SMUD declares climate emergency; sets goal to be carbon neutral by 2030

The Sacramento
Municipal Utility District (SMUD) Board of Directors adopted a climate
emergency declaration, committing to working toward the goal of delivering
carbon neutral electricity by 2030.

The
utility said it has previously helped to pioneer renewable energy programs and
standards. In 2018, SMUD reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 50% from 1990
levels. Furthermore, SMUD reduced the carbon intensity of its power mix, which
is now 50% carbon free.

The utility
also helped grow the local market for solar development by providing $130
million in customer incentives to install solar on over 15,000 local rooftops.
It also partnered to plant more than 500,000 shade trees throughout the
Sacramento.

SMUD adopted its most recent Integrated Resources Plan in 2018 that set a roadmap to achieving carbon neutrality by 2040. The plan, approved in January 2020 by the California Energy Commission, focuses on local renewables and includes a $7 billion investment to achieve the following goals:

Nearly 2,900 MW of new carbon-free resources including:

• 670 MW of wind
• 1,500 MW of utility-scale solar, of which, nearly 300 MW will be built in the next 3 years
• 180 MW of geothermal
• 560 MW of utility-scale energy storage
• An aggressive strategy to expand demand-side resources including:
• Nearly 600 MW of installed rooftop solar
• The equivalent of 900,000 local electric vehicles and 400,000 all-electric homes
• Nearly 200 MW of demand response programs
• Over 200 MW of customer-installed batteries