Today, Princeton University released the interim report of their Net-Zero America Project (NZAP). This is the culmination of over two years of work and outlines feasible transitions to net-zero emissions in the U.S. with a new level of specificity and granularity.
The project uses EER's EnergyPATHWAYS and RIO models as the basis for developing five decarbonization scenarios reaching net-zero emissions in the U.S. by 2050. Using these scenarios, Princeton researchers and other external collaborators created spatially explicit infrastructure plans that represent a new standard in the field. Further analysis of air quality, employment impacts, and land-use add critical dimensions that have not been included in many previous low carbon infrastructure plans.
The findings from the NZAP project are broadly consistent with other national research released recently, highlighted by the NYT, including the Zero-Carbon Action Plan from SDSN. The actions we must take in the 2020s to be on an emissions trajectory compatible with recommendations from the latest climate science are sobering but increasingly clear. These are highlighted starting on pdf page 335 within the NZAP report.
The full NZAP Interim Report can be downloaded here.
Evolved Energy Research contributions to the NZAP project can be accessed as part of the technical annexes: