Net Zero Roadmap for Copper and Nickel Value Chains

The Net Zero Roadmap for Copper and Nickel Value Chains is a net zero transition guide that sets out a science-based decarbonization strategy for copper and nickel mining value chain actors. It highlights how mining sector actors can lower their emissions footprints, including scopes 1 and 2, and a subset of scope 3. It shows how to take advantage of the growth in demand coming from end users such as EVs, solar, wind, and storage. And it demonstrates how a net zero strategy offers opportunities to improve broader ESG impacts and performance, access sustainable finance, and contribute to a just …

bp Energy Outlook 2023

Energy Outlook 2023 is focused on three main scenarios: Accelerated, Net Zero and New Momentum. These scenarios are not predictions of what is likely to happen or what bp would like to happen. Rather they explore the possible implications of different judgements and assumptions concerning the nature of the energy transition and the uncertainties around those judgements. The scenarios are based on existing technologies and do not consider the possible impact of entirely new or unknown technologies.

The many uncertainties surrounding the transition of the global energy system mean that the probability of any one of these scenarios materializing exactly …

50 States of Solar Q4 2022 and Annual Report Executive Summary

The purpose of this report is to provide state lawmakers and regulators, electric utilities, the solar industry, and other stakeholders with timely, accurate, and unbiased updates on state actions to study, adopt, implement, amend, or discontinue policies associated with distributed solar photovoltaics (PV). This report catalogues proposed and enacted legislative, regulatory policy, and rate design changes affecting the value proposition of distributed solar PV during the most recent quarter, with an emphasis on the residential sector. The 50 States of Solar series provides regular quarterly updates of solar policy developments, keeping stakeholders informed and up to date. …

Coal Cost Crossover 3.0: Local Renewables Plus Storage Create New Opportunities For Customer Savings And Community Reinvestment

In this report, the authors compare the cost of operating each continental U.S. coal plant in 2021, totaling 220 gigawatts (GW) of coal capacity across the country, to the estimated costs of building new wind and solar generation. We consider the wind and solar costs within two geographic scopes: local to the coal plants (within 45 kilometers) and
regionally (roughly within the utility balancing area), finding that nearly all existing coal plants have multiple lower-cost clean energy replacement options.

This research shows all but one of the country’s 210 coal plants are more expensive to operate than either new wind …

Alaska’s Changing Arctic: Energy Issues and Trends

This inaugural report is designed specifically for state government and Alaska citizens. This report addresses the first of four priority lines of effort identified in Alaska’s Arctic Policy, “promoting economic and resource development,” through the topic of energy. While the report recognizes the policy-making power of local and tribal governments, it highlights key interactive trends in Alaska and the Arctic that are most likely to require legislative decision-making in the near future.

The authors are University of Alaska experts with local, national and international partnerships in both public and private sectors. They used scientific studies, historical and current policy analysis …

Heat Pump–Friendly Cost-Based Rate Designs

The economics of heat pumps relative to natural gas heating will be an important driver of customer adoption of these technologies and will determine the extent to which ambitious building electrification goals can be met in a timely manner. If the operating costs for heat pumps turn out to be favorable compared to the operating costs for natural gas equipment, it is possible to see a significant uptake of the heat pumps even before the technology cost declines. In this white paper, we examine the role of alternative “cost-based” and “cost-reflective” electricity rate designs in improving the economics of heat …

Why Is the Smart Grid So Dumb? Missing Incentives in Regulatory Policy for an Active Demand Side in the Electricity Sector

Advanced metering infrastructure was supposed to transform the retail customer experience, empowering demand to participate in a genuinely two-sided market across from supply. But as smart meters become ubiquitous, few retail customers see time-of-use prices related to the cost elements of electricity service that vary over time. Someone, somewhere must face clear incentives to actively manage demand in order for it to happen. Yet even the companies that serve retail customers too often lack meaningful exposure to these costs.

This paper examines the incentives facing two different types of retailers: utility monopolies and competitive retailers. It finds incomplete incentives to …

Tapping the Mother Lode: Employing Price-Responsive Demand to Reduce the Investment Challenge

The rapid and parallel growth in both variable electricity production from wind and solar, and in large inherently flexible loads (such as electric vehicles and heat pumps) presents an opportunity to ensure that each transition is both reliable and affordable. In a future that will be increasingly capital intensive, demand flexibility can significantly reduce the amount of infrastructure that must be financed. But much remains to be done to access that potential, most of which is beyond the reach of traditional approaches to demand response.

The primary focus must shift from strategies that require flexible demand to mimic centrally dispatched …

Pathfinder Framework: Guidance for the Accounting and Exchange of Product Life Cycle Emissions Version 2.0

Achieving net-zero requires the transformation towards low-carbon products and services in all value chains. However, today’s complex value chains provide little visibility or control over products’ emissions, resulting in inaccurate emissions accounting which hinders effective decarbonization measures. The Partnership for Carbon Transparency (PACT)’s Pathfinder Framework is resolving this challenge by taking a cross-sectoral approach to help organizations develop and exchange primary data-based product carbon footprints (PCFs). The requirements captured in it seek to further enhance data reliability and consistency across industries and value chains.

Originally launched at COP26 in Glasgow, the Pathfinder Framework version 2.0 can be now downloaded. You …

Energy Transition Investment Trends 2023

Energy Transition Investment Trends is Bloomberg NEF’s annual accounting of global investment in the low-carbon energy transition. It covers a wide scope of supply- and demand-side technologies, including renewables, energy storage, electrified vehicles and heating, hydrogen, nuclear, sustainable materials and carbon capture.

The report tracks annual spending on the deployment of these technologies, as well as investment in manufacturing facilities (new for this year). It also covers VC/PE and public markets investment in climate-tech companies.

Our data are compiled through bottom-up research on hundreds of thousands of individual deals and projects around the world, as well as aggregated estimates for …