Electricity Sector Maps Path to Substantial Carbon Cuts
The technical potential exists for the U.S. electricity sector to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions substantially below the emissions forecast for the sector by the U.S. Energy Information Adminstration, says a report from the Electric Power Research Institute. The assessment of seven aggressive technology targets found the industry could achieve the reductions via measures already available or under development. Environmental advocates agree with EPRI’s assessment but contend that the targets are not ambitious enough.
Jeffrey Sterba, chairman of Palo Alto, Calif.-based EPRI, presented the findings to the CERAWeek Conference in Houston, a weeklong gathering of energy industry leaders sponsored by Cambridge Energy Research Associates, Cambridge, Mass. Sterba noted that the U.S. produces one-quarter of the world’s CO2 emissions, and the electricity sector produces one-third of U.S. emissions. Last summer, EPRI’s board asked the institute to estimate the technical potential for CO2 emission reductions from the U.S. electricity sector.