dc.contributor.author Lu, Xi dc.contributor.author Salovaara, Jackson dc.contributor.author McElroy, Michael Brendon dc.date.accessioned 2012-12-11T21:09:42Z dc.date.issued 2012 dc.identifier.citation Lu, Xi, Jackson Salovaara, and Michael B. McElroy. 2012. Implications of the recent reductions in natural gas prices for emissions of $CO_2$ from the US power sector. Environmental Science & Technology 46(5): 3014-3021. en_US dc.identifier.issn 0013-936X en_US dc.identifier.issn 1520-5851 en_US dc.identifier.uri http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:10029444 dc.description.abstract $CO_2$ emissions from the US power sector decreased by 8.76% in 2009 relative to 2008 contributing to a decrease over this period of 6.59% in overall US emissions of greenhouse gases. An econometric model, tuned to data reported for regional generation of US electricity, is used to diagnose factors responsible for the 2009 decrease. More than half of the reduction is attributed to a shift from generation of power using coal to gas driven by a recent decrease in gas prices in response to the increase in production from shale. An important result of the model is that, when the cost differential for generation using gas rather than coal falls below 2–3 cents/kWh, less efficient coal fired plants are displaced by more efficient natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) generation alternatives. Costs for generation using NGCC decreased by close to 4 cents/kWh in 2009 relative to 2008 ensuring that generation of electricity using gas was competitive with coal in 2009 in contrast to the situation in 2008 when gas prices were much higher. A modest price on carbon could contribute to additional switching from coal to gas with further savings in $CO_2$ emissions. en_US dc.description.sponsorship Engineering and Applied Sciences en_US dc.language.iso en_US en_US dc.publisher American Chemical Society en_US dc.relation.isversionof doi:10.1021/es203750k en_US dash.license OAP dc.subject methane en_US dc.subject carbon dioxide en_US dc.title Implications of the Recent Reductions in Natural Gas Prices for Emissions of $CO_2$ from the US Power Sector en_US dc.type Journal Article en_US dc.description.version Author's Original en_US dc.relation.journal Environmental Science & Technology en_US dash.depositing.author McElroy, Michael Brendon dc.date.available 2012-12-11T21:09:42Z dc.identifier.doi 10.1021/es203750k * dash.contributor.affiliated McElroy, Michael dash.contributor.affiliated Lu, Xi
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