Fossil fuels

Booming power demand is slowing climate progress for US utilities

Sierra Club analysis finds that U.S. utilities are planning a huge expansion of fossil-gas plants — a shift that’s incompatible with climate goals.

By Jeff St. John . 9 October 2024

Turbines from the Mount Storm Wind Farm behind Dominion's Mount Storm coal power plant in West Virginia. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Nuclear

Should California keep its last nuclear plant open? The battle is back

Is the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant vital to a clean and reliable grid, or a costly threat to environmental and energy goals? State lawmakers have less than three weeks to decide.

By Jeff St. John . 15 August 2022
Utilities

Utilities are planning to shift to clean energy — just not too quickly

CEO of electricity research group EPRI says U.S. utilities are poised to go big on solar, wind and batteries — but they aren't ready to give up their gas and coal plants just yet.

By Julian Spector . 22 July 2022
Fossil fuels

Chart: Which power sources are most deadly? Hint — not solar and wind

Fossil fuels kill far more people than renewables and nuclear — and that's just counting deaths from air pollution and accidents, not climate disasters.

By Maria Virginia Olano . 22 July 2022
Fossil fuels

Puerto Rico is pushing LNG when it says it's shifting to renewables

The U.S. territory has pledged to transition to clean energy, but it backed a controversial liquefied natural gas terminal and may increase LNG imports.

By Maria Gallucci . 5 July 2022
Climate crisis

Chart: Most voters support EPA limiting CO2 pollution from power plants

A hefty majority of likely voters dissent from the Supreme Court’s latest ruling on climate action.

By Maria Virginia Olano . 1 July 2022
Utilities

Supreme Court hamstrings federal efforts to clean up US power sector

The same six justices who overturned Roe v. Wade undercut Biden's climate agenda by restricting EPA's authority to rein in emissions from electricity production.

By Jeff St. John . 30 June 2022
Clean energy

These generators can switch from running on fossil fuels to clean fuels

Mainspring Energy’s “flexible-fuel” on-site generators could make it much easier for customers to clean up their act as hydrogen and ammonia fuels become increasingly available.

By Jeff St. John . 23 June 2022
Solar

This startup aims to bring back concentrated solar power

GlassPoint is back from liquidation with big plans to decarbonize heavy industry using solar-powered steam — and funding from BlackRock to make it happen.

By Eric Wesoff . 16 June 2022
Carbon-free buildings

How century-old 'district energy' networks can help decarbonize cities

Vicinity Energy aims to convert Boston's steam network to run on clean electricity, showing how some cities can move toward climate-friendly heating and cooling of buildings.

By Jeff St. John . 7 June 2022
Utilities

Why are blackouts looming? Blame extreme weather, not wind and solar

Heat, drought and fires could push the grid to its limits this summer. The solution is a flexible system with a wide range of power sources, not reliance on big power plants, experts say.

By Jeff St. John . 27 May 2022