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While local governments are encouraged to develop their own emissions reduction goals, the wedge diagram tool also includes Minnesota's statewide goals from the Next Generation Energy Act of 2007: 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2025 and 80 percent below 2005 levels by 2050. Since the earliest available year of baseline data is 2007, this is used instead of 2005 to calculate the goal milestones.' Note that the statewide goals are intended to address Minnesota's total emissions, not just those from building energy. Although here they have been applied directly to the building energy sector, it may be necessary to beat these goals to offset sectors that are more difficult to reduce, such as air travel. STRATEGIC PLAN The strategic plan shows the anticipated outcomes of committing to a set of emission reduction strategies selected by the user. The strategic plan is calculated by adjusting the business -as -usual forecast based on the sum of the reductions achieved through each of the selected strategies. The reduction strategies are categorized into five broad categories that reduce emissions through efficiency (using less energy) and decarbonization (using energy that results in fewer emissions). These categories include: Commercial/Industrial Efficiency, Residential Efficiency, Electric Grid Mix, Renewable Energy, and Fuel Switching. Strategy Interactions Energy planning should be approached through a combination of efficiency and decarbonization, targeting both the source of the energy and the end use. However, if the savings from efficiency and decarbonization are both calculated based on the business -as -usual energy use and emissions factors, the savings would be double - counted. To avoid this, savings are applied first to efficiency strategies, then to electric grid mix strategies, and finally to renewable energy and fuel switching strategies. In essence, efficiency savings are based on business -as -usual energy use and business -as -usual emissions factors. Electric grid mix strategies are based on planned energy use and business -as -usual emissions factors. Renewable energy and fuel switching strategies are based on planned energy use and planned emissions factors. In addition to these big picture strategy interactions, there are also several overlaps between strategies within a single category. These interactions are described in the respective category sections. ' The assumption that 2D05 emissions are comparable to 2007 emissions is supported at the statewide scale, where the two years were within 1%of each other. Anne Claflin, "Greenhouse Gas Emissions: 1990-2014; 2017, doi:10.1007/978-1-4419-7991-9. Wedge Diagram Methodology I September 2017