During June 2014 U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a new regulation in order to curb the total amount of carbon dioxide released from various power plants. This new ruling will call for a reduction of 30% by 2030 over 2005 levels. The proposal has both its critics as well as those who applaud the bold move it will bring about.
There’s no doubt the new EPA proposal will very definitely have a major impact on the energy landscape at present, which may be why those industry leaders have added their views regarding the matter.
EPA to ensure all states are actively reducing CO2 emissions
Solar can be the answer that many states who are struggling to reduce these carbon emissions are looking for.
Concerning greenhouse gas emissions, the 20 gigawatts of solar which is expected to be installed with U.S by the end of 2015 should generate a significant amount of pollution free power, which would be the equivalent of taking almost 4 million cars off U.S highways per year.
Each study conducted comes to the same conclusion, the fact that reducing greenhouse gases is imperative in cutting down of pollution. Once these EPA emission standards are in effect, every state will need to create a compliance plan, approved by federal regulators to ensure compliance. Those who fail to do so will result in a restrictive EPA-mandated plan.
Earlier this year, SEIA released a comprehensive report, “Cutting Carbon Emissions Under §111(d): The case for expanding solar energy in America.” This report offers a detailed, point-by-by point case as to why states should take advantage of clean solar energy as part of their efforts to comply with §111(d) of the Clean Air Act.
Solar is growing at a rapid rate as being an outstanding source of renewable energy, employing 143, 00 Americans as well as accounting for 30% of new generation capacity installed during 2013. Solar is currently generating enough clean and usable energy to power almost 3.5 million residential homes.
Solar power recognised as being the most cost-effective renewable source
“Solar energy is a solution technology that can provide a cost-effective, economically beneficial and integral part of a state’s effort to regulate carbon emissions from the electric sector,” SEIA’s report states. “Solar energy’s rapidly falling prices and rapidly growing generating capacity, as well as the volatility of fossil fuel prices, give solar energy the potential to transform compliance with both new carbon emission requirements and other existing requirements under the Clean Air Act.”
The power grid system within America is undergoing major shifts partly due to advances in technology, moving towards competitive markets as well as because of public and policy concerns regarding regulated emissions, greenhouse gas emissions and unregulated emissions.
This EPA proposition will spur better energy efficiency, especially high-value efficiency that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as energy costs while stabilizing the energy grid all at once. The regulation will build on better state-based incentives in order to integrate renewable energy into the electric grid, which would include RPS, state system benefits and SIPS.
Under the guidance of the EPA rule, America will build a resilient electric grid with better consumer choices, less water usage and pollution and reduce the negative impact on the environment. This rule basically is the icing on the cake.
Public opinion strongly in favour of reducing greenhouse gas emissions
The EPA is lawfully bound to decrease greenhouse gas emissions of power and industrial plants, which they are trying to achieve with this new rule in place. The regulation would have unintended far reaching effects on long-term carbon reduction within U.S which would be detrimental in the long run.
The reasons being for these negative consequences are as follows;
- Its main goal is to reduce emissions, not renewables or energy efficiency
- It doesn’t aim to capture carbon or nuclear, but plans to switch basically overnight from coal to natural gas run electricity.
The dramatic shut down of coal plants will risk the reliability and affordability of power, leaving great amounts of gas-fired power as the only alternative to keep the grid running and bills payable.
NRG believes that renewables, carbon capture and unique distributed energy technologies are the basic tenants when it comes to clean energy without taking a risk of devastating climate change. The NRG company has already begun reducing carbon emissions by building largest to be found in the country renewable energy fleet, one of the
At the end of the day, the new EPA rule just needs a few simple revisions which will result in better and longer sustaining emission reductions at a much lower cost.
Photo by: DonkeyHotey on Flickr
