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The climate impact of electricity — diving deeper

Linda
September 14, 2020
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Our modern societies would not function for a day without electricity. However, almost all of the carbon dioxide released by humans is a consequence of energy production, and out of this about 25% is in the form of electricity. Luckily for us and the climate, electricity is fairly easy to produce emission-free – which is why electrifying our societies is a possible route to carbon neutrality.

Today, electricity powers pretty much everything we do: from our computers and kitchen appliances at home to medical equipment in the nearest hospital — and soon also the cars we drive. Electrifying as much of society as possible is the only way to reach carbon neutrality fast enough. That's why in the future, even more of the services we need will be powered by electricity. But how can electricity be the solution, when it is already responsible for a significant share of global emissions?

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Most of the world’s electricity is still generated using fossil fuels

A majority of the carbon dioxide released by us humans is a consequence of energy ( i.e. heat, electricity and fuel for transport) production — and out of this about 25% is in the form of electricity. The main reason electricity generation causes emissions is our use of fossil fuels: by burning fossilised plants, we release the carbon dioxide captured over millions of years back into the atmosphere where it prevents heat from reflecting back to space and heats the planet. ‍

65% of all electricity is produced by burning fossil fuels, i.e. coal, natural gas, or oil (IEA, 2020). Of these, coal is the most common fuel, and is used to generate electricity in what is called a combustion process: hot steam obtained from the burning of coal propels a turbine that spins a generator to generate electricity. As the coal burns, carbon dioxide is formed. The same general principles apply to all electricity generated by different fossil fuels.

combustion process explained - the climate impact of electricity
In a combustion process hot steam obtained from the burning of coal propels a turbine, that spins a generator to generate electricity.

The trick is, that there are other ways of producing electricity than through the emission-producing combustion process. Out of the three forms in which humanity uses energy — electricity, heat and fuel for transport — electricity is the easiest to produce without causing emissions, i.e. without burning anything. This is the reason why electrification of society is the most viable path to carbon neutrality. Think of it like this: whatever fuel you fill up your car with, the combustion engine will burn it, which causes emissions. If your car is equipped with an electric motor instead, there’s no burning involved when you step on the gas — and almost no emissions at all if the electricity you’ve loaded your battery with was produced emission-fee.

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A 100% emission-free power system is possible — but not easy

Emission-free electricity can be produced in a variety of ways:

  • From the heat from a nuclear reaction in a nuclear power plant. The mechanical energy of the turbine is turned into electrical energy through a generator installed at the turbine shaft.
  • Wind and hydro power plants also produce electricity through the spinning of a turbine, but here, no incineration is required and the “fuel” is clean and renewable, just naturally flowing in the atmosphere or in a river.
  • In solar photovoltaic panels, electricity is produced when the sun’s rays separate small particles in the panel material and these are led from one side of the panel to the other, causing a current of charged particles. This current of particles is what we call electricity.
  • Geothermal energy is heat that is produced inside the Earth and is brought to the surface with water or steam. This heat can be used to generate electricity.
  • Some less common methods to generate electricity include wave power, tidal power, and concentrated solar power (CSP).

In addition to renewable electricity, nuclear power and any power production using carbon capture, utilisation and storage technology is emission-free.

Renewable energy in particular has had a reputation of being very expensive, but as a matter of fact, it is often cheaper than using fossil fuels these days, as you can see in the chart below. As the technologies develop and become more common, the costs drop. Especially for solar and wind power, the prices have dropped dramatically over the last decade.‍

Infographic: the average cost of different forms of renewable energy - the climate impact of electricity.
Most renewable energy sources can compete with fossil fuels in terms of price these days. Source: IRENA, 2018.

So why are we still generating most of the electricity with fossil fuels?

There are a few significant reasons for it:

  • We have a long history of using fossil fuels to generate electricity: it has been the pillar of our energy system since the industrial revolution.
  • Renewable capacity is growing quickly, but since the total generation capacity is so huge (and at the same time the electricity demand is growing), it will take a while to catch up.
  • These days it is often cheaper to produce electricity using renewables than it is with fossil fuels, but it still requires large investments to build new power plants, strengthen the infrastructure, and add energy storage capacity.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is an emission-free electricity system. Electricity needs to be consumed immediately after it has been generated (unless you store it in for example a battery — more on that in a minute), which means that the supply and demand in the electricity grids always have to be in balance. Some renewable energy sources such as wind and power are variable, meaning we can’t entirely control the generation. When the sun goes down, so does solar generation, and when the wind dies down, wind generation follows. Though both solar and wind power are vital parts of the solution, investing in these are not enough.

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To make sure we have enough electricity to power our needs, we also need to invest in:

  • Grid stability, or improving the infrastructure (the electricity grid itself) to for example minimize outage;
  • Grid flexibility, meaning solutions that optimise our use of energy, such as being able to transport electricity from areas of high supply and low demand to areas of low supply and high demand;
  • Energy storage, such as batteries and pumped hydro storage;
  • Carbon capture, utilisation and storage meaning a technology that captures the carbon dioxide formed during fuel combustion so that it can either be used or stored deep underground, preventing it from being released to the atmosphere.

The technology enabling 100% emission free power systems already exists, but in some cases it is still quite expensive. It is also a question of time: today, we use a massive amount of electricity that is produced by coal, oil or gas. It will take a while before we have replaced most of it with renewable or emission-free sources, added carbon capture solutions to the rest, and strengthened the grid so that it can handle all the variable electricity generation.


One fourth of global electricity supply is renewable today

Sustainable electricity infographic – 60% of Iceland's energy consumption is geothermal energy.
60% of Iceland's energy consumption is supplied by geothermal energy. Sources: Orkustofnun, 2013; Orkustofnun, 2018.

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There are encouraging examples where the share of renewables in electricity production is already very high: in the Nordics, for example, 70% of electricity is renewable (IEA, 2020). In Sweden and Norway, most of the electricity is produced with hydro power, while Iceland has both hydro and geothermal resources.

In addition to renewable electricity, nuclear power and any power production using carbon capture, utilisation and storage technology is emission-free. The share of emission-free electricity globally is 35% and in the Nordics it is 93% (IEA, 2020).

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What can I do?

Since it will take some time to replace all conventional power plants with emission-free ones, reducing electricity consumption — and consequently the burning of fossil fuel — is a huge climate action. And by selecting certified renewable electricity (or nuclear power) to your home, you support the production of emission-free electricity.

But how can you be sure that the electricity you pay for is actually renewable? Technically, when looking at physical electricity or moving electrons, you can’t. All electricity produced within the national borders or imported is fed into the same power grid, from where it finds its way into our homes. Yet, selecting a renewable electricity contract has an impact on how big a share of the Finnish electricity mix comes from renewable energy sources. If for example 60% of Finns pay for certified renewable electricity, the same amount of electricity that this 60% consumes has to be produced using renewables.

Check our other top tips on how to reduce emissions from electricity below.

Sustainable electricity – top 3 tips on how to reduce lifestyle emissions from electricity.

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‍Want to know how you can become part of the solution to climate change? Download our app The Donut to calculate your lifestyle emissions, get personalised tips on how to reduce them and track your progress! Find it in the App Store and on Google Play. ‍‍

‍Psst! Don’t forget to send us your feedback. Let’s build an app that will make climate action the new mega trend!‍

Sources

IEA, 2019

CO2 emissions by energy source

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IEA, 2020

Data and statistics

IRENA, 2018

Renewable power generation costs in 2017

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Orkustofnun, 2013
Direct Use of Geothermal Resources

Tagged:
Electricity
About author
Linda

Linda holds a Master’s in Media and Communication and is passionate about science communication, dogs and vegan food.

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