
Photo: Bosch
In its effort to significantly reduce carbon emissions, the state of California is working to encourage electrification of homes and vehicles among its residents. While transportation and power generation are the most well-known sources of GHGs, in California, buildings (and the gas they use) account for a quarter of all emissions. As the LA Times reported, the state’s “electrification plan could prompt a confrontation between the country’s biggest gas distribution utility, Southern California Gas Co., and its second-biggest electric utility, Southern California Edison. The monopoly powerhouses are already promoting competing visions for the Golden State, with Edison pushing a future powered by electricity and SoCalGas touting the climate benefits of so-called renewable gas. For SoCalGas, electrification is an existential threat. For Edison, it’s an opportunity.”