Decarbonization is a crucial initiative for CEA because it has significant momentum in California state government and is widely recognized by energy stakeholders and the public at large as a climate action that presents feasible opportunities and tangible results. It’s also highly compatible with other important initiatives and strategies such as demand response, grid harmonization, advanced storage, and distributed generation. It can deliver increased energy efficiency while having a dramatic positive impact on greenhouse gases (GHGs) at scale.

California will not be able to meet its current decarbonization goals without significant electrification of the transportation and building sectors, and a transformation of the power grid. Almost all the technologies necessary for decarbonization are now available, cost effective, and ready to deploy. The challenges are in developing and aligning policies, changing building practices, and creating compelling economic incentives.

Although decarbonization has been embraced by a critical mass of California stakeholders, there is still much work to do, specifically in the practical implementation of local and state codes and policy. Mitigating economic disruption in transitioning away from fossil fuels - especially reducing natural gas use - is an important aspect in implementing decarbonization.

The Alliance is holding a series of four convening events for the first quarter of 2021. The objective of the first three events is to assess the current state of decarbonization efforts in California with a diverse group of experts, thought leaders and stakeholder representatives. These events will focus on three sectors: buildings, transportation, and power and distribution. Each convening will seek to assess the electrification landscape – what’s already being done, who is doing it, and what are the hurdles to implementation – so that we can identify opportunities for CEA to play a unique role in this initiative.

In the fourth event of the series CEA will engage with Alliance members to report findings from the convening events and to establish the foundation for member-driven decarbonization working groups.

In 2020, the combination of the pandemic, heat events, and wildfires in California posed significant threats to human health and put unprecedented strain on the health system and the electrical grid. This moved interest in Healthy Buildings to the forefront of the news cycle. The need to protect the public from disease, negative health impacts of poor air quality and lighting, and from unproven or ineffective products and building system interventions is now widely recognized as essential. CEA is in a strong position to address both the immediate and long-term challenges to making buildings in California healthier and more resilient to public health threats and disasters, both natural and manmade.

Making buildings that have been closed during the pandemic safe for reopening will help to stimulate economic recovery, preserve financial asset values, and create new jobs. Healthy Building solutions for both existing and new buildings will require new skills, trained technicians, and training and certification programs, creating jobs and improving environmental justice.

There is ample evidence linking healthy buildings to productivity, further supporting the critical connection between Healthy Buildings and economic interests across the stakeholder spectrum. Improving the health and safety of our built environment is essential for all Californians, from government to manufacturers, building owners and operators, and across every segment of the population at large, including the economically disadvantaged.

In CEA’s Quarterly Member Meeting on June 10, 2020, the Alliance hosted a breakout session on Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) to explore the possibility of forming a Working Group focused on ventilation and lighting for health, including germicidal lighting. The general conclusion from that session was that there is great interest among CEA members in further exploring a multi-disciplinary initiative focused on these opportunities.

On February 16, 2021, the Alliance is holding a Healthy Buildings Roundtable that will develop a foundation for formation of potential Healthy Buildings Working Groups. This will provide an overview of current research and assess areas where work is underway in different organizations and sectors and identify opportunities for CEA to bridge gaps, coordinate projects, collaborate on research, or lead its own lead distinct programs.

Load management can slow and reverse the trend of rising electricity costs and improve grid reliability by improving time-of-use (TOU) efficiency of electricity consumption. Load management standards support these goals by encouraging increased demand flexibility of the energy system - minimizing cost, improving reliability, and promoting renewable energy resources. Demand flexibility is necessary to make full use of rapidly growing renewable energy resources in California, and to better manage loads at crucial peak periods. The basic components that must be in place to implement the required load management at the scale needed are:

1) Proper TOU rate structures

2) Standards for how these rates are communicated to customers

3) The metering, communication, and device infrastructure that enables demand response

4) Effective incentives for customers to implement and use demand response and dynamic real-time energy pricing

At the code level, 2020 Load Management Rulemaking (Docket #19-OIR-01) will expand on efforts to increase efficiency and demand flexibility in California's electricity grid. The California Energy Commission (Energy Commission) will revise the existing standards to promote a demand flexible electricity market, while ensuring that costs and benefits are equitable. The Energy Commission is considering new tariffs, technologies, and other measures that are consistent with the need for increased demand flexibility to support a renewable and decarbonized electricity grid.

CEA recognizes the significant roles that real-time pricing and load management play in California’s energy future. The Alliance is monitoring these issues and their implications across the energy sector with an eye to how and when the Alliance is best prepared to undertake a well-informed and mission-aligned initiative on this important topic. While efforts to define the purpose and scope of a prospective CEA Real-time Pricing and Load Management initiative have not yet begun the following are preliminary ideas for consideration.