Distributed Energy Resources, GHG Emissions, Sourcing Renewables  -  November 26, 2022

Weekend Reads: Good COP, Bad COP; The U.S. Heavy Duty Goal for 2040

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

The good and bad news for the planet after the latest UN climate talks (Vox)  The latest round of United Nations climate talks closed in the early morning hours on Sunday, November 20 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, overshooting their Friday deadline but finally reaching an agreement on the thorniest outstanding issue: paying for climate change damages. The meeting, known as COP27, ended with an agreement to create a fund to compensate less wealthy countries already suffering destruction stemming from rising average temperatures. 

COP27 ends with announcement of historic loss and damage fund (UN Environment Programme)  In negotiations that went down to the wire over the weekend, countries reached a historic decision to establish and operationalize a loss and damage fund, particularly for nations most vulnerable to the climate crisis. The agreement was struck early Sunday morning as leaders concluded talks at the two-week-long United Nations Climate Conference (COP27). While many details remain to be negotiated, the fund is expected to see developing countries particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of the climate crisis supported for losses arising from droughts, floods, rising seas and other disasters that are attributed to climate change. 

From EV school buses to tractors, US seeks zero-emission heavy-duty transport by 2040 (Electrek)  The US has just joined the global drive to achieve 100% zero-emission truck and bus sales by 2040. By signing the nonbinding memorandum of understanding (MOU), the US establishes a clear path for heavy- and medium-duty vehicles, from EV school buses to tractors, to generate zero emissions. “We have to work together across oceans and borders to meet our clean energy goals,” US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm stated as she agreed to sign the MOU at the 2022 UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt.

Speeding up clean energy build-out could lessen the impacts of related emissions: study (The Hill)  Building green energy facilities may generate substantial carbon emissions, but speedy construction could negate most of these negative effects, a new study has found. The construction of wind turbines, solar panels and other infrastructure comes with a price: consumption of the same fossil fuels that they are replacing, the study authors wrote. But a rapid scale-up of these technologies could help emissions dramatically decrease, according to the research, published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Republicans will soon control the House. Is a repeal of the Inflation Reduction Act likely? (Utility Dive)  Advocates of renewable energy began the 2022 election season with an unprecedented wave of optimism. The Inflation Reduction Act promised, at long last, to end the boom-and-bust cycle of fluctuating demand for renewable energy based on tax credit expiration dates and to bring long-term stability to wind and solar development. Enter the midterms and candidate promises to repeal the Democrats’ “latest price-hike bill ... on DAY ONE.”
 

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