ET25SWE0048 - Rural-DAC-HTR Electrification Enablement Roadmap

Rural, hard-to-reach (HTR), tribal, and disadvantaged communities (DAC) face significant barriers to electrification. The market for electrification solutions in rural California is fragmented, with gaps in infrastructure, workforce, supply chain, and customer engagement. Most rural areas rely on fossil gas or propane, with limited access to advanced electric technologies.

Manufacturers primarily target urban markets, leaving rural areas with minimal distribution networks. Distributors and retailers lack inventory and knowledge to support rural electrification efforts. Local contractors specialize in traditional gas systems, perpetuating "like-for-like" replacements rather than electric conversions.

Customers face additional challenges: lower incomes, high energy costs, low program awareness, language barriers, skepticism, and sometimes cultural preferences for gas. Aging electrical infrastructure and limited broadband further hinder electrification.

Existing programs struggle in rural settings because they fail to address local realities like workforce shortages, split incentives, and lack of tailored financing. Few offer the comprehensive approaches needed for these communities.

To address these issues, the project will produce a ‘roadmap’ for IOUs, program administrators, training organizations, policymakers, municipalities, and community leaders to advance rural electrification, with these inclusions:

1. electrification viability assessment
2. most common barriers by building type/segment and location
3. decision trees and tailored solution options from a variety of technologies
4. robust community outreach, education strategies and guidance to foster local skilled workforces
5. case studies, best practices, and actionable steps for stakeholders
6. a companion User Guide and training module to support roadmap adoption
7.  

This project fills a longstanding gap by providing the actionable, empirical insights and tools necessary to drive equitable electrification, at scale, across diverse rural communities in California and adaptable for future program designs. The project’s participatory research approach directly engages rural residents, CBOs, contractors, utilities, and local governments, ensuring that solutions are informed by local experience and needs. By providing implementers with clear pathways, the project will help reduce the risks of failed program uptake, stranded investments, equity gaps and support the just and effective transition to clean energy for all Californians.

The Rural-DAC-HTR Electrification Enablement Roadmap project is closely aligned with several high-priority research areas identified in the 2024 Portfolio Enhancements Technology Priority Map ("TPM"):

1. Electrification and Fuel Substitution
2. DAC and HTR Program Needs
3. Measure and Portfolio Research Initiatives
4. Time of Use and Load Flexibility
5.  

Consistent with TPM findings, this project is specifically designed to quantify and help overcome layered barriers to participation, including split incentives, high upgrade costs, regulatory hurdles, lack of awareness, limited workforce capacity, and program participation challenges for renters, tribal communities, and property owners in rural settings. By documenting these issues and offering targeted, scalable solutions, this project aligns with the TPM’s call for equitable, innovative, and practical research.