April 25th, 2013
On April 24, Senators Coons (D-DE), Moran (R-KS), Stabenow (D-MI) and Murkowski (R-AK) introduced the Master Limited Partnerships (MLP) Parity Act, a bipartisan bill that would give renewable energy projects access to billions of dollars of lower cost capital that has been available to the fossil fuel industry for decades. Read More
April 15th, 2013
State decisions on new power plants are even more critical while the EPA holds back its release of carbon standards for new power plants. Read More
April 10th, 2013
UCS has just released a new report that I co-authored called Ramping up Renewables: Energy You Can Count On. It shows that renewable energy is already providing more clean, reliable electricity in the United States and around the world than many people thought possible just a few years ago. It also shows that we have the tools to accommodate considerably more wind and solar in the U.S. electricity system, as well as reach much higher levels in the future. Read More
March 21st, 2013
The 2012 figures on U.S. solar installations have just come in, and things are looking, well, sunny. The U.S. Solar Market Insight 2012 report shows that annual solar installations grew 76 percent last year. That growth has been driven by a dynamic and exciting interplay between costs, markets, and policies that have created incentives, knocked down barriers, and brought in all kinds of new customers. Read More
February 25th, 2013
In his State of the Union address, President Obama talked about the role research and development (R&D) has played to advance our society and enhance our quality of life. I think that most people would agree that keeping the lights on in a clean and safe manner is a core “quality of life” issue for all Americans. Yet, unless Congress reaches a budget deal by the end of the month, mandatory across-the-board funding cuts known as the sequester will kick in March 1. Given the important role R&D has played in advancing clean energy, I thought I’d lay out what’s at stake. Read More
February 22nd, 2013
Many people expected 2013 to be a slow year for the wind industry as Congress let the federal production tax credit (PTC) expire at the end of 2012 before approving a one-year extension as part of the fiscal cliff deal a few days later. While wind development is unlikely to come anywhere near the record setting 13,124 MW installed in the U.S. in 2012, there are early signs that 2013 could be much better than expected. Read More
February 14th, 2013
So far, our blog series — Ramping Up Renewables: Clean Energy Policies to Watch in 2013 — has provided you with information that quantifies the recent growth of wind and solar generation, explains the transformative potential of carbon emission standards on our national energy portfolio, and catalogs the benefits accrued by states that have adopted a renewable electricity standard. “Great!” you say. “But what about small-scale renewables that can be built on warehouses and above parking lots? How do we use policy to promote these projects in our own communities?” Read More
February 7th, 2013
Compelling evidence shows that state-level renewable electricity standards (RES) are affordably reducing market barriers and stimulating new, stable, and long-term markets for wind, solar, and other renewable energy technologies throughout the United States. To continue the nation’s clean energy transition in 2013 and beyond, strong leadership in expanding state RES policies is critical. Not surprisingly, fossil-fuel backed special interest groups have geared up to block progress. Read More
February 6th, 2013
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to soon finalize carbon standards for new power plants, bolstering the existing market trend away from building new coal-fired power plants. Next up is the carbon standard for existing power plants – a major source of U.S. global warming emissions. Designing this standard with the flexibility to include renewable energy and efficiency as compliance options can help achieve deep emissions reductions at an affordable cost. Read More
February 5th, 2013
The year 2012 will go down as a very good year for renewable energy, with both the wind and solar industries experiencing record development. What will it take to continue the momentum in 2013? In this new blog series — Ramping Up Renewables: Clean Energy Policies to Watch in 2013 — UCS energy experts will discuss some of the most important policies that President Obama, Congress, and state policy makers can focus on in the coming months to further the clean energy transition this year and beyond. Read More
