Transmission
It's hard to connect clean power to the grid. New software can help
Startups Nira Energy and Pearl Street Technologies are helping clean-energy developers find rare openings on crowded grids, faster.
By Jeff St. John .
Jeff St. John is director of news and special projects at Canary Media. He covers the intersection of technological, economic, and regulatory issues influencing the global transition to low-carbon energy in the electricity, transportation, and building sectors. His areas of expertise include innovative grid technologies, rooftop solar and batteries, clean hydrogen, electric vehicles, EV charging, and broader decarbonization policy.
He is the former managing editor and senior grid-edge editor of Greentech Media, and he previously reported for The Fresno Bee, the Tri-City Herald, and the Anchorage Daily News. He lives in Alameda, California, with his wife Tara Donoghue and his dog Lily, and enjoys hiking, baking bread, and playing guitar with his nieces and nephews.
He earned a master’s degree from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism in 2001.
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Politics
Michigan just passed one of the country’s most ambitious clean energy bills
The state’s Democrat-controlled legislature passed bills that aim to accelerate the energy transition — including a mandate for 100% carbon-free power by 2040.By Jeff St. John .
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Wind
The US offshore wind industry faces a moment of reckoning
East Coast offshore wind projects are being canceled or forced to rebid amid skyrocketing costs. States have a tough choice: pay more now or bear the costs of delay.By Jeff St. John .
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Clean energy jobs
How many jobs is the Inflation Reduction Act spurring? A lot
A new analysis finds 400,000-plus jobs will be created from the 210 EV, battery and clean energy projects launched since the climate law passed.By Jeff St. John .
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Transmission
Three big transmission projects win $1.3B in DOE loans
The Department of Energy is boosting transmission lines in New England and the Intermountain West — a small step in solving a big barrier to clean energy.By Jeff St. John .
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Clean industry
'Electrowinning' could help win the race to clean up dirty steel
Startup Electra wants to replace blast furnaces with battery-like systems that use acid solution and clean electricity to pull pure iron out of low-grade ores.By Jeff St. John .
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Clean industry
To decarbonize cement, the industry needs a full transformation
Cement production has an enormous carbon footprint. That can be curbed with plug-and-play solutions, but eliminating emissions entirely will require big, ambitious action.By Jeff St. John .
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Clean industry
6 innovative startups that are kicking CO2 out of cement and concrete
Cement-making is a 150-year-old process. These companies are using new additives, chemistries and methods that could curb the industry's oversize climate impact.By Maria Gallucci, Jeff St. John .
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Transmission
A $7B power line from Kansas to Indiana moves closer to reality
The Grain Belt Express is an example of what’s required to carry clean power from where it’s plentiful to where it’s needed. Now, it’s almost ready to be built.By Jeff St. John .
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Transmission
The US just made its biggest-ever investment in the grid
The power grid is not ready to handle the energy transition — or extreme weather. The Biden administration hopes $3.5B in new investments will fix that.By Jeff St. John .
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