In in the present day’s Electrek Inexperienced Vitality Transient (EGEB):
- In 2020, as a result of pandemic, US vitality emissions fell to the bottom degree since 1983.
- Belfast, Maine, sees 7 megawatts of group photo voltaic launch for Central Maine Energy prospects.
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2020 US vitality emissions drop
In 2020, as a result of pandemic, US vitality emissions from fossil fuels fell to the bottom degree since 1983. The 4.6 billion metric tons (Bmt) of carbon dioxide emitted in 2020 was an 11% decrease from 2019, the biggest annual lower on document, in accordance with the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).
The EIA says, damaged down by supply:
US petroleum consumption accounted for two.0 Bmt of energy-related CO2 emissions, or about 45% of the US whole, in 2020. About 77% of petroleum CO2 emissions occurred within the transportation sector in 2020.
In 2020, US pure fuel consumption accounted for 1.7 Bmt of CO2 emissions, or about 36% of the entire — its largest share on document. In 2020, about 38% of CO2 emissions from pure fuel occurred within the electrical energy sector, and 32% had been within the industrial sector.
In 2020, coal consumption accounted for 0.9 Bmt of CO2 emissions, or about 19% of whole CO2 emissions, each its lowest whole quantity and share in [the EIA’s] annual data series that begins in 1973. In 2020, about 90% of CO2 emissions from coal occurred within the electrical energy sector. Coal consumption within the electrical energy sector has declined over the previous decade, displaced by natural gas and renewable energy.
The EIA expects emissions to develop by 0.3 Bmt, or 7%, in 2021, as a result of US now not being in lockdown.
Group photo voltaic in Maine
Each little bit counts. Monson, Maine-based PowerMarket, an employee-owned group photo voltaic administration firm, and SunRaise, a New Hampshire-headquartered photo voltaic vitality developer, proprietor, and operator, have launched a 7 megawatt group photo voltaic farm in Belfast, Maine. The city itself has a inhabitants of slightly below 7,000. It’s 35 miles southwest of Bangor.
Central Maine Energy (CMP) prospects who participate locally photo voltaic program obtain 10% financial savings on the group photo voltaic credit. An additional group photo voltaic program, Route 32, is now open for enrollment and shall be on-line within the fall.
Patrick Jackson, cofounder of SunRaise Investments, mentioned:
Group photo voltaic is a approach to supply folks from all walks of life – owners, renters, enterprise homeowners, and extra – entry to renewable vitality. By means of group photo voltaic tasks like this one in Belfast, now we have been in a position to accomplish that objective and we’re proud to see our work come to life and profit Mainers.
Maine’s electrical energy runs on round 80% renewables, however solely a tiny proportion of that’s photo voltaic. In accordance with the US Energy Information Administration:
In 2019, about four-fifths of Maine’s electrical energy internet technology got here from renewable sources. About three-tenths of the state’s whole internet technology got here from hydroelectric dams, one-fourth was fueled by biomass, and practically one-fourth was offered by wind generators.
Pure gas-fired energy vegetation fueled lower than one-sixth of state technology in 2019, its smallest share in a minimum of twenty years. A small quantity of Maine’s internet technology, a complete of about 2%, got here from solar energy, petroleum-fueled, and coal-fired energy vegetation.
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