California has set goals of 90% retail electricity sales to be carbon-free by 2035 and 100% by 2045. Solar and wind will provide the majority of this generation, but non-intermittent resources capable of meeting electricity demand on a 24/7 basis have also been identified as key to ensure grid reliability and lower ratepayer costs. These […]
Call to Action on a Direct Air Capture Hub in California
California has identified the deployment of carbon dioxide removal, including direct air capture and biomass carbon removal, as necessary to achieving the state’s climate goals. As newer technologies the federal Department of Energy is awarding four grants of roughly $500-700 million each to establish Regional Direct Air Capture Hubs (“DAC Hubs”) to support early development. […]
Reflections on the inaugural California Biomass Workshop
Last week Conservation Strategy Group and the UC Davis Policy Institute for Energy, Environment and Economy co-hosted the inaugural California Biomass Workshop to address the key challenges and opportunities in delivering a sustainable bioeconomy to California. Over 200 attendees from state and federal agencies, tribes, research organizations, technology developers, community groups and environmental NGOs led […]
Data analysis of California’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund
California’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) is an important source of public funding to achieve the state’s climate and equity goals. Established in 2012, it generates on average about $3 billion each year for appropriation by the Legislature. The current main programs funded by the GGRF include High-Speed Rail and Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities. […]
How clean hydrogen can enable California’s climate goals
Hydrogen is sometimes referred to as the Swiss Army Knife of climate solutions due to its potential to replace fossil fuels in multiple sectors. However, not all hydrogen is created equal – with certain production methods better for the climate than others. Prioritizing end-uses for hydrogen based upon regional characteristics can also ensure that project […]
Direct Air Capture Hubs: California projects successful in receiving DOE grants
Earlier today, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced the recipients sharing in $1.2 billion in Direct Air Capture (DAC) Hub funding made available via the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Four California projects, including three in Kern County, were successful in their grant applications: California DAC Hub Consortium. The DAC Hub Consortium received $12 million […]
The challenges of carbon capture and storage in California: Regulatory issues
One of the biggest challenges faced by California in decarbonizing its economy is the need to capture carbon dioxide and store it effectively and safely. While a variety of technologies may ultimately be available to capture and store carbon, the current main option is to store it deep underground. The 2022 Scoping Plan identified the […]
State and federal agencies release first-of-its-kind biomass utilization strategy
Biomass management has been a neglected climate problem in California. That is, until recently – when the 2022 Scoping Plan identified both the significant scale of the biomass challenge and importance of mobilizing organic waste to provide clean fuels and carbon dioxide removal in a net-zero economy. In response, the Governor’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience […]
How California can lead the world in decarbonizing aviation
As the United States seeks to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, one of the most challenging sectors to decarbonize will be aviation. Aviation makes up nearly 7% of the total U.S. transportation sector emissions (Figure 1). As planes are expected to remain reliant on liquid fuels for the foreseeable future, commercializing non-fossil, low-carbon […]
CARB’s opportunity on low-carbon fuels
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) will soon initiate a series of regulatory proceedings on different programs to cement the ambitions of the 2022 Scoping Plan into state policy. One of the first – and perhaps the most consequential – will be the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). The LCFS is one of the state’s […]