opportunities that exist for the United States and China to engage on overseas renewable energy development finance. We find that there is substantial complementarity in the institutions and instruments that the US and China have deployed to promote development finance overseas. Given their relative specializations, we find that there is a potential opportunity for further US-China coordination and cooperation on overseas renewable energy. In combining our assessment of initiatives that would have the most impact and yet …

Unlocking the Power of Digital Technology for Sustainable Design

Design rules our lives. From the food that we eat and the clothes we wear, to the good we use and the places we inhabit, modern life is a product of design. The quest for increasingly sustainable design requires a new, more holistic view of how products and services are made, used, and disposed of.

Unlocking the power of digital technology for sustainable design is the second whitepaper in a three part series co-produced with Siemens Digital Industries and explores the promise of collective intelligence and digital twins for accelerating sustainability throughout product lifecycles.…

The Energy Security Scenarios: Full Report

What we present here are scenarios. To get the most from them, it is important to know what these are and what they
are not. They are an exploration of how the world could possibly evolve under different sets of assumptions. They are informed by data, constructed using models and contain insights from leading experts in the relevant fields.

As recently as 2021, at COP26 in Glasgow, world leaders gathered and collectively promised to deliver on the stretch goal of the Paris Agreement and limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (1.5°C). Yet, within months, the Russian invasion of Ukraine …

The Energy Security Scenarios Summary

What we present here are scenarios. To get the most from them, it is important to know what these are and what they are not. Scenarios are an exploration of how the world could possibly evolve under different sets of assumptions. They are informed by data, constructed using models and contain insights from leading experts in the relevant fields.

As the security mindset dominates, national interests take precedence within political agendas. These agendas are shaped by energy prices, supply concerns and growing climate pressures. In this landscape, a tension becomes evident between what was promised to the world in Glasgow …

The Case for Distributed & Dispatchable Capacity on Microgrids

On hot summer days when millions of businesses and homeowners run their air conditioners simultaneously, or during cold snaps when customers need power to heat their homes and renewable energy production is diminished, “peaker plants” are what make it possible.

More than 1,000 dispatchable power plants are used only in response to peak demand—under 15% of the time, and often much less. Because of their limited operations, these power plants are not held to the same efficiency and emissions standards as power plants providing base load.

As a result, their operating costs are high and their impact on air-quality is …

Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive Playbook

Topics covered in the report include:

– How to develop your sustainability report to benefit the business, its purpose, and its stakeholders – Key elements of the current major standard-setting initiatives worldwide – The role of third-party assurance in the new era of sustainability reporting – How to ensure reporting compliance across global jurisdictions – The shift to digitalization with structured, machine-readable data language with digital tagging, namely XBRL

The Future of Mobility

Mobility is one of the hottest sectors, with start-ups and traditional OEMs constantly developing new technologies and transportation options. The influx of innovative solutions has yet to solve the problem of congested roads, however, and almost every country is feeling the effects. Worldwide, 1.3 billion vehicles are now in use, and many of these are privately owned. Private vehicles contribute to road congestion because they typically accommodate fewer passengers than public transportation or other shared options. The appeal of private ownership remains strong in many countries despite the recent rise of ride-sharing services. McKinsey analysis shows that private cars are …

Decoding Fuel Costs in Electric Bills

Over the last few years, electric customers across the Southeast have felt the increase and volatility of natural gas prices directly on electric bills. Utilities in the region pass fuel costs directly on to customers, removing the risk of high and volatile fuel prices from a utility and placing it solely on the utility’s customers. Exactly how utilities pass these costs through varies by state, for instance some adjust a fuel cost portion of electric rates annually, some monthly, and some at more varied intervals. But for most of these utilities, those adjustments need the approval of state regulators. The …

U.S. Offshore Wind Quarterly Market Report 2023 Q1

The Business Network for Offshore Wind’s Quarterly Market Report recaps the events, trends, and supply chain advances in the burgeoning U.S. offshore wind industry. The first quarter of 2023 continued the U.S. offshore wind industry’s steady advancement toward the first operational commercial-scale wind projects with notable policy developments and new supply chain capacity.…