Energy Exchange

The call for accelerating the supply of sustainable shipping fuels

By Marie Cabbia Hubatova and Angie Farrag-Thibault

At a time when it is critical to eliminate our dependence on fossil fuels, the shipping industry is endeavoring to do its part to decarbonize and keep global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius. Its success depends on there being sufficient clean fuel supply to substitute fossil fuels — but we are not on track. We need robust near-term decisions at the International Maritime Organization and in member states to bring investment security to steer the industry transition onto course.

Read More »

Posted in General / Authors: / Comments are closed

Why science, not hype, must inform how we use hydrogen in Europe

Image courtesy of © Audioundwerbung | Dreamstime.com

By Helen Spence-Jackson

The EU’s hydrogen ambitions are facing a reality check. Despite an ambitious strategy launched in 2020 and ongoing work to establish a comprehensive policy framework, recent forecasts suggest hydrogen deployment is lagging behind initial targets. However, this moment offers an opportunity for reflection and provides valuable lessons not just for Europe, but also for other regions.

Read More »

Posted in General / Authors: / Comments are closed

Mapping the maze: data reveals the need for protective standards for all gas gathering pipelines

Ted Auch, FracTracker Alliance, 2020.

By Magdalen Sullivan & Kate Roberts

As the U.S. oil and gas industry expands, the vast network of largely unregulated pipelines that transport unprocessed natural gas —known as gathering pipelines — has crept closer and closer to residential communities. Most gathering pipelines are currently exempt from regular inspection, which means that leaks and other problems in these pipes can, and routinely do, go undetected.

Read More »

Posted in General / Authors: / Comments are closed

New research uncovers a climate blindspot for Canada’s oil and gas industry

Analyzing methane emissions in Canada's oilfield

By Scott Seymour and Ari Pottens

The Canadian government is likely overlooking an important source of climate pollution.  Surface casing vent flow and gas migration (types of underground leakage from oil and gas wells) has the potential to leak a lot of methane, but according to new research, neither governments nor companies know how much.

Canada has made a pledge to reduce 75% of the oil and gas industry’s methane emissions by 2030 as way to help combat climate change, but poor data and inaccurate estimates on well leakage makes it increasingly difficult to know if that goal is in sight.

New research reveals that across Alberta and British Columbia oil and gas well leakage could represent anywhere between 2-11% of the industry’s emissions. This huge range means policy makers can’t reliably know how this problem stacks up against other emission sources making it nearly impossible to set priorities or to craft regulations.

Read More »

Also posted in Methane / Authors: / Comments are closed

Joint CATF-EDF principles on methane reporting for 45V

 

This blog was jointly authored by policy experts from Clean Air Task Force & Environmental Defense Fund. Our organizations share a common goal to maximize the climate benefits of clean hydrogen deployment, as well as reduce methane emissions from oil and gas operations. Individual sets of comments on the 45V hydrogen production tax credit from CATF and EDF have also been provided to the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

As the U.S. invests billions of dollars in clean hydrogen as a decarbonization solution, the 45V Clean Hydrogen Production Tax Credit stands to shape the future of the hydrogen industry and its potential impact on climate progress. 45V offers an incentive for producing clean hydrogen, regardless of method, so long as its greenhouse gas, or GHG,  intensity falls below a certain threshold — and the cleaner the hydrogen is, the more money producers can claim under the tax credit. 

Read More »

Posted in General / Authors: / Comments are closed

More rooftop solar means energy and economic justice for Puerto Rico

By Braulio A. Quintero

Seven years after hurricanes Irma and Maria made landfall on Puerto Rico in 2017, the island continues to struggle with a deficient electrical power infrastructure. Power outages are common, the price of electricity continues to increase and the reconstruction of the power grid is not happening fast enough. Power outages affect rural and urban communities in Puerto Rico and endanger the lives of the most vulnerable.

Read More »

Posted in General / Authors: / Comments are closed