Carbon Emission Goals Attainable, Affordable for West, Says Study

Carbon emissions from electricity production in the western U.S. could be reduced to 54 percent of 1990 levels by 2030 by replacing most coal power plants with solar, wind, gas, and/or nuclear generation, according to a new study in Energy Policy. The authors used a computer model called SWITCH to analyze different policy and cost scenarios of low-carbon power generation, storage, and transmission capacity expansion in the West. They estimate the cost to consumers would increase by at most 20 percent “because the electricity system will redesign itself around a price or cap on carbon emissions,” according to one of the authors quoted in Science Daily.