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.
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
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
The Department of Commerce engaged the Clean Energy Transition Institute (CETI) and its partners to provide technical consultation to 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.
The technical consulting includes:
- Conducting a meta-analysis of existing energy studies and strategies and an inventory of existing Washington policies, programs, regulations, investments, and tools
- Facilitating a technical advisory process to inform the Advisory Committee’s advice and recommendations
- Performing decarbonization and modeling and analysis, building on existing efforts and guided by the technical advisory process and Advisory Committee deliberations
- 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
The CETI Team is comprised of the following:
- Clean Energy Transition Institute, a Seattle-based nonprofit organization that advances strategies to advance deep decarbonization in the Northwest. Eileen V. Quigley, Executive Director; Bruce Jacobsen, Director of Operations; Marc Daudon, Senior Fellow; Nicole Larson, Research Assistant.
- Stockholm Environment Institute US, a nonprofit research organization with offices in California, Massachusetts, and Washington that conducts research and engages with decision-makers on energy, water, and climate policy. Michael Lazarus, Director SEI-US; Derik Broekhoff, Senior Scientist.
- Evolved Energy Research, a national firm of energy professionals with extensive consulting experience using decarbonization modeling to examine the questions that the clean energy transition poses. Jeremy Hargreaves; Gabe Kwok; Ben Haley, Principals.
- Hammerschlag, LLC, an Olympia-based company specializing in greenhouse gas inventories, greenhouse gas regulation, life-cycle assessments of rules, and renewable energy technology assessments. Roel Hammerschlag, Principal.
- Inclusive Economics, a Bay Area company that conducts research on the employment, economic, and equity impacts of clean energy and climate policies. Betony Jones, Founder.
- FTI Consulting, a global business advisory firm providing economic impact analysis of clean energy policies for this project. Scott Nystrom, Senior Director.
- 2050 Institute, a Seattle-based think tank that partners with policy makers, utilities, and market actors to deliver building decarbonization at scale. Poppy Storm, Founder.
- One Visual Mind, a Portland, OR and Boston, MA-based design firm. Carol Maglitta; Karen Beck, Designers.
Washington State Industrial Emissions Analysis Documents:
Oregon Clean Energy Pathways Analysis Documents:
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Operation 2030 Documents:
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2021 WA State Energy Strategy Presentations
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Other Projects
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.
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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.
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Montana Governor’s Climate Solutions Council
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.
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Equitable Rural Building Decarbonization
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.
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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.
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© 2021 Clean Energy Transition Institute
Seattle, WA