--- title: "Tipping Point for Carbon?" id: "437" type: "post" slug: "tipping-point-for-carbon" published_at: "2019-10-11T11:39:24+00:00" modified_at: "2024-06-28T20:29:36+00:00" url: "https://virtual-peaker.com/blog/tipping-point-for-carbon/" markdown_url: "https://virtual-peaker.com/blog/tipping-point-for-carbon.md" excerpt: "Clean energy technology costs have reached a tipping point, according to two new studies released by the Rocky Mountain Institute. […]" taxonomy_category: - "Sustainability" --- Sustainability # Tipping Point for Carbon? [Jeff Quigley Published Oct 11, 2019](https://virtual-peaker.com/author/jeff-quigley/) Share[https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://virtual-peaker.com/blog/tipping-point-for-carbon/](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://virtual-peaker.com/blog/tipping-point-for-carbon/) [http://twitter.com/share?url=https://virtual-peaker.com/blog/tipping-point-for-carbon/](http://twitter.com/share?url=https://virtual-peaker.com/blog/tipping-point-for-carbon/) [https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://virtual-peaker.com/blog/tipping-point-for-carbon/&source=LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://virtual-peaker.com/blog/tipping-point-for-carbon/&source=LinkedIn) [mailto:?&subject=Tipping%20Point%20for%20Carbon?&body=https://virtual-peaker.com/blog/tipping-point-for-carbon/](mailto:?&subject=Tipping%20Point%20for%20Carbon?&body=https://virtual-peaker.com/blog/tipping-point-for-carbon/) Clean energy technology costs have reached a tipping point, according to [two new studies](https://rmi.org/insight/clean-energy-portfolios-pipelines-and-plants) released by the Rocky Mountain Institute. Carbon-free resources—combined with demand-side management—are now cost-competitive with building new natural gas plants, which will be uneconomic to operate after 2035. If you don’t have time to read the reports, “The Growing Market for Clean Energy Portfolios” and “Prospects for Gas Pipelines in the Era of Clean Energy,” here are three key takeaways: - “The past decade has seen a dramatic reduction in the costs of wind, solar, and storage technologies. At the same time, sophisticated utilities and market operators are increasingly able to procure grid reliability services from these non-traditional resources.” - “The role of gas as a ‘bridge fuel’ is behind us; there are both significant cost savings opportunities if US utilities prioritize clean energy over continuing their present rush to gas, as well as existential risks facing investors that continue spending on new gas infrastructure.” - “90% of this proposed capacity is more costly than equivalent clean energy portfolios and, if those plants are built anyway, they would be uneconomic to continue operating in 2035, well ahead of the ends of their planned economic lifetime. Continued investments in these power plants will present stranded cost risk for customers, shareholders, and society, while locking in 100 million tons of CO2 emissions each year.” ## Tipping Point for Carbon Conclusion Is the tipping point for carbon here? Research indicates that [diverse energy portfolios](https://virtual-peaker.com/blog/diversify-your-energy-portfolio-now/) are necessary to meet [decarbonization efforts](https://virtual-peaker.com/blog/why-utilities-have-struggled-to-hit-decarbonization-goals/) , while providing options for utility operators to meet demand. Through concerted demand flexibility initiatives and load management strategies like [demand response](https://virtual-peaker.com/solutions/demand-response/) , [EV managed charging](https://virtual-peaker.com/solutions/ev-charging/) , and [virtual power plants](https://virtual-peaker.com/blog/the-potential-of-virtual-power-plants/) utilities can shift peak load to meet the rising demand brought on through electrification efforts and the increasingly volatile weather events brought on by climate change. Fortunately, capabilities like [Topline Demand Control](https://virtual-peaker.com/topline-demand-control/) render the [distributed energy resources (DERs)](https://virtual-peaker.com/blog/distributed-energy-resource/) like [solar](https://virtual-peaker.com/blog/rooftop-solar-panels/) , [battery](https://virtual-peaker.com/blog/the-past-present-future-of-battery-storage/) , Subscribe & Learn More About the Evolving Energy Landscape Subscribe About The Author [https://virtual-peaker.com/author/jeff-quigley/](https://virtual-peaker.com/author/jeff-quigley/) Jeff is the VP of Sales for Virtual Peaker. He has spent his entire career in energy and data analytics where he has led teams working with utilities, government agencies, oil and gas companies, and financial institutions to help drive growth strategy and manage energy transition. He has worked with a team of analysts in developing an integrated resource plan (IRP) for a major U.S. vertically integrated utility, with a focus on load forecasting, locational marginal pricing (LMP) prediction, and long-term grid reliability. He has also managed the development of marketing and growth strategy for one of the four largest global oil and gas firms with a focus on the long-term viability of the Asian market-entry strategy. [More About Jeff](https://virtual-peaker.com/author/jeff-quigley/) Related Stories [Blog Post Jun 10, 2026 Feeder-Level Dispatch & Grid-Edge DERMS: Get Relief Where Your Grid Needs It Most To meet rising demand and effect feeder-level dispatch, Grid-Edge distributed energy resource management systems (DERMS) provide ops teams the localized […] Syd Bishop Senior Content Specialist](https://virtual-peaker.com/blog/feeder-level-dispatch-grid-edge-derms-get-relief-where-your-grid-needs-it-most/) [Blog Post Jun 3, 2026 Grid DERMS vs. Grid-Edge DERMS: A Complete Utility Guide Distributed Energy Resources As distributed energy resources (DERs) proliferate, utilities need purpose-built management systems to harness them. But not all […] Stacia Secreriat Digital Marketing Manager](https://virtual-peaker.com/blog/grid-edge-derms-versus-grid-derms/) [Blog Post May 22, 2026 5 Ways Grid-Edge DERMS Technology is Revolutionizing Traditional Demand-Side Management What Is Grid-Edge DERMS and How Does It Modernize Demand-Side Management? Grid-Edge distributed energy resource management systems (DERMS) are software […] Virtual Peaker Team](https://virtual-peaker.com/blog/5-ways-grid-edge-derms-technology-is-revolutionizing-traditional-demand-side-management/) Subscribe to our blog ## Get the latest DER thought leadership, tips, and best practices in your inbox! Yes, I would like to receive Virtual Peaker blogs as well as marketing communications regarding Virtual Peaker products, services, and events. I can unsubscribe at any time.