Climate Change and Its Influence on Water Systems Increases the Cost of Electricity System Decarbonization

The electric sector simultaneously faces two challenges: decarbonization to mitigate, and adaptation to manage, the impacts of climate change. In many regions, these challenges are compounded by an interdependence of electricity and water systems, with water needed for hydropower generation and electricity for water provision. Here, we couple detailed water and electricity system models to evaluate how the Western Interconnection grid can both adapt to climate change and develop carbon-free generation by 2050, while accounting for interactions and climate vulnerabilities of the water sector. We find that by 2050, due to climate change, annual regional electricity use could grow by …

DERiving Community Economic Development through Distributed Solar

Across the U.S., distributed solar offers substantial opportunity for community and community-led economic development. While utility-scale solar is booming, stakeholders are also eager to identify new mechanisms to support and scale smaller community-led projects and the accompanying community-led economic opportunities they can offer. However, support is needed for community-based solar developers (e.g., small developers who have fewer than 20 staff, are based in the same community where a project will be developed and have multiple mechanisms in place to enable the
community to inform, shape, and/or own the project) to best support their communities.

This report explores how distributed solar …

With or Without Tax Credits, a US-Indonesia Critical Minerals Agreement Could Raise Environmental Standards and Diversify Supply

Automakers must source critical minerals from the United States or free trade agreement (FTA) countries to qualify for the Inflation Reduction Act’s $7,500 tax credit for electric vehicles. While the tax credit is likely to be significantly altered, or eliminated altogether, under the Trump administration, the history of the tax credit sheds light on potential supply chain vulnerabilities for the US and ways to address them through critical minerals agreements. And ultimately, it would not be in the interest of US automakers, aside from Tesla, to abolish the 30D tax credit, since abolishment would make it more dicult for automakers …

Assessing Demographic Vulnerability and Weather Impacts on Utility Disconnections in California

When a household is disconnected from their electric utility service the consequences can be severe, including accumulation of debt, the inability to maintain comfortable temperatures, and in the most extreme cases, homelessness or mortality. While the survey-based literature on utility disconnections has yielded important findings about which households are most likely to experience a utility shutoff, only a few existing studies have used data from utility companies themselves. In this analysis, the authors utilize zip-code level data from four of California’s largest utility providers to measure sociodemographic disparities in disconnections, in addition to the impact of adverse weather.

The authors …

Powering Through Uncertainty: A Resource Adequacy Toolkit for Western Regulators

Resource adequacy is the ability of the electric grid to supply enough electricity to meet demand under a range of future conditions. It has come under increased scrutiny from regulators as traditional fossil fuel power plants approach retirement at the same time as electricity demand is forecasted to grow. This report aims to support regulators in the Western United States in understanding both the key drivers of resource adequacy risk and the specific options available to navigate and mitigate this uncertainty as the grid evolves.

The first part of this report identifies and contextualizes four primary drivers of resource adequacy …

NPUC 2024 Annual Utility Decarbonization Report

Decarbonizing an energy system that has been dominated by fossil fuels for decades is no easy feat. Since the inception of the Annual Utility Decarbonization Report in 2022, NPUC has witnessed U.S. investor-owned utilities (IOUs) demonstrate innovation in this endeavor. There remain, however, significant challenges in the path forward, especially within the context of an uncertain political and regulatory environment.…

Solar Means Business 2024

For well over a decade, corporations large and small have been critical to the growth and advancement of the U.S. solar industry.

Currently, corporate procurement represents over 18% of total U.S. solar capacity, and 20% of all installations in 2023 had a corporate offtaker. These businesses are a cornerstone of renewable energy demand in the United States and are driving new deployments, creating new energy demand, and shaping the U.S. energy transition.

Solar Means Business tracks U.S. solar photovoltaic (PV) installations that support commercial activities at U.S. facilities. The report focuses on America’s largest companies but includes available data for …

A Lightning Moment For Industry

Industrial companies make the products we use every day, and heat is an important part of many manufacturing processes. Rotating kilns heat limestone to make cement, industrial boilers pasteurise milk or activate chemical processes; iron ore is turned into iron in blast furnaces, and pulp is dried in a furnace to create paper sheets. A quarter of global energy demand is for industrial heat, and almost all of it is currently generated using fossil fuels. Industrial heat contributes almost 20% (6 gigatonnes) to yearly global CO2 emissions.

Industrial heat below 400°C is called low- to medium temperature heat, and is …

Transportation and Mobility Energy Demand Outlook

Transportation and mobility demand is expected to grow significantly in the coming decades, driven by multiple factors, including population and economic growth, and urbanization. Transportation can be defined as a means of moving people and goods from one place to another using various modes i.e. cars, trains, planes and ships. In contrast, Mobility refers to the ability, affordability, and accessibility of people or goods to move freely across regions and countries using various transportation options.

The demographic shift in the coming decades necessitates enhanced infrastructure development to accommodate diverse transportation options and meet the growing demand for mobility. Urbanization will …

NEA and METI International Workshop on Joint Utilisation of Underground Research Laboratories for R&D Projects

The NEA and METI International Workshop on Joint Utilisation of Underground Research Laboratories (URLs) for R&D Projects was organised in the JAEA Horonobe International Communication House (Horonobe) and Surfeel Hotel Wakkanai (Wakkanai), Japan, from 1 to 3 November 2022.

The event focused on the development of URLs in various countries to support their national deep geological repository (DGR) projects and discussed challenges and needs in international co-operation. The overall objective was to strengthen international co-operation and to advance the development of final disposal solutions for radioactive waste and spent fuel through joint R&D in URLs. The workshop gathered experts representing …