Pace Energy and Climate Center

15 Jul 2020

Zero Net Gas: A Framework for Managing Gas Demand Reduction as a Pathway to Decarbonizing the Buildings Sector

Author: Radina Valova, Craig Hart, Tom Bourgois, Joseph O'Brien-Applegate

Topics: Energy Efficiency, GHG, LMI, Low and Moderate Income, REV, Technology, Utility Reform,

States: National,

Resource Type: Report

Adoption Year: UNKNOWN

Abstract: To meet Paris Agreement greenhouse gas reduction targets, gas distribution utilities and the buildings they serve—residential, small commercial, and large commercial and industrial buildings—must fully decarbonize. This paper proposes a Zero Net Gas demand reduction framework to achieve decarbonization of the buildings sector. The Zero Net Gas Framework is a policy and regulatory pathway to start reversing gas dependence in buildings, towards deep decarbonization. The ZNG strategy posits that gas consumption must be capped in the near-term—and incrementally reduced where possible—by pairing new gas demand with reductions in existing inefficient gas use through demand-side measures, such as energy efficiency, heat pumps and renewabl...

Reversing Energy System Inequity

Author: John Howat, John T. Colgan, Wendy Gerlitz, Melanie Santiago-Mosier and Karl R. Rábago

Topics: Low and Moderate Income,

States: National,

Resource Type: Report

Adoption Year: 2019

Abstract: Families in America with the least means pay disproportionately more for their electricity, sometimes lacking basic access to service altogether. It’s a fundamental inequity of our current energy landscape, and one that can lead to dangerous repercussions. As technology, economics, public appetite and policy steadily drive the transition to clean energy, there are frequent decisions to be made at utilities commissions and other venues about how to implement, facilitate and accelerate the needed change. This paper highlights three foundational keys for getting decisions right for residential customers with the least means: 1) DATA: Collection and distribution of comprehensive residential customer data, broken out for low- and moderate-...

Transition Support Mechanisms for Communities Facing Full or Partial Coal Power Plant Retirement in New York

Author: Lisa Anne Hamilton, Radina Valova, And Karl R. Rábago, with the support of The Center's Law Student Interns: Sarah Main, Kirsten Yerger, Matt Farnsworth, and Perri Hom

Topics: Climate, Low and Moderate Income, Markets,

States: New York,

Resource Type: Report

Adoption Year: 2017

Abstract: The Transition Support Mechanisms report, prepared by Pace Energy and Climate Center with the support of Environmental Defense Fund, documents best practices for supporting the economic and environmental health of communities in New York facing the closure of a coal-fired power plant. The report examines several decades of just transition case studies from across the United States, and describes the challenges faced by New York communities bracing for the mothballing or retirement of coal generators. Every community is unique, so while there can be no one-size-fits-all approach, the report recommends a number of resources that these communities can use to develop a just transition plan after a plant’s closure.