By FREE Staff As the U.S. shifts to the electrification of its transport and other systems, one of the biggest and most difficult challenges the country faces is how to ensure the electric grid can handle the added stress. The country’s network of hundreds of thousands of miles of powerlines is taking center stage in […]
Read More »‘Low-Carbon Planning for All’: How to Create an Equitable Energy Transition
By FREE Staff The U.S. is in the midst of a historic energy transition. With the passage of massive federal legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act, states and local communities are making tangible progress in the transition to a clean energy-fueled economy. Such a shift is set to improve the lives of millions of Americans, […]
Read More »The Scale of the Energy Access Gap
By Benjamin M. Attia Access to electricity is a key catalyst correlated with economic development. The International Energy Agency (IEA) recently estimated that over 1.5 billion people do not have access to affordable electricity, representing one quarter of the world’s population [1]. In the absence of aggressive new policies and significant financing, it is estimated that […]
Read More »Post-Paris Agreement: FREE’S Focus on Subnational Climate Action
By Job Taminiau and Joseph Nyangon Accelerating climate action and finance at subnational level based on the Paris Agreement. The 21st Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, or COP 21 (also known as the Paris climate summit) closed in Le Bourget, France after two weeks of intense negotiations, with negotiators agreeing on […]
Read More »Obama’s Budget Proposals for Clean Energy and Climate Investment
President Obama has released a $4 trillion budget proposal for FY 2016. It contains a range of programs designed to encourage deployment of the next generation clean energy and energy efficiency technologies.
Read More »Pathways to Deep Decarbonization Report
Key findings of this report show that total CO2-energy emissions from the identified 15 preliminary deep decarbonization pathways can lead to a decrease in emissions by 45%. While this does not achieve the full decarbonization needed to assure to stay below 2 degree Celsius limit, the report stresses that pathways can be immediately implemented, which moves us substantially toward a global goal of living sustainably.
Read More »Impacts of Shale Boom in the U.S. and Beyond
Increased shale oil and gas production may not keep oil and gas prices down in the long-term as a prolonged price slump could tighten profit margins forcing energy companies to cut or delay investment projects. Escalating conflicts of attrition among top oil-producing nations are also possible as countries scramble for new energy markets. The resultant price rout would weigh on other markets and sectors devaluing currencies exposed to oil exports as well as intensifying risks to oil-dedicated sovereign wealth funds.
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