Achieving the goal of 100% clean energy by 2035 will require thoughtful preparation and crisp execution. A new paper highlights the opportunity to shutter existing fossil fuel plants at minimum cost and with maximum care for the communities involved. All it takes is a little planning.

 The Reading List:

• Biden's 2015 plan
  • "That started to change this summer. In a surprise move for a cautious candidate, Joe Biden put a 100% clean grid at the core of his climate agenda. Even more remarkable was his proposed timeline: 15 years. It was startlingly ambitious, considering his prior goals for eliminating emissions focused on a more gradual and familiar 30-year timetable."
• Summary of Grubert article, via Twitter's Thread Reader
• Link to Fossil Electricity Retirement Schedule for a just transition.
  • "Out in Science today: decarbonizing US electricity by 2035 only strands about 15% of capacity-years, based on typical lifespans. Setting explicit deadlines can help with the #JustTransition."
• Could coal plants run on green hydrogen instead?
  • "You see an old coal plant and an obsolescent workforce; I see a superb opportunity for green hydrogen. Green?Hydrogen? Let’s start with hydrogen. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe but just coming into its own as a versatile fuel for a world moving away from hydrocarbons. Capturing hydrogen is simple in theory: just apply a lot of energy to water to break the two H’s (hydrogen) from the O (oxygen) to create pure hydrogen. Like natural gas, that hydrogen contains heat that can be released with combustion to drive a generator. Unlike natural gas, that combustion is GHG-free."
• Gray, blue and green hydrogen
  • “As gas turbines are inherently fuel-flexible, they can be configured to operate on green hydrogen or similar fuels as a new unit, or be upgraded even after extended service on traditional fuels, i.e. natural gas,” GE says. “The scope of the required modifications to configure a gas turbine to operate on hydrogen depends on the initial configuration of the gas turbine.”

Because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions, because we accept responsibility for a building a durable future and because we believe it is our patriotic duty as citizens to speak out, we must insist the United States transform it’s energy sector, over the next decade, under a just and equitable plan, that uses regulations, investments and a price on carbon to safeguard our collective future.

Thanks for listening.

…Ted McIntyre