August 20, 2022

Weekend Reads: The Climate Bill Can Save You Money; How Bill Gates Pushed for Federal Climate Action

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

Inflation Reduction Act’s 10-year tax credits set to boost wind sector, DOE’s Granholm says (Utility Dive) The Department of Energy released a report Tuesday indicating onshore wind farm annual additions would likely dip this year and next year from the 13.4 GW that were installed in 2021, partly because of the expiration of federal tax credits for wind. That forecast, however, was shredded when President Joe Biden on the same day signed the Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA, which includes 10-year extensions and expansions of clean energy tax credits. On average, analysts expected wind additions to fall to about 11 GW this year and 7 GW in 2023 before increasing to 9 GW the following year, according to the report, which was drafted before the IRA was unveiled in late July.

Bill Gates and the Secret Push to Save Biden’s Climate Bill (Bloomberg) It was the middle of July — with temperatures surging through one of the hottest summers in US history, half of the country in drought — and the Senate’s all-important member, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, had slammed the brakes on legislation to combat global warming. Again. That’s when billionaire philanthropist and clean-energy investor Bill Gates got on the phone with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, whose job it was to hold together the Democrats’ no-vote-to-spare majority.

Webinar: Delivering Sustainable Energy as a Service as the first step towards net zero goals (Metrus Energy) Wednesday, August 24, 2022. 2:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time. Transitioning to a sustainable, low-carbon future requires creativity, collaboration, and action. And that action requires access to the kind of financial and technical resources that enable businesses to take on large-scale, meaningful projects. Metrus Energy is putting their deep financial and technical knowledge to good use by knocking down barriers to ambitious sustainability projects and providing companies with the resources and partnerships they need to meet their decarbonization and other sustainability goals while saving money — all with zero upfront cost or risk. After the panel discussion participants will understand a new way to implement comprehensive, multi-measure energy and water efficiency upgrades moving them closer to achieving their carbon reduction goals. REGISTER HERE

This climate action tracker shows what we’re doing right - and wrong - on the road to net-zero emissions (World Economic Forum) Is the world making progress on tackling climate change? Or is it stalling? A new climate action tracker tool hopes to answer this question. The Speed & Scale Tracker shows achievements and setbacks on global goals to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 – and get halfway there by 2030. It includes how we’re doing – or not – on cutting emissions in areas like transport, heating, food and industry. The Speed & Scale Tracker is based on the 2021 book, Speed & Scale by John Doerr, an engineer and chair of American venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins, and Ryan Panchadsaram, a former technology adviser to President Obama.

How the Huge New US Climate Bill Will Save You Money (WIRED) Today President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, a massive bill that represents the biggest investment in climate action in US history. It puts nearly $400 billion toward promoting domestic production of clean energy technology and generally retrofitting America to survive climate change. If all goes to plan, the act would slash US emissions by 40 percent by the year 2030. In the immortal words of Uncle Sam, the bill screams: “I Want You” … to fight a war against climate change. The bill is packed with tax credits and rebates for Americans to buy electric vehicles (EVs), install heat pumps and better insulation, and slap solar panels on their roofs. We’re talking thousands upon thousands of dollars per household.

11 Countries Leading the Charge on Renewable Energy (Climate Council) The need for a swift transition to renewable energy is more urgent than ever. Climate change, driven by the burning coal, oil and gas, is already wreaking havoc on communities, economies and ecosystems right around the world. The easiest, quickest and most effective way of driving down greenhouse gas emissions and giving ourselves the best chance of kicking climate change’s butt is by moving to an energy system based on renewables and storage. Here are some inspiring countries that are using clever combinations of renewable resources and efficient, targeted policies to drive down their emissions.

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