IEEE Electrification - June 2019 - 63

movement and indoor agriculture.
Larger plug-in electric and plug-in
hybrid trucks are going through the
development stage, and the initial
deployments must be supported by
more charging infrastructure to
deliver clean and reliable electric fuel.

Electrify Buildings
SCE estimates that electrifying nearly
33% of space and water heating in
homes and businesses, in addition to
increased energy efficiency and
strong building codes and standards,
could reduce GHG emissions from 49
MMT/year to 37 MMT/year, or 6.7% of
the 2030 goal (Figure 1). Collaboration
among manufacturers, repair service
providers, and policy makers will be
required to achieve the electrification
of residential and commercial buildings. Current building codes and
standards are based on the 20th century paradigm of electric power generation dominated by petroleum,
natural gas, and coal. A rapid paradigm shift is necessary, based on
SCE's vision of the decarbonized
grid supporting and incentivizing
the use of clean-electric appliances
and evolving technologies in new
buildings. For example, controllable
electric space and water heating,
powered by rooftop solar generation
with surplus solar power for electric
vehicle charging, could be incorporated in a future version of the zero-netenergy framework, which is focused
on reducing the carbon footprint for
new home construction.

Concurring Visions
SCE's vision for a clean energy future
is shared by other utilities and government agencies. In 2018, National
Grid, Waltham, M a s s a ch u s e t t s ,
released the Northeast 80 × 50 pathway, its blueprint for reducing GHG
emissions to 80% below 1990 levels by
2050. National Grid's pathway calls

for 67% carbon-free electricity, 10 million electric vehicles on northeast
roads by 2030, doubling the rate at
which buildings are retrofitted with
energy efficiency projects, and transitioning almost 5 million homes and
buildings that still use heating oil to
either gas or electricity. Similarly,
Portland General Electric published a
white paper in 2018 laying out its
vision for the role of a clean energy
future in achieving Oregon's environmental goals. The company's vision
includes achieving 70% carbon-free
generation by 2040, modernizing the
electric grid, and customer adoption
of new technologies, including electric vehicles. In 2018, the California
Energy Commission put forward its
decarbonization strategy for a clean
high-renewable future. The strategy
encompasses a 74% decarbonization
of electricity, 6 million zero-emission
vehicles, and electric heat pumps for
50% of new HVAC and water heating
by 2030.

An Electrifying Future
SCE has developed a blueprint for
integrated electrification that others
can follow for broad decarbonization.
It leverages existing policies and
uses existing technologies to produce the most feasible and costeffective solution to decarbonize the
electric power sector and, afterward,
transition fossil-fuel-dependent sectors to clean electric power.
We can transition to a low-carbon
economy by midcentury, and we can
meet predefined goals to reduce GHG
emissions across all energy sectors:
electricity, fuels, and gases. Additionally, we are proud, as an investorowned utility, to lead the way. Why
SCE? Because many resources and
stakeholders are needed to address
climate change, and electric utilities
have the size, scope, and infrastructure to support efficient electrification

fueled by clean electricity for all consumers. However, everyone is a stakeholder in this effort, and we need a
sense of urgency. Now is the time to
come together and figure out how to
respond to this crucial moment in the
history of our industry and of society
in general. To quote the British thinker
and philosopher Jonathon Porritt,
"The future will either be green or not
at all."
The possibilities for electrification
are exciting. Not only can it make a
better world, it simply makes business sense. Efficient electrification
catalyzed by clean energy helps meet
customer demands and supports the
creation of more green jobs across
the economy. It creates a new energy
paradigm that can mitigate the
impact of greenhouse gases and
improve air quality and human
health today and for generations
to come.

For Further Reading
Southern California Edison, "The clean
power and electrification pathway,"
Southern California Edison, Rosemead,
CA, White Paper, 2017a. [Online]. Available: https://newsroom.edison.com/
internal_redirect/cms.ipressroom.com.
s3.amazonaws.com/166/files/20187/
g17-pathway-to-2030-white-paper.pdf
Southern California Edison, "The
clean power and electrification pathway: Appendices," Southern California
Edison, Rosemead, CA, White Paper,
2017b. [Online]. Available: https://www
.edison.com/content/dam/eix/
documents/our-perspective/g17p a t h w ay - t o - 2 0 3 0 - w h i t e - p a p e rappendices.pdf

Biographies
Manuel Avendaño (manuel.avendano
@sce.com) is with Southern California Edison.
Devin Rauss (devin.rauss@sce
.com) is with Southern California
Edison.

IEEE Elec trific ation Magazine / J UNE 2 0 1 9

https://www.edison.com/content/dam/eix/documents/our-perspective/g17-pathway-to-2030-white-paper.pdf https://www.edison.com/content/dam/eix/documents/our-perspective/g17-pathway-to-2030-white-paper-appendices.pdf https://www.edison.com/content/dam/eix/documents/our-perspective/g17-pathway-to-2030-white-paper-appendices.pdf

IEEE Electrification - June 2019

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