1. Wind energy increases hitting headwinds
While Iowa has abundant wind resources, local opposition and siting issues are posing challenges to getting new facilities and transmission infrastructure built.
ClearPath and LucidCatalyst consultants released an analysis of wind energy projections in Iowa. Here are some key takeaways:
- Models call for 3 and 17 times MORE wind deployment to reach net-zero;
- Wind and transmission projects are facing opposition models don’t account for;
- Almost half of candidate project areas in Iowa for example are ruled out by local ordinances; and
- Regulatory reform and technology inclusivity are essential.
What's clear: America needs a wide portfolio of clean energy technologies to address the climate challenge. Renewables have a role to play alongside baseload sources like nuclear and natural gas, but alone are not enough to reliably support our energy grid.
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2. No air conditioning? No thanks.
As the U.S. and other countries wean themselves off Russian gas without replacing those resources with reliable baseload sources, blackouts become a bigger threat – especially amid summer heat waves where air conditioning becomes a necessity.
- The Electric Reliability Council of Texas has asked Texan businesses and citizens to voluntarily cut back on their energy use to avoid rolling blackouts; and
- The North American Electric Reliability Corporation warned earlier this year that two-thirds of the U.S. could experience blackouts this summer.
Grid reliability solutions may be simpler than you think: America needs more baseload energy.
- Baseload sources like natural gas, nuclear, coal, and hydropower can power our homes and businesses 24/7/365 and help prevent blackouts.
Plug in: ClearPath CEO Rich Powell explains why baseload energy is so important in RealClearEnergy.
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3. ClearPath adds to growing policy team
This week, ClearPath added Jonika Rathi as a Policy Fellow. She will assist the policy team with data analysis and modeling. Welcome, Jonika!
- Jonika recently graduated with a Masters in Public Policy and Management with a concentration in Data Analysis from Carnegie Mellon University.
- She has previously worked as a Consultant at the World Bank and has experience in the non-profit sector.
“Jonika brings crucial data analysis experience to our team that will help develop our research capacity,” said Spencer Nelson, Managing Director of Research. “We are excited to work with her to incorporate energy systems modeling approaches over the coming months.”
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4. CDR startups selected for $925 million Frontier Fund
The Frontier Fund, a $925 million carbon dioxide removal (CDR) effort headed by Stripe and other investors, has selected its first six funding recipients:
- American startups Travertine and Lithos Carbon are finding ways to speed up natural mineral weathering processes that capture carbon from the air;
- American startup Living Carbon is researching and developing synthetic algae to capture carbon; and
- Australian startup AspiraDAC, Israeli startup RepAir, and U.K.-based project Calcite-Origen are working on direct air capture (DAC).
The Frontier Fund will select another group of funding recipients this fall.
What's clear: It’s safe to say that CDR has caught the attention of both the public and private sectors – the latest report from the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change called for a global buildout of CDR capacity.
Plug in: Our carbon dioxide removal (CDR) policy page discusses DAC and other exciting CDR technologies in depth.
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5. Bill to accelerate carbon sequestration permitting for Class VI wells
Rep. David McKinley (R-WV) introduced the Well Primacy Certainty Act, a bill to accelerate the permitting process for Class VI carbon sequestration wells.
The Well Primacy Certainty Act would:
- Establish a 90-day timeline for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to consider states’ applications for primacy; and
- Streamline EPA’s ability to review states’ applications.
What's clear: While the U.S. has plenty of available storage resources, we can only capture and reduce carbon emissions as fast as we can permit the projects. It is crucial that states are able to receive Class VI primacy as quickly as possible.
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6. ICYMI
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