Clean Repowering: A Near-Term, IRA-Powered Energy Transition Accelerant

The RMI report 'Clean Repowering: A Near-Term, IRA-Powered Energy Transition Accelerant' identifies a strategy called 'clean repowering'—siting new clean electricity generation and storage at the same point of interconnection as existing or retiring fossil generators—to bypass interconnection delays and leverage Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) incentives in the United States.

• RMI's analysis identifies a potential of 250 GW for clean repowering projects across the United States, which could serve as a significant accelerant for a rapid and reliable energy transition.
• Clean repowering projects can access specific IRA incentives, including a 10 percent tax credit bonus for projects in energy communities (such as brownfield sites or coal closure communities) and up to $250 billion in loan guarantees through the DOE-administered Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment (EIR) program, provided funds are committed by 2026.
• Two streamlined interconnection processes can reduce the time required for grid connection from several years to a few months: 'Surplus Interconnection Service' requests, which add generation to an operating plant and are available in most FERC-jurisdictional areas (excluding NYISO and ERCOT), and 'Generator Replacement' requests, which replace retiring plants and are available in specific regions like MISO, SPP, and some utility territories.

APA

Wayner, C. (2024). Clean Repowering: A Near-Term, IRA-Powered Energy Transition Accelerant. RMI. https://rmi.org/resources/clean-repowering-a-near-term-ira-powered-energy-transition-accelerant/

Chicago

Wayner, Claire. Clean Repowering: A Near-Term, IRA-Powered Energy Transition Accelerant. RMI, 2024. https://rmi.org/resources/clean-repowering-a-near-term-ira-powered-energy-transition-accelerant/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Wayner |first1=Claire |title=Clean Repowering: A Near-Term, IRA-Powered Energy Transition Accelerant |publisher=RMI |date=16 January 2024 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/clean-repowering-a-near-term-ira-powered-energy-transition-accelerant/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wayner2024clean, author = {Wayner, Claire}, title = {{Clean Repowering: A Near-Term, IRA-Powered Energy Transition Accelerant}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2024}, month = jan, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/clean-repowering-a-near-term-ira-powered-energy-transition-accelerant/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }