THE NET-ZERO BLOG
Climate policy analysis and updates from Sacramento
Study finds public financing of transmission could save ratepayers billions
A rapid and significant expansion in transmission infrastructure this decade is key for California to meet its ambitious climate goals. However, this build-out will be expensive – with the potential to overburden ratepayers and undermine the state’s clean energy transition. In this blog post, we highlight an analysis by the Public Advocates Office which explores strategies to minimize the cost of transmission.
Governor’s proposed Clean Energy Central Procurement mechanism could be the most consequential climate policy this decade
The pace of clean energy deployment in California is currently too slow to achieve the state’s ambitious climate targets. The Governor’s proposed Clean Energy Central Procurement mechanism in the 2023-24 energy trailer bill is a powerful policy concept that has the potential to correct this trajectory. In this blog post, we highlight how strategic public procurement of clean energy assets can address critical obstacles to a rapid energy transition in California.
California needs to expand its clean energy. And it starts by expanding its grid
California’s 2022 Scoping Plan identified the unprecedented amount of new clean energy needed to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045, including developing a 20 GW offshore wind industry from scratch and more than tripling the state’s utility-scale solar capacity. How can the state deliver on these major ambitions? In this blog post we highlight the essential role of transmission to enable California’s clean energy deployment goals.
California advances toward climate goals: permit streamlining
To achieve net-zero emissions by 2045, the sheer volume of new clean energy projects that must be planned, permitted, built and commissioned in only 23 years is unprecedented. AB 205 – a 2022 budget trailer bill passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor – establishes a number of landmark siting and permitting reforms to reduce lead times and incentivize an increase in clean energy deployment. In this blog post, we review AB 205 and provide context for California’s net-zero challenge. This blog post is the second of a three-part series that reviews key outcomes from California’s 2022 legislative session on climate and clean energy.