2021 Solar Energy Assessment Validation for Utility-Scale Projects (North America)

This 2021 solar energy assessment validation (“2021 Validation Study”) leverages a subset of 13 projects for which granular production, curtailment and availability data were available. DNV provides updated discussion of its sub-hourly clipping methodology, characterizes its data set, outlines the study methodology, presents updated validation results and interpretation, and identifies areas of future work.…

The Fiscal Implications of the US Transition Away from Fossil Fuels

This working paper estimates the fiscal risk posed by the energy transition for governments dependent on fossil fuels, while examining policies to address this risk to revenues.…

Introduction to Financial Services: Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Issues

ESG is a widely used acronym for environmental, social, and governance issues. Corporate governance—concerns about how companies should be managed—has evolved over time to include, arguably, a wider array of issues that encompass ESG. Some consider ESG factors to be an integral part of discussions about sustainability. According to one definition, sustainability at the firm level is “an
approach that creates long–term shareholder value through managing opportunities and risks that derive from economic, environmental and social developments.”…

Circular Economy: Transforming the Global Economy in the Face of Finite Resources

How to Talk About the Clean Energy Transition with Black Americans and Latino Communities

Black and Latino communities exist on the frontlines of climate change, exacerbating the daily inequities these communities face. While an overwhelming majority (64%) of Black and Latino community members have personally experienced the impacts of climate change and agree that a clean energy transition would be beneficial, more salient crises like jobs, the economy, and COVID-19 take the forefront, putting climate action on the backburner. Policymakers, advocates, and communicators have a unique opportunity to improve communication and better link climate change and the clean energy transition with other more pertinent issues.

To guide this, Third Way has created a blueprint …

Mission Critical: The Global Energy Innovation System Is Not Thriving

Accelerating clean energy innovation is critical to avert the worst effects of climate change, but the global energy innovation system is in poor health, with weaknesses across most indicators. Nations must rectify these weaknesses to deliver on the promises world leaders made at COP26.

This report examines the world’s aggregate performance across seven indicators, discusses
the gaps in each indicator, and concludes with steps national governments and the private sector
are taking to close these gaps.…

Solar’s Bright Future Faces a Cloudy Reality: What About All the Waste?

Recycling solar panels is an expensive, complicated and energy-intensive process, writes energy fellow Rachel Meidl. But with cumulative solar waste projections expected to rise globally over the next few decades, she argues that it is vital to design a more circular and sustainable management system for end-of-life panels.…

Prioritizing Effective Infrastructure-Led Development

Infrastructure, land use, and real estate development are intrinsically linked. Over the coming
years, U.S. communities face many challenges that will be difficult to manage, including a lack of housing affordability, entrenched inequities in the built environment, and a changing climate. These issues are compounded by the combined challenge of maintaining current infrastructure while needing to invest in forward-looking infrastructure.

As the United States prepares to make the largest infrastructure investment in a generation, an opportunity exists for ULI members and key partners to identify and promote more equitable and resilient infrastructure investments that create both long-term …

An Analysis of US Subsidies for Electric Buses and Freight Trucks

In this issue brief, RFF researchers examine how a tax credit for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles could accelerate emissions reductions in the transportation sector.…

Ceres 2022 Policy Outlook

Our 2022 Ceres Policy Outlook is your guide to our priorities at the federal level and in the states this coming year. We hope it inspires you to further boost your advocacy and build the business case for the just and inclusive clean energy economy that our future demands.…