Fifth National Climate Assessment

The Global Change Research Act of 19901 mandates that the US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) deliver a report to Congress and the President not less frequently than every four years that “integrates, evaluates, and interprets the findings of the Program and discusses the scientific uncertainties associated with such findings; analyzes the effects of global change on the natural environment, agriculture, energy production and use, land and water resources, transportation, human health and welfare, human social systems, and biological diversity; and analyzes current trends in global change, both human-induced and natural, and projects major trends for the subsequent 25 to …

Community Insights on Weather-Induced Energy Insecurity

Extreme heat and power outages are two growing climate-driven threats that endanger the health and safety of vulnerable households and communities. Heat waves are among the deadliest natural hazards in the United States, and they are becoming more frequent, longer lasting, and more intense. Power outages, also on the rise, compound the risks posed by heat waves. These threats not only intersect, they also disproportionately impact communities with high economic, health, and social vulnerability—many of which have been shaped by a legacy of structural discrimination. The US Environmental Protection Agency estimates that Black residents are 40% more likely to live …

Executive Order Accelerates Clean Energy Subsidy Rollback

 July 7, the President issued an Executive Order directing Federal agencies to eliminate taxpayer support for renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, which the Administration described as “unreliable,” “unaffordable,” and dependent on “foreign adversaries.” The new Order directs the Department of the Treasury to enforce strictly the repeal of these credits and restrict the use of safe harbor provisions unless a significant portion of a covered facility has already been built. The Order is intended to implement provisions included in the recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which repealed a number of Federal tax credits for …

Renewable Energy Highlights

Total electricity generation increased by an average of 2.5% each year between 2012 and 2023. During the same period, renewable electricity expanded at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.9%, significantly outpacing non-renewable sources, which recorded a CAGR of just 1.3%. In 2023, renewable electricity generation grew by 5.6% over 2022, while non-renewables grew by 1.2% over the same period. Since 2010, the largest growth in renewable electricity has been for solar and wind energy (variable renewables) which, combined, represented 13.2% of the global electricity mix in 2023, having risen by 15.7% compared to 2022.…

The Drawbacks of Liquid Hydrogen

Interest in hydrogen for energy generation and energy storage is increasing across the country, fueled in part by the past promises of federal funding and the potential to reuse existing fossil fuel infrastructure and supply frameworks. However, hydrogen—the lightest and least dense element is notoriously difficult to transport and store as a gas. While hydrogen is touted for its high energy density by weight, its energy density by volume is extremely low. To deliver the same amount of energy as natural gas, three times the volume of hydrogen gas is needed.…

Characteristics and Risks of Emerging Large Loads

Electricity is a key component of the fabric of modern society and the Electric Reliability Organization (ERO) Enterprise serves to strengthen that fabric. The vision for the ERO Enterprise, which is comprised of NERC and the six Regional Entities, is a highly reliable, resilient, and secure North American bulk power system (BPS). Our mission is to assure the effective and efficient reduction of risks to the reliability and security of the grid.…

The Science vs. the Narrative vs. the Voters

The relationship between voter opinion, scientific assessment, and media narrative is poorly understood, thereby reinforcing the current overly partisan and tribal discussion about energy and climate. This report focuses on these relationships, in both policy and political terms, in the context of American public opinion.

Both the public’s views and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) scientific analysis differ in important respects from a narrative that has come to dominate the mainstream media discourse and public understandings of climate and energy. On the one hand, the public generally holds views well aligned with IPCC findings, but not media coverage, …

Powering Progress

As we reflect on the growing demand for energy and evolving regional dynamics, data from the World Bank, the IEA Global Energy Review 2025 and Kenya’s Biannual Energy and Petroleum Statistics Report 2024/25 highlight a sector grappling with rising consumption, structural transformation and the urgent need for sustainability.In 2024 alone, global energy demand grew by 2.2%, significantly surpassing the past decade’s average annual growth of 1.3%. Electricity consumption rose even faster by 4.3%, propelled by increased digitalization, the electrification of transport systems and climate-driven extremes that intensified demand for cooling. These trends underline a global shift toward electricity as a …

Significant Cuts to IRA Clean Energy Tax Credits Included in Enacted Reconciliation Bill

President Trump signed the “One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act” (the “OBBB”) into law on July 4, 2025. Congress passed the legislation using the budget reconciliation process to avoid the 60-vote Senate filibuster. In addition to making many of the individual tax cuts from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent, the bill makes significant changes to many of the clean energy credits included in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (the “IRA”).

Projects that began construction before 2025 and are planning on claiming production tax credits (“PTCs”) or investment tax credits (“ITCs”) under sections 45 and 48 are generally …

One Big Beautiful Bill: New Law Disrupts Clean Energy Investment

July 4, 2025, President Trump signed into law the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (the OBBB), which significantly rolls back many of the core tax incentives that clean energy projects have relied on since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022.

Under the new law, tax credits for wind and solar projects phase out much sooner. To qualify, these projects must either be completed by the end of 2027 or begin construction within the next 12 months. This compressed timeline will likely force developers to accelerate their project schedules or risk losing critical tax credits. In contrast, the …