Power Sector Carbon Index shows big drop in CO2 emissions, but more needs to be done
“When Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) professors Costa Samaras and Ines Azevedo wanted to measure the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted by US electricity producers, they found themselves moving into unexplored territory.
“We were really surprised to see that no one had done this,” says Azevedo, an associate professor of engineering and public policy at CMU.
So they, along with a team of CMU students and faculty, created the Carnegie Mellon Power Sector Carbon Index. Sponsored by the Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, the index compiles publicly available data from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy to illustrate electricity-related CO2 emissions.
And it’s a good thing they did, as their findings, which were revealed recently during Carnegie Mellon Energy Week, showed that CO2 produced by the sector has dropped by 24 percent nationwide since 2005.”