Offshore wind: a perfect storm of inflation and policy uncertainty risks derailing the UK's main hope for a low-carbon future

The government wants offshore wind to form the backbone of the UK’s future electricity system – but a key auction has delivered no new projects.

Phil McNally, Research Fellow in Electricity Markets, UCL • conversation
Sept. 25, 2023 ~7 min

How California's ambitious new climate plan could help speed energy transformation around the world

California is one of the world’s largest economies, and it’s aiming for net-zero emissions by 2045. A transportation expert involved in the plan explains why it just might succeed.

Daniel Sperling, Distinguished Blue Planet Prize Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Founding Director, Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Davis • conversation
Jan. 26, 2023 ~13 min


How do floating wind turbines work? 5 companies just won the first US leases for building them off California's coast

Some of the most powerful offshore wind is over water too deep for a standard wind turbine. Engineers found a way around the problem.

Matthew Lackner, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, UMass Amherst • conversation
Dec. 8, 2022 ~7 min

How do floating wind turbines work? With 5 companies winning the first US leases to build wind farms off California's coast, let's take a look

Some of the most powerful offshore wind is over water too deep for a standard wind turbine. Engineers found a way around the problem.

Matthew Lackner, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, UMass Amherst • conversation
Dec. 8, 2022 ~7 min

Big new incentives for clean energy aren't enough – the Inflation Reduction Act was just the first step, now the hard work begins

To put the $370 billion in subsidies to work, the US needs to build new infrastructure and manage a lot of regulatory hurdles.

Daniel Cohan, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University • conversation
Aug. 19, 2022 ~9 min

Who benefits from renewable energy subsidies? In Texas, it's often fossil fuel companies that are fighting clean energy elsewhere

While Congress considers new renewable energy incentives, Texas’ sprawling wind farms tell a story about renewable energy ownership in the US – and who benefits from subsidies.

Isabella Steinhauer, Master of Public Affairs Candidate and Graduate Research Assistant, The University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal Arts • conversation
Aug. 4, 2022 ~9 min

3 reasons US coal power is disappearing – and a Supreme Court ruling won’t save it

An economist explains coal power’s rise and fall in charts.

Rebecca J. Davis, Assistant Professor of Economics and Finance, Stephen F. Austin State University • conversation
July 26, 2022 ~7 min

How not to solve the climate change problem

The costs of three frequently touted solutions – tree planting, carbon capture and geoengineering – would be astronomical to make even a tiny dent in the carbon accumulated in the atmosphere.

Kevin Trenberth, Distinguished Scholar, NCAR; Affiliated Faculty, University of Auckland • conversation
July 20, 2022 ~10 min


Here's how to meet Biden's 2030 climate goals and dramatically cut greenhouse gas emissions – with today's technology

The road map for a more sustainable future starts with clean energy and fossil-fuel-free transportation.

John Reilly, Co-Director Emeritus of the MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change, Senior Lecturer Emeritus at the MIT Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) • conversation
June 21, 2022 ~7 min

New Englanders support more offshore wind power – just don’t send it to New York

The regionalism that fuels the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry is also found in U.S. attitudes about energy production, a new study shows. That could have repercussions for the renewable energy transition.

Michael Ferguson, Assistant Professor in Recreation Management and Policy, University of New Hampshire • conversation
April 29, 2022 ~7 min

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