The Energy Code Safe Harbor Toolkit: Plug-and-Play Energy Code Proposals that Promote Heat Pumps in New Buildings

A growing number of cities and states are eager to make meaningful progress on decarbonizing buildings to achieve climate targets, enhance quality of life for all residents and businesses, and improve energy efficiency. New construction poses an irreplaceable opportunity to build smart from the start: it is the most cost-effective time to improve efficiency and helps prepare the workforce to decarbonize existing homes and businesses. To do this, leaders need policies that make zero-emission new construction the norm and comply with the federal Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA).

In 2023 a federal court decision introduced a new interpretation of …

Insights and Outlook on China’s Climate Technology Investment and Financing Market

Climate technology, as a key driver for achieving carbon neutrality, has garnered widespread attention. China, fueled by policy incentives and a rapid growing market demand, has led the world in investments in various climate technologies. Startups have played a vital role in this progress, driving innovation and expanding the reach of climate solutions across the country. However, due to the inherent uncertainties in their growth prospects and the underdeveloped credit system, most startups find themselves at a disadvantage within the current financial market framework (as illustrated). This is further compounded by recent geopolitical risks, the economic impacts of the pandemic, …

Powering the Data-Center Boom with Low-Carbon Solutions: China’s Perspective and Global Insights

Transitioning data centers to reduce emissions is a global imperative, but it faces four key challenges: poor coordination in energy infrastructure planning, untapped energy efficiency potential in buildings and IT systems, difficulty in scaling up green electricity consumption, and weak policy and market incentives. This report analyzes these challenges and proposes pathways for decoupling the growth of data centers from rising emissions. Key actions include optimizing data center location and design, improving energy efficiency through applying more rigorous standards, adopting low-carbon and grid-friendly power consumption behaviors, and fostering green development through policy and market collaboration.…

Transformational Adaptation for COP29: Issues and Options

Transformational adaptation is a concept with evolving definitions and applications in climate adaptation and resilience literature. There is no single agreed approach to either, although several common features emerge across the literature on transformational adaptation. Most definitions emphasize the depth of change required, often highlighting the need to foster systemic shifts that address the root causes of vulnerability and considering the spatial scale or extent of these changes. Many definitions also stress the importance of the durability of interventions and their potential to catalyze broader systemic changes. However, there is variability in how equity and power dynamics are addressed and …

A Refinery Taps Vital Insights to Better Position Itself for the Energy Transition

Staying ahead of the curve is crucial for success in a rapidly evolving energy landscape. S&P Global Commodity Insights’ latest case study reveals how a leading crude oil refinery harnessed vital insights to navigate the complexities of the energy transition. With declining demand and rising carbon costs, the refinery’s executive team sought comprehensive market intelligence to inform their strategies.

By partnering with S&P Global Commodity Insights, they gained access to cutting-edge analytics and a wealth of data on clean energy technologies, market dynamics, and regulatory impacts. This enabled them to make informed decisions on investments in solar, wind, hydrogen, and …

Harnessing the Potential of Flexible Demand Response in Emerging Markets – Lessons Learned and International Best Practices

Demand response (DR) programs incentivize electricity consumers to adjust their consumption in response to supply conditions or price signals. Increasingly, electricity demand is being utilized as a resource to support reliable and efficient grid operations. Controlling electricity demand, along with battery energy storage systems, provides essential grid flexibility, enabling the integration of larger share of renewable energy, such as solar and wind, into a country’s energy mix. As the transition to clean energy accelerates, the role of DR is expected to expand significantly, yet it remains underutilized in many developing countries.

This ESMAP report explores the concept of DR and …

From Wildfire to Wealth: Growing Resilient Forest Economies in Colorado’s Wildfire-Prone Communities

Colorado is facing more frequent wildfires, a shortage of affordable housing, and limited high-quality job opportunities in rural areas. Businesses that process small-diameter trees (9 inches or less) from wildfire mitigation efforts into mass timber, a class of high performance wood building products, could help tackle these issues while also reducing carbon emissions from the construction sector, which is the state’s third-largest source of pollution.

Challenges to developing a mass timber industry in Colorado include supply uncertainties from federally managed forests and a limited logging and milling infrastructure. However, growing demand for sustainable building materials and updated building codes present …

2025 Commodities Outlook: Power, Metals, Policy Shaping the Future of AI Revolution’s Foundation

The exponential growth of AI has the US energy sector scrambling to respond to historic demand for power from datacenter operators as they add new capacity to support intensifying workloads. Meeting this demand will require a multipronged approach, including upgrading and expanding the aging transmission infrastructure, increasing electricity generation via renewables and reimaging nuclear and fossil fuel power plants.

This will likely lead state policymakers to reassess their approach to decarbonization and clean energy efforts. Adding to this, the US will need to quickly join the international race to secure reliable supplies of critical minerals needed for datacenter expansion and …

Wildfires and the Grid Fact Sheet

As the grid ages and extreme weather events like wildfires become more prominent, the relationship between them grows increasingly strained. Grid failures can trigger wildfires, while wildfires and the increased fire risk can, in turn, cause more grid failures, creating a vicious cycle. To reduce wildfire risk, some utilities are adopting strategies such as adjusting grid control settings, implementing public safety power shut-offs during high-risk weather, vegetation management, and worker protocols for dry conditions. State legislators can encourage utility adoption of these wildfire mitigation risk strategies and plan for future wildfire risk.…

Department of Energy Research, Technology, and Economic Security Framework for Financial Assistance and Loan Activities

America’s leadership in science and technology (S&T) is underpinned by the unique
strengths of our open scientific enterprise. As a democratic Nation, our ability to maintain scientific and technological standing is dependent on not only preserving but promoting the openness of our scientific ecosystem. In addition, promoting international collaboration is crucial to maintaining U.S. S&T competitiveness and leadership capabilities. We are an open and innovative society and that is a key driver in what attracts the best scientific talent from across the globe to our country.

At the same time, the actions of certain foreign governments pose unacceptable risks to …