文档介绍：SPSC Low Carbon Study
September 19, 2013
Introduction
The 20-year SPSC Low Carbon study (“Low Carbon study”) is designed to study a world in which economy-wide carbon emissions are reduced to 42 percent below 2005 levels by 2032 in the Western Interconnection on a pathway to deeper carbon reductions of 80 percent below 2005 levels by 2050. Instead of simply applying the economy-wide target to the electric sector, the SPSC study takes a multi-sector approach to highlight the cross-sectorial nature of the challenge of decarbonization and the implications of limited opportunities for emissions reductions outside the electric sector. Because there are few opportunities to reduce carbon emissions in other sectors, there is broad agreement in studies of long-term carbon reduction strategies that the electric sector will be responsible for a disproportionately large share of emissions reductions. Specifically, the electric sector offers three broad opportunities for substantial reductions:
Aggressive deployment of energy efficiency;
Decarbonization of the electricity supply; and
Electrification of loads traditionally served by fossil bustion (., transportation).
Each of these pathways to deep reduction is considered within the Low Carbon study.
The purpose of the Low Carbon study was to understand achievable potential estimates for carbon reduction in the Western Interconnection in the 20-year timeframe, and to evaluate the impact of these estimates on the transmission expansion results from ’s Long-term Planning Tool (LTPT). The study used this ordered approach to achieve these goals:
Compile demand inputs due to electrification and energy efficiency (EE); identify Western Interconnection carbon target (metric tons of CO2); calculate new resource capital costs; and identify new state renewable portfolio standards (RPS) requirements. The State-Provincial mittee (SPSC) and Western Interstate Energy Board (WIEB) led this work, and relied on contractor Energy