September 25th, 2025 | Earth & Climate Study reveals roadmap for carbon-free California by 2045 A new study shows California can go carbon-free mostly using current and emerging solutions – but to get there, it must overcome regulatory challenges and scale technologies at an unprecedented pace. In brief California will need to more than double its electricity generation capacity to achieve net-zero emissions by 2045. A 2022 California law mandates net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045 and negative emissions every year thereafter. California will need to more than double its electricity generation capacity to achieve net-zero emissions by 2045. What will it take to get to net-zero emissions in California?.