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Battery energy storage is a growing source of electricity

Sep 5, 2024
Using stored renewable energy can help the grid — and be profitable for battery operators — especially when electricity demand is high.
A solar power and battery energy storage system in Daggett, California.
Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Halfway through 2024, is the global power sector on track for lower emissions?

Jul 2, 2024
Emissions worldwide hit a record high last year. But at the same time, more renewables have been coming on line.
A variety of energy sources will be key to sustainably lowering emissions and keeping them low, says Melissa Lott of Columbia University’s Climate School.
Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Offshore wind industry hammered by inflation, interest rates

Jun 17, 2024
Economics has frustrated efforts to expand the turbine fleet and meet clean energy goals. But the industry is adjusting.
Michael Brown, a wind energy executive, says construction plans are becoming more flexible after the disruptions of the last few years. Above, a crane loads turbine blades onto a barge at a Massachusetts port.
Daniel Ackerman/Marketplace

"Green bank" funding could help renewables be more profitable for investors

Apr 5, 2024
The government will route $20 billion through community lenders and nonprofits that are geared to clean energy and climate solutions.
The hope behind green bank grants is that government backing will mobilize private investment in climate-friendly projects.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Alaska has "gobs and gobs" of natural gas, but still may need to import it

Mar 20, 2024
It’s one thing to have plenty of gas available in the ground. But in a state as big as Alaska, it’s another thing to get the gas to where people can use it.
Enstar Natural Gas President John Sims explains how pipes and machinery pump natural gas into underground reservoirs at this Kenai, Alaska, facility, where it's stored for later.
Riley Board

Geothermal energy could be on its way to Chicago’s South Side

Mar 19, 2024
The key to building out the low-carbon energy source could be the city’s trademark alleys.
Retta Ford, left, and daughter Debra Gay attend a community meeting about geothermal power. Ford asked whether the project could affect the foundations of homes.
Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco/WBEZ
Coal has increasingly been replaced by alternative fuel sources, like natural gas and renewables.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

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To put more renewable power to use, utilities are doubling down on battery storage

Jan 16, 2024
Giant batteries can extend the reach of wind and solar power — which accounted for 22% of electricity generated last year, the EIA says.
Rows of lithium ion batteries that store renewable energy. The EIA expects utility battery storage to nearly double by the end of 2024.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

As one new offshore wind project is approved, two others are canceled — for now

Nov 2, 2023
More offshore wind projects are being approved, but many are also running into economic and logistical challenges.
An offshore wind farm off the coast of Block Island, Rhode Island.
John Moore/Getty Images

As weather gets less predictable, hydropower dams look to new forecasting techniques

Oct 24, 2023
"Forecast-informed reservoir operations" may help planners deal more effectively with flood or drought conditions.
Dams were built during a much different climate regime from the conditions we're experiencing and expecting. Operators of the facilities are seeking ways to adapt.
Lars Hagberg/AFP via Getty Images