As electricity demand spikes, a shift from traditional fossil fuel plants to renewable energy sources is critical to avoid compromising U.S. climate objectives.
Utilities like Duke Energy plan to build more gas-fired plants to meet rising electricity needs driven by digitalization and electric vehicles.
Innovative solutions such as virtual power plants and enhanced energy efficiency could meet these demands more sustainably.
Changes in regulatory frameworks are being tested to incentivize utilities to invest in green technologies.
Key quote:
"We need to electrify everything from cars to appliances to slow climate change, but we won’t be able to reach our climate goals if we power all of those machines with dirty energy."
— Jonathan Mingle, independent journalist and the author of “Gaslight: The Atlantic Coast Pipeline and the Fight for America’s Energy Future”
Why this matters:
As demand for electricity increases, the adoption of sustainable practices and regulatory changes could significantly reduce carbon emissions and foster an equitable, modern electric grid.
From the coronavirus pandemic to the winter storm that knocked out essential infrastructure across the state, the past year has been marked by several "unprecedented" events. And for each of them, we have been caught unprepared.
'Shutting down Indian Point without building equivalent reliable renewable power is a catastrophic case of putting the cart before the horse, ensuring carbon lock-down for decades to come.'
In a giant favor to the coal industry, the Trump administration is poised to undermine the Mercury and Air Toxic Standards that control mercury and other toxic air pollution from coal-fired power plants.
