To meet 2050 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions limits Washington state must scale equitable building decarbonization at pace by 2030. This level of market transformation will require systemic change and large-scale mobilization not in place with current policies, programs, or incentives. The Clean Energy Transition Institute (CETI) and 2050 Institute have been working on this challenge since 2021.
In 2023, CETI will continue our partnership with 2050 Institute to build upon our Operation 2030 project by launching SCALE 2030, which aims to drive systemic change to mobilize large-scale, equitable building decarbonization in Washington state by 2030, thereby ensuring the market will be able reduce building emissions to zero by 2050.
SCALE 2030 is guided by five key organizing principles:
(1) Simplicity
(2) Cost Reductions
(3) Alignment
(4) Leverage
(5) Equity
SCALE 2030 aims to create a new framework to optimize building decarbonization at scale with the least amount of market friction, at the lowest possible cost, within a policy and market ecosystem that is functional for key building sector actors—owners, developers, real estate managers, financiers—so they can collectively transform the building stock by 2050.
This new framework depends on a highly functional market. Mandates, programs, and market transformation efforts must be comprehensive, coherent, and harmonized with clear, actionable paths to achieve required emission targets. Performance outcomes must be integrated at every level of the ecosystem.
SCALE 2030 involves five initiatives: 1-Mapping Systemic Barriers; 2-Evolving Regional Power Planning; 3-Creating a Performance-Based Framework; 4-Developing a Blueprint for Deep Cost Reductions; and 5-Advancing Rate Reform for Equitable Decarbonization.
In 2023, we will focus on the first two initiatives, Mapping Systemic Barriers and Evolving Regional Power Planning.
SCALE 2030 will explore three of the top areas of focus from CETI’s ecosystem assessment: equity, affordability, and regional collaboration. This project is also closely allied with CETI’s Net-Zero Northwest (NZNW) regional decarbonization analysis as it will incorporate results from the NZNW building decarbonization modeling.
