Report | Environment California Research & Policy Center

California's Solar Cities 2012

California’s solar market is thriving. Ten years ago, solar panels atop roofs were a rarity. Today, solar is taking hold in cities across the state, from coastal metropolises to agricultural and industrial hubs in the Central Valley. In the past two years alone, the solar industry has installed more than 5,000 kilowatts of solar power in each of 10 different California cities.

Report | Environment California Research & Policy Center

The Way Forward on Global Warming, Vol. 1

By adopting a suite of clean energy policies at the local, state and federal levels, the United States could curb emissions of carbon dioxide from energy use by as much as 20 percent by 2020 and 34 percent by 2030 (compared with 2005 levels).

Report | Environment California Research & Policy Center

Gobbling Less Gas for Thanksgiving

How Clean Cars Can Save Americans Money and Cut Oil Use -- With more than 39 million people taking to the road on trips of at least 50 miles to visit family and friends, Americans are expected to spend $418 million at the gas pump this Thanksgiving holiday.

Report | Environment California Research & Policy Center

The Clean Energy Future Starts Here

The American Clean Energy and Security (ACES) Act, passed by the House this June and currently under consideration by the U.S. Senate, maps out a new energy future for the nation. Passing the ACES Act – even with the compromises made to secure passage in the House – would be a significant step toward a clean energy future for the United States and would represent a ground-breaking political achievement.

Report | Environment California Research & Policy Center

Getting on Track: Record Transit Ridership Increases Energy Independence

Transportation is responsible for more than two-thirds of our nation’s oil consumption and nearly a third of our carbon dioxide emissions. To make us more energy independent and reduce pollution, we need to build a transportation system that uses less oil, takes advantage of alternative fuels, and shifts as much of our travel as possible from transportation modes that consume a lot of energy to those that consume less.

Report | Environment California

Energy Efficiency in the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009: Impacts of Current Provisions and Opportunities to Enhance the Legislation

In June 2009, the House of Representatives passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES). This climate and energy legislation included a number of provisions intended to help the U.S. reduce energy use through various energy efficiency measures.

Report | Environment California Research & Policy Center

The High Cost of Fossil Fuels

Between 2010 and 2030, California will spend as much as $2,911 billion on oil, coal, and other fossil fuels - 2.9 times the total earnings of all California workers in 2007. At the same time, pollution from fossil fuels is the number one source of air and global warming pollution and a leading source of water pollution, said Environment California Research and Policy Center's in their new report.

Report | Environment California Research & Policy Center

Clean Energy, Bright Future

This report provides specific recommendations in support of the president-elect’s efforts to ensure a green economic recovery and estimates the environmental benefits of those recommendations. These proposals, when fully implemented over the next decade, would reduce annual global warming pollution by nearly 10 percent below current levels and reduce oil consumption equivalent to taking one million cars off the road each year.

Report | Environment California Research & Policy Center

On the Rise: Solar Thermal Power and the Fight Against Global Warming

Global warming is real, is happening now, and is largely caused by human activities. To prevent the worst impacts of global warming, the United States must take action to reduce global warming pollution quickly and dramatically. Electricity generation accounts for more than a third of America’s emissions of global warming pollution. Preventing catastrophic global warming, therefore, will require the United States to shift away from highly polluting sources of power, such as coal-fired power plants, and toward clean, renewable energy. Concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies – which use the sun’s heat to generate electricity – can make a large contribution toward reducing global warming pollution in the United States, and do so quickly and at a reasonable cost. CSP can also reduce other environmental impacts of electric power production, while sparking economic development and creating jobs.

Report | Environment California Research & Policy Center

Driving Towards A New Energy Future

Legislation to increase Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE)standards for cars and trucks was included in the Senate energy bill (H.R. 6) that was passed in June of this year, marking the first time in over thirty years that either House of Congress has passed an increase in CAFE standards.