Texas has long been a leader in the energy sector, producing the most electricity in the U.S. and leading the nation in wind-powered generation. A recent report from the University of Texas at Austin, “Don’t Mess with Texas: Getting the Lone Star State to Net-Zero by 2050” says that Texas can eliminate carbon pollution in less than 30 years and that decarbonization will burgeon Texas’ economy.
But how does Texas reach net-zero? Energy experts examined four unique strategies that could decarbonize Texas reaching net-zero by 2050. They found that all four approaches actually increase economic output between 1.6%-7.9% higher than the “business as usual” model, which is their baseline. If you want to learn more about the report, tune into Weekly Witness, where Dr. Rhodes, UT Austin Research Associate, and co-author, dives deep into the report’s findings.
It’s important to note that these four net-zero approaches aren’t hard-fast policy recommendations. The report solely highlights four out of numerous approaches that can achieve net-zero – the balance where emitted greenhouse gasses are canceled out by their removal from the atmosphere. Lead author Dr. Isabella Gee states that there isn’t a single solution to reaching net-zero and that real policy decisions will have blended features of each approach.
However, the question remains, how should Texas get to net-zero?
Lucky for us, in addition to the report, the climate and energy think tank, Energy Innovation, released a Texas Energy Policy Simulator. This online tool can explore different energy policies that can reduce emissions, lower consumer costs, increase jobs, and minimize foreign energy supply dependence. However, the wrong combination of policy decisions can actually harm the Texas economy and increase greenhouse gas emissions. Determining which combinations allow for the most job creation, most emission reductions, and lead the charge toward net-zero can be a challenging task, but are you up for the challenge?
Uncover the effects of certain policy decisions and create your preferred policy package with the Texas Energy Policy Simulator. Discover if the policy initiatives you originally thought would work, are actually beneficial, and see if any new solutions surprise you. Have you heard your local representative talk about energy policy? Now is the chance to discover if their recommendations would actually work. This energy policy simulator is the perfect opportunity to test a wide range of policy solutions that lead toward a clean energy state.
Check out the policy simulator, test your ideas, build your favorite policy packages, and share with us the results! Can you decide how Texas reaches net-zero?