THIS WEEK IN CLIMATE & CLEAN ENERGY WINS: WEEK OF 5/19

More than 5,600 electric school buses have been supplied through government awards as of the end of last year, now representing just over 1% of the nation’s total school bus fleet. This expansion is thanks to the bipartisan infrastructure law, which funded $5 billion in grants for zero- or low-emission school buses. Inflation Reduction Act incentives are continuing to draw investments in U.S. clean energy manufacturing. This week, Denmark’s Topsoe announced it will invest $300 million in a U.S. factory to build hydrogen electrolyzers. Schneider Electric announced plans to open a circuit breaker and electrical panel board factory in El Paso, Texas to expand its American manufacturing. Anovion Technologies announced it will invest $800 million in a synthetic graphite anode factory in southwest Georgia, creating 400 jobs. Imerys and TotalEnergies are partnering to install solar and battery energy storage systems to offset 50% of their mining operations’ energy usage. And, U.S. manufacturing output increased by 1% in April, driven by a 9.3% increase in motor vehicle production overall. 

This week, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced a $251 million investment in US carbon management capabilities, which will reduce CO2 emissions through expanding transportation and storage infrastructure. The Biden Administration announced the largest investment in rural electricity infrastructure since the 1930s, approving $11 billion in funding to encourage energy and utility providers to offer clean energy alternatives. The Biden Administration announced that Pittsburgh will be one of five initial workforce hubs, a key player in the launch of the Investing in America Workforce initiative. 

Lastly, states are continuing to drive the transition towards clean energy with state universities leading the charge. The University of California signed a wind energy contract with SunZia to bring 3,500 MW of electricity to the campus and UW-Parkside hosted state officials on a tour of the state-funded university solar farm, which will power the campus’s electrical grid. Also, in Pennsylvania, the retirement announcement of the state’s largest coal plant is fostering healthy competition between renewable energy developers over who will repurpose the site.

Private Sector

New Reports

Biden Administration

State-Level