The U.S. electric grid is making significant progress to zero-carbon status, according to a report from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Greenhouse-gas emissions from the electricity sector last year were 52% lower in 2020 than the U.S. Energy Information Administration predicted they would be back in 2005, the report says. Power-sector emissions fell 40% from 2005 to 2020, with much of the drop driven by cheap natural gas supplanting coal as the dominant fuel for U.S. power plants.
Further emissions cuts will require greater adoption of clean technologies such as energy storage, and that is achievable with the declining cost of solar and wind power generation, and battery storage, the report says. Low-carbon resources could reliably meet as much as 70%–90% of power supply needs at low incremental cost.
Other sectors, including the built environment, have made less progress in cutting emissions. Residential building emissions declined 29% from 2005 to 2020. Commercial building emissions dipped 32% during the same period.
Grid-interactive efficient buildings could help to make the grid more efficient by reducing the need for new supply and delivery infrastructure and providing another form of demand flexibility.
Related Stories
| Jun 14, 2012
AGC, other business groups oppose hiring rules for disabled
Business groups have asked the U.S. Department of Labor to reconsider a proposed hiring quota aimed at federal contractors pertaining to people with disabilities.
| Jun 5, 2012
HP Labs aims for net-zero energy data centers
Building sustainable data centers is one of the goals of HP Labs, and it believes technology, combined with the right building techniques, could result in the construction of energy-efficient data centers.
| Jun 5, 2012
USGBC delays LEED 2012; renames it LEED v4
In response to concerns by LEED users, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced that it will delay the ballot on LEED 2012 until June 1, 2013.
| Jun 5, 2012
Baltimore officials vow to block $1.8 billion urban renewal project
Baltimore officials want to block a $1.8 billion urban renewal project until more neighborhood residents and minority contractors are hired and displaced residents can benefit from the revitalization.
| Jun 5, 2012
OSHA launches campaign to warn of heat dangers in outdoor work
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has begun a campaign to warn outdoor workers about the dangers of heat exposure.
| Jun 5, 2012
AGC’s Safety and Health Conference focuses on regulations, legislation
More than 150 industry professionals and other attendees will participate in the Associated General Contractors of America’s (AGC’s) safety and health conference July 11-13 in Washington, D.C.
| Jun 1, 2012
New BD+C University Course on Insulated Metal Panels available
By completing this course, you earn 1.0 HSW/SD AIA Learning Units.
| May 31, 2012
Proposed change in Michigan’s building code would hurt innovation, say critics
Legislation pending before the Michigan Senate would change the law that calls for building codes to be updated every three years to require an update only every six years.
