Carbon intensity of electricity falling
October 25, 2013 | By
Barbara Vergetis Lundin
U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide emissions declined 3.8 percent in 2012, according to research from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), with emissions at their lowest level since 1994 and more than 12 percent below the recent 2007 peak.
In fact, according to EIA's report, energy-related carbon dioxide emissions have declined five of the last seven years. After 1990, only the recession year of 2009 saw a larger percentage emissions decrease than 2012. According to EIA, half of the overall energy decline was from the residential sector (1,213 trillion Btu or 5.7 percent), where a very warm first quarter of the year lowered energy demand and emissions. Electricity consumed in the residential sector was lower in 2012 as compared to 2011, which also helped lower emissions. Electricity-related emissions have been the principle source of residential sector emissions since 1965, EIA notes. The carbon intensity of the electricity produced fell by 13 percent from 2007 to 2012, the research shows. Emissions would have been about 314 MMTCO2 higher if the carbon intensity of the electricity supply had not declined. Of this reduction about 198 MMTCO2 is due mainly to the shift from coal to natural gas. The remainder (116 MMTCO2) is largely the result of a 9 percent increase in non-carbon generation (renewable and nuclear), the report contends. For more:
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