The present study finds that by including the co-optimization of the distribution system, the contiguous United States could spend $473 billion less on cleaning the electricity system by 95% by 2050 and add over 8 million new jobs. The clean electricity system is even cheaper than BAU, without distribution co-optimization to the tune of $88 billion. The findings suggest that local solar and storage can amplified utility-scale wind and solar as well as provide economic stimulus to all regions across the contiguous US. The study finds that wind, solar, storage and transmission can be complements to each other to help reduce the cost to decarbonize the electricity system. Transmission provides spatial diversity, storage provides temporal diversity, and the wind and solar provide the low-cost, emission-free generation. Further, the distributed solar and storage provide local back-up and diversity for consumers to be able to purchase their electricity product without significant alterations to their behavior: in other words, the distributed solar and storage alters demand to supply, without the customers noticing. The study was produced by VCE, for the Coalition for Community Solar Access, Vote Solar, and Local Solar For All. Vibrant Clean Energy, LLC performed all the modeling using the WIS:dom®-P model with nationally recognized publicly available data and assumptions. The executive summary, slide deck white paper, summary spreadsheet, and a press release are provided (a full technical report will be released shortly). Technical documentation for the WIS:dom®-P model can be found here.

How can America get back to an energy transition that's good for the economy and the environment? That's the question at the heart of this eye-opening and richly informative dissection of the Trump administration's energy policy. The policy was ardently pro-fossil fuel and ferociously anti-regulation, implemented by manipulating science and economic analysis, putting oil and gas insiders at the helm of environmental agencies, and hacking away at democratic norms that once enjoyed bipartisan support. The impacts on the nation's health, economy, and environment were - as this book carefully demonstrates - dire. But the damage can be reversed. Ordinary Americans, civil society groups, environmental professionals, and politicians at every level all have parts to play in making sure the needed energy transition leaves no one behind. This compelling book will appeal to course instructors and students, government and industry officials, activists and journalists, and everyone concerned about the nation's future.

The Routledge Handbook of Energy Transitions draws upon a unique and multidisciplinary network of experts from around the world to explore the expanding field of energy transitions. This Handbook recognizes that considerable changes are underway or are being developed for the modes in which energy is sourced, delivered, and utilized. Employing a sociotechnical approach that accounts for economics and engineering, as well as more cross-cutting factors, including innovation, policy and planning, and management, the volume considers contemporary ideas and practices that characterize the field. The book explores pressing issues, including choices about infrastructure, the role of food systems and materials, sustainability, and energy democracy. Disruption is a core theme throughout, with the authors examining topics such as digitalization, extreme weather, and COVID-19, along with regional similarities and differences. Overall, the Routledge Handbook of Energy Transitions advances the field of energy transitions by connecting ideas, taking stock of empirical insights, and challenging how we think about the theory and practice of energy systems change. This innovative volume functions as an authoritative roadmap with both regional and global relevance. It will be an essential resource for students, policymakers, researchers, and practitioners researching and working in the fields of energy transitions, planning, environmental management and policy, sustainable business, engineering, science and technology studies, political science, geography, design anthropology, and environmental justice. “With the exception of Chapter 26, no part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.” Chapter 26 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons [Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND)] 4.0 license.

The 4Ds of Energy Transition Enables readers to understand technology-driven approaches that address the challenges of today’s energy scenario and the shift towards sustainable energy transition This book provides a comprehensive account of the characteristics of energy transition, covering the latest advancements, trends, and practices around the topic. It charts the path to global energy sustainability based on existing technology by focusing on the four dynamic approaches of decarbonization, decreasing use, decentralization, and digitalization, plus the important technical, economic, social and policy perspectives surrounding those approaches. Each technology is demonstrated with an introduction and a set of specific chapters. The work appropriately incorporates up-to-date data, case studies, and comparative assessments to further aid in reader comprehension. Sample topics discussed within the work by key thinkers and researchers in the broader fields of energy include: Renewable energy and sustainable energy future Decarbonization in energy sector Hydrogen and fuel cells Electric mobility and sustainable transportation Energy conservation and management Distributed and off-grid generation, energy storage, and batteries Digitalization in energy sector; smart meters, smart grids, blockchain This book is an ideal professional resource for engineers, academics, and policy makers working in areas related to the development of energy solutions.

Solar energy is a substantial global industry, one that has generated trade disputes among superpowers, threatened the solvency of large energy companies, and prompted serious reconsideration of electric utility regulation rooted in the 1930s. One of the biggest payoffs from solar’s success is not the clean inexpensive electricity it can produce, but the lessons it provides for innovation in other technologies needed to address climate change. Despite the large literature on solar, including analyses of increasingly detailed datasets, the question as to how solar became inexpensive and why it took so long still remains unanswered. Drawing on developments in the US, Japan, Germany, Australia, and China, this book provides a truly comprehensive and international explanation for how solar has become inexpensive. Understanding the reasons for solar’s success enables us to take full advantage of solar’s potential. It can also teach us how to support other low-carbon technologies with analogous properties, including small modular nuclear reactors and direct air capture. However, the urgency of addressing climate change means that a key challenge in applying the solar model is in finding ways to speed up innovation. Offering suggestions and policy recommendations for accelerated innovation is another key contribution of this book. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of energy technology and innovation, climate change and energy analysis and policy, as well as practitioners and policymakers working in the existing and emerging energy industries.

This study presents options to fully unlock the world’s vast solar PV potential over the period until 2050. It builds on IRENA’s global roadmap to scale up renewables and meet climate goals.

This is a must for those who are tired of power brownouts and blackouts, skyrocketing energy bills and the feeling that there is nothing we can do to help resolve these problems ourselves. Don't wait for utility bill sticker shock to worsen, or sit through another power outage or energy disruption. This new edition of the guide can help readers to seize their own destiny, become more self-reliant and use the available technology to make their homes more comfortable and their power bills more affordable. Two experts on solar energy have updated their classic guide for homeowners and businesses. Learn about numerous new products, proven reliable and effective, which are now available on the shelves of hardware stores, home supply centres and other outlets. The new edition includes updated information on solar energy tax credits and a host of new state programs supporting clean energy. The incentives total over $3 billion for clean energy installations, and the authors provide a quick guide to accessing these and other consumer benefits.

Shows readers how we can all help solve the climate crisis by focusing on a few key, achievable actions.

This paper updates estimates of fossil fuel subsidies, defined as fuel consumption times the gap between existing and efficient prices (i.e., prices warranted by supply costs, environmental costs, and revenue considerations), for 191 countries. Globally, subsidies remained large at $4.7 trillion (6.3 percent of global GDP) in 2015 and are projected at $5.2 trillion (6.5 percent of GDP) in 2017. The largest subsidizers in 2015 were China ($1.4 trillion), United States ($649 billion), Russia ($551 billion), European Union ($289 billion), and India ($209 billion). About three quarters of global subsidies are due to domestic factors—energy pricing reform thus remains largely in countries’ own national interest—while coal and petroleum together account for 85 percent of global subsidies. Efficient fossil fuel pricing in 2015 would have lowered global carbon emissions by 28 percent and fossil fuel air pollution deaths by 46 percent, and increased government revenue by 3.8 percent of GDP.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) launched its SunShot Initiative in 2011 to reduce the costs of utility-scale, commercial, and residential solar photovoltaic (PV) installations by 2020 (U.S. DOE, 2018). As of 2017, the DOE reached its goal for utility-scale solar PV to be cost competitive with conventional power resources, without the aid of subsidies and incentives, at $0.06 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), or $1 per watt ($/W) (U.S. DOE, 2018 ). In this 2010-2017 period, a quick drop in levelized costs from $0.28 to $0.06 per kWh and an increase of installed capacity from 3 gigawatts (0.1% of US electricity supply) to 47 gigawatts (1% of US electricity supply) is proof of the growth and expected further growth of solar PV technology (U.S. DOE, 2018). With a new SunShot target for 2030, this initiative seeks to cut the levelized costs, or the total costs of a solar PV system over its 30-year lifetime of production of energy, of utility-scale by an additional 50% to just $0.03/kWh, which would spur more solar PV installation growth and make it one of the most cost-effective electricity generation sources (U.S. DOE, 2018). The Tulalip Tribe of Snohomish County, Washington have shown continued interest in a utility-scale solar PV deployment on its Big Flats site despite low Western Washington solar resources. The costs and financial parameters associated with developing on the former superfund site presents extra costs and challenges that impacts the application of the SunShot Initiative’s goals of $1/W. These common extra engineering costs to ensure the superfund site continues functioning properly may be realized in the form of an added 25% to the total direct costs of a solar PV system (Olis, Salasovich, Mosey, & Victoria, 2013). As well, a $1 million grid interconnection fee may reasonably be expected to occur as the site does not have a substation and the nearby transmission lines may be inadequate to support a utility-scale solar PV system (Olis et al, 2013). Systematic Analysis Model (SAM), a cost and performance model developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), was used to estimate preliminarily the levelized costs of electricity, or LCOE, which is a common metric to assess the economic viability of an energy development. SAM estimated the LCOE for 1 megawatt (MW), 2MW, 3MW, and 4MW installation sizes, and then compared those to the necessary contracted power purchase agreement (PPA) prices. These prices are essential for all utility-scale energy projects that connect to the local electrical utility’s grid and are the price the energy developer must sell its produced energy system at to break even or earn a profit. In general, a project with a LCOE estimate equal to or less than the potential PPA contract price agreed upon by the energy producer and the energy purchaser, or utility, is considered economically viable. SAM not only produced these estimates but also produced their corresponding cash flows, internal rates of return (IRRs), and net present values. The Tulalip Tribes were assumed to select an equity flip financial structure, where an equity tax investor and the tribe share the ownership of the solar PV project and the federal investment tax incentives are accessed. The PPA prices between the Tulalip Tribes and the Snohomish County Public Utility District No.1 (SNO PUD) for each MW size were simulated in SAM until the LCOE estimates were less than the PPA prices, and the IRRs and net present values for the equity tax investor were acceptable to ensure an investor would be found for the project.. Yet, none of the sizes resulted in a realistic PPA price (around $0.10/kWh) or positive net present values and attractive IRRs for the Tulalip Tribes. These unrealistic PPA prices have the potential to become more attainable through negotiations between the Tulalip Tribes and the SNO PUD and the implementation of renewable energy credit (REC) values. If the Tulalip Tribes would be willing to accept low net present values and IRRs for the solar PV project, then the 3MW and 4MW system sizes appear to be the most economically viable among the options with PPA prices of $0.14/kWh and $0.13/kWh respectively. Importantly, the net capital costs were assumed to be paid in cash or through grants by the Tulalip Tribe which rely on the tribe’s ability to qualify for certain state and local programs. In conclusion, the economic viability of a solar PV installation on Big Flats depends on how the SNO PUD chooses to prioritize its energy supply mix, assess the costs and benefits of renewables versus conventional energy sources, and meet state renewable energy compliance laws for the years 2020 and 2021.