DATE:
May 24, 2023
09
TO:
Board of Supervisors
SUBJECT:
Title
INCREASING UNDERSTANDING OF DECARBONIZATION EFFORTS BY CONDUCTING A LOCAL ANALYSIS OF EXISTING RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL AND OTHER INFILL RENEWABLE ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY AND IDENTIFYING REMAINING AVAILABLE ROOFTOP, PARKING LOT AND OTHER INFILL CAPACITY FOR FUTURE RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECTS (DISTRICTS: ALL)
Body
OVERVIEW
In an effort to reduce the region's reliance on traditional sources of energy and combat climate change, on January 27, 2021 (3), the San Diego County Board of Supervisors (Board) voted to create a plan that would outline realistic, data-driven pathways for local governments, industries, businesses, etc. to collectively reach net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions - focusing namely on carbon dioxide (CO2) - from our region by 2045. This plan was officially dubbed the "Regional Decarbonization Framework" (RDF), which is currently in draft form and is anticipated to return to the Board for further consideration in late 2023 or sometime next year. To shape the RDF, County staff contracted with the University of California San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy, the Energy Policy Initiatives Center (EPIC) at the University of San Diego School of Law and other technical consultants to ensure scientific knowledge guides this effort at decarbonizing San Diego County's energy, transportation and building systems.
Although the RDF is an extensive framework covering a broad range of topics including climate change, equity, green jobs, public safety and so forth, the Technical Report portion of the RDF ultimately contemplates nine different scenarios for renewable energy infrastructure that, in combination with other efforts, would guide the region in achieving net zero GHG emissions by mid-century. Each scenario includes its own unique cost-benefit considerations that would have to be weighed carefully by local decision-makers, including this Board, to e...
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