Study finds that carbon emissions increased 7 percent in 2021 from power sector

A new study found that carbon dioxide emissions from the U.S. power sector increased by 7 percent last year, as the economies around the world reopened after COVID-related shutdowns the previous year.

The 2021 increase follows a 10 percent decrease in 2020, according to the report, entitled Benchmarking Air Emissions of the 100 Largest Electric Power Producers in the United States, conducted by nonprofit research organization Ceres. But that 2020 decrease — the largest one-year decrease ever – was skewed due to COVID shutdowns.

But still, the 2021 increase disrupted a steady downward trend for all power sector air emissions.

While renewable generation ticked up one percentage point in 2021, that was below the 3 percent to 4 percent annual increase needed to meet global climate goals. However, the report showed that zero-carbon generation — which includes renewables, hydro, and nuclear power — hit an all-time high in 2021, accounting for 40 percent of all U.S. power.

“While the power sector has shown marked improvement over our two decades of analysis, we need to see an acceleration of larger emissions cuts across the industry in order to reach our 2030 emissions reduction goals,” Dan Bakal, senior program director of climate and energy at Ceres, said. “It’s important to recognize how far we have come, but impossible to ignore how far we still have to go to meet our critical 2030 goals set by the Paris Accord.”

The report notes that renewable energy and other zero-carbon generation sources will be incentivized in the United States in the coming years as the Inflation Reduction Act provides tax credits for wind, solar, and other carbon-free power sources. It also earmarks billions in targeted grant and loan programs to accelerate the transition to clean electricity.

“The electric industry has a long-standing tradition of using technology to solve our nation’s toughest energy challenges, and now we must apply that same spirit of innovation to address the incredible human toll of the climate crisis,” Joe Dominguez, president and CEO of Constellation, the nation’s largest producer of carbon-free energy, said. “Building on the foundation of our always-on nuclear fleet, Constellation has committed to produce 100 percent of its electricity from clean, emissions-free resources by 2040 while continuing to invest in solutions that decarbonize our economy and help our customers meet their sustainability goals.”

The annual analysis benchmarks key air pollutant emissions, including nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, and mercury, from the 100 largest U.S. power producers. The 100 largest power producers in the United States collectively accounted for more than 80 percent of the sector’s total generation.

“The electric utility industry has made important progress over many years delivering increasingly clean energy to our customers,” John Weiss, Entergy’s vice president of sustainability and environmental policy, said. “But there’s more we can and must do, which is why Entergy is accelerating our transition to the lower-carbon and more climate resilient future that our customers and communities demand.”