By EDF Blogs Image courtesy of © Audioundwerbung | Dreamstime.com By Helen Spence-Jackson The EU’s hydrogen ambitions are facing a reality check. Despite an ambitious strategy launched in 2020 and ongoing work to establish a comprehensive policy framework, recent forecasts suggest hydrogen deployment is lagging behind initial targets. However, this moment offers an opportunity for reflection and provides valuable lessons not just for Europe, but also for other regions. While hydrogen production and deployment targets serve as useful goalposts, they shouldn’t overshadow the bigger picture. Ul ..read more

By EDF Blogs Ted Auch, FracTracker Alliance, 2020. By Magdalen Sullivan & Kate Roberts As the U.S. oil and gas industry expands, the vast network of largely unregulated pipelines that transport unprocessed natural gas —known as gathering pipelines — has crept closer and closer to residential communities. Most gathering pipelines are currently exempt from regular inspection, which means that leaks and other problems in these pipes can, and routinely do, go undetected. A new report, however, reveals that unregulated pipelines can be embedded in communities, putting residents at risk due to ..read more

By EDF Blogs By Scott Seymour and Ari Pottens The Canadian government is likely overlooking an important source of climate pollution.  Surface casing vent flow and gas migration (types of underground leakage from oil and gas wells) has the potential to leak a lot of methane, but according to new research, neither governments nor companies know how much. Canada has made a pledge to reduce 75% of the oil and gas industry’s methane emissions by 2030 as way to help combat climate change, but poor data and inaccurate estimates on well leakage makes it increasingly difficult to know if that go ..read more

By EDF Blogs By Braulio A. Quintero Seven years after hurricanes Irma and Maria made landfall on Puerto Rico in 2017, the island continues to struggle with a deficient electrical power infrastructure. Power outages are common, the price of electricity continues to increase and the reconstruction of the power grid is not happening fast enough. Power outages affect rural and urban communities in Puerto Rico and endanger the lives of the most vulnerable. Prolonged power outages, coupled with extremely high temperatures caused by climate change, directly affect our communities. Individuals with e ..read more

By Grace Smith   By Grace Smith and Elizabeth Lieberknecht The Biden administration just made another major investment in a cleaner, safer energy future for all Americans. On Friday, EPA and the Department of Energy announced applications are open for $850 million in funding to monitor and reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector.   The funding was authorized by Congress through the Inflation Reduction Act’s Methane Emissions Reduction Program, which provides a total of $1.5 billion in funding for methane mitigation and measurement. The funding is a major investment ..read more

By EDF Blogs By Ari Pottens and Scott Seymour Canada recently released its latest estimate of greenhouse gas emissions which, for the very first time, includes atmospheric measurements of methane emissions taken from oil and gas facilities. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that’s causing approximately one-third  of current global warming we are experiencing today and the oil and gas industry is a key source of methane pollution. Canada made a commitment to reduce 75% of the industry’s emissions, but until recently these emissions were either self-reported by the industry or estimated ..read more

By EDF Blogs By Morgan Rote and Chelcie Henry-Robertson As the U.S. invests billions in deploying its hydrogen strategy with the goal of decarbonizing industry and reducing emissions, the 45V Clean Hydrogen Production Tax Credit is the big ticket item on the table aiming to kick-start the emerging hydrogen economy. Unsurprisingly, everyone wants a share of this financial incentive, and the details are being ironed out as we speak. But current loopholes in the rules are opening the door for the very real – if unintentional – prospect of boosting hydrogen that is not clean and will not reduce e ..read more

By EDF Blogs   By Anna Lorant and Guillaume Morauw The European Hydrogen Bank, a financing instrument that supports renewable hydrogen production within the EU and internationally, has just announced a €1.2 billion investment to help boost the renewable hydrogen economy, a cornerstone of the EU’s strategy to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. While many are focusing on how this can help to meet hydrogen production targets, it’s important to remember that how we deploy hydrogen also matters. Whether or not hydrogen will actually deliver climate benefits depends on the detail, and that is ..read more

By Erin Murphy   Florida is overwhelmingly dependent on natural gas imported from out of state to generate 75% of its power for customers like homes and businesses. Unfortunately, a loophole in fuel cost recovery policy creates financial incentives for outsized natural gas dependence, funded by Florida families and businesses through rates and Florida lacks a comprehensive process for integrated resource planning, instead typically deferring to 10-year plans filed by utilities, with no requirements to diversify energy sources.     The state’s largest utility, Florida Power ..read more

By EDF Blogs By Daniel Whittle Chronic power outages, food disruptions and climate-related disasters have become commonplace across the Caribbean. But amidst these challenges, there’s room for optimism. Increased funding, growing awareness, supportive policies and community leadership offer an opportunity for rebuilding and strengthening resilience in the Caribbean and small island developing states, or SIDS,  around the world. EDF has a long history of partnering in the Caribbean and in developing nations around the globe to foster resilience and bring climate solutions to scale. Now, to ..read more