Climate Change Widespread, Rapid, and Intensifying - IPCC Report
August 9, 2021 | Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
The report provides new estimates of the chances of crossing the global warming level of 1.5°C in the next decades, and finds that unless there are immediate, rapid and large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, limiting warming to close to 1.5°C or even 2°C will be beyond reach. "This report reflects extraordinary efforts under exceptional circumstances," said Hoesung Lee, Chair of the IPCC. "The innovations in this report, and advances in climate science that it reflects, provide an invaluable input into climate negotiations and decision-making."
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Exelon Utilities Announces Goal to Achieve Net-Zero Emissions By 2050
August 5, 2021
Exelon Utilities this week announced it will reduce its operations-driven emissions 50 percent by 2030 and ultimately to net-zero by 2050 as part of its continuing efforts to address the climate crisis. A division of Exelon Corporation, Exelon Utilities is composed of Atlantic City Electric, BGE, ComEd, Delmarva Power, PECO and PEPCO. The six utilities deliver electricity and gas to more than 10 million customers across five states and the District of Columbia.
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TVA Replacing Natural Gas Units, Supports Solar Growth
July 12, 2021
"TVA is a national leader, with 63% carbon-free generation and nearly 50% more renewable energy generation than our next closest regional peer," said Jacinda Woodward, senior vice president, Power Operations at TVA. "Natural gas helps us achieve a 70% reduction in emissions by 2030, 80% by 2035 and we believe it is possible, with new technologies, to achieve net-zero by 2050."
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Con Edison Sustainability Report: Clean Energy, Climate Resiliency Key to Building Lasting Value
June 21, 2021
Through its Clean Energy Businesses, Con Edison reports that it is the second-largest generator of solar power in North America and the seventh largest worldwide. The company has committed to supplying its customers with 100 percent clean electricity by 2040. It has lowered its own carbon emissions by more than half since 2005, and supports New York's aggressive goals for climate change, clean energy and electric vehicles.
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Battelle-led Team Successfully Completes Midwest Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership CCUS Research
June 16, 2021
Battelle led the Midwest Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (MRCSP) in three phases, starting with the initial characterization phase in 2003, moving to multiple small-scale pilot tests in the validation phase in 2005 and culminating in the large-scale development phase starting 2008. Now, the focus moves to commercialization and expanded regional initiatives, especially focused on the storage/sequestration portion of the climate change mitigation approach.
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DOE Awards $54 Million to 235 American Small Businesses Developing Novel Clean Energy And Climate Solutions
June 10, 2021
The U.S. Department of Energy this week announced 235 small businesses, across 42 states, will receive $54 million in critical seed funding for 266 projects that are developing and deploying proof-of-concept prototypes for a wide range of technological solutions needed to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. This diverse class of awardees are designing novel solutions to our greatest energy needs around advanced grid technologies, solar and hydrogen power, carbon capture and storage, artificial intelligence, electric vehicle batteries and more.
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ADM Announces Successful Completion of One Million Metric Ton Carbon Capture and Storage Project
May 20, 2021
"The Illinois Basin - Decatur project has successfully achieved its desired outcome to demonstrate that carbon capture and storage can be undertaken safely and effectively. This milestone represents a launching point for the future of this technology, including commercial scale deployments around the world," said Sallie Greenberg, Principal Scientist Energy & Minerals, Illinois State Geological Survey.
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Pathway to Critical and Formidable Goal of Net-zero Emissions by 2050 Is Narrow but Brings Huge Benefits
May 19, 2021
The report is the world's first comprehensive study of how to transition to a net zero energy system by 2050 while ensuring stable and affordable energy supplies, providing universal energy access, and enabling robust economic growth. It sets out a cost-effective and economically productive pathway, resulting in a clean, dynamic and resilient energy economy dominated by renewables like solar and wind instead of fossil fuels. The report also examines key uncertainties, such as the roles of bioenergy, carbon capture and behavioral changes in reaching net zero.
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NYPA Approves Five-Year Roadmap to Achieve Enterprise-Wide Sustainability Agenda
April 21, 2021
The New York Power Authority (NYPA) this week announced a five-year plan that establishes goals and strategies to achieve the state's bold climate leadership goals through a comprehensive sustainability agenda. Progress against NYPA's Sustainability Plan will be measured with annual sustainability reports that will detail NYPA's progress as the Authority continues to lead New York State's transition to a carbon-free, economically vibrant New York.
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SDG&E Pledges To Reach Net Zero GHG Emissions By 2045
April 20, 2021
"Getting to a net zero future is the moonshot challenge of our era and one that the SDG&E team fully embraces," said SDG&E Chief Executive Officer Caroline Winn. "SDG&E has worked hard to align our investments with the climate objectives of local cities, the region and state and while there is a lot more work to be done, we are seeing many clean energy innovations emerge, and progress being made toward our mutual goal of a 100% clean energy future."
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FERC Issues Policy Statement on Carbon Pricing in Organized Wholesale Markets
April 19, 2021
The policy statement explains that wholesale market rules incorporating a state-determined carbon price can fall within the Commission's jurisdiction under section 205 of the Federal Power Act (FPA). However, the statement does not indicate a preference for carbon pricing over any other state policy. It affirms that whether and how a state chooses to address greenhouse gas emissions is a matter exclusively within that state's jurisdiction.
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IRENA and China State Grid Agree to Advance Transition Through Power System Enhancements
April 13, 2021
Under the agreement, IRENA and SGCC will conduct joint activities and collaborative studies to enhance flexible operation of power grids, decarbonization of urban energy systems and facilitate grid development with a special focus on application of smart grid and sector-coupling strategies. The two organizations will also work closely at the regional and country level to build technical capacities related to the reliable integration of renewable power in developing countries.
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Renewables in Cities 2021 Global Status Report, Second Edition, is Released
March 31, 2021 | REN21
The
Renewables in Cities Global Status Report (REC) series provides an overview of the status, trends and developments of renewable energy in hundreds of cities, ranging from mega-cities to small and medium-sized cities and towns. With more than 330 data contributors and peer reviewers and over 30 individual interviews from around the world, the report is endorsed by an Advisory Committee of more than 20 organisations, including major renewable energy players and city networks.
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Groundbreaking NREL Analysis Points to No-Regrets Pathways to Meet LA's Ambitious Clean Energy Goals
March 25, 2021
Meeting Los Angeles' ambitious goal of reliable, 100% renewable electricity by 2045 or even 2035 is achievable with rapid deployment of wind, solar, storage, and other renewable energy technologies this decade, according to a years-long analysis by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The combined effects of energy efficiency, electrification, and demand response yield large benefits to greenhouse gas reductions and public health and help cost-effectively manage the clean energy transition.
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AEP Releases Climate Scenario Analysis
March 23, 2021
In February, AEP announced a new goal to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, with an interim target to cut emissions 80% from 2000 levels by 2030. AEP plans to add more than 10,000 megawatts of new renewable resources to its generation portfolio by 2030 and is investing in a smarter, more modern power grid and new energy technologies to help reach these goals.
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California Releases Report Charting Path to 100 Percent Clean Electricity
March 15, 2021 | CEC, CPUC and CARB
To reach 100% carbon-free energy by 2045, California will need to sustain its expansion of clean electricity generation capacity at a record-breaking rate for the next 25 years. On average, the state may need to build up to 6 gigawatts of new renewable and storage resources annually. By comparison over the last decade, the state has built on average 1 GW of utility solar and 300 megawatts of wind per year. Over the next three years, electricity providers regulated by the CPUC will add another 8 GW of clean energy resources.
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ENGIE Lab CRIGEN and Ansys Accelerate Zero Carbon Energy
March 9, 2021
Through its collaboration with Ansys, ENGIE Lab CRIGEN – the ENGIE Group's corporate center for R&D and high-level expertise – is developing an ultra-fast and high-fidelity simulation-based digital twin
to maximize the efficiency and sustainability of industrial equipment to boost product reliability and evaluate new concepts in energy production.
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After Steep Drop in Early 2020, Global Carbon Dioxide Emissions Have Rebounded Strongly
March 4, 2021
Global emissions from the electricity sector dropped by 450 million tons in 2020. This resulted partly from lower electricity demand but also from increases in electricity generation by solar PV and wind. For the world to achieve the climate goals of the Paris Agreement, notably of limiting global warming to well below 2 °C, a decline in electricity sector emissions of around 500 million tons would need to occur every single year. Even greater annual drops in emissions from electricity generation would be required to put the world on a path in line with warming of 1.5 °C.
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EPRI and GTI Low-Carbon Resources Initiative Surpasses $100 Million in Funding from 33 Global Partners
February 5, 2021
The Low-Carbon Resources Initiative (LCRI) is a unique effort across the energy landscape, leveraging the collaborative research models of EPRI and GTI to produce industry-leading results for society. This five-year initiative brings together industry stakeholders to accelerate development and demonstration of low- and zero-carbon energy technologies through transformative, clean energy research and development.
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EIA's AEO2021 Explores the Impact of COVID-19 on the U.S. Energy Mix Through 2050
February 4, 2021
EIA projects that total U.S. energy consumption will return to 2019 levels by 2029, although that projection is highly dependent on the pace of U.S. economic recovery. In a case that assumes low economic growth, energy consumption does not return to 2019 levels until 2050. In most cases, EIA projects that U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions will decrease through 2035 and then increase.
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Con Edison Outlines Pathway To Climate Resiliency And Adaptation
January 28, 2021
In a
report issued this week, Con Edison details how it will incorporate climate change into its planning, design, operations, and emergency response. The company has taken a more proactive and forward-looking approach to climate resiliency in recent years, building on its energy industry leadership on the issue.
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Racing to Accelerate Electric Vehicle Adoption: Decarbonizing Transportation with Ridehailing
January 7, 2021 | Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI)
The new insight brief from RMI leverages 101 million miles of real-world data from General Motors to show that electric ridehailing vehicles can not only effectively replace ICE ridehailing vehicles, but will also create catalytic opportunities for the electrification of other transportation sectors by overcoming barriers facing consumers and fleets.
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Climate Change: Threshold For Dangerous Warming Will Likely Be Crossed Between 2027-2042
January 4, 2021
The threshold for dangerous global warming will likely be crossed between 2027 and 2042 - a much narrower window than the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's estimate of between now and 2052. In a study published in
Climate Dynamics, researchers from McGill University introduce a new and more precise way to project the Earth's temperature. Based on historical data, it considerably reduces uncertainties compared to previous approaches.
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Advancing Toward 100 Percent: State Policies, Programs, and Plans for Zero-Carbon Electricity
December 17, 2020 | Bentham Paulos, PaulosAnalysis & Clean Energy States Alliance
So far, 17 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have adopted 100 percent clean electricity goals, arguably the most important positive climate change policy development of the past few years. This report identifies the states' specific 100 percent commitments, describes ways in which they are planning to achieve their goals, and highlights some of the initial plans they have developed. It is the first effort to summarize the status of state 100 percent planning.
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Emissions and Coal Have Peaked as Covid-19 Saves 2.5 Years of Emissions, Accelerates Energy Transition
November 30, 2020 | BloombergNEF
BNEF's latest projection of the evolution of the global energy system over the next 30 years, using its proprietary Economic Transition Scenario, shows that emissions from fuel combustion peaked in 2019. Down approximately 8% in 2020 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, energy emissions rise again with economic recovery, but never again reach 2019 levels. From 2027 on, they fall at a rate of 0.7% per year to 2050.
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University of Wisconsin-Madison Evaluates Madison Gas and Electric's Goal of Net-Zero Carbon Electricity
November 30, 2020
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has evaluated Madison Gas and Electric's (MGE) goal of net-zero carbon electricity by 2050, comparing it to the modeled pathways for the electricity sector in industrialized nations to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Relative to publicly available model results for carbon reductions through 2050, MGE's goal is in line with or more aggressive than these model benchmarks for climate solutions.
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FirstEnergy Pledges to Achieve Carbon Neutrality by 2050
November 10, 2020
In 2015, FirstEnergy announced plans to achieve a 90% reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from 2005 levels by 2045. To date, the company has reduced CO2 emissions by approximately 80% by implementing new technologies and retiring or transferring generation assets. The new goals represent a significant expansion of this target and reflect FirstEnergy's transformation to a fully regulated utility.
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U.S. Department of Energy Coal FIRST Initiative Invests $80 Million in Net-Zero Carbon Electricity and Hydrogen Plants
October 29, 2020
The DOE notes that Coal FIRST energy plant concepts will be capable of flexible operation to meet the needs of the grid; use innovative components that improve efficiency and achieve net-zero emissions, including the potential for net-negative (CO2) emissions when co-firing moderate amounts of biomass; provide resilient power; be small (50-350MWe) compared to today's conventional utility-scale power plants; and transform how coal power plant technologies are designed and manufactured.
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Duke Energy Unveils Sweeping Clean Energy and Emissions Reduction Plan
October 13, 2020
The company plans to double its enterprise-wide renewable portfolio from 8 gigawatts to 16 gigawatts by 2025, at least triple renewable capacity for its regulated utilities by 2030, and bring its regulated renewable capacity total to 40 gigawatts by 2050. It also plans to add more than 11,000 megawatts of energy storage across the company's system by 2050 and continue to invest and advocate for emerging technologies.
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SDG&E Releases Sustainability Strategy to Advance Carbon Neutrality
October 12, 2020
Amid the growing urgency to address climate change and its impacts, San Diego Gas & Electric Company recently released a comprehensive sustainability strategy with aspirational goals in the areas of environmental stewardship, clean transportation, grid modernization, community engagement, and company operations to support California's clean energy ambitions.
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National Grid Releases Net Zero by 2050 Plan
October 9, 2020
National Grid's Net Zero by 2050 Plan identifies 10 key areas of focus, including reducing demand through energy efficiency and demand response, decarbonizing the gas network through use of renewable natural gas and hydrogen, and interconnecting large scale renewables with a 21
st century grid.
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EPRI President Says U.S. Could Produce Electricity with Little to No Carbon Emissions By 2050
September 21, 2020
"The electricity sector is the trailblazer on the road to decarbonization," Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) President Arshad Mansoor said. "Right now, 20 percent of the energy used in the U.S. is electricity. By 2040, more than 40 percent of the economy could be electrified. But we need more than electrification to decarbonize the energy system. We have the opportunity to produce other forms of low-carbon energy using clean electricity."
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bp and Microsoft Form Strategic Partnership to Drive Digital Energy Innovation and Advance Net Zero Goals
September 16, 2020
bp and Microsoft Corp. this week announced that they have agreed to collaborate as strategic partners to further digital transformation in energy systems and advance the net zero carbon goals of both companies. This includes a co-innovation effort focused on digital solutions, the continued use of Microsoft Azure as a cloud-based solution for bp infrastructure and bp supplying renewable energy to help Microsoft meet its 2025 renewable energy goals.
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U.S. Department of Energy Invests $72 Million in Carbon Capture Technologies
September 2, 2020
Under this cost-shared research and development program, DOE is awarding $51 million to nine new projects for coal and natural gas power and industrial sources. DOE is awarding a total of $21 million to 18 projects for technologies that remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, a process known as "direct air capture."
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U.S. Department of Energy Awards $13.5 Million for Direct Air Capture Research
August 19, 2020
"Direct Air Capture holds promise as an emerging technology with the potential to improve the environment while expanding sources of energy through the conversion of carbon dioxide to fuels and other chemicals," said Dr. Chris Fall, Director of DOE's Office of Science. "Making this technology truly viable will require real breakthroughs in basic science, and these efforts are important steps toward that goal."
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Exelon Joins EPRI and GTI in Initiative Accelerating Low-Carbon Energy Technologies
August 11, 2020
Exelon Corporation this week announced its sponsorship of an Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and Gas Technology Institute (GTI) five-year initiative to accelerate the development and demonstration of low-carbon energy technologies. The aim is to identify and accelerate fundamental development of promising technologies, demonstrate and assess the performance of key technologies and processes, and inform key stakeholders and the public about technology options and pathways to a potential low-carbon future.
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Zero-Carbon Electrification and a Sustainable Future for China
June 18, 2020 | Rocky Mountain Institute and Energy Transition Commission
In China's government work program announced in May 2020, the need to invest in new infrastructure, to support new forms of higher quality urban development, and to accelerate the shift to new energy vehicles have been identified as priorities. This report argues that zero-carbon electrification should also be a priority, alongside those three priorities already identified.
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IRENA Report: Renewables Increasingly Beat Even Cheapest Coal Competitors on Cost
June 2, 2020
Replacing the costliest 500 GW of coal with solar PV and onshore wind next year would cut power system costs by up to USD 23 billion every year and reduce annual emissions by around 1.8 gigatons (Gt) of carbon dioxide (CO2), equivalent to 5% of total global CO2 emissions in 2019. It would also yield an investment stimulus of USD 940 billion, which is equal to around 1% of global GDP.
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DNV GL Approves Carbon Capture Technology
May 1, 2020
The Norcem Brevik carbon capture plant forms part of Europe's first industrial demonstration of CO2 capture, transport and storage. The captured CO2 is to be transported and injected into a CO2 storage site offshore Norway, developed by the Equinor-headed Northern Lights consortium.
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CCUS Technologies to Receive $131 R&D Investment
April 27, 2020
The U.S. Department of Energy'sOffice of Fossil Energy recently announced up to $131 million for carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) research and development projects through one new funding opportunity announcement (FOA) and the winners of five project selections from a previous FOA.
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COVID-19: Choosing the Green Path From Shock to Recovery
April 9, 2020
Despite calls from some countries in eastern Europe to ignore climate concerns and pour stimulus money into existing high-carbon businesses, the EBRD report urges governments not to be seduced into supporting fossil fuels. Failing to set the world on a greener path this time would be a lost opportunity, says the report, urging governments to work together to address the climate emergency more effectively.
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Starwood Energy, OGCI Climate Investments and Elysian Ventures Launch New Carbon Capture Project
April 6, 2020
Pratima Rangarajan, CEO of OGCI Climate Investments, said "We are pleased to partner with Starwood Energy and Elysian Ventures in a tangible demonstration that carbon capture is available and ready to use today. This project, along with our other three CCUS project investments, aims to keep over nine million tons a year of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. That's the equivalent of taking almost two million cars off the road."
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Consumers Energy Commits to Net Zero Carbon Emissions
February 25, 2020
Consumers Energy ushered in a new era with its 2019 Clean Energy Plan, a road map to meet Michigan's energy needs through 2040. The new net zero goal means Consumers Energy will eliminate the impact of carbon emissions created by the electricity it generates or purchases for customers.
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IEA: Defying Expectations of a Rise, Global Carbon Dioxide Emissions Flatlined in 2019
February 11, 2020
After two years of growth, global emissions were unchanged at 33 gigatons in 2019 even as the world economy expanded by 2.9%. This was primarily due to declining emissions from electricity generation in advanced economies, thanks to the expanding role of renewable sources (mainly wind and solar), fuel switching from coal to natural gas, and higher nuclear power generation. Other factors included milder weather in several countries, and slower economic growth in some emerging markets.
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Financing the Green Transition: The European Green Deal Investment Plan and Just Transition Mechanism
January 20, 2020
The plan is to mobilize at least 1 trillion of sustainable investments over the next decade. A greater share of spending on climate and environmental action from the EU budget than ever before will crowd in private funding, with a key role to be played by the European Investment Bank. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said: "The transformation ahead of us is unprecedented. And it will only work if it is just - and if it works for all. We will support our people and our regions that need to make bigger efforts in this transformation, to make sure that we leave no one behind."
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This week, the wholesale power supplier Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association announced the retirement of its remaining New Mexico coal-fired power plant by the end of 2020 and its remaining Colorado coal plants and coal mine by 2030.
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A cooperation between Danish and Chinese energy authorities has demonstrated how China could save more than 7 billion tons of CO2 annually by 2050 - nearly 200 times the annual Danish CO2 emissions from energy demand - and reach its national climate targets as well as the UN below 2-degree target without increasing cost of energy.
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Renewable energy ambition would have to more than double by 2030 to put the world in line with the Paris Agreement goals, cost-effectively reaching 7.7 terawatts (TW) of globally installed capacity by then, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Today's renewable energy pledges under the NDCs are falling short of this, targeting only 3.2 TW.
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Southern California Gas and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory recently announced that the U.S. Department of Energy has awarded $300,000 in funding to a project that would advance the development of a process called Integrated CO
2 Capture and Conversion to Methanol (ICCCM).
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The FLExible Carbon Capture and Storage (FLECCS) program seeks to develop technologies that address difficulties in decarbonization of electricity systems, focusing specifically on complications in CCS design, operations, and commercialization potential with the increasing penetration of high VRE sources such as wind and solar power.
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The
World Energy Outlook 2019, the International Energy Agency’s flagship publication, explains the impact of today’s decisions on tomorrow’s energy systems, and describes a pathway that enables the world to meet climate, energy access and air quality goals while maintaining a strong focus on the reliability and affordability of energy for a growing global population.
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The agreement, worth up to $60 million, will focus efforts on optimizing the core technology, overall process integration and large-scale deployment of carbon capture solutions. ExxonMobil is exploring options to conduct a pilot test of next-generation fuel cell carbon capture solution at one of its operating sites.
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The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) recently (11/3) issued its annual Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS) report showing that the program, which is one of the most ambitious in the country, remains on track and is helping to drive down renewable contract prices and increasing in-state procurement.
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All buildings must be net zero carbon by 2050 to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, but fewer than 1% of buildings are today. Closing this gap will require dramatically enhanced ambition and execution of more efficient buildings and renewable energy supply. Zero Carbon Buildings for All, a multi-partner global initiative endorsed by the UN Secretary General, was featured at the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit last week.
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The Canada Green Building Council launched the Zero Carbon Building Standard in 2017 to provide a solution to achieving Canada's climate change commitments and help existing and new buildings achieve zero carbon.
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