Clean Energy Is At The Core Of American Strategic Interests

The world is turning away from highly polluting, high-carbon energy sources, but America may be at risk of marching in the opposite direction. If we fail to take advantage of clean energy’s potential, we fail to control our fate. Let’s not forfeit our energy destiny to other countries.

Wind and Solar Are Our Cheapest Electricity Generation Sources. Now What Do We Do?

Debates about the future of America’s electricity system have long centered on a binary choice between lowering costs or decreasing pollution. But that has changed. In many parts of the country, new renewables are simply the cheapest resource.

California’s power to trump climate denial

Days before Donald Trump becomes president, fear is running high that climate denial in the White House will accelerate global warming. At this pivotal moment, when the world is committed to fighting climate change through the breakthrough U.N.’s Paris Agreement, California can trump climate denial by pushing forward faster than ever.

Wind and Solar Costs Are Plummeting: Now What Do We Do?

The story from Lazard’s 10th annual report on levelized cost of energy (LCOE) is clear. Rapid technology cost reductions mean wind and solar are now the cheapest form of generation in many places around the country, without federal subsidies like tax credits. The time is now to radically adjust for a paradigm where wind and solar form the backbone of our electricity grid.

Was 2016 the Year for Wholesale Power Market Reform?

Back in January, I suggested 2016 was the year for wholesale power market reform. So, was it? While shifts in these kinds of institutions take longer than one year, we’ve seen real progress on the four factors that made 2016 a turning point, and we believe progress will continue in 2017.

Science and Economics, Not Politics, Will Strand Fossil Fuels

While President-Elect Trump may try reversing climate policy, other forces are reducing emissions without pause. Technology, economics, and state policy will increasingly force fossil fuels to remain where they belong: in the ground. The reality is most of the world’s coal, oil, and natural gas will remain buried underground forever, no matter who occupies the White House.

President Trump and the clean energy future

Donald Trump’s election and presidential transition has revived debate over the roles various energy sources should play in a secure, reliable, affordable and clean U.S. electricity system. Moving beyond rhetoric, actual data show the market forces driving clean energy are likely to continue, regardless of federal policy under a President Trump. Let’s look at the numbers.

How Utilities Can Become Efficiency Innovators

With future federal clean energy policies in doubt, proactive clean energy policy will likely be left largely to states in the next few years. Fortunately, a New York policy proposal could show the way forward on energy efficiency for utilities. An outcome-oriented metric would focus on the policy goal of reduced energy use overall, putting a smaller emphasis on the administratively intensive business of attributing savings to specific actions.

Canadian Hydro: A Lifeline for Northeastern Clean Energy Goals?

Land-constrained Northeastern states looking for creative solutions to decarbonize their electricity system and maintain affordable, reliable electricity service have renewed interest in an old resource: imported Canadian hydroelectricity. Two recent policies from Massachusetts and New York have spurred this interest:

What California’s History-Making Climate Laws Mean For Emissions Policy

California fortified its role as a global leader in climate policy with the passage of Senate Bill (SB) 32 and Assembly Bill (AB) 197 on Sept. 8, establishing a new ceiling on emissions in 2030 under SB 32 – 40 percent below 1990 levels. While these new laws clearly demonstrate California’s unprecedented ambition to decarbonize its economy, they also raise questions about their implications for California’s cap-and-trade system.