– By Kiran Julin and Bentham Paulos
Concerns about climate change are driving a growing number of states, utilities, and corporations to set the goal of zeroing out power-sector carbon emissions. To date 17 states plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico have adopted laws or executive orders to achieve 100% carbon-free electricity in the next couple of decades. Additionally, 46 U.S. utilities have pledged to go carbon free no later than 2050. Altogether, these goals cover about half of the U.S. population and economy.
These are ambitious targets, but a new look at the past 15 years in the electricity sector shows that large reductions in emissions are possible.
By Galen Barbose, Eric O’Shaughnessy and Ryan Wiser, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Until recently, rooftop solar panels were a clean energy technology that only wealthy Americans could afford. But prices have dropped, thanks mostly to falling costs for hardware, as well as price declines for installation and other “soft” costs.
Today hundreds of thousands of middle-class households across the U.S. are turning to solar power. But households with incomes below the median for their areas remain less likely to go solar. These low- and moderate-income households face several roadblocks to solar adoption, including cash constraints, low rates of home ownership and language barriers.
Until recently, rooftop solar panels were a clean energy technology that only wealthy Americans could afford. But prices have dropped, thanks mostly to falling costs for hardware, as well as price declines for installation and other “soft” costs.
Today hundreds of thousands of middle-class households across the U.S. are turning to solar power. But households with incomes below the median for their areas remain less likely to go solar. These low- and moderate-income households face several roadblocks to solar adoption, including cash constraints, low rates of home ownership and language barriers.
Our team of researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory examined how various policies and business models could affect the likelihood of people at all income levels adopting solar. In a recently published study, we analyzed five common solar policies and business models to see whether they attracted lower-income households.
Cheaper solar power means low-income families can also benefit – with the right kind of help yahoo.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from yahoo.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Governors Wind Energy Coalition
Solar vs. wind: Federal study finds a winner Source: By Peter Behr, E&E News reporter • Posted: Wednesday, December 9, 2020
A new report from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory finds that solar has gained ground on wind and natural gas in terms of projects seeking approval to connect to the grid. Oregon Department of Transportation/Flickr
The competition between wind and solar power in the United States is breaking decisively in solar’s favor, according to a new report from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Wind power is still the dominant renewable energy source nationwide. New wind turbine plants added 9,000 megawatts of generation capacity in the United States last year to bring the total to 106,000 MW, versus 6,000 MW in new utility-scale solar plants, making that total 29,000 MW, the report said.