As the state makes critical choices to change its energy system, it needs a clear understanding of the technical potential and risks of various energy choices. Meeting these goals will have implications for energy efficiency, renewable energy, energy transmission and distribution, electricity generation, fuels, and land use. The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) therefore began a study in 2008 called “California's Energy Future” (CEF) to understand what these implications are for 2050, and how best to approach them. The project gathered experts from across the state, along with recent studies performed by others, to outline a set of technology-driven pathways that could reduce greenhouse gas emissions in significant ways.
The basic framework of the study, which emerged from many months of discussion, addressed the following five questions, which applied across all sectors of the California energy system: 1. How much can we increase efficiency? 2. How much can we electrify demand? 3. How can we reduce carbon from our electricity system? 4. How can we balance electricity supply with demand? 5. And what is the best use of biomass?
The resulting set of options, termed “portraits,” present alternate ways in which California could achieve--or at least get close to--its 2050 target without unduly burdening the economy or relying on unproven technology. Some highlights to be discussed include the electrification of building and industrial heating, novel ways of using the limited biomass resource, and the choices available for electrical load balancing.
See more of: Energy
See more of: Symposia