Weekend Reads: Renewables Persist in the US; Harvard Law on Corporate Climate Commitments - Smart Energy Decisions

Energy Efficiency, GHG Emissions, Regulation, Solar  -  February 15, 2025

Weekend Reads: Renewables Persist in the US; Harvard Law on Corporate Climate Commitments

It's the weekend! Kick back and catch up with these must-read articles from around the web:

Falling costs drive US toward green energy — even as political tides shift (The Hill)  The U.S. is barreling toward an energy transition as renewables — especially solar — become ever-cheaper sources of energy. Renewables and natural gas have been gaining while coal has declined for years, but the trends have accelerated since the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Democrats’ climate, tax and health care bill, passed in 2022 with massive subsidies for renewables.

Existing US grid can handle ‘significant’ new flexible load: report (Utility Dive)  The existing U.S. grid can handle significant new loads, such as data centers, factories and electric vehicles, as long as they can be curtailed when the electric system is stressed, according to a report released Tuesday by the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability at Duke University.

WEBINAR | 2025 State of Corporate Sustainability: Operating buildings with efficiency and sustainability at the forefront (Atrius) The Annual State of Corporate Sustainability Report takes a deep dive into understanding the biggest drivers, motivators, and challenges facing professionals dedicated to making our built environment more sustainable. This year’s findings showed that both energy and sustainability professionals have critical roles to play in optimizing your strategies and building data. In this webinar, we’ll review key findings from the report from the perspective of our expert panelists. REGISTER HERE

Why not put Michigan solar farms on parking lots instead of farmland? (Bridge Michigan)  Not too long ago, scores of Michigan State University students began winter weekends by digging their cars out of snowdrifts at the school’s commuter lots, while breathing soot from a coal-fired power plant across the street. Those days are over, thanks to 45 acres of solar-powered carports that now protect vehicles from the elements while producing clean energy that has helped MSU ditch coal in pursuit of a greener future. The carports won awards for showing that renewable energy doesn’t always have to gobble up lots of open space. But seven years later, campus officials aren’t eyeing more parking lots to expand their solar portfolio. Like many renewable energy developers, they’re looking to farmland.

Industrial heat: An overlooked piece in the decarbonization puzzle (WebWire)  This article highlights the importance of and key barriers to industrial process heat decarbonization. By examining the best practices of policy approaches to industrial process heat decarbonization, we emphasize how value chain collaboration amongst businesses and targeted policy support are key to drive meaningful change and ensure industrial process heat is no longer the missing piece of the decarbonization puzzle.

Corporate climate commitments: Empty promises or profit-driven strategy? (Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance)  The surge of corporate climate pledges worldwide raises a fundamental question: Are these commitments the latest incarnation of cheap talk and greenwashing, or could they meaningfully accelerate decarbonization, even if firms are purely profit-driven? The 2015 Paris Agreement marked a turning point in climate negotiations, with nearly 200 nations committing to achieve “Net Zero” greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. 

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