NREL Study Identifies Opportunities and Challenges of Achieving Goal of 100% Clean Electricity by 2035

What would it take to decarbonize the electric grid by 2035? A new report by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) examines the types of clean energy technologies and the scale and pace of deployment needed to achieve 100% clean electricity, or a net-zero power grid, in the United States by 2035. This would be a major steppingstone to economy-wide decarbonization by 2050.

The study, done in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and with funding support from the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), is an initial exploration of the transition to a 100% clean electricity power system by 2035. The study helps advance understanding of both the opportunities and challenges of achieving this ambitious goal.

NREL finds multiple pathways to 100% clean electricity that would produce significant benefits. The exact technology mix and costs will be determined by research and development (R&D), manufacturing, and infrastructure investment decisions over the next decade.

Learn more about energy analysis and grid modernization research.

SolarAPP+ from NREL Streamlines Solar Permitting 

More than half a million residential solar systems were installed in the United States in 2021, representing a 30% year-over-year uptick in installed solar capacity. This is great news for households looking to lower energy costs, but for the thousands of local jurisdictions responsible for permitting and inspecting each system to ensure code compliance, the flood of new projects can strain local capacity.

In response to these challenges, NREL developed the Solar Automated Permit Processing Plus (SolarAPP+) platform in collaboration with local governments, code development organizations, and industry stakeholders. SolarAPP+ automates the process and enables contractors to upload system specifications and get instant approval for code-compliant projects.

Since its launch in May 2021, SolarAPP+ has saved more than 3,000 staff hours while resulting in projects that are more likely to pass inspections and are completed on shorter timelines. Nearly 400 jurisdictions indicated interest in SolarAPP+, and 13 localities in Arizona and California processed more than 7,600 permits using the platform.

Learn more about the benefits of using SolarAPP+ in the SolarAPP+ Performance Review: 2021 Data.

DOE Finds Record Production and Job Growth in U.S. Wind Power Sector

U.S. wind energy continued to grow last year, providing low-cost clean energy to millions of Americans and supporting a record-breaking 120,000 jobs. Three annual market reports released by the DOE detail trends in wind development, technology, cost, and performance, including a treasure-trove of state-level and regional data.

Wind energy now provides over 50% of electricity in two states, and over 30% in three others. The U.S. distributed wind sector—which includes power from wind turbines installed near where the power will be used—consists of more than 89,000 wind turbines across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam. Eight states have set offshore wind energy procurement goals totaling 39 GW by 2040. 

Learn more, download the data, and find related blogs and video at Wind Market Reports: 2022 Edition.

On the Go: An On-Road Transportation Podcast with Clean Cities

Tune in to On the Go: An On-Road Transportation Podcast with Clean Cities to hear the latest insights on the transformation of our mobility systems. In the latest episode, “How to Put Community at the Heart of Transportation Projects,” social scientists from NREL discuss how community engagement can improve transportation projects, result in solutions designed for unique local needs, and help ensure projects have more equitable outcomes.

Check out episode “EV Charging Rapidly On the Rise in Oklahoma” to hear electric vehicle deployment experts talk about building Oklahoma’s charging network and share insights from the ChargeOK program. Ninety new DC fast and dual port level two stations resulted from this program, and in 2020 alone, charging ports increased by 122%.

Subscribe to On the Go through Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Spotify.

Pumped Storage Hydropower: A Key Part of Our Clean Energy Future

There’s a place on the Deerfield River, which runs from Vermont into Massachusetts, called Bear Swamp. Bear Swamp might be home to a few bears, but it’s also home to an incredible energy storage solution: pumped storage hydropower (PSH).

PSH facilities use water and gravity to create and store renewable energy. As the country adds more renewable energy to the power grid, moving closer to the Biden administration’s goals of a carbon-free power sector by 2035 and net-zero-emissions economy by 2050, that grid will need reliable energy storage. And PSH is nothing if not reliable.

Bear Swamp brought stable, well-paying jobs, energy, and recreation to rural Massachusetts towns. Today and tomorrow’s PSH technologies could offer those same benefits to far more communities across the United States, while supporting the 100% clean energy grid the country—and the world—needs.

Learn more about the PSH project. 

Modeling Exactly Where Distributed Energy Resources Could Provide the Most Value To the Grid

The value of distributed energy resources (DERs) to the grid depends on when and where a system generates power, also known as “locational value.” However, quantifying DER locational value has been difficult due to changing grid conditions and a lack of site-specific data.

NREL made a big leap forward by adding new data and capabilities to the Distributed Generation Market Demand (dGen) model. 

Are you looking for a partner to model and assess the future impacts of DERs in your location? Contact NREL's dGen team today to learn how they can customize the model for your needs.

Pathways to Healthy, Affordable, Decarbonized Housing: A State Scorecard

A first-of-its-kind scorecard from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) evaluates each state across 33 possible actions to reduce pollution and housing costs for residents through energy efficiency, electrification, and renewable energy investments.

Pathways to Healthy, Affordable, Decarbonized Housing: A State Scorecard evaluates states on policies such as incentives for low-income households to install solar panels, prioritizing health and safety repairs in home weatherization initiatives, and protecting customers behind on utility bills from shutoffs if they apply to participate in energy efficiency programs.

New Reports Highlight Best Practices of Combining Solar Energy and Agriculture

Two new reports from NREL highlight the potential for successfully and synergistically combining agriculture and solar photovoltaics (PV) technologies on the same land, a practice known as agrivoltaics. With ground-mounted solar deployment projected to triple by 2030, there will be many opportunities to increase agrivoltaic practices.

Learn more about agrivoltaics research on the InSPIRE website and through the AgriSolar Clearinghouse, which features videos, tutorials, and guides that address a wide range of topics.

Learn more about Solar Energy Technologies Office research into solar and agriculture co-location.

Three Places American Energy Consumers Are Using Local Wind Power

A new DOE report shows distributed wind energy—wind turbines that provide power for nearby consumers—is expanding across the nation, benefiting a wide range of organizations and communities, from large corporations to remote villages.  

The latest edition of Distributed Wind Market Report from the DOE finds that all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have installed a combined 1,075 MW of distributed wind. While this is a fraction of the enormous potential for distributed wind energy, you can read more about communities using wind power today. 

Jobs for Clean Energy Champions 

You don’t need to be a clean energy expert to have a clean energy career. EERE is recruiting talented individuals across a variety of fields, from scientific and technical experts to business operations and strategic analysis specialists. All the resources you need to apply are in one place. Find out how you can join the clean energy revolution today. 

Join us in September for “EERE STEMtember Sessions: Careers in Clean Energy,” a weekly virtual career fair and networking opportunity highlighting careers in renewable power, sustainable transportation, energy efficiency, and business operations.

Find out how to become a clean energy champion.

eProject eXpress Training - Streamline Tracking and Reporting of Higher Education Efficiency Investments

Oct. 18, 2022, 1–2 p.m. ET

What you know: Many universities and colleges are seeking ways to improve their facilities, reduce costs and optimize the impact of available funds. Energy Savings Performance Contracting (ESPC) can help institutions leverage those dollars many-fold to modernize facility and system infrastructures, increase efficiency, reduce carbon footprints and operating expenses, and create healthier working and learning environments. 

What you may not know: With eProject eXpress, institutions can track project data, safely store all relevant files and documentation, and monitor project results. eProject eXpress (ePX) is a free, easy-to-use web-based tool that “expressly” provides these services. Join this ePX webinar specifically for higher education institutions on Tuesday, October 18, at 1 p.m. ET to learn how easy and valuable it to use ePX to maintain, track and report on your project investments and results! 

Register for the October 2022 ePX webinar.

In addition to the upcoming training, a recording of the ePX launch event is available on the Better Buildings Solution Center website.

Get a Front-Row Seat to the Future of Wood Heater Technology!

Sept. 29, 2022, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. ET

The DOE Bioenergy Technologies Office’s Wood Heater Design Challenge (WHDC) is one of the most anticipated events in the tech industry, and this year's Technology Slam—a “Shark Tank™”-style competition where teams pitch their innovative designs to a panel of experts—is an event you do not want to miss!

Register to watch the virtual Slam event on Sept. 29, 2022, from 10 a.m. –12 p.m. ET to see the future of wood stoves and heating technology unfold before your eyes! Witness innovation at its finest as teams battle it out for a chance to advance to the WHDC to compete for $120,000 and bring their product to market!