We are working alongside our partners to provide technical consultation to the Washington State Department of Commerce, the Governor’s office, and the Advisory Committee in developing the Washington 2021 State Energy Strategy. This work will enhance understanding of the costs and benefits of a suite of policies and actions to meet Washington’s greenhouse gas targets that are designed achieve decarbonization in the state.

Our work on the Washington state energy strategy led to a new project in November 2020, Oregon Clean Energy Pathways Analysis. In partnership with Renewable Northwest, GridLab, and Evolved Energy Research, we are using the updated NWDDP model to test various decarbonization scenarios for Oregon to inform policy discussions during the upcoming 2021 legislative session.

In December 2019, the Institute and Evolved Energy Research presented deep decarbonization pathways modeling results to Montana Governor Steve Bullock’s Climate Solutions Council, which was charged with developing strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, prepare the state for climate impacts, foster innovation, and create economic development and workforce strategies for communities in transition.

Buildings account for more than a quarter of Washington state’s greenhouse gas emissions, up 50% since 1990 and now comprising 27% of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. Both the Washington 2021 State Energy Strategy and legislation currently under consideration in the state legislature aim to reduce those emissions to zero by 2050.

The Institute’s Northwest Clean Energy Atlas project aims to use Tableau’s data visualization software to create an interactive atlas exploring energy data relevant to deep decarbonization in the Northwest.