Climate and Energy最新文献

Electric load in the US is surging, and it is expected to continue to grow at an exponential rate and require utility investment in new electric infrastructure. What is driving this growth? Several major energy trends, including increased industrial reshoring, data centers, and electrification of buildings and transportation. The result is rapid energy demand growth requiring the siting of new and expanded electric infrastructure.

Advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) has become the standard metering technology for electric utilities across the US, with over 128 million electric AMI meters deployed through 2023.¹ Additionally, millions of natural gas and water meters are being upgraded to AMI as technology has improved and the business case has become stronger. This technology allows utilities to collect meter reading data remotely while also offering various operational and customer benefits through the process automation and data AMI provides. Despite the stated benefits and steady proliferation of AMI, utilities have received criticism in recent years for their AMI deployments failing to deliver on the benefits projected through business cases and regulatory filings, leading to increased pressure from regulators and advocacy groups to prove the value of AMI.² As utilities across the country seek to deploy AMI successfully for the first time, evaluate ways to deliver more value from their existing AMI assets, or look to replace their aging AMI systems, it will be crucial that they take stock of the current state of AMI and avoid the common pitfalls of past deployments.

The Baku Climate Change Conference (referred to hereafter as COP29) was held in Baku, Azerbaijan in November (2024).¹ It was billed as the “Climate Finance COP” since, among other goals, it was to agree on an updated spending target: the New Collective Quantified Goal on climate finance (NCQG). The NCQG would replace the current goal for developed countries to mobilize $100 billion per year to aid developing countries between 2020 and 2025.

The successful education of energy professionals requires expanding their knowledge of energy innovations, resources, and supply chains. Energy education—including university degrees, professional certificates, and informal learning—benefits significantly from direct international experiences, such as case studies, site visits, and exchanges. This article outlines various approaches to international engagement for energy education and illustrates the concepts with several programs and exchanges between the US and Japan. It concludes by identifying the benefits of international engagement for energy education, including advancing energy knowledge, sustainability, and innovation; enhancing understanding of varying energy priorities and policies; encouraging more inclusive, adaptable, and sustainable energy solutions; and promoting creative thinking and interdisciplinary research aimed at equitable and sustainable energy transitions.

As the political environment in Washington DC changes on Monday, January 20, 2025, one of the previous administration's priorities will not change: the demand for electricity and the need for a safe, reliable electricity grid to meet growing demand.

Now in its fifth year in this publication, the Top Ten Resolutions for Energy Industry Executives continues to have no shortage of thoughts and examples on how the industry can rebuild the nation's energy systems to support customers and combat climate change. The 2025 list highlights industry areas requiring more attention and focus. We hope these thoughts and examples are considered while defining strategic and investment priorities for 2025.

As we look out at energy land in the coming year and decades, the dilemma of where natural gas fits within the industry is an ongoing soap opera. Presumably, some of the answers may be affected by changes in national leadership, but state policies and carbon-reduction plans are pretty aggressive. Meanwhile, in the East, growth in power demand is becoming a major issue, one that even non-energy people frequently discuss.

Consensus-based standards are increasingly crucial to support new technological advancements used by the energy industry and streamline the markets' business processes. The North American Energy Standards Board (NAESB) recently finalized its annual planning process for the wholesale and retail natural gas and electric markets. NAESB remains committed to addressing areas of priority identified by industry and to ensuring standards development meets evolving industry needs. Building on 2024 initiatives, during this upcoming year, NAESB has plans to continue work to support the emerging hydrogen market, address cybersecurity challenges, and enhance coordination between natural gas and electric markets.

The offshore wind (OSW) energy offers a promising technology for the global clean energy transition, with the potential to supply vast amounts of renewable power while driving economic growth and supporting climate goals. In 2023 alone, the global OSW industry saw a surge in capacity, adding 10.8 gigawatts (GW) of new projects, marking a significant 24 percent year-on-year increase.¹ This growth positioned 2023 as the second-best year in the industry's history, bringing the total installed global capacity to over 75 GW.² As climate change pressures mount, nations around the world are turning to OSW as a contributing solution to decarbonizing their energy systems and securing availability of energy supplies.

This is our second in a series of columns on data center problems. Our first column appeared in the November edition of this journal¹ — just before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) held its Technical Conference on “Co-Located Load” on November 1, 2024.² In this column, we report on the outcomes of that Technical Conference. We also draw attention to how a split-decision FERC Order that same day had the effect of erasing $12 Billion in common equity value for nuclear plant owners, both active and shuttered, who hopefully anticipate the co-location of hyperscale data centers at their sites. These events reinforce the perspective our column brought to bear in November — and which we expand upon here.