President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees signal a sharp turn toward fossil fuel expansion and climate deregulation. Key figures, including fracking executive Chris Wright f
Building an interactive web mapping tool to support distributed energy resource planning using public participation GIS
Community solar projects include the building of huge photovoltaic (PV) systems, the net outputs of which are subsequently allocated to consumers in other areas. They offer a relatively new kind of distributed energy resource (DER) deployment that has the potential to overcome certain historical hurdles to low-income, disadvantaged community, and renter household involvement in the renewable energy revolution. However, locating community solar assets is a geographical issue that is related to past patterns of energy infrastructure investment, local urban growth, and community socio-demographic change. To create a more fair energy system, planning tools that better coordinate individual property owners' DER adoption choices with grid operators will be required. The Community Solar Opportunities Map (CSOM) is a GIS application for locating and selecting community solar installations in Los Angeles County, California. The tool reveals significant factors related to technical and administrative restrictions on community solar site selection. The tool was designed in collaboration with a collection of local community-based groups using a public participation GIS method. Local grid connectivity capacity are a key development limitation, according to an analysis of the tool's underlying data layers. The CSOM tool is a paradigm for increased information sharing among key players participating in community solar development.
A $200 billion surge in liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects could release greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the annual emissions of all global coal plants, raising significa
During his final overseas trip as president, Joe Biden highlighted the Lobito Corridor, an 800-mile U.S.-funded railway project in Angola connecting critical mineral-rich regions
Startups like Still Bright, Ceibo, and Jetti Resources are developing cleaner copper extraction technologies to meet surging demand driven by the energy transition. Innovations in
Long-duration energy storage (LDES) technologies, such as pumped hydropower and underground compressed air storage, are emerging as solutions to store renewable energy for extende
The Midwest Hydrogen Hub, spanning Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, and Michigan, has received $22.2 million as part of a $1 billion federal investment to expand clean hydrogen production
A new study reveals that air pollution from wildfires causes 1.5 million deaths annually, with over 90% of fatalities occurring in low- and middle-income countries, particularly i
A report from the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) reveals systemic racial bias in home appraisals has cost Black Americans $150 billion in home equity. Homes i
Community Church Atlanta transformed its Vicars Community Center into the city's first community-owned resilience hub, funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Equipped with
Michigan's Public Service Commission faces a lawsuit from about 80 townships and counties challenging its implementation of a new law, Public Act 233, which expedites permitting f
The fifth and potentially final round of U.N. plastic treaty negotiations (INC-5) in Busan, South Korea, centers on whether to impose global caps on plastic production. Advocates,
Highways in the Twin Cities have perpetuated environmental and social inequities, disproportionately affecting urban communities. Black residents were displaced during their const
Ahead of President-elect Trump’s inauguration, the Biden administration is fast-tracking clean energy investments. The Department of Energy announced nearly $12 billion in loans,
COP29 approved controversial rules for international carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, enabling countries to trade emissions reductions. Critics argue the gui
COP29 concluded in Baku with a contentious climate finance agreement that left many nations dissatisfied. The deal commits wealthy countries to lead efforts to triple climate aid