Colorado Energy Policy Simulator Insights

The report evaluates Colorado's emissions trajectory and proposes a '1.5°C Scenario' to bridge the gap between current policies and climate goals. This scenario emphasizes a rapid transition to 100% clean electricity by 2035, the electrification of transportation and buildings, and the reduction of industrial methane leaks. Implementing these measures is projected to reduce net emissions by 85% below business-as-usual levels by 2050, while creating up to 36,000 new jobs and providing significant public health benefits, including the prevention of over 1,400 deaths annually by 2050.

• Colorado's 2019 greenhouse gas emissions were led by the industrial sector at 32%, followed by transportation at 24% and electricity at 23%.
• Under a Business-As-Usual (BAU) Scenario, Colorado's economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions are projected to decrease by only 3.4% by 2030 and 18% by 2050, failing to meet the state's target of a 90% reduction by 2050.
• The proposed 1.5°C Scenario would reduce Colorado's projected net emissions by 48% below the 2030 BAU projection and 85% below BAU by 2050, avoiding half of the cumulative emissions projected by 2050 under BAU.
• Key electricity sector policies in the 1.5°C Scenario include a clean electricity standard of 80% carbon-free generation by 2030 and 100% by 2035, alongside doubling transmission capacity and increasing battery storage.
• Transportation decarbonization in the 1.5°C Scenario requires all new passenger cars and SUVs to be electric by 2035 and all new freight trucks by 2045, while reducing passenger car travel by 20% by 2050.
• Building sector policies in the 1.5°C Scenario include a sales standard requiring all new building equipment to be fully electric by 2030 and deep energy efficiency retrofits for 15% of buildings by 2050.
• Industrial and land-use strategies for the 1.5°C Scenario involve switching to zero-carbon hydrogen for non-electrifiable end-uses by 2050, mitigating methane leaks in oil, gas, water, and waste sectors, and using afforestation.
• The 1.5°C Scenario is estimated to create approximately 20,000 new jobs by 2030 and 36,000 by 2050, while increasing gross state product by $3.5 billion per year in 2030 and $7.7 billion per year in 2050.
• Public health benefits of the 1.5°C Scenario include preventing over 350 deaths and 10,000 asthma attacks per year by 2030, rising to over 1,400 deaths and nearly 44,000 asthma attacks per year by 2050.

APA

ASHMOORE, O., ORVIS, R., CLARK-SUTTON, K., SHEPARD, J., SUBIN, Z., & IYER, N. (2021). Colorado Energy Policy Simulator Insights. Energy Innovation. https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Colorado-Energy-Policy-Simulator-Insights.pdf

Chicago

ASHMOORE, OLIVIA, ROBBIE ORVIS, KYLE CLARK-SUTTON, JUN SHEPARD, ZACK SUBIN, and NATHAN IYER. Colorado Energy Policy Simulator Insights. Energy Innovation, 2021. https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Colorado-Energy-Policy-Simulator-Insights.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=ASHMOORE |first1=OLIVIA |last2=ORVIS |first2=ROBBIE |last3=CLARK-SUTTON |first3=KYLE |last4=SHEPARD |first4=JUN |last5=SUBIN |first5=ZACK |last6=IYER |first6=NATHAN |title=Colorado Energy Policy Simulator Insights |publisher=Energy Innovation |date=May 2021 |url=https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Colorado-Energy-Policy-Simulator-Insights.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ashmoore2021colorado, author = {ASHMOORE, OLIVIA and ORVIS, ROBBIE and CLARK-SUTTON, KYLE and SHEPARD, JUN and SUBIN, ZACK and IYER, NATHAN}, title = {{Colorado Energy Policy Simulator Insights}}, institution = {Energy Innovation}, year = {2021}, month = may, url = {https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Colorado-Energy-Policy-Simulator-Insights.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }