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Read Part 1: We Need Another Hero: Fossil Fuels Versus Renewable Energy Production -- Which Is the Alternative? (Part 1) Energy diversification cannot happen without substantial -- and well thought-out -- infrastructure investment. Electric vehicle (EV) adoption, industrial electrification, artificial intelligence (AI) data center expansion, and advanced manufacturing all require enormous amounts of reliable electricity and transmission capacity. Recognizing this challenge, the Biden...

For decades, energy policy debates in the United States have largely centered on a familiar tension: economic growth versus environmental protection. Today, however, that framing increasingly feels incomplete. Around the world, the transition toward electrification, advanced energy infrastructure, and diversified power systems are no longer being driven solely by desires to protect the planet. It is increasingly being driven by economics, industrial competitiveness, national security, and...

Escalating tensions between the United States and Iran are reverberating far beyond the immediate theater of armed conflict. Energy markets have responded quickly, with oil and gas prices rising amid concerns over supply disruptions in the Middle East. But as recent commentary underscores, this moment is not simply another geopolitical flashpoint. It reflects a deeper structural reality: the global economy is caught in a molting phase of an incomplete energy transition. Against this backdrop,...

In recent weeks, the Trump Administration has taken a series of actions to curtail federal support for offshore wind development. The most visible step was the U.S. Department of Transportation’s cancellation of roughly $679 million in funding for 12 offshore wind projects across 11 states. In addition, the Administration halted construction of the nearly complete $4 billion Revolution Wind project serving Rhode Island and Connecticut, citing national security concerns. An earlier executive...

By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton   On October 28, 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBCS) and Rural Utilities Service (RUS) announced a request for information (RFI) and notice of public listening sessions on how to implement newly allocated funding opportunities under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). 87 Fed. Reg. 65188. It is anticipated that these funds will support new projects related to rural electric system resiliency,...

By Lynn L. Bergeson and Ligia Duarte Botelho, M.A. On September 30, 2021, DOE announced the launch of a new prize that will award up to $2.5 million in cash prizes to ten groups and organizations that support entrepreneurship and innovation in historically underserved communities. The Inclusive Energy Innovation Prize acknowledges that underserved populations have been and continue to be more susceptible to the negative impact of climate change, global warming, and pollution....

By Lynn L. Bergeson and Ligia Duarte Botelho, M.A. On March 1, 2021, U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) announced the American Jobs in Energy Manufacturing Act of 2021 (Act), which would incentivize domestic manufacturing of energy technologies by providing tax credits for domestic manufacturers in rural areas. The Act encourages the transition to cleaner energy by driving reinvestment into communities that have been most impacted by economic downturn....

By Lynn L. Bergeson and Ligia Duarte Botelho, M.A. On February 26, 2020, the city of Helsinki announced the opening of applications for the Helsinki Energy Challenge (HEC), which aims to address challenges associated with urban heating produced with coal. According to its press release, Helsinki is one of the leading cities in the transition toward a sustainable future. Its aim is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035. Currently, however, Helsinki needs solutions to meet its heat demand. Given...

By Lynn L. Bergeson On September 9, 2019, the House of Representatives returned to work after a six-week August recess and passed a package of energy-related bills. By a roll call vote of 295 to 114, the House approved a bill (H.R. 1768) that would extend the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act through 2024. The vote would keep alive an EPA program that takes older diesel-powered equipment off the market. House lawmakers also approved: H.R. 1420 to improve energy efficiency in federal buildings; H.R....

By Lauren M. Graham, Ph.D. On April 3, 2017, the European Environment Agency (EEA) announced the publication of the report titled “Renewable Energy in Europe 2017:  Recent Growth and Knock-On Effects,” which demonstrates that renewables have been a major contributor to the energy transition in Europe.  An analysis of the compound annual growth rate demonstrated that the use of biofuels in transport grew fastest between 2005 and 2014 at 18 percent per year. ...