Clean Versus Renewable In The New Energy Transition

The devil's in the details: Policy implications of 'clean' vs. 'renewable' energy

Lee Beck and Jennifer T. Gordon, March 14, 2019 (Utility Dive)

“…Many of the proposed plans for confronting the climate crisis stress the imperative of decreasing emissions by transitioning to 100% "clean" or "renewable" sources of energy…The terms "clean" and "renewable" are often thought to be interchangeable…[but renewable] energy is derived from sources that can naturally replenish themselves — wind and sun are the two most obvious examples — while clean energy encompasses all zero-carbon energy sources…The clean energy or zero-carbon energy tent is wider; it not only leaves the door open to 100% renewables, but it also includes nuclear energy and the carbon-neutralizing impact of technologies like carbon capture and sequestration (CCS)…

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Hydrogen can be renewable if it is produced through electrolysis using renewables and water, or it can be produced from natural gas, coal, biomass and oil…Critics have pointed to a host of issues with some forms of clean energy; namely, questions abound regarding slow deployment of carbon capture technologies at a commercial level. Additionally, nuclear energy raises a number of concerns, from spent fuel storage and safety to non-proliferation…The differences between clean and renewable energy can have meaningful policy impacts…In the U.S., 38 states as well as the District of Columbia have some type of renewable portfolio standard (RPS)…If the standard includes other sources of clean energy, especially nuclear power to varying degrees, it can also be referred to as a Clean Energy Standard.” click here for more

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