Energy in Depth by Nicole Jacobs May 8, 2020
The United States’ power sector has decreased carbon emissions by 32.2 percent and its carbon intensity by an impressive 33.7 percent since 2005, according to Carnegie Mellon University’s Power Sector Carbon Index, which looks at the carbon intensity of electricity production broken out by fiscal quarter. As the power sector continues to make significant progress in reducing emissions, the use of natural gas for power generation has skyrocketed, highlighting the critical role the resource plays in helping to reduce emissions and meet climate targets.
Making Progress Year-Over-Year
CMU’s recently released Q4 2019 results showcase the immense progress that the industry has made in the last year alone. In Q4 of 2019, U.S. power plant emissions averaged 844 lbs. CO2 per MWh, down 11 percent from the same time frame in 2018. Meanwhile, natural gas was up by 12 percent compared to Q4 2018 and represented a staggering 39 percent of total power generation.
In the end, natural gas is playing a key role in our ability to continue meeting climate targets. The United States now leads the world in reducing emissions and as IEA director Fatih Birol explained,
“In the last 10 years, the emissions reductions in the United States has been the largest in the history of energy.â€
More:
https://eidclimate.org/u-s-power-sector-sees-impressive-carbon-emission-reductions-amid-natural-gas-growth/
