All Knowledge & Insights By Date

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...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on November 4, 2022, that it will hold the first of a two-part webinar series on November 17, 2022, on EPA’s new standardized process to assess risk and apply mitigation measures, as appropriate, for mixed metal oxides (MMO), including new and modified cathode active materials (CAM). As reported in our October 11, 2022, memorandum, in October 2022, EPA announced an innovative effort intended to help make its review of new MMOs,...

By Lynn L. Bergeson  On January 11, 2022, Michigan State Senator Kevin Daley (R, 31st Senate District) introduced a bill focused on growing alternative fuel production in Michigan and providing cleaner and cheaper options for Michigan drivers using biofuels produced with renewable energy from Michigan farms. Senator Daley highlighted that “Biofuels are a major economic engine for rural communities across Michigan, and they help position our state to rely less on foreign...

By Lynn L. Bergeson  On January 13, 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), in collaboration with the Algae Foundation and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, opened the AlgaePrize competition for high school through graduate students in the United States. This new prize focuses on the development, design, and invention of algal technologies to help reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions through algae commercialization. During the...

By Lynn L. Bergeson   On June 15, 2021, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) announced that it will host a webinar with EERE’s Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) for Renewable Power, Alejandro Moreno, on June 17, 2021, at 4:00 p.m. (EDT). The one-hour webinar will cover activities, programs, and initiatives proposed in EERE’s budget request. EERE requested $4.7 billion in an effort to lead the transition of the...

By  Lynn L. Bergeson and Ligia Duarte Botelho, M.A. On April 27, 2021, DOE’s Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) issued a Federal Agency Call (FAC) titled “Assisting Federal Facilities with Energy Conservation Technologies (AFFECT 2021),” soliciting $13 million for new energy projects that will help federal facilities to improve the efficiency of their operations and reduce their carbon footprints.  These efforts come with the hope that DOE will...

By  Lynn L. Bergeson and Ligia Duarte Botelho, M.A. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) researchers are leading analyses of recycling, repairing, and reusing solar photovoltaic (PV) installations in support of NREL’s mission to incentivize a circular economy for energy materials.  According to NREL, the increase in the installation of PV systems is leading to environmental and supply chain concerns because the technology relies on imports and mining of raw...