Energy Exchange

Electrifying trucks and buses is an opportunity for lasting change, one we can’t afford to miss

By Jason Mathers / Published: July 6, 2020

The U.S. is still struggling to contain the spread of COVID-19 and quantify the human and economic consequences of this historic tragedy. But already, leaders are contemplating how we’ll restore our economies. Will we rebuild a replica of what we had, or will we invest in ideas that will make society more resilient, healthier, cleaner and more equitable?

The transportation sector is on the cusp of massive change, and one segment within it is ripe for reinvention: medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. These include everything from semi-trucks and delivery vans, to city buses and garbage trucks — the overwhelming majority of which are powered by diesel engines.

Electrifying this segment was an opportunity for lasting change before the COVID-19 economic crash. Now that countries are considering where to invest to rebuild their economies, it’s an opportunity we can’t afford to miss.

Posted in Air Quality, California, Climate, Electric Vehicles / Tagged Electric Vehicles | Comments are closed

Resilience in the eye of the storm: how Puerto Rico can build a stronger, more sustainable energy future

By EDF Blogs / Published: June 30, 2020

By Agustín Carbó and Amalia Saladrigas

En español

The Atlantic hurricane season is under way and scientists predict it will be one of the strongest in recent memory, as climate change makes more frequent and severe storms the new normal. For communities across Puerto Rico, already battered by an array of crises, the need to plot a more resilient future is urgent.

Energy is a critical lifeline for Puerto Ricans, and residents’ health and well-being depend on a stable and reliable source of power. Previous disasters, from hurricanes to earthquakes, have shown how unreliable and fragile the current centralized energy system is.

Now, the archipelago has an opportunity to reimagine its electric infrastructure in a way that puts communities first with more sustainable and resilient solutions.

Posted in Clean Energy, Grid Modernization, Renewable Energy, Solar Energy / Tagged Community Solar, Puerto Rico | Comments are closed

Resiliencia en el ojo de la tormenta: cómo puede Puerto Rico construir un futuro energético más fuerte y sostenible

By EDF Blogs / Published: June 30, 2020

Por Agustín Carbo y Amalia Saladrigas

La temporada de huracanes en el Atlántico está en curso y los científicos predicen que será una de las más intensas en las últimas décadas, debido a que el cambio climático ha hecho que las tormentas más frecuentes y severas sean la nueva normalidad. Para las comunidades a lo largo del archipiélago de Puerto Rico, que ya se han visto afectadas por un conjunto de crisis, es urgente planificar un futuro más resiliente.

La electricidad es esencial para todos los puertorriqueños; la salud y el bienestar de los residentes dependen de una fuente de energía que sea estable y confiable. Los desastres que se han vivido anteriormente, desde huracanes hasta terremotos, han demostrado la fragilidad y lo poco confiable que es el sistema centralizado de energía actual.

Posted in Clean Energy / Tagged Puerto Rico | Comments are closed

Three things California should do to prepare for more electric trucks and buses

By Larissa Koehler / Published: June 29, 2020

California is moving fast to replace dirty, gas-guzzling heavy-duty vehicles with cleaner, electric choices as a way to combat air pollution and climate change.

Both fleets and electric utilities need to rethink the way they build the charging stations needed to power these vehicles. Charging stations should be as affordable as possible, and help electric vehicles integrate more renewable energy into the grid. The California Public Utilities Commission is working with stakeholders to set out key guidelines, targets and metrics to reach those goals. This process, known as the Transportation Electrification Framework, is unquestionably a step in the right direction, but in order to maximize its impact there are some key things the CPUC should keep in mind.

Posted in Air Quality, California, Clean Energy, Climate, Electric Vehicles / Comments are closed

Now is not the time to pump the brakes on fleet electrification

By Sarah Ryan / Published: June 22, 2020

The coupled economic impacts of the pandemic and global oil crisis are expected to hit passenger electric vehicle sales hard, with a recent Bloomberg analysis predicting an 18% drop in sales this year. But many commercial fleets and state policymakers are continuing to push forward on their plans to electrify trucks and buses, even in these uncertain times.

We are seeing proof of this across the zero-emission vehicles market. In order to meet their long-term climate commitments as well as near-term policy requirements, fleet operators are continuing to accelerate their investments in electrification.

Posted in Air Quality, California, Clean Energy, Climate, Electric Vehicles / Comments are closed

Mexico can rebuild a cleaner, stronger energy economy post COVID-19

By Daniel Zavala-Araiza / Published: June 22, 2020

This piece was first published in El Universal

Times of great turmoil sometimes bring the opportunity for great progress. As leaders around the world work to protect the sick and vulnerable from COVID-19, while also moving to restart their economies, they have a chance to rebuild better — creating a world that’s cleaner and healthier than before. This means investing in an economy that creates more jobs and less pollution, including less of the air pollution that causes diseases that put people at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19.

It should be a world with fewer deaths from heart and lung disease triggered by air pollution, a world with a safer and more stable climate for our children and grandchildren. This is the kind of world we can create if we heed the lessons of this terrible pandemic.

Posted in Air Quality, Clean Energy, Climate, Electric Vehicles, Methane, Methane regulatons, Natural Gas / Tagged Mexico | Comments are closed