Since the Inflation Reduction Act was signed into law in August 2022, companies have invested a total of about $320 billion into clean energy projects in the U.S. and plan to spend more than $500 billion on top of that to build cleantech factories, low-carbon industrial facilities, and installations of solar, batteries, and other renewables. Nearly … Continue reading “Chart: Republicans take aim at clean energy boom benefiting GOP most”
Written by Electric Vehicles Magazine
This year, utility-scale solar is expected to continue its winning streak as the largest source of new electricity generation. More than half of new power plant capacity built this year will be solar, followed by batteries, with 29% of total capacity. That’s a step up for batteries from last year. Meanwhile, solar’s share is forecast to … Continue reading “Chart: Solar, batteries to lead US power plant construction in 2025”
Written by Electric Vehicles Magazine
On his first day in office, Trump froze spending from the Inflation Reduction Act and 2021 infrastructure law, pausing the programs that have lent money to major automakers to build EV facilities and have backed the first new U.S. aluminum smelter in decades. Federal judges have ordered the administration to unfreeze those funds, though money … Continue reading “Chart: GOP districts to lose big if Trump halts clean energy factories”
Written by Electric Vehicles Magazine
The category includes new furnaces that can use hydrogen instead of coal to produce iron for steelmaking. Green hydrogen made from renewables remained costly and in scarce supply, leading producers like Europe’s ArcelorMittal to delay making planned investments in hydrogen-based projects. Electric arc furnaces — which turn scrap metal and fresh iron into high-strength steel … Continue reading “Chart: Global clean industry investment fell sharply in 2024”
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In cement production, there are two key sources of emissions: high-heat, gas-fired kilns and the limestone used as an ingredient in Portland cement, which releases CO2 when heated up. Steelmaking emissions mainly come from the use of coal-fired blast furnaces to make iron. Many of these industrial sectors have historically been described as “hard-to-decarbonize,” but in … Continue reading “Chart: Heavy industry is the world's biggest decarbonization challenge”
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California, the most populous U.S. state, boasts the most EV school buses on its roads — and has the most robust pipeline of any state. The Golden State has more than 3,000 electric school buses “committed,” WRI’s umbrella term for EV buses already on the road, delivered, ordered, or for which a district has been awarded … Continue reading “Chart: Which states have the most electric school buses?”
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This financial trouble, made more dire by climate regulations, has helped drive coal off of the U.K.’s grid, in line with the country’s current goal of phasing out the fossil fuel by the start of October. It’s a remarkable transformation for a country whose grid has relied heavily on coal for much of its existence. The rapid … Continue reading “Chart: The UK is about to stop using coal to produce electricity”
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Wind projects made up 12 percent of new additions during the same period. Nuclear power contributed another 5 percent of the new capacity additions, thanks to the completion of the 1.1 GW Vogtle 4 reactor in April. Just 400 megawatts of new fossil gas went online in the first six months of 2024. If developers follow through with their construction … Continue reading “Chart: Almost all new US power plants are carbon-free”
Written by Electric Vehicles Magazine
But recent trends suggest that more-sustainable electric arc furnaces (EAF) are starting to replace basic oxygen furnaces, helping slash emissions. In 2023, nearly all newly announced steelmaking capacity — 93 percent — planned to use EAFs, per the Global Energy Monitor report. As it stands, about 32 percent of global steelmaking happens in these lower-emissions … Continue reading “Chart: Steelmaking is starting to go electric”
Written by Electric Vehicles Magazine
Both states have a long way to go to meet their upcoming goals: 9 GW of offshore wind by 2035 for New York and 5.6 GW by 2027 for Massachusetts. Still, they’ve made more progress than other states. Four of the states with offshore wind goals — including California, which aims to build 25 GW by 2045 — currently … Continue reading “Chart: Which US states are leading the way on offshore wind?”