SDG&E's Sustainability Strategy
Helping build healthier, safer and stronger communities and a clean energy future
Net Zero GHG Emissions by 2045
California is targeting a just and equitable energy transition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. That means removing as much carbon from the atmosphere as California produces. In the San Diego and southern Orange County region, SDG&E and many local cities also embrace carbon neutrality as their goal.
In April 2022, SDG&E published The Path to Net Zero: A Decarbonization Roadmap for California. The economy-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) study, which is supported by leading third-party experts, informs our options to achieve net zero emissions by 2045 while maintaining energy resiliency, reliability and affordability.
Our Progress
Our commitment to sustainability is built into everything we do. We are working to reduce our carbon footprint, foster energy innovation and conservation, and encourage our employees and the communities we serve to take daily action to help ensure a sustainable and equitable energy future for generations to come.
Read our 2023 Sustainability Highlights, which shares progress on our goals and highlights key projects that are helping to build an equitable and clean energy economy.
You can also find more information regarding sustainability in the following documents:
Hydrogen Innovations
As part of our sustainability strategy, SDG&E is exploring the potential of clean hydrogen to help advance our state and region's climate action goals. SDG&E is developing several pilots to test hydrogen for long-duration energy storage, electric generation, vehicle fueling, and blending into an existing natural gas system. Learn more about our hydrogen projects at 517b2b.com/hydrogen.
Energy Storage & Microgrids
SDG&E is building a diverse portfolio of energy storage solutions — including vanadium redox flow, lithium-ion manganese, lithium-ion phosphate, and iron-salt flow batteries — to build grid reliability and help store surplus renewable energy. All SDG&E energy projects are connected to the state’s market, meaning the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) will be able to dispatch energy at any time to balance supply and demand on the statewide grid. Learn more about microgrids at 517b2b.com/microgrid.
Clean Transportation
In Southern California, the transportation sector is the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions – a key driver behind climate change and a major source of air pollution, according to the California Air Resources Board.
Fleet Decarbonization
SDG&E is committed to reimagining transportation — the single largest source of GHG emissions in our state and in our region. This commitment includes transforming our own fleet of vehicles that travel all around the region and to neighborhoods every day.
Our work to decarbonize our fleet goes beyond purchasing ZEVs and also includes:
- Investing in tools that capture metrics to help us improve safety, sustainability and operational efficiency
- Monitoring idling activity and installing idle mitigation systems
- Continually evaluating new electric vehicles coming to market and working with manufacturers to support customizations for our fleet
Studying Climate Change Impacts
Climate change and its associated hazards, like flooding and wildfires, are already impacting the San Diego region. At SDG&E we are on a mission to continuously improve our own climate resilience as well as the resiliency of the communities we serve. Our work prioritizes equity and advances science through cutting-edge technology and strategic regional partnerships. Learn more at 517b2b.com/climate-adaptation-sdge.
Our focus on environmental stewardship extends to the office buildings and other facilities where we work. Over the past decade, we have made significant progress to reduce, reuse and recycle. Recently, we updated our facilities goals to raise the bar even higher, as we look to achieve zero net energy for all facilities we own by 2030. Meanwhile, our supply management team is stepping up efforts to source more sustainable goods and services.
Facilities
By 2030, we aim to:
- Divert 100% of facilities-related waste from landfills by reducing, reusing, recycling and recovering materials waste
- Reduce facilities freshwater use by 50% (2010 baseline) by investing in low-flow/waterless fixtures, rainfall and water recovery systems and drought-tolerant landscaping
- Achieve zero net energy for all owned facilities (current usage ~5.5 MW) by exploring new building decarbonization solutions, energy efficiency, renewable energy credits and on-site generation
- Enable green miles via on-site charging with ~2,000 EV charge points
- Earn U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (USGBC LEED®) (Silver+) certifications for all new construction
Environmental Stewardship
San Diego is one of the most biodiverse regions in the United States and SDG&E works hard to protect, restore and enhance this unique region. For decades, we have helped balance local economic growth with quality of life for the communities we serve -- all while protecting the species and habitats that make San Diego so special.
Our goals for biodiversity and environmental stewardship vary by project and include:
- No net loss of wetlands or waters, including along the coast or sensitive upland vegetation communities, habitats and rare plants
- Net improvement in ecological conditions for any sensitive habitats that may have been temporarily impacted by operations
- Enhancement of existing habitats and the establishment of permanently protected preserves for important local animal species
- Net benefit to species listed as threatened or endangered by state or federal authorities, including the California Least Tern, an endangered migratory seabird that nests along our sandy coasts
Habitat Conservation Planning
SDG&E now operates under a Habitat Conservation Plan Amendment that was approved in 2023 and expands species protections and applies our successful approach to the company’s full service territory. Through our plan, we have preserved nearly 400 acres of the streams, wetlands, grasslands, scrub and woodland habitats and the species who depend on these important habitats.
Clover Flats Seedbank Propagates Native Species
Native plants are important to the success of habitat restoration efforts. However, it can be difficult to source local, native plant seeds in our region. To address this challenge, SDG&E helped develop a seedbank by leasing a portion of the Back Country Land Trust’s Clover Flat property in southeastern San Diego County to grow native plants for seeding, harvesting, sorting and storage.
Supporting Biodiversity with Trees
SDG&E has been a long-time partner in regional urban forestry, supporting tree planting, vegetation care best practices and education about the importance of planting the right tree in the right place. SDG&E is also committed to planting at least 10,000 trees annually to support local biodiversity, improve air quality, sequester carbon and conserve water to benefit local communities. We work to achieve this goal through creative programs that engage our customers and community partners in planting trees in parks and open spaces throughout our service territory.
SDG&E has a long history of volunteering with and investing in community-based organizations dedicated to improving the environment, public safety and quality of life for all San Diegans. We are committed to facilitating a just and equitable clean energy transition and regularly engage a network of stakeholders to help us better meet the needs of underserved communities through our sustainability programs. Visit our community pages to learn more.
We want to hear from you!
We value the voices of the residents, organizations and businesses in our region. If you have comments or feedback regarding our goals, our strategy or even concerns you may have around sustainability, please share your thoughts.
Additionally, if you want to be notified of updates on sustainability projects, progress on our goals or other announcements, fill out the forms below to connect with us.