PJM is ready to meet demand for a summer predicted to be hotter than usual, keeping air conditioners, fans and refrigerators running in 13 states and the District of Columbia.

Planners at PJM expect electricity use to peak at around 151,000 MW this summer, when the National Weather Service is forecasting above-average temperatures for almost all of the PJM footprint, home to 65 million people from the Mid-Atlantic states to parts of the South and Midwest.

“The summer is when we see our highest electricity use, and we plan and prepare for summer operations throughout the year,” said Andy Ott, PJM president and CEO. “With proper forecasting, experienced operators and healthy reserves, we are confident we will meet the level of demand.”

Last summer’s peak demand was 150,830 MW, which occurred on Aug. 28. PJM’s all-time highest power use was 165,563 MW in the summer of 2006. One megawatt can power about 800 homes.

There is no reason why the UK cannot safely switch from using natural gas to using hydrogen for heating, power and industry in order to meet climate change goals, engineers have said.

But a report by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) also laid bare the huge increase in hydrogen production that would be needed to achieve that switch-over – ten times current levels.

Producing enough hydrogen for the UK’s heating needs alone would require 8 million tonnes of hydrogen a year, up from the annual 0.74 million tonnes made today, which is led by an Esso refinery near Southampton and is almost entirely used by industry. “We need to produce a lot more hydrogen,” says Jenifer Baxter of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

3 Takeaways From New York's Ambitious Climate Change Plan 

California has long led on climate change policy in the U.S. The state, which boasts the world's fifth-largest economy, plans to generate 100% of its electricity from carbon-free sources by 2045. California is currently home to 38% of America's installed solar capacity, and its alternative transportation fuels program has been so successful that other states and countries have joined in, or outright copied it. It puts its thumb on the scale of vehicle efficiency standards for the entire United States. 

But now California finally has some competition. New York passed a sweeping climate change plan of its own in June, which The New York Times immediately called "one of the world's most ambitious." The legislation calls for 70% of the state's electricity to come from renewable sources by 2030, while 100% must come from carbon-free sources by 2040. The state must be carbon neutral -- including power generation, transportation, and building heating -- by 2050.

The emerging West Coast vs. East Coast power struggle for environmental leadership is certainly welcome news, but the Empire State's plan will look a bit different than California's. Here are some key takeaways for individual investors to follow, including some new opportunities clean energy businesses should be pouncing on.