None of Australia’s highest-emitting energy firms are fully or even closely aligned with global climate goals. Just one goes even partway, and five appeared to be taking no action at all.
When policymakers reduce electricity scarcity to a few factors like theft and vandalism, to be solved with technology and stiff penalties, they miss other factors that contribute to electricity theft.
The new commitments of state governments go some way to filling the void left by the lack of a national climate policy. The states should, and can, coordinate their efforts. Here’s how.
Ryan Wiser, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Bentham Paulos, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Dev Millstein, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Joseph Rand, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Fifteen years ago electric power generation was the largest source of US greenhouse gas emissions. Now the power sector is leading the shift to a clean energy economy.
The US electricity grid is actually five regional grids, and it’s hard to share power between them. A macrogrid could bridge the gaps, making electricity cheaper and more reliable.
The electricity sector is expected to play a key role in Canada’s push to net-zero emissions. Enhancing long-distance transmission can be lower the cost of providing clean and reliable electricity.
While Australia doesn’t generally experience such extreme winter temperatures, our electricity systems are still vulnerable to climate change, extreme weather and power outages.
The weather-related impacts of climate change will increasingly threaten critical infrastructure in the future. Shifting electricity grids towards microgrids could help.