Photo courtesy of Angel Luis Garcia
The results of the Puerto Rico Grid Resilience and Transitions to 100% Renewable Energy Study (PR100) contain an important conclusion: “Puerto Rico can make a feasible transition to 100% renewable energy by 2050, but significant improvements and investments in the system, guided by meaningful community participation, are necessary to achieve this.”
“Very soon nobody is going to be able to hide from methane leakage,” Chevron CEO Mike Wirth said back in 2019 . Now, the convergence of new satellites, new climate commitments and new market demands means that day is here. Some companies have been girding for it; others are lagging. Either way, they all have work to do.
By Casey Horan
The way charging customers connect to the grid is changing rapidly, especially in states working to meet transportation electrification and decarbonization targets. But regardless of policy goals, most states are experiencing increased demand for renewables accompanied by more customers seeking connection to the grid for projects like electric vehicle chargers, solar and storage. Balancing sustainable grid buildout with customer demand for load can pose challenges for utilities, and often results in interconnection delays.
A new report released today by EDF details how Texas’ $342 million clean air program can be improved to help companies that want to secure state funding for zero-emission trucks. Recommendations include how to improve program design of the grants offered, including how to modernize the calculation of nitrogen oxides reductions to ensure the full benefit of switching from diesel to zero-emission vehicles is captured, and how to improve the administrative management of the program so it is easier for companies to secure funds to deploy zero-emission vehicles in Texas.
The Biden administration paused approval of new facilities that would export liquified natural gas in order to study the impact of these projects on the climate. The Natural Gas Act charges the U.S Department of Energy with determining whether gas exports to certain countries are in the public interest. With the damage caused by climate change getting worse, the President is right to ask for the facts before moving forward. After all, natural gas produces carbon dioxide when burned and methane pollution when leaked — both powerful climate pollutants.
Methane is now a central part of the oil & gas industry’s climate challenge. New regulations in the U.S and Europe, growing concern in Asia and mounting interest from investors and global gas markets mean increasing pressure to improve emissions performance. It was also a focal point in the COP28 climate talks, where 52 producers representing more than a third of global production joined the Oil & Gas Decarbonization Charter, pledging to reduce emissions to near zero and to eliminate routine flaring by 2030.
