Transition Minerals Tracker: 2024 Analysis

This year’s update to the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre’s (the Resource Centre) Transition Minerals Tracker (the Tracker) spotlights the human rights challenges and harm of irresponsible transition mineral mining – and the associated risk of derailing the pace of the transition. The Tracker now includes 631 allegations of abuse from 2010-2023 associated with the mining of seven key minerals for the energy transition: bauxite, cobalt, copper, lithium, manganese, nickel and zinc. For 2023 alone, 91 allegations of abuse were recorded, including widespread violations of environmental, land and Indigenous Peoples’ rights, coupled with a marked increase in labour rights …

Clean Industry In China: A Techno-Economic Comparison Of Electrified Heat Technologies, Barriers, And Policy Options

China’s industrial sector is one of the world’s largest sources of climate pollution– it emits 61 percent of the country’s greenhouse gases. Nearly 75 percent of those industrial emissions come from industrial process heating, i.e: generating heat for manufacturing. Widely deploying two market-ready technologies– industrial heat pumps and thermal batteries– can economically meet at least two-thirds of China’s demand for industrial heating. Growing these technologies at speed and scale will allow the country to electrify much of its industry at the same time China is adding staggering amounts of renewables, meaning as the country cleans its grid and electrifies its …

Thermal Energy Storage in Commercial Buildings

There are 5.9 million commercial buildings in the United States, totaling 96.4 billion square feet of floorspace and contributing to 18% of the nation’s primary energy use. Space heating and cooling account for up to 40% of the energy used in commercial buildings. Aligning this energy consumption with renewable energy generation through practical and viable energy storage solutions will be critical to achieving 100% clean energy by 2050. Combining on-site renewable energy sources and thermal energy storage systems can lead to significant reductions in carbon emissions and operational costs for the building owner.…

Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) Resources

In support of the Clean EDGE (Enhancing Development and Growth through Energy) Asia initiative, and sponsored by the US Department of State, Bureau of Energy Resources, CLDP has developed an open-access plain language handbook for policymakers on CCUS. The Handbook is a starting point for understanding the policies, rules, and best practices that countries can adopt and implement for CCUS.

The Handbook was created using the Book Sprints method, in close collaboration with a diverse group of experts from U.S. government agencies, foreign governments, multilateral institutions, industry, civil society, and academia. …

Adverse Effects of Crushed Seafloor Massive Sulphide Deposits on the Boreal Deep-Sea Sponge Geodia barretti Bowerbank, 1858 and its Associated Fauna

Abundant mineral resources in the deep sea are prospected for mining for the global metal market. Seafloor massive sulphide (SMS) deposits along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge are one of the potential sources for these metals. The extraction of SMS deposits will expose adjacent marine ecosystems to suspended particle plumes charged with elevated concentrations of heavy metals and other potentially toxic compounds. Up to date there is no information about the impact of mining activities on deep-sea benthic ecosystems such as abundant deep-sea sponge grounds in the North Atlantic Ocean. Sponge grounds play a major role in benthic-pelagic coupling and represent an …

Exploring Wholesale Energy Price Trends

The Renewables and Wholesale Electricity Prices (ReWEP) visualization tool from Berkeley Lab has been updated with nodal electricity pricing and wind and solar generation data through the end of 2023. ReWEP users can explore trends in wholesale electricity prices and their relationship to wind and solar generation. ReWEP includes nodal pricing trends across locations, regions, and different timeframes.

The tool consists of maps, time series, and other interactive figures that provide: (1) a general overview of how average pricing, negative price frequency, and extreme high prices vary over time, and (2) a summary of how pricing patterns are related to …

Floating Offshore Wind Shot: Progress and Priorities

In June 2021, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) launched the Energy Earthshots™ Initiative to accelerate breakthroughs of more abundant, affordable, and reliable clean energy solutions within the decade. Energy Earthshots set ambitious targets to address tough technological challenges and cost hurdles, and rapidly advance solutions to help achieve the nation’s
clean energy and economic competitiveness goals.

This report focuses on the Floating Offshore Wind Shot™, announced in September 2022,
and describes progress since this Energy Earthshot was established and identifies priorities for future work. The Floating Offshore Wind Shot is a multiagency initiative, leveraging resources and authorities across DOE, …

Decarbonization: Opportunities Exist to Improve the Department of Energy’s Management of Risks to Carbon Capture Projects

In 2023, carbon dioxide (CO2), the most abundant greenhouse gas, reached a record high concentration in the Earth’s atmosphere, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Scientific assessments have shown that reducing CO2 emissions could help mitigate the negative effects of climate change. The federal government aims to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, including CO2, by no later than 2050.

Carbon capture and direct air capture technologies have the potential to help the government meet the 2050 goal. The 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act appropriated about $12 billion for DOE to administer new carbon capture and direct air …

An Operations and Maintenance Roadmap for U.S. Offshore Wind

The United States is currently experiencing rapid growth in the offshore wind energy market, with a pipeline of over 52 gigawatts (GW) (Musial et al. 2023), coupled with state targets of 112 GW. Even considering future wind turbine sizes, this amount represents thousands of new wind turbines installed in a diverse set of environments, each with unique challenges in design, installation, and maintenance. While much can be learned from European and Asian experience with offshore wind energy over the past two decades, it is important to understand the circumstances of the United States. This report explores operations and maintenance (O&M) …

Suppliers’ Guide To Success: Smart Scaling For The U.S. West Coast Floating Wind Market

Oceantic Network’s new report, Suppliers’ Guide to Success: Smart Scaling for the U.S. West Coast Floating Wind Market, analyzes the requirements for a full buildout of floating offshore wind on the West Coast and proposes solutions to industry and government that will allow the sector to flourish.

The paper covers several key actions West Coast policymakers can take to ensure the region can become a global leader in floating offshore wind:

– Prioritize investments in port and transmission infrastructure.
– Structure offtake awards in a way that emphasizes project deliverability.
– Establish a firm, steady, and long-term procurement schedule for …