{"id":492,"date":"2019-10-14T14:00:52","date_gmt":"2019-10-14T14:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clearwayenergygroup.com\/?p=492"},"modified":"2023-09-07T16:33:38","modified_gmt":"2023-09-07T16:33:38","slug":"charting-the-path-to-100-clean-energy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clearwayenergygroup.com\/blog\/charting-the-path-to-100-clean-energy\/","title":{"rendered":"Charting the Path to 100% Clean Energy"},"content":{"rendered":"
Generating 100% of our electricity from clean energy is an idea that has captured the imagination of lawmakers, voters, corporate leaders, and companies like Clearway alike. Over the last two years, ten states and more than one hundred cities have enacted policies to become 100% carbon-free by mid-century, and at least 100 million people live in a place committed to that goal.<\/p>\n
In the flurry of headlines around new mandates for 100% clean energy by 2050, each time we noticed only brief mention of an important detail: nearly all legislation and executive orders also included more modest, but still significant, renewable energy requirements in the next decade<\/em>. Maine\u2019s recently-passed 100% by 2050 RPS bill, for example, includes a benchmark requirement of 80% renewables by 2030, while New York requires 70% by the same year. Every single state with a 100% law \u2013 from New Mexico to California to Minnesota \u2013 pencils in a near-term milestone.<\/p>\n
We are thrilled to help deliver on ambitious clean energy goals. Now that the ink is dry, it\u2019s time to buckle down on the incremental steps it will take to reach those goals. Addressing the immediate need to back-up intermittent wind and solar, developing robust transmission, enabling both large-scale and local energy, and transitioning the conventional energy workforce are all paramount to meeting everyone\u2019s needs for a reliable, competitively-priced, and clean energy system.<\/p>\n
As we applaud the goal of a complete transition by mid-century, we\u2019ve set our sights on what it will take to reach the 10-yard line. We believe that these near-term milestones are equally \u2013 if not more \u2013 impactful in the immediate fight against climate change. We also recognize that reaching 80 or 90% quickly is better than achieving 100% never. Current technology, market, and cost constraints make it difficult to know exactly how that remaining portion will be met.<\/p>\n
Getting from our goal line to the other side of the field: The role of natural gas<\/h2>\n
For all the economic, environmental, and climate benefits, two major challenges persist with solar and wind: when it\u2019s generated, and where. In the long run, when paired with energy storage technologies and a robust transmission system, renewables can provide round-the-clock power for most of America, and increasingly do so at a lower cost than fossil fuel generation.<\/p>\n
While our industry is pursuing that future, though, there is an essential and relatively beneficial solution for intermittency in the form of modern natural gas generation. While many in the renewable and environmental community consider any use of natural gas problematic, there is in fact a role for gas that increases the likelihood of long-run climate success. In a number of parts of the country, the use of modern, efficient, and existing natural gas peaker power plants \u2013 located in the right places in the electric grid \u2013 assure the reliable and rapid growth of renewables to reach the 10-yard line. For the next two decades, we believe that clean peaking natural gas generation must remain in our country\u2019s playbook in order to meet our clean energy targets reliably and cost-effectively.<\/p>\n
In this way, natural gas plays a role in enabling higher renewable penetration by firming renewable power \u2013 that is, filling in the gaps of its inherent intermittency \u2013 while also paving the way to much-needed energy storage and new transmission. So while we\u2019re focused on addressing some of the biggest barriers to quickly deploying as much solar and wind as possible, we also recognize the practical role for gas technology in enabling rapid deployment of renewables while maintaining grid reliability.<\/p>\n
The long pass: The criticality of robust transmission<\/h2>\nPinnacle Wind Farm in West Virginia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Looking further down the field, let\u2019s take a closer look at two major opportunities to expand renewable energy. When it comes to wind energy, one of the biggest barriers to deployment is distance. Much of the country\u2019s best wind resources are in rural or remote regions far from dense population centers. Transmission lines are the only way to move large-scale wind power from where it\u2019s generated to where it\u2019s needed. Transmission lines are cost-effective, but they are also complex to develop and build \u2013 even when they offer the ability to save money for customers.<\/p>\n
The primary challenge is jurisdictional: transmission infrastructure cuts across many different regional and state authorities, including both private and public land, making it one of the most controversial and difficult infrastructure investments we face. Compounding the problem is the lack of a single overarching authority to regulate and approve such transmission investments that cross multiple jurisdictions.<\/p>\n
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