FAQ
Below we have provided answers to a few frequently asked questions about The Big Green Machine.
What is The Big Green Machine?
The Big Green Machine tracks investments in clean energy supply chains in North America.
Why did we create The Big Green Machine?
On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which includes provisions to strengthen domestic supply chains and spur investment in clean energy and manufacturing. New projects are being announced weekly.
Who is running this?
The website, dashboard, and database have been assembled by Jay Turner and student researchers in the Environmental Studies Department at Wellesley College.
What does The Big Green Machine track?
TBGM provides detailed information for projects in the wind, solar, battery, and electric vehicle supply chains, including project status, target jobs generated, union status, the role of foreign investments, socioeconomic indicators of the communities where projects are located, environmental justice, electricity grid demands, and more.
What isn’t The Big Green Machine tracking?
The Big Green Machine tracks the supply chain - from mine to factory to recycling - needed to make batteries, electric vehicles, solar panels, and wind turbines.
The Big Green Machine does not track deployment of clean energy technologies. For example, we track factories manufacturing solar panels, but we not track how many or where solar arrays are being deployed.
The website includes access to other trackers that may include such information.
Where are we getting information from?
TBGM is compiled from publicly available sources of information, such as press releases, regulatory filings, zoning documents, government documents, and media coverage. Specific sources for a site can be accessed by searching for specific facilities through the search page.
How often is The Big Green Machine updated?
At least monthly, we will post updated versions of TBGM on BlueSky @jayturner.bsky.social. During the Biden administration, we posed updates around the 16th day of each month, the anniversary of the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. Since the start of Trump 2.0, we have posted updates on the 20th day of each month, the anniversary of inauguration day.
Can you download data?
Yes, you can! Request access to the Google Sheet version of the dataset by visiting our website, which is linked in our bio. Once you open the website, go to Menu > Resources > Access Database, and you'll find the link to access data right at the top.