Power Sector Carbon Index Finds GHG Intensity Down 5%, With Solar Up 20% in Q3 of 2020

The Power Sector Carbon Index was created by the Scott Institute to track the progress of the United States’ transition to cleaner electricity generation. The index represents aratio of allthe carbon emissions created by electricity generation in comparison to the total amount of electricity generated during that period. The project uses public data to create monthly, quarterly, and yearly values, illustrating changes in the carbon intensity of US electricity generation over time.

The most recent report found that the US saw a 5 percent decrease in carbon dioxide generated per unit of energy (CO2per MWh) in the third quarter of 2020, in comparison to that period the year prior. Compared the benchmark year of 2005, the US has decreased its carbon intensity of electricityby 32 percent.

The index also provides a quick look at trends in electricity generation in the US. This most recent report found that coal-generated power was down by 11 percent the third quarter of 2020 compared to the prior yearand nuclear generation saw a small decrease, while generation from natural gas and renewables like hydro or wind saw modest increases. Solar generation saw the greatest change, increasing by 20 percent.

“The Scott Institute’s Power Sector Carbon Index enables policymakers, businesses, and the public to quickly get a snapshot of the climate performance of the power sector, and how the grid is changing”, said Costa Samaras, a Scott Institute Fellow and Co-Director of the Index.