The State of Rooftop Solar in Florida

The Sunshine State is a natural fit for rooftop solar energy. Florida’s solar resource potential ranks highest on the East Coast, enough to easily meet all of the state’s electricity needs. Despite the great resource, Florida has not been at the forefront of solar energy  adoption to date.

This report, co-authored by Vote Solar and Solar United Neighbors, lays out the facts about Florida’s emerging solar market, focusing on a cornerstone rooftop solar policy called “net metering.”…

America’s New Climate Economy: A Comprehensive Guide to the Economic Benefits of Climate Policy in the United States

This working paper draws on the latest economic research to demonstrate how climate policy and investments in low-carbon infrastructure can reboot America’s economy and set it up for long-term success. On the other hand, delaying action on climate will further expose the United States to costly damages from climate impacts, air pollution, and public health crises.

The United States has made substantial progress towards a low-carbon economy over the past several years. Low-carbon technologies have become more efficient and affordable, and U.S. clean energy investment and deployment grew to new heights, creating millions of jobs. Whether this continues will depend …

Performance Assessments of Demand Flexibility from Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings: Issues and Considerations

This SEE Action Network report explains basic concepts and fundamental considerations for assessing the actual demand flexibility performance of buildings participating in demand flexibility programs and responding to time-varying retail rates. Demand flexibility is the capability of distributed energy resources (DERs) to adjust a building’s load profile across different timescales. Assessments determine the timing, location, quantity, and quality of grid services provided.

The results can be used for financial settlements and to improve performance of demand flexibility, support its consideration in resource potential studies and electricity system planning, and contribute to cost-effectiveness evaluations.

While practitioners and regulators regularly find opportunities …

China’s Response to Climate Change: A Study in Contrasts and a Policy at a Crossroads

China is the world’s leading emitter of heat-trapping gases, by far. In 2019, Chinese emissions were greater than emissions from the United States, the European Union, and Japan combined. There is no solution to climate change without China.

China’s response to climate change is a study in contrasts. China leads the world in solar power, wind power, and electric vehicle deployment, but also in coal consumption. The Chinese government has adopted some of the world’s most ambitious energy efficiency and forest conservation policies, but is financing a significant expansion of coal-fired power plant capacity at home and abroad. China’s leaders …

Mobilizing for a zero carbon America: Jobs, jobs, jobs, and more jobs

From mass unemployment to the threat of climate change, the U.S. will face a number of seemingly unprecedented challenges even after the current public health tragedy has passed. Finding needed solutions won’t be easy and will require creative thinking, robust analysis, and political resolve. The good news is that these challenges also present opportunities, particularly in terms of the economic development and job creation associated with decarbonizing America’s economy.

Based on an extensive industrial and engineering analysis, our new report demonstrates that an aggressive national commitment to electrify all aspects of our economy would create up to 25 million good-paying …

Global Nuclear Market Assessment Based on IPCC Global Warming of 1.5° C Report

A new report from the consulting firm UxC projects that if the United States supplies nuclear energy equipment and technology to support a share of the IPCC’s projected requirement for new nuclear power, U.S. export revenues could range between $1.3 trillion and $1.9 trillion.

UxC analyzed global and regional nuclear power outlooks to 2050 based on scenarios presented in the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) October 2018 report, Global Warming of 1.5°C.

U.S. nuclear suppliers have opportunities in new reactors of conventional as well as small and advanced designs, maintaining and fueling the global fleet of reactors, …

Border Adjustments in a Carbon Tax

The paper reviews the principles of border adjustment, the principal design choices policymakers would face when establishing a border adjustment for a carbon tax, and the implications of different design choices. It also provides a high-level overview of border adjustments proposed in the carbon tax bills pending in the U.S. Congress. The paper concludes with some recommendations for border adjustment design and questions for future research.…

Strengthening Nuclear Energy Cooperation between the United States and Its Allies

Nuclear energy cooperation between the United States and its allies has been important for over a half century. Bilateral cooperation agreements with key countries date back to the 1950s, and the United States played a principal role in the development of several allied nuclear energy programs. Today, the international nuclear energy marketplace has changed, and the supply chain is globalized—the US program, for example, depends on working with allies for major safety-related components. However, limitations imposed by legacy US statutes and other obstacles are hampering greater collaboration in areas that would enhance the country’s nuclear program today. Developing advanced reactors …

Green Stimulus for Oil and Gas Workers: Considering a Major Federal Effort to Plug Orphaned and Abandoned Wells

The global economic damages wrought by COVID-19 have dramatically magnified the suffering caused by the deadly virus. US lawmakers have already approved $3 trillion in aid to help offset the economic damage, and additional measures are under consideration. At the same time, the need to invest trillions in economic recovery has prompted calls to “build back better” by making the recovery a greener, less carbon-intensive one.

This paper, a joint effort between Resources for the Future and the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, examines the potential to boost US employment in the oil and gas workforce while …

The carbon footprint of household energy use in the United States

Residential energy use accounts for roughly 20% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United States. Using data on 93 million individual households, we estimate these GHGs across the contiguous United States and clarify the respective influence of climate, affluence, energy infrastructure, urban form, and building attributes (age, housing type, heating fuel) in driving these emissions. A ranking by state reveals that GHGs (per unit floor space) are lowest in Western US states and highest in Central states. Wealthier Americans have per capita footprints ∼25% higher than those of lower-income residents, primarily due to larger homes. In especially affluent suburbs, …