The US effort to prioritize low-carbon energy comes with some bumps and bruises along the way, an indication that the energy industry’s trilemma of availability, reliability and affordability can conflict with economic realities and environmental priorities current, even in a state like California with abundant financial resources. and clean energy resources and a commitment to decarbonisation. In today’s RBN blog, we look at the state’s big goals to phase out fossil fuels, why it’s been forced to put its transition away from natural gas and nuclear power on hold, and some of the biggest challenges for Golden State.
As we said a I can’t help but fall in love, the first blog in this series, the challenges of trying to move away from oil and gas are now being felt in Hawaii, where a commitment to expand energy production from renewable sources and reduce the use of of fossil fuels, while keeping prices down. controlling and reducing pollution is not an easy task. Today we turn our attention to California, the state with the most ambitious plans to move away from fossil fuels and toward an economy driven primarily by renewables and zero-carbon energy. (We last looked at the state’s efforts to manage the energy transition away from natural gas a few years ago California dreaming.)
Let’s start with a 50,000-foot look at the state’s overall decarbonization goals before delving into some of the specific goals that have been proposed. The state’s strategy has three fundamental elements, according to him Key challenges for California’s energy futurepublished June 2023 by the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST):
- Maximize efficiency and electrify energy use in all sectors to the greatest extent possible.
- Provide affordable, accessible and reliable carbon-free electricity for a highly electrified economy.
- Decarbonize activities that cannot be electrified through the use of clean fuels, efficiency, conservation and better land use planning and infrastructure.
