An Assessment of the GREEN Act: Implications for Emissions and Clean Energy Deployment

The Growing Renewable Energy and Efficiency Now (GREEN) Act, a discussion draft distributed to Congress on November 19th, proposes to extend several tax credits for clean energy deployment and expand several others. Given the current political climate and numerous competing priorities facing Congress, a tax credit extension package may possibly be the best chance in this Congress to enact measures that can accelerate clean energy deployment and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This independent analysis quantifies the combined impact of most major provisions of the proposal on both technology deployment and GHG emissions, through 2030.…

Assessing blockchain’s future in transactive energy

The global energy transition is fast evolving, and two trends in particular seem poised to converge. On the one hand, the rapid transition toward decarbonization and decentralization in the power sector is prompting exploration of new transactive electricity market models. Meanwhile, distributed ledger technologies such as blockchain are rapidly evolving beyond their initial financial applications to new use cases in sectors such as energy. Some surmise that blockchain could serve as an ideal platform for the transactive electricity market of the future, helping to ensure that diverse, often intermittent assets on the grid work together as a symphony, rather than …

Decarbonizing the Electricity Sector & Beyond: Summary Report of the 2019 Winter Energy Roundtable

The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report has intensified the focus on measures to achieve deep decarbonization. For the United States, most experts say that, if the aim is to be on a 1.5°C pathway, the United States must transition to a net-zero carbon profile economy-wide by around mid-century, going negative thereafter.

At the 2019 Aspen Institute Winter Energy Roundtable, February 25-28, ~50 executives, entrepreneurs, policy makers and thought leaders gathered to tackle how the US can achieve economy-wide decarbonization on a scientifically called-for timeline while ensuring national economic competitiveness and a just transition. During these discussions, the …

Deloitte Resources 2019 Study Energy management: Balancing climate, cost, and choice

Most businesses and residential consumers surveyed realize the need to address climate change. But while businesses are upping the ante in managing resources, some residential consumers are still held back by cost and complexity.

Business and residential consumers of electricity generally agree on the need to address climate change and reduce their carbon footprints. And both segments are interested in new and evolving technologies and applications to help them manage resources and use cleaner energy sources. But beyond that, the two groups diverge. Residential consumers are circling in a holding pattern, sometimes stymied by costs (time- and budget-related) or by …

FY 2020 Energy Innovation Funding: Congress Should Push the Pedal to the Metal

In recent years, Congress has shown remarkable leadership in energy innovation policy. Rejecting the Trump administration’s recommended cuts, lawmakers instead boosted funding for research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) in renewable energy, energy efficiency, carbon capture, and basic energy sciences.1 They supported loan programs for first-of-a-kind projects, including an advanced nuclear plant and a clean methanol production facility. And they are currently debating a flurry of bills to create new programs to accelerate innovation in energy storage, atmospheric carbon removal, and advanced nuclear power.…

The 2019 U.S. Energy and Employment Report

Based on a comprehensive analysis of employer data collected in the fourth quarter of 2018, the 2019 USEER finds that the Traditional Energy and Energy Efficiency sectors in 2018 employed approximately 6.7 million Americans out of a workforce of approximately 147 million. Employment in these sectors increased in 2018 by 2.3% from the previous year, adding 151,700 net new jobs, nearly 7% of all new jobs nationwide.

The 2019 USEER analyzes the following five sectors of the U.S. economy:

• Fuels
• Electric Power Generation
• Transmission, Distribution and Storage
• Energy Efficiency
• Motor Vehicles and Component Parts

The …

2019 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook

The 2019 edition of the Sustainable Energy in America Factbook – produced for the Business Council for Sustainable Energy by BloombergNEF, provides up-to-date, accurate market information on the U.S. energy landscape. It includes an in-depth look at the energy efficiency, natural gas, and renewable energy sectors, and covers emerging technology areas such as carbon capture, utilization, and storage; sustainable transportation; and energy storage.…

The Affordable Clean Energy Rule and the Impact of Emissions Rebound on Carbon Dioxide and Criteria Air Pollutant Emissions

The Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed
replacement of the Clean Power Plan (CPP), targets heat rate improvements at individual coal plants in
the U.S. Due to greater plant efficiency, such heat rate improvements could lead to increased generation
and emissions, known as an emissions rebound effect. The EPA Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) for ACE
and other analyses to date have not quantified the magnitude and extent of an emissions rebound. We
analyze the estimated emissions rebound of carbon dioxide (CO2) and criteria pollutants sulfur dioxide
(SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOX), using results from …

Low-Income Household Energy Burden Varies Among States

Nationally, low-income households spend a larger portion of their income on home energy costs (e.g., electricity, natural gas, and other home heating fuels) than other households spend. This measure is often referred to as a household’s “energy burden.”…

Industry Matters: Smarter Energy Use is Key for US Competitiveness, Jobs, and Climate Efforts

In recent years, the conversation on energy in the United States has shifted from a theme of scarcity to one of abundance. The surge in domestic production of oil and gas alone, which provides a significant advantage to the US economy, may also have drained some of the urgency and enthusiasm from efforts to improve energy efficiency while achieving economic growth targets, particularly in the industrial sector. Yet even in this age of abundance, smarter, cleaner, and more efficient energy use could still provide enormous benefits to American industry, workers, and the country as a whole. Greater national focus on …