At a Glance: Building a 100% Clean Electric Power Grid

Converting to zero-emissions electricity while dramatically increasing output is an essential step in building a clean economy. Electricity generation is the second largest source of greenhouse gases in the U.S., accounting for 25% of annual emissions. Converting to 100% clean power is necessary to eliminate those emissions; increasing overall production is needed to support the electrification of nearly the entire economy. The national mission for clean power will:

Transition electricity production to 100% clean sources in 10 years by financing and coordinating investments in clean energy, instituting a Clean Energy Standard (CES), and radically reforming the siting and permitting process for power production and transmission projects.

Increase total energy production by at least 100% to accommodate electrification of the general economy as well as power-hungry applications such as CO2 drawdown and hydrogen production.

Build new high voltage, long-distance power lines to provide affordable power to population centers while eliminating bottlenecks and shortages during demand peaks.

Make energy storage capacity ubiquitous at every level of the nation's electricity infrastructure from power plants to homes and consumer appliances.

Expand distributed power generation solutions such as commercial and residential rooftop solar and ground-source heat pumps.

Upgrade the nation's power grid and utilities to accommodate massively increased demand for electricity.

The United States is already in the midst of a clean energy boom. Billions of dollars have been invested in clean energy projects over just the last few years. Despite this progress, the United States is not on track to reach 100% clean power within the next decade — or even by 2050.

A range of obstacles is holding back America's transition to clean power despite the economic advantages of clean power. These include a prohibitive, slow and redundant regulatory system, backwards incentives and inadequate planning and investment at utility companies, failed attempts to engineer electricity markets, and more. Our plan contains measures for addressing all of these.

The key mechanism for driving the country to 100% clean power is the Clean Energy Standard (CES), administered by the Department of Energy and the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, which requires that utilities replace all fossil-fuel power sources with clean power in 10 years.

The policies introduced in this national mission will do more than build a clean energy grid. This national mission will create high-paying jobs for workers across multiple industries including utilities, manufacturing, energy development, and R&D firms. The energy transition also gives America an opportunity to rectify some of the injustices the current energy system has placed on low income and marginalized communities.