Report: GHG reductions will flatline without existing and advanced nuclear

August 17, 2021, 3:09PMANS Nuclear Cafe

Carbon emission reductions from the power sector are likely to flatline after 2025 unless clean energy innovations and net-zero commitments from utilities pick up steam, concludes a report out this month from ClearPath, a conservative, Washington, D.C.–based clean energy nonprofit organization.

Clear Path to a Clean Energy Future: The Role of Utility Commitments on the Path to 2050 is the inaugural edition of a report to be published annually to track power sector trends and model the impacts of new technologies and policies. For the 2021 analysis, the authors engaged the research firm Rhodium Group to model ClearPath-designed scenarios using RHG-NEMS, a version of the National Energy Modeling System developed by the Energy Information Administration.

Steam generators: Near-term steps to be taken to accelerate decarbonization, the report says, include (1) more utilities establishing decarbonization targets, (2) enacting policy mechanisms to preserve existing nuclear, and (3) making major investments in new technologies, such as advanced nuclear, carbon capture, and long-duration energy storage.


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