Impacts of Green New Deal Energy Plans on Grid Stability, Costs, Jobs, Health, and Climate in 143 Countries

Global warming, air pollution, and energy insecurity are three of the greatest problems facing humanity. To address these problems, we develop Green New Deal energy roadmaps for 143 countries. The roadmaps call for a 100% transition of all-purpose business-as-usual (BAU) energy to wind-water-solar (WWS) energy, efficiency, and storage by 2050 with at least 80% by 2030. Our studies on grid stability find that the countries, grouped into 24 regions, can match demand exactly from 2050 to 2052 with 100% WWS supply and storage. We also derive new cost metrics. Worldwide, WWS energy reduces end-use energy by 57.1%, aggregate private energy …

Carbon Tax Review and Updating: Institutionalizing an Act-Learn-Act Approach to U.S. Climate Policy

The design of climate change policy must address a number of key uncertainties, including the impacts of climate change, the economics of a carbon tax, and the global effort to combat climate change. A periodic review of each of these issues would provide new information and analysis that could be used to reduce uncertainty and inform the updating of a carbon tax over time. This article proposes and describes a straightforward and predictable approach for reviewing and updating a U.S. carbon tax. Under this “structured discretion” approach, the U.S. president would recommend an update to the carbon tax every 5 …

Decarbonizing Space Heating with Air Source Heat Pumps

In the United States, commercial and residential buildings produce roughly 12 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Most of these emissions come from burning fossil fuels for space heating. These emissions must be significantly reduced or eliminated for the US to achieve deep decarbonization goals, including net zero emissions by midcentury.

Air source heat pumps (ASHPs) are powered by electricity, using well-established technology to move heat from outdoor air to indoor air. When powered by zero-carbon electricity, ASHPs provide space heating with almost no greenhouse gas emissions. ASHPs are especially effective for space heating in mild climates.

In 2015, roughly 10 …

Hydraulic Fracturing was Banned?

A ban on fracking in the United States would be catastrophic for our economy. Our analysis shows that if such a ban were imposed in 2021, by 2025 it would eliminate 19 million jobs and reduce U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by $7.1 trillion. Tax revenue at the local, state, and federal levels would decline by nearly a combined $1.9 trillion. Natural gas prices would leap by 324 percent, causing household energy bills to more than quadruple. By 2025, motorists would pay twice as much at the pump for gasoline as oil prices spike to $130 per barrel, while less …

OPPORTUNITIES FOR REDUCING GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS THROUGH EMERGING NATURAL GAS DIRECT-USE TECHNOLOGIES

This study demonstrates how widespread adoption of emerging natural gas direct-use technologies can contribute significantly to achieving public goals of deep reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the U.S. residential sector, with much lower costs than other options under consideration. It’s low hanging fruit that should be a core element considered for any responsible emissions reduction plan.…

Critical Minerals and the Role of U.S. Mining in a Low-Carbon Future

Critical minerals are an essential component of the transition to a low-carbon and clean energy future. Today, the United States lacks strategies for responsibly mining these materials at home, for developing sustainable supply chains for their incorporation into the clean energy economy, and for leading through example and cooperation with other nations that seek to mine and develop these resources in safe, environmentally responsible, and socially inclusive ways.…

Benefits of a Comprehensive Public Stakeholder Process: the Oregon Senate Bill 978 Experience

The Oregon Public Utility Commission undertook a progressive comprehensive public stakeholder process when the legislature mandated them to convene the state’s electric power sector to investigate industry trends and the impact of technology on the current regulatory system. Their model demonstrates a stakeholder process that is transparent, inclusive of the wider community, efficient, and effective. In this case study, SEPA dives into the specifics of the commission’s process, its outcomes, subsequent actions, and how Oregon’s stakeholder process can be used as a tool by other commissions when they face challenging issues or the need to change current approaches.…

Electric Vehicle Penetration and Its Impact On Global Oil Demand: A Survey of 2019 Forecast Trends

Columbia University’s Center for Global Energy Policy is undertaking a multiyear study on the prospects for and timing of peak oil demand. An essential piece of the puzzle is understanding what happens to global oil demand in the passenger vehicle sector, since it is the sector with the largest oil demand use today. Policy makers in a growing number of countries are supporting passenger vehicle electrification or a phaseout of fossil fuel passenger vehicles to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve urban air quality. To understand the trajectory of oil demand in this sector, it is important to comprehend the …

Timelines for Mitigating the Methane Impacts of Using Natural Gas for Carbon Dioxide Abatement

Reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions through a reliance on natural gas can create a hidden commitment to methane (CH4) leakage mitigation. While the quantity of CH4 leakage from natural gas has been studied extensively, the magnitude and timing of the CH4 mitigation required to meet climate policy goals is less well understood. Here we address this topic by examining the case of US electricity under a range of baseline natural gas leakage rate estimates and emissions equivalency metrics for converting CH4 to CO2-equivalent emissions. We find that CH4 emissions from the power sector would need to be reduced by 30%–90% …

Meeting the Dual Challenge

Transmittal letter to the Secretary of Energy Report Outline Preface Executive Summary Roadmap to At-Scale Deployment Appendix A — Request Letter and Description of the NPC Appendix B: Study Group Rosters List of Topic Papers Cost Curve Model Acronyms and Abbreviations