2023 Project Peer Review Report: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office

The Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) within the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy supports the research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) of technologies aimed at mobilizing domestic renewable carbon resources for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions across the U.S. economy. BETO systematically prioritizes RD&D into technology opportunities across a range of emerging scientific breakthroughs and technology readiness levels in the subprogram areas illustrated in Figure 1. This approach supports a diverse portfolio while developing the most promising and widely applicable technologies, testing technologies as integrated processes, and demonstrating integrated processes to support scale-up. These technologies …

Assessing Global Urban CO2 Removal

With the aim of supporting the path to achieving net-zero emissions in cities, this report assesses the existing literature on carbon dioxide removal (CDR) at the urban scale, seeking to quantify the potential negative emissions contribution of cities globally. Urban CDR options considered here include the storage of carbon in urban vegetation, soils and buildings, and the capture of CO2 from indoor environments via decentralized direct air capture. Their estimates of carbon storage and capture potentials indicate that deploying CDR options at the urban scale could make a substantial contribution to global mitigation of climate change, alongside supporting the upscaling …

Clean Energy Standards: Securing the Future of the Electric Power Sector

Innovation and deployment incentives are essential for cost-effective decarbonization of the electric power sector—but are they sufficient? Will the combination of clean energy tax credits and Environmental Protection Agency regulations be sufficient to structure a successful energy transition? No, argues EIRP’s chief executive officer, Samuel Thernstrom, in this white paper.

EPA’s Clean Air Act authority is weak and contested, and tax credits can make it economical to build new clean generation but cannot eliminate emissions from the existing fleet. Innovation creates the opportunity for low-cost emissions reductions but a well-designed regulatory framework such as a clean energy standard is necessary …

Clean Energy Standards: Securing the Future of the Electric Power Sector

Innovation and deployment incentives are essential for cost-effective decarbonization of the electric power sector—but are they sufficient? Will the combination of clean energy tax credits and Environmental Protection Agency regulations be sufficient to structure a successful energy transition? No, argues EIRP’s chief executive officer, Samuel Thernstrom, in this white paper.

EPA’s Clean Air Act authority is weak and contested, and tax credits can make it economical to build new clean generation but cannot eliminate emissions from the existing fleet. Innovation creates the opportunity for low-cost emissions reductions but a well-designed regulatory framework such as a clean energy standard is necessary …

Evaluating Community Solar as a Measure to Promote Equitable Clean Energy Access

Rooftop and community solar are alternative product classes for residential solar in the United States. Community solar, where multiple households buy solar from shared systems, could make solar more accessible by reducing initial costs and removing adoption barriers for renters and multifamily building occupants. Here we test whether community solar has expanded solar access in the United States. On the basis of a sample of 11 states, the authors find that community solar adopters are about 6.1 times more likely to live in multifamily buildings than rooftop solar adopters, 4.4 times more likely to rent and earn 23% less annual …

What Do National Hydrogen Strategies Tell Us About Potential Future Trade?

As of April 2024, 58 national hydrogen strategies and roadmaps have been published, while many other countries have mentioned targets. A few strategies (Germany, France, Japan) have already been updated. Most strategies position their country in terms of future trade, including whether the nation is seeking importer or exporter status, the trade medium (whether the product imported or exported will be in the form of hydrogen or a hydrogen derivative), and the value, ranking, or economic benefits the nations expect to achieve. This piece is a comparative analysis of the strategies published, focused on these trade-related aspects. It utilizes CGEP’s …

Collaborating with Utilities to Meet Underserved Community Needs

Communities of color and low-income populations dedicate a disproportionate amount of their income to pay for energy. They also experience more frequent and prolonged service disruptions, impacting community health and safety.

When designed correctly, commercial solar + storage installations have the potential to ameliorate these issues. However, utility programs created to support such installations are frequently underutilized because communities often lack the time and resources needed to access them. Further, historically, few utilities have had the motivation and incentives or experience to account for this barrier.

RMI provided process support to Solar Energy Innovation Network teams, and described their experiences …

DOE Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains: Inaugural Annual Report 2023

The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) is focused on building the strong, secure supply chain foundation our nation’s energy system needs. In 2023, MESC launched an extraordinary range of investments in American energy manufacturing, positioning the nation to lead in this essential sector.
MESC identifies critical dependencies in energy supply chains and targets manufacturing capacity and workforce training investments to build a more robust energy system. MESC operates at the frontline of clean energy capital deployment, de-risking private sector investment and attracting capital to under-invested or unrepresented domestic supply chain segments. In fact, …

U.S. Offshore Wind Quarterly Market Report

Oceantic Network releases its U.S. Offshore Wind Quarterly Market Report in April, July, and October. Each report builds off our U.S. Offshore Wind Annual Market Report and provides key analysis of both federal and state government activities impacting the U.S. offshore wind industry. The quarterly reports ensure companies are informed on offshore wind industry developments affecting their business.

Notable milestones for the first three months of 2024 include Ørsted and Eversource’s completion of South Fork Wind project in March. Next up is Vineyard Wind, to be completed later this year, which also began delivering power to the grid. Meanwhile, two …

Copper Mining and Vehicle Electrification

Electric vehicles (EVs) require substantially more copper and other metals than conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. For example, manufacture of an ICE automobile requires 24 kg copper whereas manufacture of an EV requires 60 kg. Many have expressed concern that the lack of critical mineral resources may not allow full electrification of the global vehicle transportation fleet, and the vehicle electrification resource demand is just a small part of that needed for the transition. By displaying both demand and mine production in full historical context we show that copper resources are available, but 100% manufacture of EVs by 2035 …