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From both a regulatory and development perspective, these are active, encouraging times for the expansion of energy storage resources (“ESRs”) in the United States. From a significant ruling of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) to the presentation and implementation of aggressive state initiatives, rapid ESR deployment continues unabated while ESR technology costs continue to decline precipitously. Undeniably, ESRs have arrived as a credible, useful component of a resilient and efficient grid. This chapter explores common ESRs and how they contribute to grid stability, the impact of regulatory agencies on the development of markets to compensate ESRs, how states are playing a pivotal role in advancing the development of ESRs, and the major factors that should be considered in the financing of ESRs.

In response to the sustainability challenges that the Los Angeles region is facing due to the climate crisis and an increasing population, UCLA launched the first university-led Grand Challenge in 2013 — the Sustainable LA Grand Challenge, thriving in a hotter Los Angeles. The long-term goals of this Grand Challenge are to transition Los Angeles County to 100% renewable energy, 100% local water, and enhanced ecosystem health by the year 2050. UCLA is leading this effort by coordinating research across disciplines, educating and training students to be the next-generation of problem solvers, and engaging stakeholders to create policy recommendations, technology breakthroughs, and partnerships that result in scalable urban sustainability solutions. Los Angeles County’s diversity in sustainability challenges, landscapes, and cultures make solutions implemented in Los Angeles relevant for megacities across the globe.

“The verdict is in. The world must act now to curb the cataclysmic effects of climate change. In NJ, we set a path to 100% clean energy by 2050, signed sweeping clean energy legislation and are protecting our land & water. Our children deserve nothing less.” — NJ Governor Murphy, November 24, 2018…

The news about climate change is increasingly bleak. Already, deep and consequential changes in the Earth’s systems, including the oceans, forests, and atmosphere, are occurring as a consequence of fossil fuel emissions. Looking ahead, scientists warn that the window of opportunity is rapidly closing for taking actions that could keep global average temperature increase to less than 2 Celsius degrees (C°) above the preindustrial era, the limit many scientists believe is needed to prevent potentially catastrophic effects of climate change. This chapter describes the scenarios for transitions in energy, agriculture, and land use that together are sufficient to limit global average temperature increase to 1.5–2 C°. These changes are not inevitable but will require urgent and extraordinary efforts to align policies, overcome financial bottlenecks, and speed market adoption of new solutions. Our assessment in the RMI Positive Disruption report/paper indicates that such changes may still be within reach, provided that enough subnational, national, international, and especially private-sector and civil-society actions can be launched and aligned to take full advantage of globally scaled production and deployment of clean energy technologies.

The World Nuclear Industry Report (WNISR) is an annual assessment of the status and trends in the commercial nuclear industry. The report has, for the past 15 years, monitored global construction, operation and closure of reactors and makes comparisons with the developments of renewable energy and the implications for climate change.

The article on the Climate Science Special Report: 4th U.S. National Climate Assessment (NCA4), Volume I, summarizes the basis and the requirements for developing U.S. national climate assessments. The reader is referred to that material, as it is not repeated here. Instead, the focus in this chapter is on NCA4, Volume II, which is an assessment of climate-related impacts, risks, and adaptation in the United States. NCA4, Volume II (USGCRP, 2018), was published on November 23, 2018, and the entire assessment report is available at NCA2018.globalchange.gov…

Wind turbines and Solar Photovoltaic (PV) electric energy generators are the lowest cost producers of electricity available in 2019, costing about half as much as a new coal plant’s electric energy (Lazard’s Levelized Cost of Energy Analysis, 2018). They have the important characteristic of delivering electricity without releasing greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide (CO₂). Yet, almost all experts and plans for the future say that wind and solar will not be dominant contributors to electricity generation for the next couple of decades. They say we must continue fossil fuels with their associated greenhouse gases because of problems with renewable generators…