Clean energy technologies are central to limiting the impacts of climate change as the world shifts away from emissions-intensive energy sources. Embracing clean energy alternatives means fundamentally changing the way we produce and consume energy—in all its forms.
While electric power has been pivotal to our growth as a society, the industry is one of the largest contributors to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Decarbonization is the reduction and eventual removal of GHG emissions resulting from human activities, including the generation of electricity. It can be achieved by switching from fossil fuels to low-carbon energy sources across all sectors. From the transportation and manufacturing sectors to households and offices, all cogs of the economy rely on electric power to operate and produce goods and services. Therefore, decarbonizing the generation of electricity can simultaneously help reduce emissions from all adjacent industries. Electric utilities have a powerful opportunity to not only enable but also spearhead decarbonization at an economy-wide level. And even though utilities have been making strides to decarbonize for decades, dramatically reducing emissions in the next decade to reach net-zero by 2050 1 will take a paradigm shift.
This report also sheds light on the obstacles that utilities face on their road to decarbonization, Through the knowledge, enthusiasm, and willingness of industry leaders, the NPUC intends to bring significant change to practices within the electrical power sector, leading to decreased GHG emissions, informed policies on both the state- and federal-levels, and a sustainable ecological economy.
