Environmental impacts of energy generation, distribution, and use

Air Quality

Many factors affect outdoor air quality in California: population, the economy, the regulatory environment, meteorological conditions, climate change, and pollution from various sources such as energy generation facilities. Energy generators and the development of transmission and distribution infrastructure can adversely impact air quality and often, due to their location, place a disparate burden on minority and/or low income communities.

To achieve and maintain ambient air quality standards, California has an air regulatory infrastructure that consists of local, state, and federal agencies. As the result of these overlapping requirements, major stationary emission sources in California, such as energy generators, are subject to a complex array of siting, permitting, emissions control, and emissions monitoring requirements.

The Air Quality subsection of the PIER-EA focuses on the effects of energy generation and use on California's air quality. The program is developing technologies, strategies, and tools to identify the effects to air quality from electricity production and use, to reduce adverse air quality impacts and to fulfill the following goals:

• Estimate impacts of emerging energy technologies (e.g., distributed energy) and fuels on air quality


• Quantify the air quality impacts of energy efficiency and load management activities in order to maximize environmental and energy benefits


• Improve methods, tools, and data to assess the impacts of energy generation on nearby communities

The PIER Environmental Area staff is currently developing strategic research plans to address the following high-priority issues:

1. The impacts of increased use of distributed generation technologies on air quality
2. Quantification of the air quality impacts of energy-efficiency and load management measures
3. Environmental justice from an air quality perspective
4. The impacts of energy efficiency on indoor air quality

These plans will identify past and current research on each topic, significant findings from completed studies, research gaps, and cost-sharing opportunities.

Highlights

• Fine and Ultrafine Particulate Study: Potential for significant influence on future mitigation strategies in California; better characterization of the risks posed by Combustion Gas Turbine projects.


• Central California Ozone Study: development of the technical tools for air quality management plans; improve air quality conditions in Northern California.

Related Links
See Our Section on the Commission's Environmental Links Page.

Contact:
Marla Mueller
Email: mmueller@energy.state.ca.us