In June 2020, UC Berkeley released the 2035 Report: Plummeting Solar, Wind, and Battery Costs Can Accelerate Our Clean Energy Future. The study is the first to use the latest low renewable energy and storage prices and shows that with strong policies the U.S. can deliver 90 percent clean electricity by 2035 nationwide, dependably, without building new fossil fuels and without increasing consumer bills.
Why Is The Report Significant?
The 2035 time frame for near-complete decarbonization of the power sector is significant because it is 15 years earlier than projected in most state and national policy proposals.
A summary of the key findings:
- No New Fossil Fuels: Modeling results show a 90 percent clean electricity grid is dependable without new coal or natural gas plants. The clean electricity mixture is largely generated by renewables in addition to some hydro and nuclear power. Power generation from existing natural gas plants would drop by 70 percent in 2035 compared to 2019.
- No Added Cost: Declines in renewable energy costs make it technically and economically feasible for the U.S. to deliver 90 percent clean electricity by 2035 without increasing consumer bills from today’s levels.
- Economic and Jobs Opportunity: The rapid buildout of renewable energy would inject $1.7 trillion of investment into the economy and increase energy sector jobs by up to 530,000 per year through 2035.
- Health and Environmental Benefits: Delivering 90 percent clean electricity by 2035 avoids 85,000 premature deaths and $1.2 trillion in environmental and health costs through 2050 by reducing damages from air pollution and carbon emissions.
- Policy Needed: The study finds that without robust policy reforms, most of the potential to reduce emissions and increase jobs will not be realized.
The 2035 Report release is accompanied by a policy paper from Energy Innovation Rewiring the U.S. For Economic Recovery that outlines a suite of technology-neutral energy policy solutions that can help federal, state, and regional policymakers secure 90% clean electricity by 2035.
Visit 2035report.com to download the report directly.