Montana Governor’s Climate Solutions Council

Pexels
September 2020

Washington State aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the scale and pace that the climate crisis requires

The Clean Energy Transition Institute and our partners were privileged to have been chosen to provide technical assistance to the Washington State Department of Commerce in developing and designing the state’s 2021 State Energy Strategy.
Learn more about this process
Washington State Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Targets
45%
below 1990 levels by 2030
70%
below 1990 levels by 2040
95%
below 1990 levels, with net zero emissions by 2050

Washington 2021 State Energy Strategy and Supporting Materials

This project enabled us to develop a wealth of information about specific policies and actions required to decarbonize the building, transportation, electricity, and industrial sectors in the next decade and beyond, not only in Washington, but across the Northwest.

Washington State Energy Strategy
Executive Summary
Key Actions Summary
Chapter B – Decarbonization Modeling
Deep Decarbonization
Modeling Final Report
Economic Impacts of the Deep Decarbonization Pathways Modeling
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Presentation to the CET Institute
Washington State Energy Policies Inventory
Bibliography

Technical Advisory Process

From March-December 2020 the CETI Team provided technical analysis to the Washington State Department of Commerce in support of a suite of policies and actions designed to meet Washington’s greenhouse gas targets and achieve decarbonization in the state.
The technical consulting included:
1.
Conducting a meta-analysis of existing energy studies and strategies and an inventory of existing Washington policies, programs, regulations, investments, and tools
2.
Facilitating a technical advisory process to inform the Advisory Committee’s advice and recommendations
3.
Performing decarbonization and modeling and analysis, building on existing efforts and guided by the technical advisory process and Advisory Committee deliberations
4.
Working with Commerce to create communication materials, including the design and preparation of a final report and supporting documents to launch the final 2021 State Energy Strategy
Technical Analysis and Strategy Design Consultants

The Clean Energy Transition Institute facilitated the technical advisory process, design, and production of the Washington State 2021 Energy Strategy from March to December with the following consultants:

Clean Energy Transition Institute

Aditi Bansal, Policy and Research Analyst
‍Marc Daudon, Senior Fellow
‍Nicole Larson, Research Assistant
‍David Paolella, Policy and Research Analyst
‍Eileen V. Quigley, Executive Director

Evolved Energy Research

Jeremy Hargreaves, Principal

Hammerschlag, LLC

Roel Hammerschlag, Principal

‍

Inclusive Economics

Betony Jones, Founder

One Visual Mind

Karen Beck, Partner
Carol Maglitta, Partner

Stockholm Environment Institute

Derik Broekhoff, Senior Scientist
Michael Lazarus, U.S. Center Director

2050 Institute

Poppy Storm, Founder and Director of Innovation

September 2020

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.

During the summer of 2020, we worked with the Governor’s team to model Montana-specific results from our June 2019 Northwest Deep Decarbonization Pathways Study, which were incorporated into the Montana Solutions Plan that Governor Bullock announced on September 9, 2020.

Visit the NW Clean Energy Atlas
NWDDP Modeling Results – MT

Washington State Industrial Emissions Analysis Documents:

Final Report
Cement Case Study
Characterization Tables
.xlsx

Oregon Clean Energy Pathways Analysis Documents:

Executive Summary
Final Report
Press Release

Operation 2030 Documents:

White Paper
Michael Sladek/Shutterstock.com
Key Findings
Greenbridge - KCHA
Building Sector Data
Image: Province of British Columbia
.xlsx
Webinar Presentation
Jeremy Levine
Webinar Recording
Renovus Solar
Webinar Q & A
Renovus Solar

Community-Defined Decarbonization Documents:

Full Report
Solar installation on Lummi school/Spark Northwest
Executive Summary
Jessica Gigot and Dean Luce, Harmony Fields Farm/Dean J. Koepfler
Key Findings
Farm buildings in Washington State with Mount Baker in the background. Modfos

Northwest Clean Energy Atlas

The following maps created for this report are available as interactive visualizations on the Northwest Clean Energy Atlas:

  1. Poverty and Energy Burden
  2. Access to Internet and Personal Vehicles
  3. Manufactured Housing and Energy Burden
  4. Weatherization Assistance Program Eligible Households

2021 WA State Energy Strategy Presentations

Presentation
March 31, 2020: Washington State Energy Strategy Advisory Committee
On March 31, 2020, the CETI team presented an overview outlining its technical advisory process for developing the Washington State 2021 Energy...
3/31/2020
Presentation
May 13, 2020: Deep Dive Webinar on Deep Decarbonization Pathways Modeling
Webinar featuring Jeremy Hargreaves of Evolved Energy Research, which details deep decarbonization pathways modeling and covered model...
5/13/2020
Presentation
May 27, 2020: Deep Decarbonization Pathways Modeling Scenario Development
Webinar focusing on cross-sector and cross-cutting issues and how modeling will enable an analysis of options in the context of achieving Washington...
5/27/2020
Presentation
June 11, 2020: Washington State Energy Strategy Advisory Committee
A review of the economic impact modeling that Scott Nystrom of FTI Consulting will perform as part of the technical advisory process for the Washingto...
6/11/2020
Presentation
July 23 and July 29, 2020: Four Framing Documents for the Energy Sector
Documents outlining the technical advisory process and four framing documents with sector-specific questions about how to decarbonize Washington’s...
7/23/2020
Presentation
August 25, 2020: Draft Decarbonization Modeling Results
Washington State Energy Strategy Advisory Committee meeting where preliminary findings of the deep decarbonization pathways modeling and six scenarios...
8/25/2020
Presentation
September 15, 2020 Emerging State Energy Elements
Presentation to the Advisory Committee where emerging elements of the draft State Energy Strategy for the transportation, buildings, industrial...
9/15/2020
Presentation
December 11, 2020: Final Washington State Energy Strategy Modeling
Evolved Energy Research produced the final decarbonization pathways modeling on December 11, 2020.
12/11/2020

Get the latest updates from the Institute directly to your inbox.

Other Projects

Stuart Isset
Project

Clean Materials Manufacturing

The Clean Materials Manufacturing project expanded upon that analysis for six manufacturing sectors—aluminum, concrete and cement, glass, iron and steel, pulp and paper, and wood products—to provide background material for Building Washington’s Clean Materials Manufacturing Economy.
Learn More
Project

Clean Energy and Northwest Rural Communities

The Clean Energy Transition Institute has created two projects to explore the development of clean energy in Northwest rural communities. These efforts seek to center and elevate rural voices in clean energy policy discussions, ensuring rural communities are full participants in defining the benefits and challenges of decarbonization.
Learn More
Scott Butner
Project

Industrial Decarbonization

The Clean Energy Transition Institute has created two projects to explore the opportunities and challenges of industrial decarbonization. Industry, especially “heavy” industry that produces basic materials like metals, chemicals, and cement, tends to be highly carbon intensive.
Learn More
Transmission Lines Eastern WA
Scott Butner
Project

Net-Zero Northwest

An Equitable Economic and Technical Roadmap to 2030 aims to provide decarbonization pathways analysis combined with an employment study to guide actions in the four Northwest states from now until 2030 and put the region on the path to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
Learn More
Power County Wind Farm
U.S. Dept. of Energy
Project

Washington 2021 State Energy Strategy Technical Advisory Process

From March 2020 through January 2021, the Clean Energy Transition Institute provided technical and economic analysis to support the Washington State Department of Commerce in developing the 2021 State Energy Strategy. The strategy is a 10-year roadmap for how the state could get on the path to achieving the State’s 2050 net-zero target. With a team of 12, we modeled decarbonization pathways; interviewed 150 stakeholders; surveyed over 700 studies; created a compendium of all state climate and clean energy policies; and designed and produced the strategy and accompanying infographics.
Learn More
nathmath
Project

Operation 2030: Scaling Building Decarbonization in Washington State

CETI is launching Operation 2030 in partnership with the 2050 Institute to frame and jumpstart the large-scale mobilization required by 2030 to position Washington State to meet its transformational building decarbonization goals by 2050. The initiative currently consists of two phases starting with a report in fall 2021, followed by a series of Operation 2030 strategic forums and policy briefs throughout 2022.
Learn More
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Project

Northwest Clean Energy Atlas

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.
Learn More
Detroit Dam, Oregon
Dan Meyers, Unsplash
Project

Oregon Clean Energy Pathways Analysis

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.
Learn More
Jessica Plumb
Project

Claiming Power: Stories of Rural Communities and Clean Energy

The Clean Energy Transition Institute is launching a storytelling initiative focused on Washington State’s rural communities.
Learn More
Scott Butner
Project

Washington State Clean Materials Manufacturing Summit

In collaboration with Washington BlueGreen Alliance, the University of Washington’s Carbon Leadership Forum, and SEI US, the Clean Energy Transition is working to present a Clean Materials Manufacturing Summit in summer 2022.
Learn More
Steptoe Butte 5338 B
Steptoe Butte 5338 B/Jim Choate
Project

Community-Defined Decarbonization

Community-Defined Decarbonization: Reflecting Rural and Tribal Desires for an Equitable Clean Energy Transition in Washington had two goals: (1) to understand the barriers to decarbonizing buildings for the state’s rural and Tribal low-income, energy-burdened households, and (2) to determine whether decarbonization strategies and clean energy development could address energy inequities in these communities.
Learn More
Project

Meeting the Challenge of Our Time

Meeting the Challenge of Our Time: Pathways to a Clean Energy Future for the Northwest is the first economy-wide analysis to examine decarbonization pathways mapped to the Northwest’s economic and institutional realities.
Learn More
LoadedAaron
Project

Washington State Industrial Emissions Analysis

From January through July 2021, The Clean Energy Transition Institute analyzed Washington state’s industrial emissions to help the Department of Commerce improve its data collection to develop Washington-specific decarbonization roadmaps. Our work entailed breaking down the upstream, process, and downstream phases for the state’s top nine emitting industries, identifying the dominant emission sources and data collection for each stage, and suggesting other data-collection methods. We also drafted a case study on green cement.
Learn More
Sign Up for our Newsletter
© 2021 Clean Energy Transition Institute
Seattle, WA