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Letter on Clean Energy Tax Priorities Sept 2021
A coalition of organizations calls on the U.S. House Ways & Means Committee to implement a comprehensive clean energy tax framework. The proposal emphasizes the need for decade-long policy certainty and specific credits for emerging technologies—such as clean hydrogen, carbon capture, and sustainable aviation fuels—alongside the extension of credits for mature resources like wind, solar, and existing nuclear power to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
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Document type: Statement
COAL POWER FINANCE IN HIGH-IMPACT COUNTRIES
The document analyzes coal finance in 18 high-impact countries (HICs) in South Asia and Africa, highlighting that while global trends shift toward renewables, significant coal investment persists, largely driven by Chinese state-owned institutions. It argues that coal is an inefficient path to universal electricity access compared to distributed renewables and warns of stranded asset risks, citing overcapacity in Bangladesh and Pakistan.
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Document type: Briefing
ClientEarth’s submission to The House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee’s inquiry into Ofgem and net zero
ClientEarth argues that Ofgem's current statutory objectives are outdated and prioritize competition over decarbonisation, hindering long-term climate investments. The submission proposes narrowing Ofgem's principal objective to focus on security of supply and greenhouse gas reduction, introducing sector-specific carbon budgets, and requiring the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to issue periodic Strategy and Policy Statements. Additionally, ClientEarth highlights a failure to regulate and verify non-carbon dioxide emissions, specifically methane and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), and advocates for a consumption-based emissions accounting approach to include extraterritorial emissions from imported energy.
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Document type: Statement
Considering Private Enterprise, Public Initiative, and Hybrid Approaches to the Challenge of Electricity Transmission
The report argues that the current U.S. electricity transmission system is too slow and fragmented to meet decarbonization goals, which require tripling or quadrupling generating capacity and significantly expanding long-distance transmission. It proposes a '5P' framework—planning, permitting, paying, participation, and process—to replace the traditional three-P approach. The authors contrast two primary policy models: a private-enterprise approach relying on market incentives and regulatory streamlining, and a public-initiative approach centered on a National Transmission Authority (NTA) with federal siting and ownership powers. The report concludes that a national transmission plan is an imperative to coordinate these efforts across state and federal jurisdictions.
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Document type: Report
Clean Energy Is Not a Zero-Sum Game
The document asserts that the transition to clean energy requires a synergistic approach combining utility-scale power, local electricity production (such as rooftop solar), and a modernized transmission system. It rejects the framing of these solutions as being in competition, noting that solar and wind are the least-cost power sources and that combining them enhances grid resilience during extreme weather. The author calls for federal infrastructure legislation and state-level planning to support both inter-regional transmission and local power generation.
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Document type: Statement
STUDIES CONVERGE ON BENEFITS OF A RAPID CLEAN ENERGY TRANSITION
A meta-analysis of eight recent studies indicates that the United States can achieve approximately 80% clean electricity by 2030 at minimal cost. The findings suggest that such a transition would drive 500,000 to 1 million net new jobs, avoid up to $3 trillion in health and climate damages by 2050, and is essential for meeting the Biden administration's GHG emissions reduction targets. The analysis concludes that a strong national clean electricity standard (CES) is the most effective policy mechanism, primarily driving the deployment of wind, solar, and battery storage.
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Document type: Policy brief
Electrical Grids and Storage Criteria
The Electrical Grids and Storage Criteria provide a framework for certifying bonds that finance the construction, upgrade, and operation of electricity transmission, distribution, and storage infrastructure. To be certified, assets must meet specific mitigation benchmarks—such as supporting renewable energy integration or operating within a decarbonising system—and satisfy a comprehensive adaptation and resilience checklist. The criteria cover a wide range of assets, from high-voltage transmission lines to battery storage facilities, and include detailed methodological notes for determining system eligibility based on grid emission factors or added generation capacity.
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Document type: Guide
Zero-carbon power is a key milestone on the route to net-zero
The document identifies an "unspoken consensus" among the UK, EU, and US that transitioning to zero-carbon power by the 2030s is essential for reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. It analyzes official pathways, noting a shared commitment to rapidly phasing out coal and reducing fossil gas, while dramatically scaling up wind and solar power. The briefing highlights a "credibility gap" in other OECD nations, such as Japan and South Korea, which have net-zero targets but lack corresponding coal phase-out commitments.
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Document type: Briefing
A NATIONAL CLEAN ELECTRICITY STANDARD TO BENEFIT ALL AMERICANS
The report advocates for a U.S. federal Clean Electricity Standard (CES) targeting 80% clean power by 2030. It asserts that such a target is technologically feasible, affordable, and reliable, while providing significant co-benefits. Key arguments include the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs, the avoidance of over $1.7 trillion in health costs through reduced air pollution, and the establishment of a foundation for 100% clean power by 2035. The document highlights that achieving this goal requires rapid infrastructure build-out, specifically approximately 95 GW of wind and solar annually, and emphasizes the need for federal policy to reduce siting and interconnection barriers.
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Document type: Report
CATF Statement on the Introduction of the CLEAN Future Act
The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) supports the CLEAN Future Act, describing it as a blueprint for economy-wide decarbonization. CATF highlights the bill's focus on transmission planning, community assistance for clean energy transitions, the reduction of methane 'Super Pollutants', and the deployment of clean energy technologies. Additionally, the organization notes that the bill's Clean Electricity Standard is designed to accelerate power sector decarbonization while ensuring affordability and fairness.
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Document type: Statement
A New Dawn
The document advocates for a strategic US industrial policy to transition the energy economy from fossil fuels to low-carbon solutions. It suggests leveraging a green stimulus package and public-private partnerships, citing historical successes like Sematech and ARPA-E, to compete with China, Europe, and Japan in sectors such as solar, batteries, and offshore wind.
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Document type: Statement
Building a New Grid Without New Legislation
The document argues that critical long-distance transmission can be developed using existing federal legal authorities, though state siting requirements remain a potential obstacle.
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Document type: Research paper
Our Federal Policy Platform
The Clean Air Task Force proposes a federal policy platform to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 through the deployment of zero-carbon technologies, strong regulatory standards, increased RD&D funding, and targeted financial incentives. Key priorities include achieving 100 percent zero-carbon electricity, reducing oil and gas methane emissions by 65%, and transitioning away from unabated fossil fuels while supporting vulnerable and fossil-fuel-dependent communities.
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Document type: Statement
A Path Forward for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
The report advocates for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to actively align its regulatory practices with climate policies, accelerate the development of transmission infrastructure, and reform energy market rules to support a clean energy transition.
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Document type: Report
Electricity market reform – Karnataka case study
The document investigates how Karnataka can manage its increasing flexibility needs—driven by high solar and wind capacity—through a portfolio of demand-side measures, energy storage, and powerplant operational changes. It argues that a balanced portfolio of these options can reduce system costs by up to 10% and carbon emissions by up to 35% by 2030, potentially making new coal capacity redundant. Key recommendations include amending grid codes to allow cost recovery for flexible thermal operations, completing agricultural feeder separation, and developing a 'data mission' to support locational pricing and market design.
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Document type: Case study
The Integration of Climate Data into the SAVi model
The document details how climate indicators from the Copernicus Climate Data Store (CDS) are integrated into the SAVi tool to improve the analysis of infrastructure resilience. It covers a literature review of climate impacts on energy, irrigation, wastewater, buildings, roads, and nature-based infrastructure, providing specific equations to link climate variables to asset performance. The report includes simulation results for Johannesburg, South Africa, demonstrating how climate variables like temperature and precipitation affect load factors, thermal efficiency, and maintenance costs, ultimately impacting the economic viability and societal costs of these assets.
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Document type: Report
OFFSHORE WIND: A BOON TO CLIMATE GOALS AND ECONOMIC GROWTH
The document argues that offshore wind is a critical resource for achieving zero-emissions targets due to plummeting costs and high capacity factors. It highlights the transition from fixed subsidies to competitive procurement in Europe as a model for cost reduction and notes that floating turbines could unlock 80 percent of global offshore potential. For the U.S., it recommends establishing procurement targets, creating an interstate transmission backbone, and converting tax credits to direct payments to accelerate deployment.
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Document type: Briefing
SUMMARY REPORT: ECONOMIC AND CLEAN ENERGY BENEFITS OF ESTABLISHING A SOUTHEAST U.S. COMPETITIVE WHOLESALE ELECTRICITY MARKET
The report finds that transitioning from the current vertically-integrated monopoly structure to a competitive RTO in the Southeast would generate approximately $384 billion in cumulative savings by 2040. This shift would lower retail electricity costs by 29% and reduce carbon emissions by 37% relative to 2018 levels. The analysis highlights that competition accelerates the deployment of wind, solar, and battery storage, creating a net increase of 285,000 jobs compared to the business-as-usual scenario. The study contrasts this with the current Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) approach, which it characterizes as inefficient due to excessive reserve margins and a reliance on uneconomic coal generation.
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Document type: Report
Technical Report: Economic & Clean Energy Benefits of Establishing a Competitive Wholesale Electricity Market in the Southeast United States
The report uses the WIS:dom-P optimization model to compare four capacity expansion scenarios for the Southeast US: the current SE IRP, an economic IRP without an RTO, an SE RTO, and an SE RTO that retains uneconomic nuclear plants. The findings indicate that the SE RTO scenario is the most economic, offering cumulative savings of $383.7 billion by 2040 and the highest job creation. Retaining nuclear plants further reduces emissions, saving an additional 156.76 million metric tonnes of CO2 by 2040 at a minimal additional cost. The study also highlights the role of variable renewable energy (VRE) and storage in meeting seasonal demand peaks and the importance of transmission expansion in a coordinated regional market.
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Document type: Report
HOW CONGRESS CAN ENSURE PLUMMETING SOLAR, WIND, AND BATTERY COSTS ACCELERATE OUR CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE
The document outlines a pathway for the United States to reach 90 percent zero carbon electricity by 2035, asserting that plummeting technology costs make this achievable without increasing consumer electricity bills. It details the economic benefits, including $1.7 trillion in investment and 530,000 annual energy sector jobs, while avoiding 85,000 premature deaths by 2050. To prevent a scenario where zero carbon sources only reach 53 percent by 2035, the brief proposes a series of policy interventions for Congress, including a Clean Energy Standard, expanded tax credits, increased DOE capital for manufacturing, and support for coal communities through a 'Just Transition' framework and the RECLAIM Act.
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Document type: Policy brief