Content

EnergySource

Apr 2, 2021

Rapid response: President Biden’s American Jobs Plan

By Global Energy Center

Released on March 31, the Biden-Harris administration’s massive infrastructure plan, called the American Jobs Plan, is hugely ambitious. The proposal does not just look to fix crumbling US infrastructure, it aims to transform the US economy, simultaneously addressing climate change, unemployment, and historic inequities.

Energy & Environment Energy Transitions

EnergySource

Apr 1, 2021

Increasing ESG practices can help Asia reach goals of carbon neutrality

By Songyee Jung

Although sustainable investment is growing rapidly, ESG investing in Asia is still at a nascent stage. To increase development, Asian governments should allow regulators to impose mandatory ESG reporting requirements, which evidence indicates is the most effective way to scale sustainable finance investment.

East Asia Energy & Environment

EnergySource

Mar 31, 2021

Five reasons why NOPEC probably will not happen this year (And three reasons why it is still worth watching)

By Randolph Bell, Reed Blakemore

On Thursday, March 25, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and a bipartisan group of senators reintroduced the No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels (NOPEC) Act, which seeks to enable the Department of Energy to bring lawsuits against OPEC members for antitrust violations. And while it is unlikely that the bill will get any traction this year, there are several reasons to keep an eye on it.

Energy & Environment Energy Markets & Governance

EnergySource

Mar 30, 2021

Offshore wind and labor union partnerships: a boon for an equitable green recovery

By Margaret Jackson and Maria Castillo

The White House just released a plan to “jumpstart” the offshore wind industry in the United States, as one of the major catalysts to fulfill then-candidate Joe Biden’s campaign promise to boost the energy transition and create ten million clean energy jobs in the process. Within the first week of his presidency, President Biden issued […]

Energy & Environment Renewables & Advanced Energy

EnergySource

Mar 29, 2021

China’s top-down economic and social reform to achieve carbon neutrality

By Margaret Jackson

Since the approval of China's 14th Five Year Plan, Chinese government and nongovernment entities have released new policies to promote energy system transformation at an unprecedented pace. While the plan only promises incremental climate progress, President Xi Ping has made clear that China will be reforming its entire economic and social system to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060.

China Energy & Environment

EnergySource

Mar 14, 2021

The United Nations Security Council needs to authorize military action to prevent the spill of the FSO SAFER

By Dr. Ian Ralby, Rohini Ralby, and Dr. David Soud

The FSO SAFER and the five miles of subsea pipeline to which it is attached threaten to pour 2.14 million barrels of oil into the Red Sea. Between Yemen’s reliance on food shipments to stem a widespread famine, and the wider region’s reliance on desalination plants for drinking water, realistic estimates put the potential death toll from the spill in the millions.

Energy & Environment Geopolitics & Energy Security

EnergySource

Mar 12, 2021

These three baseload technologies are critical to achieving zero-carbon electric vehicles

By Bryant Jones

As electricity demand swells as the electric vehicle market grows, it is unlikely that short-term battery storage, intermittent renewables, and efficiency improvements alone can provide all of the necessary electrons. These technologies need to be paired with distributed, zero-carbon baseload capacity, and the debate about what technologies can meet anticipated demand is just beginning. Cue geothermal, hydroelectric, and nuclear power.

Energy & Environment Energy Transitions

EnergySource

Mar 11, 2021

Can green finance compensate for London’s post-Brexit losses?

By Paddy Ryan

Supporters of Brexit suggest that making London a “world leader” in green finance could compensate for the City’s post-Brexit losses. Green financial leadership could boost Britain’s domestic industry and transform its foreign policy. But competitive advantages for its financial sector may not materialize.

Economy & Business Energy & Environment

EnergySource

Mar 10, 2021

The pandemic and electricity transformation in the United States and the European Union: Developments in 2020

By Robert F. Ichord, Jr.

Electricity sector developments in 2020 demonstrated the key role of renewables and nuclear power in achieving President Biden’s goal of realizing “a carbon pollution-free electricity sector by 2035” and the EU’s target of 55 percent emissions reduction by 2030. But it also reinforced the magnitude of the challenge ahead, with fossil fuels still representing 60 percent of the power generation mix in the United States and 37 percent in the European Union, as well as the importance of pursuing an aggressive sustainable recovery plan to avoid a rebound in emissions.

Coronavirus Energy & Environment

EnergySource

Feb 25, 2021

In Texas and California, blackouts highlight the challenge of balancing reliability with cost

By Jonathan Gillis

Over the past year, the United States has endured two major “load shedding” events, first in California and now in Texas, in which electric system operators instructed transmission owners to reduce demand by rotating blackouts across service areas. In both cases, customers were left wondering how an entire region could run out of electricity. The answer lies in the complex and contentious world of “resource adequacy,” one of the most challenging issues in electric system planning and market design.

Energy & Environment Energy Markets & Governance