Carbon Dioxide Emissions from U.S. Electric Utilities Declined 28% from 2005 to 2017
Donald Von Raesfeld natural gas-fired powerplant. Silcon Valley Power - City of Santa Clara, CA. Photo provided by American Public Power Association at Unsplash.
CO2 emissions from other consumer categories - - transportation, buildings and industry - - decreased only 5% since 2005.
Natural gas generation surpassed coal as the largest source of electricity generation in 2016.
Non-carbon electric generating power sources reached 38% of total U.S. power supply in 2017.
Energy Information Administration
U.S. Department of Energy
October 29, 2018
_______________________
“U.S. electric power sector carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) have declined 28% since 2005 because of slower electricity demand growth and changes in the mix of fuels used to generate electricity. EIA has calculated that CO2 emissions from the electric power sector totaled 1,744 million metric tons (MMmt) in 2017, the lowest level since 1987.”
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U.S. Electric Power
Total CO2 Emissions
2000 - 2017
U.S. Energy Information Administration graph, Linecurrents notations.
U.S. Electric Power
CO2 Emissions
Reductions Per Year
2006 - 2017
U.S Energy Information Administration graph.
Notes - above graph:
Fuel switching from coal to natural gas shown in “blue.”
Renewable power generation additions shown in “green.”
“Up” in the positive direction indicates CO2 emissions reductions.
Units are million metric tons of CO2.
Electric power industry created most CO2 reductions
“In the United States, most of the changes in energy-related CO2 emissions have been in the power sector. Since 2005, as power sector CO2 emissions fell by 28%, CO2 emissions from all other energy sectors fell by only 5%. . . .
“U.S. electricity demand has decreased in 6 of the past 10 years (note: through 2017), as industrial demand has declined and residential and commercial demand has remained relatively flat. . . .”
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U.S Electric KiloWatthours Generated
& Carbon Dioxide Emissions
2005 & 2017
U.S. Energy Information Administration graph.
Notes - above graph:
Left side
Compares KiloWatthour (KWhr) generated in 2005 and 2017. Total KWhr for these years were nearly equal.
Solar PV (yellow) and windpower (green) KWhr increased from near zero in 2005 to about 300 billion KWhr in 2017.
Petroleum (diesel fuel - black) CO2 KWhr decreased from 2005 to 2017 due to displacement by natural gas.
Natural gas-fired combustion (tan) KWhr increased from 2005 to 2017.
Coal combustion (brown) KWhr decreased from 2005 to 2017.
Hydroelectric (blue) KWhr were nearly equal in 2005 and 2017.
Non-carbon (red, blue, green, yellow) KWhr annual generation increased from 28% in 2005 to 38% in 2017. Non-carbon sources are solar PV, windpower, hydroelectric, and nuclear.
Right side
Compares 2005 and 2017 combustion electric power generation CO2 emissions in million metric tons.
Petroleum (diesel fuel - black) CO2 emissions decreased from 2005 to 2017 due to displacement by natural gas.
Natural gas (tan) CO2 emissions increased from 2005 to 2017, as natural gas displaced coal and petroleum for electric power combustion generation.
Coal (brown) CO2 emissions decreased from 2005 to 2017 due to displacement by natural gas.
Coal CO2 emissions reduction exceeded natural gas emissions increase from 2005 to 2017.
Electric power supply “carbon intensity” declines
“The power sector has become less carbon intensive as natural gas-fired generation displaced coal-fired and petroleum-fired generation and as the noncarbon sources of electricity generation - especially renewables such as wind and solar - have grown. The substitution of natural gas for other fossil fuels has largely been market driven, as ample supplies of lower-priced natural gas and the relative ease of adding natural gas-fired capacity have allowed it to pick up share in electric power generation in many markets. In 2016, natural gas generation surpassed coal as the largest source of electricity generation.”
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Combustion Fuel &
Non-Carbon Energy Sources
U.S. Electric Electric Power
1990 - 2017
U.S. Energy Information Administration graph, Linecurrents labels.
Non-carbon renewable electricity sources cut U.S. power supply CO2 emissions 10%
“Increases in electricity generation from noncarbon power sources since 2005 also had an effect on emissions from power generation. This growth has been driven largely by state policies and federal tax incentives that encouraged adoption of renewables. In 2005, noncarbon (note: including nuclear) sources accounted for 28% of the U.S. electricity mix. By 2017, that share had grown to 38%. Almost all of this growth was in renewables, including wind and solar, as shares for other noncarbon sources such as nuclear and hydroelectricity remained relatively flat.”
- (end of EIA direct quotation) -
CO2 combustion emissions by fuel type compared
Declining coal combustion is responsible for most of the U.S. CO2 emissions reduction since 2000. Coal combustion emissions dropped from about 2.1 billion metric tons in 2000 to 1.2 billion in 2017.
Petroleum consumption caused about 2.2 billion metric tons and 46% of U.S. CO2 emissions in 2017.
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U.S. CO2 Emissions
2000 - 2017
Annual by Fuel Type
U.S. Energy Information Administration graph.
Consumption category and fuel type CO2 combustion emissions compared
EIA reviewed annual coal, natural gas and petroleum CO2 emissions of five consumption categories: electric power, industrial, commercial, residential and transportation.
Shown in the graph below, electric power’s coal and natural gas combustion (brown) contributed to CO2 emissions. Industrial (yellow) combustion of all three fuels shown caused CO2 emissions. Transportation was responsible for the greatest share of petroleum CO2 emissions.
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U.S. CO2 Emissions
Annual by Fuel Type
and Consumption Category
U.S. Energy Information Administration graph, Linecurrents markers.
More Information
U.S. Energy-Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions, 2017
U.S. Energy Information Administration - September 2018 - PDF download