US retailers want to electrify their fleets, but upfront costs for electric trucks and buses remain a major barrier, finds a report co-authored by the Centre for Climate and Energy Solutions. Models suggest it can cost less to own an average electric lorry compared with a diesel or natural gas equivalent if there are adequate financial incentives and a comprehensive charging infrastructure. Energy and fleet management teams within retailers must also collaborate to keep costs down and companies need skilled technicians to maintain vehicles.

Hermes Investment Management has published its latest climate report, the first to be aligned with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). The company lays out its approach to identifying and managing climate risks and seizing opportunities as a business, from involvement at the policy level in developing climate-related initiatives to ensuring all employees factor the climate emergency into their work. The report highlights how the company is implementing TCFD recommendations and where improvement is needed. Its clear approach and metrics offers a model for others to follow.

Wind energy overtook hydro in the US in 2019 to become the top source of renewables-generated electricity, says the US government’s Energy Information Administration. Wind generation was about 300 million MWh, exceeding generation from dams by 26 million MWh. Wind generation has increased steadily in the past decade, in part because of the wind Production Tax Credit (PTC), which drove capacity installations and is now expiring. Wind costs have also dropped dramatically. Annual hydro generation varied between 250 million MWh and 320 million MWh in the past decade, but since 2017 has dropped significantly.