Deep Decarbonization

Building renewable energy projects isn’t the hard part—it’s managing the shift to a low-carbon economy, says CPUC President Michael Picker.

“Decarbonization” was the catchword of last week’s Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco.

Stakeholders from all over the world made new commitments to combating climate change. But the spotlight was really on California, where Governor Jerry Brown signed a historic bill into law requiring the state to power its electric grid with 100 percent carbon-free resources by 2045.

That’s not all. Brown kicked off the week with a bang by also signing an executive order committing the California to complete carbon neutrality by 2045.

So the Political Climate team sat down with a man who knows a thing or two about decarbonization in the Golden State: Michael Picker, president of the California Public Utilities Commission.

The CPUC is responsible for regulating the state’s electricity sector and will oversee many aspects of California’s transition to a low-carbon economy. Managing that transition will be the state’s greatest challenge, according to Picker.

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