Policy & regulation

Fossil fuels

Natural gas is the pillar of the US electric grid. It’s also unreliable

Pro-fossil groups argue gas is more reliable than clean energy. But in extreme cold, gas pipelines and power plants are failing to deliver when they're most needed.

By Jeff St. John . 5 July 2023
Marine transport

As emissions soar, cargo shipping faces a critical climate crossroads

A high-stakes meeting at the U.N.’s maritime agency could set aggressive emissions-reduction goals for the dirty ships that keep the economy humming.

By Maria Gallucci . 29 June 2023
Public transit

The US' billion-dollar EV bus program can’t keep up with demand

A new round of $1.7B in clean-bus grants saw $8.7B in applications. A carve-out for low-emissions fossil-fueled buses further limits federal EV bus funding.

By Jeff St. John . 29 June 2023
Solar

Agrivoltaics finds new fans in US Senate

Agriculture and solar: a winning combination for farmers, the climate and now — thanks to two recently introduced bills — maybe the Senate, too.

By Alison F. Takemura . 20 June 2023
Politics

Rep. Casten on tackling the US climate law's unfinished business

The congressional energy wonk from Illinois says not to worry too much about "performative nonsense around IRA repeal."

By Julian Spector . 14 June 2023
Guides and how-tos

DOE's new tool helps you get your share of the climate law's billions

The Biden administration launched a hub to walk you through the process of accessing Inflation Reduction Act incentives for energy audits, heat pumps, EVs and more.

By Alison F. Takemura . 14 June 2023
Transmission

US clean energy rollout continues to be hamstrung by grid challenges

Recent efforts at permitting reform have done little to address the well-known issues of inadequate transmission and jam-packed interconnection queues.

By Akielly Hu . 13 June 2023
Electric vehicles

The US has big EV goals. Can the domestic EV industry meet them?

The IRA has unleashed investment in U.S. EV and battery manufacturing. But China’s dominance of the supply chain complicates "Buy American" ambitions.

By Jeff St. John . 8 June 2023
Solar

Can the US manufacture enough solar panels to meet its surging demand?

Probably not anytime soon, despite new federal incentives, the threat of tariffs against overseas competitors, and a huge ongoing buildout of manufacturing capacity.

By Eric Wesoff . 7 June 2023
Clean energy manufacturing

Manufacturing vs. deployment: The clean energy tax-credit conundrum

The U.S. wants to build out a domestic cleantech manufacturing industry. It also wants to quickly deploy as much clean energy as possible. Can it do both at once?

By Jeff St. John . 7 June 2023