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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 [sic], 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.
Electricity Sector Maps Path to Substantial Carbon Cuts
Article Source: enr.ecnext.com- Enjoy this article? Help vote it up the 'Vine.
- Public Discussion (2)
By the EPRI's own calculations, the U.S. electricity sector produces about 8.3% of the world's man-made CO2 emissions. Being able to reduce this is a huge step towards curbing future warming. Please read the entire article for the 25-year plan to reduce these emissions to below 1990 levels. Currently, there are some hurdles to get over to reach this (admittedly ambitious) goal. However, this is all done with current technologies. The challenges are all engineering and all reasonable ones at that.
The fact that the energy sector is addressing this now and producing realistic plans to deal with it means that we are now in the action phase. Those would claim that global warming isn't happening or is not the result of human emissions have simply missed the boat at this point and the country, and indeed the planet, is moving on despite their head-in-the-sand (and frankly anti-science) attitudes. The United States is poised to once again be the leader in technology as well as environmental stewardship. In spite of alarmists who claim that such action would wreck the countries highly robust economy, the electricity sector clearly has plans to take action on an aggressive timeline. Not to the ruin of our economy, but rather to help save it from the nay-sayers.
- 2 votes
#1 - Thu Mar 1, 2007 9:44 AM ESTCool seed.
It's nice to see someone's thinking holistically, instead of looking for a silver bullet. Business has made huge productivity improvements by focusing on constant small improvements. The energy business can do the same thing.
- 1 vote
#2 - Thu Mar 1, 2007 1:14 PM ESTYou're in Easy Mode. If you prefer, you can use XHTML Mode instead. |
