Our blogs are accessible under the CC BY license. Users are free to copy, distribute, transform, and build upon the material as long as they credit Energy Innovation Policy and Technology LLC® for the original creation and indicate if changes were made.
Energy Innovation’s latest report, Moving California Forward, co-authored with Calthorpe Analytics, assesses the impact of smart growth on meeting California’s climate goals. The study finds that smart land use policy, combined with advances in energy technologies, can help California meet its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 40% below 1990 levels by 2030.
Oftentimes, more can be learned about utilities’ top priorities by listening to shareholder earnings calls than regulatory proceedings. As with any investor-owned company, managers of investor-owned utilities are obligated to maximize shareholder value. So it pays when regulators can find ways to align shareholder value creation with the public interest. Enter performance-based regulation.
Renewable integration in the West has forced reconsideration of system operations, planning, and markets. In order to develop a bulk electric grid that will be resilient in a dynamic future, the manner in which the system is planned and operated and the means by which entities are compensated for the energy, power, ancillary services, and emissions reductions they provide will need to evolve.
A new report from the Global Commission on the Economy and the Climate makes 10 recommendations that could result in up to 96% of the emissions mitigation needed to limit global warming to 2°C. “A goal we once thought of as distant is within our reach,” said former Mexican President Felipe Calderón, chair of the commission.
Like other distributed energy resources (DERs), customer-owned distributed storage puts competitive pressure on utilities by reducing customers’ reliance on the grid. As costs of DERs come down, customers can afford to rely less and less on the grid for electricity service.
Though serious challenges remain, America has already come a long way in its transition toward a cleaner, more affordable, and more reliable grid. We see strong evidence that several of America’s Power Plan’s recommendations from 2013 have contributed to the modernization of the U.S. electricity system.
Energy Innovation CEO Hal Harvey was selected as one of The Weather Channel’s “Climate 25,” a group comprising 25 of the leading voices on how climate change impacts human security. The Climate 25 includes a variety of voices, each with their own perspective on the challenges humans face due to increased climate change, and the opportunities ahead for creating a sustainable future.
Policymakers used to operating, planning, regulating and legislating in an environment where capital deployment happens over the course of years and assets maintain their value over the course of decades need to adapt their practices to account for accelerating change and disruptive feedback loops.
The Paulson Institute, the Energy Foundation China and Energy Innovation LLC, along with several Chinese experts and groups, held the Restoring Blue Skies Air Quality Workshop, which discussed the most promising efforts that China could take to solve its air pollution problems.
Research from Energy Innovation finds that the emissions targets announced in California Governor Jerry Brown’s Executive Order are not only technically achievable, but economically sensible and consistent with reductions called for by climate change science.
