Greenhouse Gas Emissions
www.GreenhouseGasEmissions.org

Figure 3. U.S. Anthropogenic Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Gas, 2001
(Million Metric Tons of Carbon Equivalent)

Energy Production and Carbon Dioxide Emissions

For over one hundred years, energy and power production have been generated around the world through the burning of fossil fuels, including;  fuel oil, coal, diesel, and natural gas.  Over the past decade, environmental science and research has discovered and linked global warming, and global climate change to the carbon dioxide emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels.  This has placed an increased need to reduce energy consumption and discover more environmentally friendly fuel sources. 

Why We Need Renewable Energy, NOW!

Monty Goodell, President of the Renewable Energy Institute, along with the Renewable Energy Institute's Scientific Advisory Board, which is comprised of our nation's leading experts, engineers, attorneys, professors and universities, is calling for our nation and all 50 states to adopt a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) of at least 25% by 2025. According to Mr. Goodell, our nation is at a crossroads and we have been 'over the Middle Eastern barrel of their fossil fuels' long enough. We must shift from energy dependence to energy independence and place significant emphasis and investments in our national energy security and lower greenhouse gas emissions.  In addition, we need to implement a "Feed In Tariff" in lieu of a Renewable Portfolio Standard and build the 'Transmission Superhighway' or 'Unified National Grid' and dramatically increase the nation's power supply as well as implement greater use of 'Energy Conservation Measures' and 'Demand Side Management' programs.  Failure to move in these areas and to do so immediately increases the risks to our country, our national security and the climate" according to Mr. Goodell. 

One of the fastest paths to jump-start the renewable energy industry, according to the Renewable Energy Institute, is through a "Feed In Tariff."  A Feed In Tariff is superior to a Renewable Portfolio Standard, according to Mr. Goodell.  "Just look at Germany, they adopted a Feed In Tariff, are further north from the Equator than we are here in the U.S., and they are placing solar panels on every rooftop and wind turbine generators throughout their country. They are leading the world in renewable energy technologies, primarily due to their early adoption of a Feed In Tariff"   

Renewable energy, and renewable energy only provides significant economic and environmental dividends, whether this is through a Renewable Portfolio Standard, or through a Feed-in Tariff, some of the economic and environmental dividends include:

• Creation of more than 3 million new jobs in the U.S..

• Generate more than $1 trillion in economic impacts

• Significant reductions of oil imports

• Reduce energy prices and save consumers as much as $50 billion on their energy bills

• Elimination of billions of pounds of carbon dioxide emissions and other greenhouse gas emissions

• Stimulate rural economies

• Conserve natural gas supplies 

• Creates a clean, safe energy future

• Position the US as a world leader in renewable energy technologies

According to the Energy Information Administration, the total US primary energy consumption is expected to increase from 100 quadrillion Btu (quads) in 2005 to 131 quads in 2030. However, the renewable electricity generation remains at 9% while use of coal increases 50 percent in 2030 to 57%.  Ethanol use is expected to increase from 4 billion gallons in 2005 to 14.6 billion gallons in 2030, yet that is only about 8% of total gasoline consumption.

In January (2008) the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) blamed the burning of fossil fuels as a key contributor to global warming and accelerating climate change. The NCDC warned that the rate of the warming is accelerating and that the rise in temperatures over the past 9 years is “unprecedented in the historical record." This was underscored in February (2008) in the consensus report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that concluded with near certainty that human activity was the main contributor to global warming.

The renewable energy industry, single-handedly, provides a powerful argument and solutions for these problems. 

Global warming and climate change are symptoms of a sick planet and the results of unrestrained "dumping" of huge amounts of pollution - in the form of carbon dioxide emissions and greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.

The vast majority of carbon dioxide emissions and greenhouse gas emissions comes from "dirty" fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) used in making electricity at power plants and dirty fuels (gasoline and petroleum diesel) that run our internal combustion engines in our cars, trains, planes, and trucks. Our planet is home to millions and millions of internal combustion engines that run on dirty fossil fuels - whether they are fueled with gasoline for running our cars and lawnmowers or running on diesel fuel in the engines of trucks and ships like the very large crude carriers that transport the crude oil all around the world...... every internal combustion engine that is running on dirty fossil fuels is dumping millions and millions of tons of carbon dioxide emissions and greenhouse gas emissions into our atmosphere - which is aggravating and exacerbating our sick planet - and making manmade climate change and global warming more difficult to resolve through manmade remedies and solutions.

Why We Need A "Unified Smart Grid" or "Transmission Superhighway," NOW!

According to Monty Goodell, President of the Renewable Energy Institute, "our country desperately needs to upgrade its' national electric grid.  The grid of today is a relic from the past, that is inefficient and costly.  Originally built in the 1930's, it is costing our nation approximately $120 billion every year due to its' outdated and out-lived existence.  The national power grid as designed and built in the 1930's does not have the efficiencies and capabilities to keep pace with the national power grid's demands of today." 

"What we need" according to Mr. Goodell, is a "unified smart grid" or "transmission superhighway" that is buried underground that wheels or moves the renewable power ("green electricity") from the wind farms of the midwest, and solar farms of the southwest, and geothermal farms of the west, to load centers throughout every corner of the U.S."

According to many estimates, the "unified smart grid" or "Transmission Superhighway" could be built for about $400 billion.  Through its' increased efficiencies, savings and reliability improvements that it will provide, the nation's new "unified smart grid" will be paid in full, in less than 4 years.

According to the United Nations: "It is estimated that Greenhouse Gas Emissions  trading markets could be worth $2 Trillion by 2012."

http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=433&ArticleID=4792&l=en

A Cogeneration powerplant produces heat and power simultaneously by burning a primary fuel like natural gas, or biomethane.   Cogeneration plants typically reach system efficiencies of 60% to 70% - or about double that of standard power plants.  Trigeneration plants produce 3 energies - cooling, heating and power - simultaneously, with one fuel input and combustion process (such as natural gas or biomethane) and is an environmentally-friendlier method of generating electricity. Trigeneration, at around 90% efficiency, is about 300% more efficient than typical power plants, and 50% more efficient than cogeneration plants.  Cogeneration and trigeneration power plants are much less expensive and costly in terms of both economic and environmental expenses, than traditional forms of power generation.  There are also far fewer carbon and carbon dioxide emissions generated through co/trigeneration.  

Trigeneration slashes carbon dioxide emissions by as much 80% and more.

In 1992, managers of the 2.8-million-square-foot McCormick Place Exhibition and Convention Center in Chicago were planning an addition that would double the size of their convention center. To avoid $27 million in capital costs for a new heating and cooling system, the McCormick Place managers selected a new trigeneration system under an energy outsource or energy services agreement. The new trigeneration system simultaneously provides the McCormick Place Convention Center with heating, cooling, and electricity and achieves an overall efficiency rating of 93%.  Besides the initial savings of not having to spend $27 million for the new system, McCormick Place also saves >$1 million annually in energy and operating expenses. The system produces about half the carbon dioxide emissions of a traditional system, as well as 24,000 tons of carbon dioxide and 59 tons of nitrogen oxides (NOx) each year when compared to a traditional system.  

Coors Brewing Company has a 90 percent efficient trigeneration system at its Golden, Colorado plant, the largest single brewing site in the world. The trigeneration system saves 250,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually, along with 125 tons of NOx and 900 tons of SO2. 

* A New Perspective on Energy

Integrated systems for cooling, heating and power (CHP) for buildings incorporate multiple technologies for providing energy services to a single building or to a campus of buildings. Electricity to such buildings is provided by on-site or near-site power generators using one or more of the many options: internal combustion (IC) engines, combustion turbines, miniturbines or microturbines, and fuel cells. In CHP systems, waste heat from power generation equipment is recovered for operating equipment for cooling, heating, or controlling humidity in buildings, by using absorption chillers, desiccant dehumidifiers, or heat recovery equipment for producing steam or hot water. These integrated systems are known by a variety of acronyms: CHP, Trigeneration and IES (Integrated Energy System). 

CHP systems provide many benefits, including:

reduced energy costs, 
improved power reliability, 
increased energy efficiency, and 
improved environmental quality. 

What is a CHP System?

A CHP System is an efficient, environmentally-friendly "cogeneration" system that provides power (electricity) and energy (hot water and/or steam) at the location the power and energy are needed also known as "distributed generation." Cogeneration systems are at least two times more efficient than typical power plants which average about 27% - 35% efficiency - meaning 65% to 73% of the energy is wasted. 

What is a CHP System with Absorption Chillers or "Trigeneration"? 

Even more efficient than a standard CHP system is a CHP system that incorporates absorption chillers, which is  then a "trigeneration" system, also referred to as an "Integrated Energy System" or "Cooling, Heating and Power."  Trigeneration systems can be up to 50% more efficient than cogeneration systems and many average about 90% or more efficiency.  Absorption chillers recover the additional waste heat from CHP Systems to make chilled water for air-conditioning, thereby providing the building or facility's electricity, hot water/steam and air conditioning.

Some of the above information courtesy of the U.S. Department of Energy with our thanks.

What are Carbon Dioxide Emissions?

Overview

Carbon dioxide emissions in the United States and its Territories were 6,008.6 million metric tons (MMT) in 2005, 19.9 MMT (0.3 percent) more than in 2004 (Table 5). The slow growth in emissions from 2004 to 2005 can be attributed mainly to higher energy prices that suppressed demand, low or negative growth in several energy-intensive industries, and weather-related disruptions in the energy infrastructure along the Gulf Coast. As a result, while the economy grew by 3.2 percent, energy consumption fell by 0.3 percent. The 0.3-percent growth in total U.S. carbon dioxide emissions from 2004 to 2005 followed an increase of 1.9 percent, or 113.4 MMT, from 2003 to 2004 (Figure 1). Since 1990, total U.S. carbon dioxide emissions have increased by an average of about 1.2 percent per year.

Carbon dioxide emissions represent about 84 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. In the United States, most carbon dioxide (98 percent) is emitted as a result of the combustion of fossil fuels; consequently, carbon dioxide emissions and energy use are highly correlated. (The remaining 2 percent of carbon dioxide emissions comes from a variety of other industrial sources.) Historically, economic growth, the weather, the carbon and energy intensity of the economy, and movements in energy prices have caused year-to-year fluctuations in energy consumption and resulting carbon dioxide emissions.

In both the residential and commercial sectors, 2005 energy-related carbon dioxide emissions were higher than 2004 levels (Table 6). In the residential sector, emissions of carbon dioxide increased by 3.3 percent, from 1,213.9 MMT in 2004 to 1,253.8 MMT in 2005. In the commercial sector, carbon dioxide emissions increased by 1.6 percent, from 1,034.1 MMT in 2004 to 1,050.6 MMT in 2005. There was little change in heating degree-days from 2004 to 2005, but cooling degree-days increased by 13.5 percent. Thus, higher demand for electricity—especially for air conditioning—was largely responsible for the increase in emissions from both sectors.

Industrial production rose by 3.2 percent in 2005, but industrial emissions of carbon dioxide declined by 3.1 percent, from 1,736.0 MMT in 2004 to 1,682.3 MMT in 2005 (Table 6). Trends in industrial emissions are driven in part by growth patterns in the six most energy-intensive manufacturing industries, which account for about two-thirds of total industrial emissions of carbon dioxide. Paper manufacturing, at 5.6 percent, was the only one of the six that grew at a rate greater than the overall gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of 3.2 percent. (The paper industry is energy-intensive but uses a high proportion of biogenic material and, therefore, has the lowest carbon intensity among the six energy-intensive industries.) Two others grew by less than overall GDP (food by 2.3 percent and nonmetallic minerals by 1.6 percent), and for three output fell (primary metals by 2.7 percent, chemicals by 6.9 percent, and petroleum by 7.5 percent).

Estimates for 2005 indicate that carbon dioxide emissions in the transportation sector increased by 1.0 percent, from 1,939.2 MMT in 2004 to 1,958.6 MMT in 2005 (Table 6)—less than the 1.5-percent average annual growth in transportation emissions since 1990.

While net generation of electricity increased by 2.4 percent from 2004 to 2005, carbon dioxide emissions from the electric power sector increased by 2.8 percent, from 2,309.4 MMT in 2004 to 2,375.0 MMT in 2005 (Table 6). Accordingly, the overall carbon intensity of U.S. electricity production increased by about 0.4 percent. The higher carbon intensity resulted from an increase in the use of fossil fuels to generate electricity. In addition, generation from “non-carbon” nuclear and renewable fuels fell by 1.1 billion kilowatthours (0.1 percent).³⁶

In this report, the electric power sector is defined as all utilities, nonutilities, and combined heat and power (CHP) facilities whose primary business is the production of electric power. Carbon dioxide emissions from generators that produce electric power as part of an industrial or commercial operation—that is, businesses that produce electricity primarily for their own use—are not included in the electric power sector total but are assigned to the industrial or commercial sector according to the classification of the business. In addition, the emissions totals reported above for the energy end-use sectors (residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation) include their shares of total electric power sector emissions.

Nonfuel uses of fossil fuels, principally petroleum, both emit and sequester carbon dioxide over their life cycles. In 2005, carbon dioxide emissions from nonfuel uses of fossil fuels totaled 106.4 MMT, a 4.7-percent decrease from the 2004 total of 111.7 MMT (Table 5). Nonfuel uses of fossil fuels also resulted in carbon sequestration equal to 300.9 million metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO₂e) in 2005, a 3.3-percent decrease from the 2004 level of 311.1 MMTCO₂e.³⁷ The major fossil fuel products that emit and sequester carbon include liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and feedstocks for plastics and other petrochemicals. Asphalt and road oils are a major source of sequestration, but they do not emit carbon dioxide. It is estimated that, of the amount of carbon dioxide sequestered in the form of plastic, about 11.1 MMT was emitted as carbon dioxide from the burning of the plastic components of municipal solid waste to produce electricity in 2005.

Emissions of carbon dioxide from other sources— including cement production, industrial processes, waste combustion, carbon dioxide in natural gas, and gas flaring—decreased by 0.2 percent, from 105.7 MMT in 2004 to 105.4 MMT in 2005 (Table 5).

Energy Consumption

The consumption of energy in the form of fossil fuel combustion is the largest single contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the United States and the world. Of total 2005 U.S. carbon dioxide emissions (adjusting for U.S. Territories and bunker fuels), about 98 percent, or 5,903.2 MMT carbon dioxide, resulted from the combustion of fossil fuels. This figure represents an increase of 20.2 MMT from 2004 levels.

In the short term, year-to-year changes in energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions tend to be dominated by weather, economic fluctuations, and movements in energy prices. Over longer time spans, changes in energy consumption and emissions are also influenced by other factors, such as population shifts and energy consumers’ choice of fuels, appliances, and capital equipment (e.g., vehicles, aircraft, and industrial plant and equipment). The energy-consuming capital stock of the United States—cars and trucks, airplanes, heating and cooling plants in homes and businesses, steel mills, aluminum smelters, cement plants, and petroleum refineries—changes slowly from one year to the next, because capital stock usually is retired only when it begins to break down or becomes obsolete.

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) divides energy consumption into four general end-use categories: residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation. Emissions from electricity generators, which provide electricity to the end-use sectors, are allocated in proportion to the electricity consumed in, and losses allocated to, each sector (Table 6).

Residential Sector

At 1,253.8 MMT, residential carbon dioxide emissions represented 21 percent of U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in 2005. The residential sector’s pro-rated share of electric power sector emissions, 885.7 MMT, accounts for 71 percent of all emissions in the residential sector (Table 7).³⁸ Natural gas accounted for 21 percent (261.7 MMT), and petroleum (mainly distillate fuel oil) represented 8.4 percent (105.3 MMT). Since 1990, residential electricity-related emissions have grown by 2.5 percent annually. Emissions from the direct combustion of fuels, primarily natural gas, in the residential sector have grown by 0.5 percent annually since 1990.

Total carbon dioxide emissions from the residential sector increased by 3.3 percent in 2005. Year-to-year, residential sector emissions are strongly influenced by weather. While heating degree-days were about the same in 2004 and 2005, a warmer summer in 2005 meant that cooling degree-days were up by 13.5 percent,³⁹ and the resulting increase in demand for air conditioning contributed to the growth in residential carbon dioxide emissions.

Since 1990, the growth in carbon dioxide emissions attributable to the residential sector has averaged 1.8 percent per year. Residential sector emissions in 2005 were 300.1 MMT higher than in 1990, representing 31 percent of the total increase in unadjusted U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide emissions since 1990. Long-term trends in residential carbon dioxide emissions are strongly influenced by demographic factors, living space attributes, and building shell and appliance efficiency choices. For example, the movement of population into warmer climates tends to increase summer air conditioning consumption and promote the use of electric heat pumps, which increases emissions from electricity use (although the increase could be offset by a reduction in emissions from heating fuel combustion). Growth in the number of households, resulting from increasing population and immigration, also contributes to more residential energy consumption.

Commercial Sector

Commercial sector carbon dioxide emissions, at 1,050.6 MMT, accounted for about 18 percent of total energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in 2005, of which 78 percent (821.1 MMT) is the sector’s pro-rated share of electricity-related emissions (Table 8). Natural gas contributes 16 percent and petroleum 5 percent of the sector’s emissions.

Commercial sector emissions largely have their origin in the lighting, space heating, and space cooling requirements of commercial structures, such as office buildings, shopping malls, schools, hospitals, and restaurants. Lighting is a significantly more important component of energy demand in the commercial sector (approximately 20 percent of total demand in 2004) than it is in the residential sector (approximately 12 percent of total demand in 2004). Heating and cooling demand accounted for approximately 40 percent of energy demand in the residential sector in 2004, and about 18 percent in the commercial sector.⁴⁰ Thus, commercial sector emissions are affected less by the weather than are residential sector emissions. In the longer run, because commercial activity is a factor of the larger economy, emissions from the commercial sector are more affected by economic trends and less affected by population growth than are emissions from the residential sector.

Emissions attributable to the commercial sector’s pro-rated share of electricity consumption increased by 2.6 percent in 2005, and emissions from the direct combustion of fuels (dominated by natural gas, as in the residential sector) decreased by 2.0 percent. Overall, carbon dioxide emissions related to commercial sector activity increased by 1.6 percent—from 1,034.1 to 1,050.6 MMT—between 2004 and 2005 (Table 8). Since 1990, commercial emissions growth has averaged 2.0 percent per year, the largest growth of any end-use sector. Commercial sector carbon dioxide emissions have risen by 269.9 MMT since 1990, accounting for 28 percent of the total increase in U.S. unadjusted energy-related carbon dioxide emissions.

Industrial Sector

Industrial sector emissions, at 1,682.3 MMT carbon dioxide, accounted for 28 percent of total U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in 2005. In terms of fuel shares, electricity consumption was responsible for 39 percent of total industrial sector emissions (662.8 MMT), natural gas for 24 percent (399.7 MMT), petroleum for 26 percent (431.2 MMT), and coal for 11 percent (184.5 MMT).

Estimated 2005 energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in the industrial sector, at 1,682.3 MMT (Table 9), were 3.1 percent lower than the 2004 emissions level of 1,736.0 MMT. Carbon dioxide emissions attributable to industrial sector energy consumption, while fluctuating from year to year, have decreased slightly since 1990. Total energy-related industrial emissions in 2005 were 0.1 percent (1.3 MMT) lower than in 1990, despite a much larger economy.

A contributing factor to the negative growth in industrial sector carbon dioxide emissions is the erosion of the older energy-intensive (and specifically coal-intensive) industrial base. For example, coke plants consumed 38.9 million short tons of coal in 1990, as compared with 23.4 million short tons in 2005. Other industrial coal consumption declined from 76.3 million short tons in 1990 to 60.8 million short tons in 2005. Also, the share of manufacturing activity represented by less energy-intensive industries, such as computer chip and electronic component manufacturing, has increased while the share represented by energy-intensive industries has fallen.

Transportation Sector

Carbon dioxide emissions from the transportation sector, at 1,958.6 MMT, accounted for 33 percent of total U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in 2005. Almost all (98 percent) of transportation sector emissions result from the consumption of petroleum products: motor gasoline, at 60 percent of total transportation sector emissions; middle distillates (diesel fuel) at 22 percent; jet fuel at 12 percent of the total; and residual oil (i.e., heavy fuel oil, largely for maritime use) at 3.3 percent of the sector’s total emissions. Motor gasoline is used primarily in automobiles and light trucks, and middle distillates are used in heavy trucks, locomotives, and ships.

Emissions attributable to the transportation sector increased by 1.0 percent in 2005, from 1,939.2 MMT carbon dioxide in 2004 to 1,958.6 MMT in 2005 (Table 10). The fuel-use patterns and related emissions sources in the transportation sector are different from those in the other end-use sectors. By far the largest single source of emissions, motor gasoline, at 1,170.5 MMT carbon dioxide, increased by 0.1 percent. Emissions from motor gasoline were partially offset by a 13.7-percent increase in the consumption of ethanol (about 2 percent of the market). Carbon dioxide emissions from ethanol consumption are considered to be zero, because the carbon in the fuel is derived primarily from corn, and it is assumed that an equivalent amount of carbon will be sequestered during the corn-growing season. (See "Ethanol and Greenhouse Gas Emissions" for a discussion of the net emissions benefits of ethanol consumption.)

Since 1990, carbon dioxide emissions related to the transportation sector have increased at an average annual rate of 1.5 percent. The growth since 1990 has meant that transportation emissions have increased by 391.8 MMT, representing 41 percent of the growth in unadjusted energy-related carbon dioxide emissions from all sectors. Transportation is the largest contributing end-use sector to total emissions.

Electric Power Sector

The data in Table 11 represent estimates of carbon dioxide emissions for the electric power sector. These emissions when taken as a whole account for 40 percent of total U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide emissions; in calculating sector-specific emissions, electric power sector emissions are distributed to the end-use sectors. The electric power sector includes traditional regulated utilities, as well as independent power producers whose primary business is the generation and sale of electricity. The industrial sector and, to a much lesser extent, the commercial sector also include establishments that generate electricity; however, their primary business is not electricity generation, and so their electricity-related emissions are included in the totals for those sectors, not in the electric power sector.

Preliminary estimates indicate that carbon dioxide emissions from the electric power sector increased by 2.8 percent (65.6 MMT), from 2,309.4 MMT in 2004 to 2,375.0 MMT in 2005 (Table 11). Emissions from natural-gas-fired generation increased by 7.7 percent, from coal-fired generation by 2.1 percent, and from petroleum-fired generation by 2.3 percent. Carbon dioxide emissions from the electric power sector have grown by 32 percent since 1990, while total unadjusted energy-related carbon dioxide emissions have grown by 19 percent. Of the total growth in energy-related carbon dioxide emissions from 1990 to 2005, 60 percent can be attributed to growth in electric power sector emissions.

Nonfuel Use of Energy Inputs

Nonfuel uses of energy fuels, principally petroleum products, both emit and sequester carbon dioxide over their life cycles. In 2005, nonfuel uses of fossil fuels resulted in emissions of 106.4 MMT carbon dioxide, a decrease of 5.2 MMT (4.7 percent) from the 2004 level of 111.7 MMT (Table 12). Carbon dioxide emissions from nonfuel uses, which represent about 2 percent of total U.S. carbon dioxide emissions, have grown by an average of 0.5 percent annually from their 1990 level of 98.1 MMT. Emissions from nonfuel uses of petroleum products in 2005 were 82.4 MMT in the industrial sector and 5.6 MMT in the transportation sector. Within the industrial petroleum products category, the leading carbon dioxide emission sources were petrochemical feedstocks at 38.0 MMT and LPG at 18.3 MMT. Nonfuel uses of natural gas resulted in emissions of 18.0 MMT carbon dioxide in 2005.

In 2005, carbon sequestration through nonfuel uses of fossil fuels totaled 300.9 MMTCO₂e (Table 13). The vast majority was sequestered in petroleum-based products, including 276.1 MMTCO₂e in the industrial sector and 5.6 MMTCO₂e in the transportation sector sequestered through the use of petroleum-based lubricants. Smaller amounts of carbon were sequestered in natural-gas-based products (17.7 MMTCO₂e) and coal-based products (1.5 MMTCO₂e). The main products that sequester carbon include asphalt and road oil (100.0 MMTCO₂e), LPG (73.4 MMTCO₂e), and feedstocks for plastics and other petrochemicals (64.2 MMTCO₂e). The amount sequestered in 2005 was 3.3 percent less than in 2004, when 311.1 MMTCO₂e was sequestered. Since 1990, the annual sequestration of carbon in this manner has increased by 49.7 MMTCO₂e or 20 percent. This translates to an average annual growth rate of 1.2 percent.

Adjustments to Energy Consumption

Total energy consumption and the carbon dioxide emissions upon which they are based correspond to EIA’s coverage of energy consumption, which includes the 50 States and the District of Columbia. Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), however, the United States is also responsible for counting emissions emanating from its Territories, and their emissions are added to the U.S. total. Conversely, because the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) definition of energy consumption excludes international bunker fuels from the statistics of all countries, emissions from international bunker fuels are subtracted from the U.S. total. Additionally, military bunker fuels are subtracted because they are also excluded by the IPCC from the national total. These sources and subtractions are enumerated and described as “adjustments to energy.”

U.S. Territories

Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions for the U.S. Territories are added as an adjustment in keeping with IPCC guidelines for national emissions inventories. The Territories included are Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Pacific Islands, and Wake Island. Most of these emissions are from petroleum products; however, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands consume coal in addition to petroleum products. For 2005, total energy-related carbon dioxide emissions from the U.S. Territories are estimated at 58.6 MMT (Table 5).

International Bunker Fuels

In keeping with the IPCC guidelines for estimating national greenhouse gas emissions, carbon dioxide emissions from international bunker fuels are subtracted from the estimate of total U.S. energy-related emissions of carbon dioxide. Purchases of distillate and residual fuels by foreign-bound ships at U.S. seaports, as well as jet fuel purchases by international air carriers at U.S. airports, form the basis of the estimate for bunker fuels. Additionally, U.S. military operations for which fuel was originally purchased in the United States but consumed in international waters or airspace are subtracted from the total, because they are also considered international bunker fuels under this definition.

For 2004, the carbon dioxide emissions estimate for military bunker fuels was 10.1 MMT.⁴¹ In 2005, approximately 100.7 MMT carbon dioxide was emitted in total from international bunker fuels, including 90.6 MMT attributed to civilian consumption of bunker fuels. The total amount is subtracted from the U.S. total in Table 5. Just over one-half of the carbon dioxide emissions associated with international bunker fuels comes from the combustion of jet fuels; residual and distillate fuels account for the other half, with most coming from residual fuel.

Other Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Energy Production

In addition to emissions resulting from fossil energy consumed, oil and gas production leads to emissions of carbon dioxide from sources other than the combustion of those marketed fossil fuels. The two energy production sources estimated for this report are:

• Flared natural gas (gas burned at the production site), which is flared either because the cost of bringing the gas to market is prohibitive or because the gas is of insufficient quality to sell

• Carbon dioxide scrubbed from natural gas to improve its heat content and quality and subsequently vented to the atmosphere.

Because many States require flaring of natural gas, EIA assumes that all gas reported under the category “Vented and Flared” is actually flared and therefore should be counted as carbon dioxide emissions rather than methane emissions. In 2005, about 5.9 MMT carbon dioxide was emitted in this way (Table 5).

By computing the difference between the estimated carbon dioxide content of raw gas and the carbon dioxide content of pipeline gas, the amount of carbon dioxide that has been removed (scrubbed) in order to improve the heat content and quality of natural gas can be calculated. This amount was about 17.3 MMT in 2005 (Table 5).

Information on energy production sources that are excluded from this report because of insufficient data is available in Energy Information Administration, Documentation for Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the United States 2004.⁴²

Industrial Process Emissions

Industrial emissions of carbon dioxide not caused by the combustion of fossil fuels accounted for 1.2 percent (74.0 MMT) of total U.S. carbon dioxide emissions in 2005 (Table 14). Process-related emissions from industrial sources depend largely on the level of activity in the construction industries and on production at oil and gas wells. These sources include limestone and dolomite calcination, soda ash manufacture and consumption, carbon dioxide manufacture, cement manufacture, and aluminum production.

Estimated industrial process emissions of carbon dioxide in 2005 totaled 74.0 MMT, 13.9 MMT (23 percent) higher than in 1990 and 0.3 MMT (0.3 percent) lower than in 2004 (Table 14). Of the total estimate for carbon dioxide emissions from industrial processes in 2005, 62 percent is attributed to cement manufacture. When calcium carbonate is heated (calcined) in a kiln, it is converted to lime and carbon dioxide. The lime is combined with other materials to produce clinker (an intermediate product from which cement is made), and the carbon dioxide is released to the atmosphere. In 2005, the United States produced an estimated 97.4 million metric tons of cement,⁴³ resulting in the direct release of 45.9 MMT into the atmosphere. This calculation is independent of the carbon dioxide released by the combustion of energy fuels consumed in making cement. The estimate for 2005 represents an increase in carbon dioxide emissions of 12.5 MMT (38 percent) compared with 1990 and an increase of about 0.2 MMT (0.4 percent) compared with 2004.

Collectively, in 2005, industrial processes other than cement manufacture emitted 28.1 MMT carbon dioxide. Limestone manufacture and consumption emitted 18.3 MMT, soda ash manufacture 3.9 MMT, aluminum manufacture 3.7 MMT, carbon dioxide manufacture 1.6 MMT, and soda ash consumption 0.6 MMT.

Waste Combustion

Waste that is combusted contains, on average, a portion that is composed of plastics, synthetic rubber, synthetic fibers, and carbon black. The carbon in these plastics has normally been accounted for as sequestered carbon, as reported in Table 13; however, according to the IPCC, emissions from the plastics contained in municipal solid waste must be counted in total national emissions inventories. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that plastics and other non-biogenic materials in combusted waste produced emissions of about 19.4 MMT carbon dioxide in 2004 (about 11.1 MMT from grid-connected power generation).⁴⁴ The EPA’s 2004 value is used in this report as an estimate for 2005. The difference between the estimated total and EIA’s estimate for the electric power sector is reported in Table 5. For 2005, the difference is 8.3 MMT carbon dioxide.

The above information courtesy of the Department of Energy and published with our thanks and permission. 

What is an "anaerobic lagoon?"

An Anaerobic Lagoon is an impoundment or tank that is designed to store and treat animal manure diluted with water. 

An anaerobic lagoon acts as a biological tank, in which the manure is partially decomposed before it is used on land as a fertilizer in the form of irrigation liquid.

To this day, anaerobic lagoons in many states are still legally permitted to seep, and some have been associated with problems such as air and water pollution. Anaerobic lagoons generate massive amounts of Biomethane that is hat is 21 times more harmful to our climate than Carbon Dioxide Emissions and could be captured ans used as a renewable natural gas.

The Renewable Energy Institute is leading the engineering and design to develop the world's best Anaerobic Digesters. 

Anaerobic Digesters recover Biomethane from organic materials and prevents the Biomethane - which has a Global Warming Potential that is 21 times more harmful to our climate than Carbon Dioxide Emissions - from entering the atmosphere.  

The Biomethane, which we also refer to as "Renewable Natural Gas" is then used as a fuel for our cogeneration and trigeneration power plants. Alternatively, we may sell the Biomethane to a customer and transport it to them from our Anaerobic Digesters via natural gas pipelines.  We believe Anaerobic Digesters are so vital for renewable energy production and preventing climate change, that all wastewater treatment plants as well as most CAFO's (concentrated animal feeding operations) - no matter what country - will be installing Anaerobic Digesters to prevent Biomethane from entering the atmosphere and help reverse climate change.

Press Conference Invitation
Announcing the

RENEWABLE ENERGY INSTITUTE
"Changing The Way The World Does Energy"

The Renewable Energy Institute has assembled a leading team of scientists, professors, and experts from multiple renewable energy disciplines.

The purposes of this Press Conference are:

1.  Present the Vision, Goals and Mission Statement of the Renewable Energy Institute.

2.  Introduce members of the Renewable Energy Institute's Scientific Advisory Board.  Each will make a brief presentation about why the Renewable Energy Institute is needed and describe the enormous opportunities for developing renewable energy and "pollution free power" in Texas.

3.  Validate the viability of alternative, sustainable and renewable energy technologies today and into the future.

The Renewable Energy Institute intends to expand this team worldwide, beginning here in Texas.

LOCATION: The Robert E. Johnson Conference Center is located directly behind the REJ Building at 1501 N. Congress Avenue. The Conference Center is a silver, half-domed building.

Map: http://www.tlc.state.tx.us/icons/rejres/map.gif

PARKING: Parking available at the Capitol Visitor Garage at 13th and San Jacinto. Parking in the Capitol Visitor Garage is free for the first two hours and $.75 for each half-hour thereafter (maximum daily charge: $6.00)

"Changing The Way The 
World Does Energy"

Including the transformation of a very inefficient, "centralized," highly-polluting, costly and "dumb" Electric Grid of today which now resembles:

To the "Smart Grid" of tomorrow - which resembles the slide below - will be very efficient, decentralized or "distributed," non-polluting, low-cost and "smart."

FOR MORE INFORMATION:  http://www.renewableenergyinstitute.org


The specific mission, objectives and purposes of the Renewable Energy Institute, a 501 (c) 3 corporation shall be:

1. To expand the use of renewable energy technologies in the United States and around the world.

2. To end America's dependence on unstable, unsustainable foreign sources of energy, and make the United States energy independent.

3. To lead and formulate public policy that promotes greater use of renewable energy.

4. To lead the research and development of new renewable energy technologies that lead to patents and the ability to license the renewable energy technologies we develop and invest.

5. To coordinate the research and development of renewable energy between universities so as to minimize redundancy and maximize results.

6. To facilitate and promote dialog between universities and professors in the free flow of research to enhance results and breakthroughs in renewable energy research and development. 

7. To educate and inform the public, including stakeholders that include residential, commercial, industrial and governmental organizations who are consumers of power and energy, the many benefits and uses of renewable energy.

8.  The Renewable Energy Institute will promote higher energy and electric power efficiencies and renewable energy technologies including; Anaerobic Digesters, Automated Demand Response, Biodiesel, Biomass Gasification, BioMethane and BioMethane Recovery, Cogeneration, Concentrating Solar Power, Demand Side Management, Dispersed Generation, Distributed Generation (onsite power generation), Fuel Cells, Geothermal, Hydrogen, Landfill Gas to Energy, Ocean and Tidal energy, Supply Side Management, Thermal Gasification, Trigeneration, Waste to Energy, Waste To Watts and to promote the use of energy crops and oilseed crops for producing biofuels and related technologies whenever a renewable fuel may be used in an internal combustion engine or gas turbine to produce clean power and energy. The Renewable Energy Institute will promote Carbon Dioxide Sequestration technologies, also called Carbon Capture and Sequestration.

9. To help farmers and growers in determining the optimum energy crops and oilseed crops they should consider for their specific locations, soils, climate and energy markets.

10. To adopt a goal of providing the U.S. with 50% of its' power and energy requirements from renewable energy sources by 2025, and 75% by 2050.  Texas will lead the way with a goal of 50% of its' power and energy requirements from renewable energy sources by 2020, and 75% by 2040.

11. To seek funding, investments and donations for the REI from concerned citizens, organizations and companies that will fund the REI's grants, research and development.

12. To seek and develop strategic partners/partnerships that share and advance our common goals. 

13. To seek out qualified companies and people that want to utilize our products and services under our license.

14. To provide Engineering Feasibility and Economic Analysis studies for customers - through a separate entity affiliated with the Renewable Energy Institute.

15. To develop renewable energy projects on behalf of customers - through a separate entity affiliated with the Renewable Energy Institute.
 
16. To remain committed as a trusted supplier of research, development and technologies and be committed as a "vendor-neutral" resource of information - until such time we identify "optimum" companies, products and/or technologies. 

17. To promote and integrate the use of renewable energy technologies in creating "sustainable communities," "renewable energy districts," and "green buildings."   
 
18. To be committed to ending global warming, eliminating carbon dioxide emissions and greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels, and advance technologies such as carbon dioxide sequestration to end global climate change. 
 
The Renewable Energy Institute will fund research and development of all renewable energy technologies, as well as provide leadership in the areas of "Pollution Free Power," "Carbon Free Energy," and "green tags" also known as a Renewable Energy Credit. 

The Renewable Energy Institute will also conduct testing of renewable energy technologies, that compare various manufacturers products' and determines which products have the highest efficiencies, and fastest returns on investment (ROI). And, the Renewable Energy Institute will conduct "vendor-neutral" Engineering Feasibility and Economic Analysis, for specific renewable energy projects, for our customers, to determine the best technologies, and best equipment, for each new renewable energy project. 

Please contact M o n t y  G o o d e l l, Executive Director and Founder of the Renewable Energy Institute by email or phone to learn more about upcoming meeting that will be open to the public.  Tel. (512)  220 - 1498

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