Rethinking Load Growth: Assessing the Potential for Integration of Large Flexible Loads in US Power Systems

A key solution to the United States’ soaring electrical demand—driven by unprecedented electricity needs from data centers and their booming artificial intelligence workloads, alongside other consumers—is load flexibility. Flexibility allows large electricity users to temporarily reduce consumption during periods of grid stress by shifting workloads, utilizing on-site generation, or adjusting operations. By leveraging flexibility, new large loads can be interconnected more quickly while reducing the need for premature investment in additional power plants and transmission lines—offering a hedge against uncertainty in future electricity demand in light of the release of DeepSeek.

This first-of-its-kind, national-scale analysis provides a first-order estimate of …

50 States of Virtual Power Plants & Supporting Distributed Energy Resources

The North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC), in partnership with the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA), is pleased to present the 50 States of Virtual Power Plant and Supporting Distributed Energy Resources: 2024 State Policy Snapshot. This first-of-its-kind report provides an overview and insights on state regulatory and legislative actions related to virtual power plants (VPPs) and distributed energy resource (DER) aggregations. This report is meant to help the collective audience understand the breadth and scope of policy actions related to VPPs and DER aggregations in the United States.

By focusing on state-level actions, the intent is to develop …

Radiological Protection During Armed Conflict: Improving Regulatory and Operational Resilience

The conflict in Ukraine has highlighted pressing concerns regarding radiological protection and the need to enhance both operational and regulatory resilience during times of armed conflict. While the core principles of radiological protection remain sound, it is crucial for all nations to strengthen their plans and procedures to better manage emerging threats and increased uncertainty.

In response to these complex challenges, the NEA Committee on Radiological Protection and Public Health (CRPPH) and the Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (DSA) co-hosted a workshop in Oslo from 22 to 24 November 2023. The workshop, titled “Radiological Protection During Armed Conflict”, gathered …

Achieving Zero-Carbon Buildings: Electric, Efficient and Flexible

In this report, Achieving Zero-Carbon Buildings: Electric, Efficient and Flexible, the ETC draws a complete picture of the buildings sector’s emissions and energy use and describes how a combination of electric, efficient, and flexible solutions can decarbonise buildings, improve standards of living, and reduce energy bills if supported by ambitious policy.

The global buildings sector currently contributes a third of greenhouse gas emissions (12.3 GtCO2 in 2022). This comes from the use of fossil fuels for heating, cooling, cooking, lighting and powering appliances, as well as the construction of residential and commercial buildings.

There is not a one-size-fits-all solution for …

Demystifying the Voluntary Carbon Market

Companies often seek to “offset” their greenhouse gas emissions to meet their climate mitigation goals by voluntarily purchasing carbon credits from other entities. Ideally, a buyer’s purchase of carbon credits ensures that another entity has generated, or will generate, emissions reductions or removals that the buyer can claim to counteract its own emissions. While the voluntary carbon market has received significant attention in recent years, discussions of the market tend to reveal inconsistency, ambiguity, and confusion. In part because there is no unified market platform or clearinghouse for information, many observers must cobble together, reconcile, and integrate information from disparate …

Seawater Carbonate Chemistry Based Carbon Dioxide Removal: Towards Commonly Agreed Principles for Carbon Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification

Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) from the atmosphere is unavoidable if we are to meet the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C, and almost certainly required to limit warming to 2°C. The ocean exchanges carbon dioxide (CO2) with the atmosphere and is a large repository of carbon that could either be partially emptied to allow more CO2 absorption or have its carbon storage capacity enhanced to allow it to remove additional CO2 from the atmosphere. Early-stage techniques exist to utilise the ocean in atmospheric CO2 removal, but typically, the atmospheric CO2 removal these techniques stimulate happens downstream of …

Building the Future Transmission Grid

The urgency to expand and modernise the electricity transmission network infrastructure around the world is putting pressure on supply chains.

This report explores the evolving landscape of investment in electricity transmission networks and key trends related to the supply chain of key components. Based on a survey of industry stakeholders in 2024 by the International Energy Agency (IEA), it provides insights into how increasing infrastructure needs are affecting prices of components, lead times and related market dynamics.

Building on the analysis Electricity Grids and Secure Energy Transitions, this report identifies actionable strategies to address challenges related to the supply chain …

High Voltage, High Reward Transmission

Rising electricity demand, the need for a reliable grid, and new federal regulations are driving renewed interest in large-scale transmission projects. But as transmission investment grows, so do concerns about rising costs. Do these investments truly pay off for ratepayers?

This report provides a clear answer: yes — large-scale transmission projects deliver significant savings for American consumers and businesses.…

Building Community Resilience: How Local Leaders are Advancing Resilience Hubs & Bolstering Critical Infrastructure

The latest report from the Alliance for a Sustainable Future – a joint effort of C2ES and The U.S. Conference of Mayors to help cities and businesses collaborate on sustainable development— highlights city-oriented case studies that advance climate resilience. One of the goals of the Alliance is to inform mayors, local officials, and business leaders of innovative new strategies that could present an opportunity for their own communities to reach their climate goals.

The following case studies showcase the variety of resilience spaces and hubs that are emerging in communities around the country and the role of local governments. They …

Cost-Effective Planning of Decarbonized Power-Gas Infrastructure to Meet the Challenges of Heating Electrification

Electrifying building heating by replacing fossil fuel-based technologies with electric alternatives such as heat pumps is crucial to achieving economy-wide decarbonization. However, building electrification introduces new challenges to electric power and gas systems by altering the power-gas consumption patterns and their magnitude. To study this question, the authors develop a two-module modeling framework where (1) the first module quantifies the end-use demand for electric power and gas in residential buildings under various electrification levels, and (2) the second module evaluates the impact of demand changes on power-gas infrastructure investments and operations under deep decarbonization scenarios. The authors apply the framework …