climate
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Full Coverage
White House Advisor Says Progress Toward Biden’s GHG Emissions Reduction Targets Is ‘Going Really Well’
On April 22, 2021, President Biden announced greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution reduction targets for the country. His vision was revealed during a summit on climate that he was holding, which was said to be “part of the President’s focus on building back better in a way that will create millions of good-paying, union jobs, ensure […]
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Climate change
Power Companies Must Plan to Deal with Climate Risks
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a report at the end of February titled “Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability.” Among the warnings found in the 3,675-page
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Legal & Regulatory
SEC’s Landmark Climate Disclosure Rule Weighing on Power Sector
Investor-owned electric companies are thoroughly reviewing the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) broad new proposed rule that requires registrants to disclose climate-related risks and governance, and plan to remain engaged with the regulatory agency as the rulemaking continues. The proposed rule, which the SEC approved 3–1 on March 21, has drawn intense interest from the […]
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Coal
Duke Energy Eyeing Coal Phaseout by 2035
Duke Energy, the nation’s largest power producer, will dramatically slash coal generation’s share from the current 22% of total generation to 5% by 2030 and achieve a full phaseout of unabated coal by 2035. The company instead expects to deploy more than $130 billion over the next decade—$63 billion of which it will spend over […]
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Commentary
Microgrids Can Save America’s Carbon-Zero Commitments and Electrified Future
On Friday, November 5, Congress passed a landmark infrastructure bill that apportions $65 billion to rebuilding our aging electric grid. Although we should applaud this long overdue measure, we need to be realistic about its impact. $65 billion is not nearly enough to modernize the U.S. electric grid, nor is it enough to protect against weather-related outages and cyberattacks. We continue […]
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International
Nuclear and Natural Gas Taxonomy Battles Brewing in Europe and S. Korea
A leaked draft of the European Commission’s proposal to label some natural gas and nuclear power plants as “transitional” or “green” investments has prompted pushback from some European Union (EU) members. Criticism is also mounting in South Korea, where liquefied natural gas (LNG) was included in its new green taxonomy guidelines—but nuclear was left out. […]
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Coal
Phasing Out Coal by 2030 Is Critical for the Climate, and Key for Affordable and Reliable Energy
Phasing out all coal for electricity generation in the U.S. by 2030 is necessary both for averting the most dangerous consequences of the climate crisis, and for demonstrating international leadership to
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Commentary
Why Now Is the Time to Push for Carbon Neutrality
In March 2021, we reached an important milestone in the push for carbon neutrality across industries. A report by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), a UK-based non-profit, found more than 21% of
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News
G20 Environment Ministers: No Consensus on Phasing Out Coal
The U.S., UK and other countries want world governments to commit to a phaseout of the use and financing of coal-fired power generation, but officials who met at the G20 Environment Ministers Meeting summit in Naples, Italy, this past week ended their talks without an agreement on the future of the fuel. The topic will […]
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Interview
The POWER Interview: Spotlight on the Solar Wave
Growth in the solar power sector is coming from many angles, with utilities building ever-larger solar arrays, and more homeowners and building owners putting panels on their rooftops. Many utilities and other companies also are expanding offerings of community solar, a way for electricity customers to get the benefits of solar power without having to […]
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Press Releases
Babcock & Wilcox Announces ClimateBright Decarbonization Technologies Platform to Reduce Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Proven Technology Captures CO2 While Producing Hydrogen Application for Wide Range of Industries (AKRON, Ohio – May 25, 2021) – Babcock & Wilcox (“B&W”) (NYSE: BW), a leading innovator in clean energy technologies, announces its ClimateBright™ suite of revolutionary decarbonization technologies designed to help utilities and industry aggressively combat greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. […]
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News
Japan Pulls Back from Coal, Though New Plants Move Forward
Japanese financial institutions and energy companies continue to move away from supporting coal-fired power generation, as the country’s leadership reiterates what it says is an “unwavering resolve to
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News
Biden Sets New Paris Agreement GHG Target: 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030
President Biden has set a new nationally determined contribution (NDC) for the U.S. to achieve a 50% to 52% reduction in economy-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2030 compared to 2005 levels. The White House said on Thursday the NDC, which was determined after a “a whole-of-government process” organized through the Biden administration’s National Climate […]
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Climate change
U.S. House Bill Introduces Federal Zero-Emissions Electricity Standard
A sweeping climate proposal introduced by U.S. House Democrats on March 2 sets a stringent clean energy electricity mandate for power retailers nationwide, requiring they procure 100% of their power supplies from zero-emitting generation by 2035. Among its slew of measures aimed at achieving net-zero emissions nationwide by 2050, the Climate Leadership and Environmental Action […]
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Commentary
The Biden Administration Can Help Set American Energy on a Winning Course
The 46th president of the United States has officially been sworn in. During his inauguration address President Joe Biden spoke of unity, empathy, and the challenges Americans must face together. Challenges indeed abound for Biden’s incoming environmental and energy team, including New Mexico congresswoman Deb Haaland as Interior Secretary, former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm as […]
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Electric Vehicles
GM Has Plan to Make All Vehicles Electric
The electrification of the transportation sector has received a boost as General Motors (GM) said it “aspires” to exclusively offer electric vehicles (EVs) by 2035, ending production of its cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) with diesel- and gasoline-powered engines. The company has said it wants to be carbon neutral by 2040 across its […]
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News
DOE Will Have New, Diverse Leadership Team
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) new leadership team is a diverse group of individuals with a wide range of experience across the power sector and academia. The names announced Jan. 21 include Kelly Speakes-Backman, who has served as the first CEO of the Energy Storage Association (ESA) and was a keynote speaker at POWER’s […]
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Gas
Environmental Legislation and Stationary Gas Engines
As countries around the world set more stringent emissions standards, stationary gas engine operators are often required to incorporate new technology into their equipment. The changes can affect lubricants
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Power
How the Clean Energy Transition Is Intensifying the Energy-Water Nexus
Decarbonization is posing a fundamental dilemma that could have widespread serious implications for the power sector: the clean energy transition, if not properly managed, could increase water stress, or be
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Press Releases
New Duke Energy reports show progress toward ambitious climate and sustainability goals
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (April 28, 2020) – Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) today released a pair of data-driven reports outlining the company’s recent accomplishments and path to advance its critical environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives. The company’s Sustainability Report details the company’s performance in four key areas – customers, growth, operations and employees. The report also is available […]
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Renewables
Smart Technology Needs Smart Policy: How Market Structures Cripple Climate Solutions
Here’s the good news: humanity knows how to solve climate change. Wind, solar, energy storage, and efficiency technologies are cost-competitive, fully mature solutions that are ready to be deployed everywhere. Wind and solar are now the cheapest forms of new energy to build and continue to get cheaper. COMMENTARY Now the bad news: market inertia […]
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News
EU Unveils Key Elements of its Green Deal
The European Commission in December 2019 announced its new European Green Deal, a set of major policy and legislative proposals that position the EU as the global leader on environmental and climate issues. Since then, the Commission has published a draft EU climate law and is seeking stakeholder input on potential revisions to the Energy […]
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News
Endesa to Close Two Giant Spanish Coal Plants
Endesa on Dec. 27 formally moved to shutter two massive coal-fired power plants—the 1.4-GW As Pontes plant in A Coruña, Galicia, which is the biggest coal-fired power plant in Spain, and the 1.16-GW
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Fuel
Australia, Long a Uranium Champion, Mulls Nuclear Power
An Australian federal inquiry last December recommended partially lifting a nationwide ban on nuclear energy, urging that the government pursue a “goal-oriented” and community-focused strategy as it
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Press Releases
TCI and CIER Partners With The Climate Group to Help Taiwanese Companies Commit to 100% Renewable Electricity
TAIPEI, Taiwan (Dec. 5, 2018) — The Taiwanese market links the global supply chain; from Apple to IKEA Group, Google to Unilever it creates products and services the world depends on. These companies have also all committed to using 100% renewable electricity, now Taiwanese companies are making the shift. The CIER-RE100 Partnership Launch event happened […]
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Legal & Regulatory
States Would Set Rules Under Trump Emissions Plan
A report from POLITICO says the Trump administration’s rollback of the Obama-era Clean Power Plan (CPP) would give individual states more leeway to set their own rules governing emissions from power plants. POLITICO, which covers politics and policy both in the U.S. and internationally, said its review of a draft document, and information from a […]
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Infographics
How China Is on the Leading Edge of Environmental Technologies
Coal proponents and climate skeptics often cite China’s current and future reliance on coal power to bolster talking points. What is little discussed is the recent, massive transformation of China’s vast
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Legal & Regulatory
Virginia Governor Orders Power Plant Carbon Regulations
Virginia’s governor has directed the commonwealth’s environmental quality agency to establish regulations to curb its carbon emissions from power plants via a carbon trading scheme by the end of this year. Executive Directive 11 signed by Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) on May 16 instructs the Department of Environmental Quality to develop a proposed rule to […]
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Renewables
Commodity Price Volatility Is Prime Concern Among Global Energy Leaders
An April 6–issued report released by the World Energy Council suggests that the single biggest worry among global energy leaders is commodity price volatility. Prices appear to be a big concern because of the “Grand Energy Transition” toward de-carbonization. Leaders in resource-holding countries, such as Saudi Arabia, are anxious about long-term economic models, if prices […]
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Coal
Trump Moves on Plans to Scrap Climate Initiatives
The Trump administration will scrap executive actions to curb U.S. carbon pollution from power plants and other climate measures outlined in the Obama administration’s landmark Climate Action Plan, according to an “energy plan” published by President Donald Trump’s White House minutes after he was inaugurated January 20. Under the White House’s plan, the Trump administration […]