McKinsey: Global Energy Perspective 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic crisis caused unprecedented disruption in the energy landscape—and the path to recovery remains uncertain. At the same time, the world’s energy systems are going through rapid transitions that are triggered by simultaneous shifts in technological development, regulations, consumer preferences, and investor sentiments. Our Reference Case sheds light on these developments and provides a synthesis on how energy demand will evolve.Energy Innovation: A 1.5 Celsius Pathway To Climate Leadership For The United States - To avoiding catastrophic climate change, we must limit warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius, which requires cutting greenhouse gas missions roughly in half in the next decade with emissions dropping to near zero by 2050. Achieving these reductions can only happen by rapidly transitioning from a fossil fuel-based economy to one running on clean energy. New research using the U.S. Energy Policy Simulator shows a comparatively small group of policies can achieve the emissions reductions required for a 1.5 C pathway, while generating large economic and health benefits. Transforming the economy in line with a 1.5 C target could increase U.S. gross domestic product $500 billion per year in 2030 and $1 tillion in 2050 (a 2.6 percent annual GDP expansion), create more than 3.1 million new job-years by 2030 and 5.5 million new job-years by 2050, avoid more than 65,000 premature deaths and 2 million asthma attacks by 2050, and build an economy insulated from fossil fuel-price volatility.BCSE Sustainable Energy in America Factbook - The Sustainable Energy in America Factbook – produced annually for the Business Council for Sustainable Energy by BloombergNEF — provides valuable year-over-year data and insights on the American energy transformation and progress of energy efficiency, natural gas and renewable energy sectors.A 21st century economy needs a 21st century grid - Through a Macro Grid, which would stitch together the major regions of the nation’s power system via high voltage interregional transmission, we’d be better able to handle local disruptions or periods of intense electricity demand. A Macro Grid is also imperative to meeting our climate targets and remaining competitive with other countries now investing in their own 21st century grids, including China, Europe and much of the developed world. On top of it all, these grid investments will lower consumer electric bills and more than pay for themselves.Berkeley Lab Value of Distributed Energy Resources Largely Depends on Three Things: Location, Location, Location. As solar panels cover more rooftops, and buildings with load controls and storage provide more grid services, understanding the value of distributed energy resources (DERs) is increasingly important. Yet few utilities and states consider their value at specific points on the electric system in planning, procurement, and design of DER programs and rates. A new Berkeley Lab report, Locational Value of Distributed Energy Resources, explores economic valuation and regulatory considerations for assessing locational value. A free webinar on the report will be held on March 9, 2021, at noon Pacific/3 p.m. Eastern. Register for the webinar here.