A new study completed by UC Berkeley and requested by the Southern California Regional Energy Network (SoCalREN) and its workforce development partner, Emerald Cities Collaborative, reviews the expected costs, and jobs created, in achieving zero-net-energy across SoCalREN territory’s buildings in the municipal, university, schools, and hospitals (or “MUSH”) sectors. To quote from the study’s Executive Summary, the study finds
“…that deeper levels of energy efficiency lead to lower total costs, since at least within this range, energy efficiency is more cost-effective than PV.
- “Scenario 1 assumes a 60 percent reduction in energy use in all MUSH sector buildings, requiring an investment of $14.1 billion, and energy generation by on-site solar PV systems for the remaining 40 percent of energy demand, requiring an investment of $21.4 billion, at a total cost of $35.5 billion.
- “Scenario 2 assumes a 45 percent reduction in energy use in all MUSH sector buildings, requiring an investment of $10.6 billion, and energy generation by on-site solar PV systems for the remaining 55 percent of energy demand, requiring an investment of $29.4 billion, at a total cost of $40 billion.”
To read the Executive Summary in full, click here. The full study is available is available the the Berkeley Labor Center website, here.