The OurEnergyLibrary aggregates and indexes publicly available fact sheets, journal articles, reports, studies, and other publications on U.S. energy topics. It is updated every week to include the most recent energy resources from academia, government, industry, non-profits, think tanks, and trade associations. Suggest a resource by emailing us at info@ourenergypolicy.org.
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Electric power sectors around the world have changed dramatically in the last 25 years as a result of sector liberalization policies. Many electricity sectors are now pursuing deep decarbonization goals which will entail replacing dispatchable fossil generation primarily with intermittent renewable generation (wind and solar) over the next 20‐30 years. This transition creates new challenges for both short‐term wholesale market design and investment incentives consistent with achieving both decarbonization commitments and security of supply criteria, especially in the absence of carbon emissions prices that are compatible with decarbonization commitments. Thinking broadly about the options for institutional change from a Williamsonian …
View Full ResourceGiven the salient role that electricity plays in modern economies, the task of ensuring electricity security is a top priority for policy makers. The process is an extensive and complicated one that involves careful consideration of costs and benefits.
This report summarizes the steps involved in developing a framework for electricity security. It defines outages, describes approaches to assessing how much they cost, and outlines the institutional responsibilities to prevent and/or react to them. In doing so, it lays out the existing approaches available to policy makers and the challenges they face in creating electricity security frameworks, including clarifying the …
View Full ResourceWhile agricultural policy can and should be shaped at the local, regional, state, and national level, this document places special emphasis on the role of the federal government. Building better food systems will require multiple government agencies, especially federal agencies, to collaboratively advance more equitable policies and practices. Most national agricultural programs are housed within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). But the interconnectedness of how we produce food and fiber (and the ways in which those practices impact our environment and nourish people) demands priority investment not only from USDA, but also from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department …
View Full ResourceRejoining the Paris Agreement was one of President Joe Biden’s top priorities on his first day in office, and his administration is already looking ahead to the next meeting of the Conference of the Parties in Glasgow this November. However, more ambitious domestic climate action is critical to reestablishing the United States as a global climate leader. While the administration has bold targets for carbon-free electricity by 2035 and net-zero emissions by 2050, executive action alone is not enough, and both Congressional and private sector support will be necessary to achieve these goals over the coming decades.
The new Global …
View Full ResourceIf nuclear power is to play an expanded role in helping address climate change, newly built reactors must be demonstrably safer and more secure than current generation reactors. Unfortunately, most “advanced” nuclear reactors are anything but.
The Union of Concerned Scientists undertook a comprehensive analysis of the most prominent and well-funded non-light-water reactor (NLWR) designs. We asked:
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What are the benefits and risks of NLWRs and their fuel cycles ?
Do the likely overall benefits of NLWRs outweigh the risks and justify the substantial public and private investments needed to commercialize them?
Can NLWRs be safely and securely commercialized in
Public utility commissions (PUCs) recognize that the critical infrastructure sectors they regulate face ever-evolving cybersecurity threats from malicious actors. To provide effective oversight and support their regulated utilities in addressing these threats, PUCs are striving to increase their cybersecurity expertise. Yet, a shortage of trained cybersecurity professionals in the workforce, coupled with internal budget constraints and strict civil service hiring requirements, may impact a PUC’s ability to hire and retain qualified staff. These challenges, however, are not insurmountable.
This paper serves as a reference guide for PUCs trying to develop or expand their cybersecurity proficiency. It describes the role of …
View Full ResourceThis document provides a strategic framework for the United States to guide domestic and international activities related to advanced nuclear energy. It provides a roadmap to achieving U.S. global leadership on advanced nuclear technologies by leveraging the unique capabilities and roles of government, the private sector, academia, civil society, and U.S. allies. …
View Full ResourceRenewable sources of energy are gaining an increasing share of the US energy mix, bolstered by state-level commitments as well as corporate power purchase agreements. However, while renewables have become increasingly cost competitive, they still face challenges, especially related to intermittency and storage.
The Global Energy Center’s new issue brief, “Ensuring Energy Security in a Renewables World,” by Ben Hertz-Shargel explores the energy security implications of greater integration of renewables into the grid. The issue brief looks at intermittence and the need for flexible capacity, grid stability, long-distance transmission, and cybersecurity. Hertz-Shargel also examines the episodes of wildfires and extreme …
View Full ResourceThe U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy delivered a new report to the President on negative impacts of the ill-conceived hydraulic fracturing ban some have proposed. Economic and National Security Impacts Under a Hydraulic Fracturing Ban explains why a ban would have far-reaching and severe consequences, including the loss of millions of jobs, price spikes at the gasoline pump and higher electricity costs for all Americans—and the likelihood of increased CO2, SO2, and NOx emissions. A ban would end the U.S. role as the world’s largest oil and natural gas producer and would force the United States …
View Full ResourceThis brief assesses the strategic and economic challenges of energy security amid a transition to a lower-carbon energy future.
Even though the United States has achieved the long-sought goal of energy self-sufficiency, energy security remains a strategic and economic challenge. Despite “self–sufficiency,” the U.S. still imports significant quantities of oil and natural gas, as well as solar panels and wind turbine components, and prices for all of these products reflect global market dynamics. Traditional concerns about global supply disruptions remain, and new risks have also emerged. Domestic energy availability can be impacted by storms, terrorism, and cyber threats. Moreover, the …
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