climate

The U.S. power grid has delivered electricity reliably for decades. However, today the grid faces challenges that are driving transformation, reshaping its operational scope and the technologies on which it relies.

Net power through nuclear fusion may finally be within reach. Fusion technology is moving out of the lab, and many companies, driven by the shared dream of carbon-free energy to combat climate change, are striving to commercialize technologies to make fusion a reality.

Ireland is no longer burning coal to produce electricity after the country’s last coal-fired unit was converted to use heavy fuel oil. ESB, the plant’s operator, on June 20 issued a notice that the 305-MW Unit 3 of the Moneypoint station, located on Ireland’s southwest coast, has ended its use of coal after 40 years. ESB previously had said Moneypoint after the conversion would operate under direct dispatch instructions from EirGrid, the grid operator, as part of the balancing market.

For engineering management and engineers, the total power market is rapidly changing globally. Consequently, North American district heating networks and industrial processors are taking note of key developments in the European power market today. Specifically, Finland has set one of the most advanced climate policies in the region, committing to carbon neutrality by 2035.

The transition toward electrification has challenges, such as the need for more infrastructure to support charging of electric cars and trucks, and other transport vehicles. The residential and commercial and industrial sectors must consider the cost of new technologies for heating and cooling.

The Trump administration has announced several regulatory rollbacks designed to curb limits on power plant emissions, along with cutting protections for air and water quality. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin on March 12 said the agency is moving to undo at least 31 regulations established during the Biden administration in an effort to […]

Lee Zeldin has been sworn in as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) 17th administrator, inheriting an agency that the power industry sees as increasingly central to the future of U.S. energy policy, grid reliability, and regulatory uncertainty. At his confirmation hearing on Jan. 16, Zeldin, a former congressman from New York’s First District with […]

Research from a group that tracks fossil fuel and other energy projects shows that just 15 countries, led by China and India, account for 98% of coal-fired power plants under development worldwide. Global Energy Monitor (GEM), a San Francisco, California-based non-governmental organization, in its latest Global Coal Plant Tracker (GCPT) said China and India alone […]

This week marks the second anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a critical milestone for the section 45Q tax credit, the foundational policy for the deployment of carbon management technologies, which was further enhanced in the IRA. The 45Q tax credit provides a credit on a per-ton basis for carbon that is captured from […]

Officials in India said that country’s energy transition plan will focus on developing small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs), pumped energy storage projects, and more efficient coal-fired power plants. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, presenting the government’s 2024-2025 budget, noted the latest financial allocations outline a shift in priorities for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Sitharaman on July […]

The Biden administration has unveiled several sweeping actions over the past month aimed at boosting clean energy deployment, enhancing manufacturing jobs, and reducing pollutant emissions across the power sector. The measures—many announced as part of a comprehensive Earth Week agenda on April 25—are notable for their strategic push in an election year, highlighting the administration’s […]

Owners and operators of thermal and renewable energy infrastructure are navigating new and emerging risks due to digitization of the grid, an uncertain regulatory landscape, and changing environmental and weather patterns. These factors and others are forcing risk management stakeholders to increase preparation and resilience of their organizations. As digital transformation accelerates in the power […]

Can a requirement to simply disclose information truly be a big deal? Can a requirement that only applies to big companies, or companies that do business in California, actually impact your small business or your business in another state? Can a requirement that doesn’t take effect until next year or later really require thought and […]

Negotiators from nearly every country in the world closed COP28 with a decision that—for the first time—formally recognizes the necessity of moving away from fossil fuels to achieve Paris Agreement targets. The decision, adopted on the last day of the two-week 28th Conference of the Parties (COP 28) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate […]

Indonesian officials said they would increase their use of renewable energy and move away from coal-fired power generation in order to receive funding from an international public and private decarbonization

New climate legislation in California, known as the Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act (SB 253), was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Oct. 7. The law—the first of its kind in the U.S.—requires the

As more businesses consider electrification efforts to reduce their carbon impact, energy decision-makers must not lose sight of the critical role of overall energy efficiency efforts. While electrification upgrades are often more efficient and can reduce overall energy demand for consumers, an increasingly volatile energy market means it’s as important as ever to have an […]

As the world grapples with fast-changing weather patterns, wildfires, record-breaking heat, and many other climate-related issues, it is becoming increasingly important to develop the technologies that will help to combat climate change. There is a race to develop new technologies that can capture, remove, and store carbon, create renewable energy, improve energy management and efficiency, […]

Throughout this past summer, we have seen some of the highest temperatures on Earth on record, and July was possibly the hottest month in more than a century. Wildfire smoke this year has blanketed the East Coast, marine heat waves have buffeted the Southeast, and Antarctic Sea ice has reached record lows. Washington lawmakers can […]

Anyone who’s ever made hiring decisions knows the real danger of hiring the wrong person. By some estimates, an unsuitable employee can cost a company as much as $240,000, not to mention the collateral damage inflicted on company morale and reduced productivity and achievement. In a world where every decision impacts the bottom line and […]

A project that will developed by Propel NY—a partnership of the New York Power Authority and New York Transco—has been chosen to provide at least 3,000 MW of energy from offshore wind installations. The board of directors of the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), the grid manager for New York State, on June 20 […]

NEW YORK – June 15, 2023  – SecondMuse, an impact and innovation company, today released the Scale For ClimateTech 2023 Impact Report. The program supported founders in raising an additional $430+ million in capital through venture capitals, grants and other fundraising streams. Scale For ClimateTech is administered by SecondMuse and non-profit entrepreneur catalyst NextCorps, and […]

A judge has ruled that construction of natural gas-fired power plant in Montana can resume, two months after the same judge ordered the project halted due to environmental concerns. The 175-MW Yellowstone County Generating Station, a $283 million facility sited near Laurel, has been dogged by legal actions after its air permit was challenged in […]

“Deploy, deploy, deploy” is a mantra coined by Jigar Shah that’s gaining momentum as the climate tech and energy industries seek to scale their operations to meet the 2030 net-zero goals. With this Decade of Action in full swing, the urgency to implement carbon reductions in corporate and government operations is (finally) palpable and intensifying. […]

The recent United Nations (UN) COP27 climate conference in Egypt was host to several announcements of large-scale renewable energy projects, including one of the world’s largest wind farms, along with an

JOHNSTON, R.I., USA—Policyholders of FM Global, which include one of every three Fortune 500 companies and similar size organizations worldwide, will collectively receive approximately US$300 million in a first-of-its-kind ‘resilience credit,’ providing them with additional means to invest in climate resilience solutions. The credit has the potential to help those organizations reduce total loss expectancies […]

On the final day of the Supreme Court’s term, the Court ruled in favor of West Virginia and other petitioners challenging the claimed regulatory authority that underlaid the Clean Power Plan (CPP)—the

Environment, social, and governance (ESG) reporting has never been easy—and with pressures rising from investors, corporate leaders, and the government, organizations are struggling to meet the needs of all stakeholders. Facility managers must grapple with reaching and documenting progress toward ESG goals that align with the desires of sustainability-minded investors while boards and corporate leaders […]

Reliable energy forms a fundamental building block of industrial and modern society. When a country examines its energy profile and determines its energy policy, it considers three main pillars: energy equity

Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is exploring designing, building, and operating an onsite nuclear reactor resource as part of a broader effort to achieve net-zero emissions at its sprawling campus in Idaho Falls by 2031. Battelle Energy Alliance (BEA), an entity that manages and operates the Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratory, on April 29 launched […]