- Nonpartisan climate policy think tank calls for White House and Congress to set a clean electricity standard with a target of having 80 percent of electricity in the United States come from clean energy sources by 2030
- The organization’s research suggests that the falling cost of renewables make this goal feasible without compromising grid dependability or raising electricity costs
- Other projected benefits include job creation and savings in health and environmental costs
Summary by Dirk Langeveld
A nonpartisan climate policy think tank is calling on the Biden administration to pursue a target of having 80 percent of electricity in the United States come from clean energy sources by 2030, saying this standard carries a number of benefits and is feasible with current technology.
Energy Innovation: Policy and Technology recommends that the White House and Congress set the clean electricity standard, potentially as part of the administration’s infrastructure proposal. Thirty states have already set their own clean electricity standards, and President Joe Biden has announced the goals of cutting U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 and having an electricity sector with net-zero carbon emissions by 2035.
- The adoption of renewables has accelerated considerably as the costs of solar and wind technology, as well as batteries, become more affordable and make them more competitive against fossil fuels
- Energy Innovation research says the clean electricity standard could be implemented using existing technologies, without compromising grid dependability or increasing electricity costs
- Their report suggests that the standard would result in $1.5 trillion in clean energy capital investments and reduce carbon dioxide emissions economy-wide by 50 percent by 2030
- Other projected benefits include savings of more than $1.7 trillion in avoided health and environmental costs and the net job creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs
