Forwarding
Clean Air
Initiatives
THE AIR
DISTRICT CONTINUED OUR
WORK IN 2021 TO REDUCE
GREENHOUSE
GAS EMISSIONS AND
FURTHER CLIMATE
PROTECTIONS.
Climate Tech
Finance Program
The
Air District awarded a loan guarantee to EvGateway, an electric vehicle solutions management
company focused on accelerating the adoption and use of electric vehicles by making them
easier to use. EvGateway has developed a software portfolio which enables operators of EV
chargers to manage and operate their chargers as well as allowing consumers to locate and
reserve available chargers, see amenities available at the chargers, view charging rates,
and pay for their vehicle charging. EvGateway licenses its software to Siemens, Tritium and
Revel through a white label program. In addition, EvGateway operates and maintains vehicle
chargers for companies and municipalities, including Southern California parks, beaches, and
the City of Los Angeles.
Watch Now:
Staff Statement Video
$840K
in loan contributions
through
Climate Tech Finance
505K
metric tons of CO2 per year in GHG
reductions from all
Climate Tech
Finance projects
Five
climate technology
projects
funded through
Climate Tech Finance
Play
Building|Decarbonization
Webinar Series
As
part of its Building Decarbonization Program, the Air District convened a three-part webinar
series on building decarbonization to facilitate the exchange of programs and policy
approaches from around the Bay Area. Topics included the connection between public health
and other community benefits and building retrofits, addressing equity while decarbonizing
the existing building stock, and building low-carbon resilience after wildfires. Speakers
featured staff from Bay Area local governments and community choice energy programs.
Climate Protection|Grants:Incentivizing|Heat PumpWater|Heaters
Through its Climate Protection Grant Program, the Air District funded coordinated projects
to incentivize and build the market for heat pump water heaters. Utilizing the Bay Area’s
very low-carbon electricity, switching from natural gas water heating to electric pump water
heaters reduces greenhouse gas emissions and harmful air pollutants. The Air District’s
grants supported projects of the Bay Area Regional Energy Network, StopWaste, the City of
San Jose, Marin County and Silicon Valley Clean Energy. In addition to providing incentives
to low-income and regular electricity customers, these projects worked together to build a
regional market for heat pump water heaters by addressing key barriers at every point in the
supply chain.
Bay Area Healthy|Homes Initiative
The
Air District is supporting the expansion of Contra Costa County’s asthma pilot project to
Alameda County, as the Bay Area Healthy Homes Initiative. Through the initiative, the Air
District works with county health departments, the Bay Area Regional Energy Network, and
other local partners to bring comprehensive solutions to improve health outcomes for
low-income asthma patients. The program implements in-home retrofits including energy
efficiency and switching to electric appliances to reduce indoor exposure to air pollution,
reduce climate pollutants, and increase residents’ disposable income from energy savings.
The initiative will track indoor air quality improvements, residents’ health outcomes, and
climate pollutant reductions to document the program’s benefits and serve as a blueprint for
integrated health-protective programs across the Bay Area.
The Bay Area Healthy Homes Initiative will track indoor air quality improvements, residents’
health outcomes, and climate pollutant reductions to document the program’s benefits.
Sustainable Aviation|Fuel|Report
The
report entitled, Sustainable Aviation Fuel: Greenhouse Gas Reductions
from Bay Area Commercial Aircraft, was released by the Air District in 2021,
examining the potential positive air quality effects of sustainable aviation fuel.
Sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, is a drop-in replacement for conventional jet fuel that
can significantly reduce full-fuel-cycle greenhouse gas emissions from jet aircraft engines.
It is currently required to be used in a blend with conventional jet fuel, at up to 50
percent SAF by volume.
Commuter Benefits|and|Flex Your|Commute|Programs
In
May, the Air District and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission announced the rollout
of a new compliance option for the regional Commuter Benefits Program, which requires Bay
Area employers with 50 or more employees to provide commuter benefit options to their
employees. Now, employers can select a telework option that would allow their employees to
work one or more days a week from home if their workload permits.
The Air District
launched the Flex Your Commute messaging program, promoting a
partnership between Bay Area employers and employees to encourage sustainable commuting and
rethink how their workforce commutes. The program provides messaging and tools to help
motivate employees to choose sustainable commute options — including telework — as the Bay
Area transitions toward a reimagined work environment.
The regional Commuter Benefits Program now
allows employers to select a telework option for their employees.
560
new publicly available
chargers were funded
through Charge! and VW programs
2,400
residents have participated in
the
Clean Cars For All program since
it began in 2019
$11.3M
in state funding was
secured
to continue the
CCFA program
Expanding Electric
Vehicle
Adoption
In
2021, the Air District continued its work to increase electric vehicle adoption in the
region. Through the Charge! and VW programs, $5.94M in
grants was awarded to add 560 publicly available chargers to the Bay Area’s electric vehicle
charging network. The VW funding was part of a $5M state-wide program administered by the
Air District for EV charging.
The Clean Cars for All
(CCFA) program helped low-income residents replace older vehicles with clean
air vehicles or alternative mobility options, primarily in disadvantaged communities. CCFA
has awarded more than $20M to more than 2,400 eligible residents since the program began in
March 2019 and continues to be a popular program. Additionally, the Air District secured
$11.33M in state funding to continue support for the program.
Staff continue efforts
to bring EV charging to residents of multi-family buildings and initiated a project in
partnership with StopWaste to provide education, outreach, and technical assistance for
multi-family building owners and managers regarding EV charging infrastructure. Finally,
staff finalized the EV Acceleration Plan, which reviews the current EV ecosystem in the
region and identifies areas for future expansion.
Watch Now:
Staff Statement Video
Play
Emission Reductions|Grant Funding
Seven
zero-emission tractors
were
deployed under the FARMER
Program
2,000
older polluting cars were
removed
from the road through the Vehicle
Buy Back program
$76M
was awarded
to incentivize
over 2,900 clean air projects
Thirty
class 8 zero-emission trucks
were
funded for deployment at the
Port of Oakland
Nine
zero-emission electric yard
trucks
were contracted to replace old
diesel equipment
30
marine engines were
awarded
to be replaced with cleaner technologies