Pennsylvania Energy Horizons Cross-Sector Collaborative

The Pennsylvania Energy Horizons Cross-Sector Collaborative was formally launched in July 2022. This statewide public-private network – currently including more than 150 stakeholders – brings together leaders from industry, labor, government, nonprofits, and academia to unleash innovative, technological, and market-driven solutions to reduce emissions economy-wide while expanding the commonwealth’s clean energy economy.

The Pennsylvania Energy Horizons Cross-Sector Collaborative is:

  • Public-Private: Driven by private sector leaders and champions from state government who share a commitment to realizing Pennsylvania’s potential for both economic and environmental benefits from decarbonization. Nonprofit, academic, labor, and regional organizations also play important roles in driving the Collaborative’s action agenda.

  • A Catalyst & Enabler: The Collaborative drives action around decarbonization, creating the conditions for infrastructure investments to be made in Pennsylvania through compelling messaging as well as policy and regulatory frameworks.

  • A Driver of Sustained Commitment: The Collaborative is designed to mobilize and sustain the long-term, public-private commitment needed to realize the economic and environmental opportunities of decarbonization in the Commonwealth.

Currently, the Collaborative’s work is focused on two strategies that promote decarbonization: carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), and hydrogen. As the United States and the world aggressively pursue decarbonization strategies, competition in the CCUS and hydrogen sectors is increasing rapidly. Together, investing in these technologies and necessary infrastructure will be critical for achieving a lower-carbon future and meeting the goals laid out in former Governor Tom Wolf’s Executive Order 2019-1, which calls for cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050.

The Collaborative has been meeting regularly since mid-2021 to examine and take the necessary steps to position Pennsylvania as a leader in developing the CCUS and hydrogen industries. 

  • In September 2022, the Collaborative released a road map that outlines the path for Pennsylvania for the deployment of hydrogen and carbon capture infrastructure in the commonwealth to meet its climate goals and capitalize on a competitive edge in energy production and industrial manufacturing. 

  • The collaborative is currently identifying key policy considerations in developing the regulatory framework and policy incentives needed to create conditions for CCUS and hydrogen infrastructure investment in Pennsylvania.

More information about CCUS and hydrogen:

  • Overview of CCUS and hydrogen strategies

  • Road map for deployment of hydrogen and carbon capture infrastructure in Pennsylvania

More information about the Collaborative:

  • Press release announcing the launch of the Collaborative

  • Letter submitted by Team Pennsylvania on behalf of the Collaborative, which reflects the deep and coordinated engagement needed for critical innovative solutions to emerge and thrive in the commonwealth

  • Members of the Collaborative

Previous Work: Energy Scenario Planning

Pennsylvania first began planning for a changing energy system in 2017. In an earlier iteration of this work, a group of Pennsylvanians representing a wide-ranging set of backgrounds and expertise convened to debate, and ultimately attempt to answer, the question of how Pennsylvania’s energy system might evolve in 25 years and what the implications might be for Pennsylvanians. This work used a world-renowned energy scenarios methodology. The project produced two different scenarios – Rivers and Roots – which highlighted a range of drivers and uncertainties that take Pennsylvania’s energy future along divergent paths. The scenarios which were intended to provide strategic foresight into how the decisions made today by Pennsylvania’s policy-makers, business executives, community leaders and politicians can shape our state’s future. 

  • Learn more about this earlier energy scenario planning project, including the Rivers and Roots scenarios, and read the report that resulted from this effort.

The work products and areas of focus are the result of collaboration, and while they reflect the broadest possible set of views they do not imply a full endorsement by every participant of the Pennsylvania Energy Horizons Cross-Sector Collaborative.