Chris Wright, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice as secretary of Energy, told senators Wednesday he supports expanding and strengthening the U.S. transmission system, signaling his willingness to add one of President Joe Biden’s top energy goals to the Trump agenda. At his confirmation hearing, Wright — a self-styled science geek turned energy entrepreneur — steered carefully...
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Chris Wright Is on a Mission to Improve Lives
As President-elect Trump assembles his cabinet and senior staff, there are familiar names that Americans have come to know over the years. Names like Elon Musk, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Florida Senator Marco Rubio, and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum. And then there is Chris Wright, perhaps the least recognizable name on the President’s team...
Google signs deal to buy carbon removal credits from Indian farms
Google will buy carbon credits from an Indian initiative that turns large amounts of agricultural waste into biochar – a form of charcoal that removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and returns it to the soil, it said on Thursday. The deal – signed by Google and Indian supplier Varaha – is one of the biggest...
US DOE Invests $32 Million for Grid-Edge Technology and Smart Charge Management
Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $32 million for six selected pilot projects that will support new load growth through grid-edge innovations and the ability of energy providers to right-size grid investments for future load growth. These Connected Communities projects in eight states will also provide new strategies and tools for utilities, grid...
The Glasgow Declaration, Four Years In
Four years ago in Glasgow, the world's governments and automakers committed to ending sales of gas-burning vehicles in leading markets by 2035. That deadline is now a decade away: let’s check in on how it’s going.
Offshore Oil & Gas Drilling Ban Is Totally Misguided
With only two weeks left in his presidency, Biden has decided to maintain his legacy of repeated attacks on the fossil fuel industry, by issuing a sweeping ban of future drilling along the East and West Coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and the Alaskan Coast. Roughly 625 million acres are now off limits, the size of which is larger than...
How insurance innovation could unlock billions for nature-based climate solutions
With some 55% of the world’s GDP either moderately or heavily dependent on nature, according to PwC, opens new tab, much more finance needs to flow away from activities that harm nature towards activities that support it. Indeed, the U.N. Environment Programme estimates , opens new tabthat annual investments in nature-based solutions (NbS) need to increase from $200...
Re-X Before Recycling Prize To Extend the Lifetimes of Manufactured Products
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO) today announced the Phase 2 winners of the Re-X Before Recycling Prize, a competition to identify, prepare, and develop innovative ways to extend the lifetimes of products or parts via reusing, repairing, refurbishing, remanufacturing, or repurposing (“Re-X”) before pursuing recycling. From home goods...
Argonne’s nuclear energy research drives innovation in Gen-IV reactor safety and efficiency
All U.S. nuclear reactors, which currently provide more than half of the nation’s carbon-free power, are first- or second-generation light water reactors. This means they use water as both a coolant and neutron moderator to control the nuclear reaction and produce useful electricity. However, the growing need for more clean energy is prompting scientific experts,...
A Different Approach to Permitting Reform
Permitting reform must continue to be a priority. The latest proposal was a modest but important step. If enacted, it would have accelerated leasing of federal lands for every form of energy production, made it easier to build electricity transmission lines, and expedited the judicial review of all those actions. But it would still have...