U.S. Electric Power Sector - Changes in State and Federal Requirements, Fuels and Technologies Used, Air Emissions, and Customer Preferences

摘要

Traditional Clean Air Act programs continue to be crucially important for the electric energy sector, as implemented through federal and state environmental regulations, legislation and judicial decisions. Also important are the drivers of fuel availability/cost, technology advances, public opinion, financial regulatory systems, and the approach to federal regulation with the new Administration. This presentation will focus on the intersection of the evolving U.S. power sector and the Clean Air Act, addressing topics such as carbon dioxide, hazardous air pollutants including mercury, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions, ozone and particulate matter ambient standards, and regional haze / visibility. U.S. electric power emissions have been cut by 92 percent for sulfur dioxide and 84 percent for nitrogen oxides over the period 1990 to 2017. Mercury air releases have been reduced by 86 percent over the period 2010 to 20167 Carbon dioxide emissions were reduced by 28 percent from 2005 through 2017. More than one-third of U.S. power generation comes from nuclear or renewable energy sources, with wind plus solar energy in 2017 being almost four times the 2007 level.