According to the United States Energy Information Administration (EIA), carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the US power sector have fallen by 28% since 2005, due to the slower growth in electricity demand and to changes in the power generation fuel mix.
In 2017, CO2 emissions from the power generation sector reached their lowest level since 1987 at 1,745 Mt, highlighting that the sector has become less carbon intensive. Gas-fired and renewable power generation have displaced coal-fired and oil-fired power generation and gas surpassed coal as the main fuel consumed in the power mix in 2016. The increase in power generation originating from non-carbon power sources such as wind and solar has been largely driven by state policies and federal tax incentives. However, shares for other non-carbon sources such as nuclear and hydroelectricity remained relatively identical.
According to the US EIA, CO2 emissions from the power sector would have been 645 Mt higher in 2017 if the power mix had remained identical to that of 2005. Similarly, they would have been around 654 Mt higher in 2017 if electricity demand had continued to increase at the average rate from 1996 to 2005 (1.9%/year) instead of its actual average rate of -0.1%/year.
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