Solar panels in a field

Carbon to Clean Tracker: Repurposing Fossil Fuel Power Stations into Clean Energy Hubs

The Carbon to Clean Tracker catalogs where and how fossil fuel power stations are being repurposed into clean alternatives.

A new global trend is emerging across power markets: legacy fossil-fired power plants are being repurposed into clean energy hubs. Some are being replaced with renewables or technologies to balance the grid while others use alternative fuels. These so-called brownfield sites are also being considered for new manufacturing facilities as well as locations to deploy breakthrough clean energy solutions like long-duration batteries, small modular nuclear reactors, and more.

While these projects come with their own trade-offs, they offer an innovative and creative avenue for how the world could more nimbly retire and convert its carbon powered fleet to clean alternatives. This tracker sets the stage to explore the economic, social, environmental, and technological advantages—as well as challenges—to repowering with clean energy. Taking stock of this information helps illustrate where these developments might fall short and what future policies or technologies could allow them to thrive.

Please reach out climate@ceip.org with questions or feedback on this tracker.

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Centering Clean Energy in Trade and Foreign Policy
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Catching Up or Leaping Ahead? How Energy Innovation Can Secure U.S. Industrial Stature in a Net-Zero World

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How the U.S. Can Stop Losing the Race for Clean Energy

The United States lags far behind China in the race for clean energy technologies and critical minerals. It needs a robust domestic industrial policy and international partnerships to make up ground.

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collection
Centering Clean Energy in Trade and Foreign Policy
see the collection
Ford Motor Company's electric F-150 Lightning on the production line at their Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan on September 8, 2022.
paper
Catching Up or Leaping Ahead? How Energy Innovation Can Secure U.S. Industrial Stature in a Net-Zero World

Chinese companies are dominating the production of technologies essential for a clean energy future. The United States should embrace innovation to preserve its future energy security.

A staff member of Cornish Lithium at work in the company's new Lithium Hydroxide Demonstration Plant on November 11, 2024 in St Austell, Cornwall, England
paper
Minerals, Manufacturing, and Markets: Foreign Policy for U.S. Energy Technology and Minerals

The United States has deployed varying degrees of diplomacy, foreign financing, and trade for new energy technologies—but a pragmatic, holistic strategy is in order.

Solar panels in front of a barn with a U.S. flag
paper
How the U.S. Can Stop Losing the Race for Clean Energy

The United States lags far behind China in the race for clean energy technologies and critical minerals. It needs a robust domestic industrial policy and international partnerships to make up ground.

  • +5