No energy sector is left unchanged by the increasing focus on climate change and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In the electric sector, policies designed to reduce GHG emissions create both challenge and enormous opportunity.
E3 has taken a pioneering role in the evaluation and development of clean, decarbonized energy plans. The firm developed a detailed, publicly available model of California electricity and natural gas sectors for the California PUC and California Air Resources Board that estimates the costs of reducing GHG in California and the Western Interconnect by 2020. E3 has also developed a multi-sector, long-term model of GHG reduction potential and costs in California and the United States through 2050.
E3’s Energy and Climate Policy practice offers strategy, stakeholder facilitation, and modeling of the effects of climate change policy for energy technology companies, state and federal government and electric and gas utilities.
The Energy and Climate Policy practice includes:- California AB32
- Western Climate Initiative
- Consumer cost impacts
- Long-range forecasting
- Publicly available Models
Contact: Snuller Price
Sample Projects +Policy Analysis for California State Agencies. E3 has been advising the California Public Utilities Commission, California Energy Commission and California Air Resources Board regarding a number of different regulatory strategies for implementing California’s landmark climate change legislation Assembly Bill 32 (“AB32”). AB32 mandates reducing California’s greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. As part of our engagement with the California agencies, E3 developed a detailed model of the cost of electric and natural gas sector greenhouse gas reduction options and of the distributional effects of alternative carbon allowance allocation schemes, and facilitated an extensive stakeholder process to explain the model and results. In addition, E3 advised the agencies on a myriad of policy options (“load-based” vs. “first deliverer” point of regulation), allocation schemes (output (GWh)-based vs. historical emissions-based), and other issues.
Hydrogen Energy International (HEI) 2050 Analysis. E3 evaluated California’s options to meet deep reductions in GHG emissions by 2050 as required by California Executive Order S-03-05. E3 developed a multi-sector model of the California economy that calculates societal cost as well as GHG emissions from 2008 through 2050. The final report considers the different cost impacts and GHG implications of long-term strategies to reduce GHG emissions in California.
HEI Business Plan. In follow-up work to the 2050 analysis, E3 provided guidance through the California regulatory process and helped structure a contract form that is in compliance with California SB1368.
Hawaiian Electric Company. E3 has been asked to develop a range of plausible estimates of the impact on HECO’s costs, rates and its customers bills associated with implementing the Clean Energy Future. The analysis will rely on a variety of available data from the company, the Energy Information Administration (EIA), and other public sources. It will provide estimates that cover the period from 2010 through 2050 under several broad and transparent policy scenarios that include high and low cost energy cases. The analysis will also include rough estimates of the costs of decarbonizing the transportation and industrial sectors. Biofuels and electrification will play vital roles in both sectors.
