Low-carbon electricity
[citation needed] The energy transition to low-carbon power is one of the most important actions required to limit climate change.
[4] Globally almost 40% of electricity generation came from low-carbon sources in 2020: about 10% being nuclear power, almost 10% wind and solar, and around 20% hydropower and other renewables.
[5] During the late 20th and early 21st century significant findings regarding global warming highlighted the need to curb carbon emissions.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), established by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) in 1988, set the scientific precedence for the introduction of low-carbon power.
The term low-carbon power can also include power that continues to utilize the world's natural resources, such as natural gas and coal, but only when they employ techniques that reduce carbon dioxide emissions from these sources when burning them for fuel, such as the, as of 2012, pilot plants performing Carbon capture and storage.
[1] The 2014 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report identifies nuclear, wind, solar and hydroelectricity in suitable locations as technologies that can provide electricity with less than 5% of the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions of coal power.
Large hydropower provides one of the lowest cost options in today's energy market, even compared to fossil fuels and there are no harmful emissions associated with plant operation.
However, there are several significant social and environmental disadvantages of large-scale hydroelectric power systems: dislocation, if people are living where the reservoirs are planned, release of significant amounts of carbon dioxide and methane during construction and flooding of the reservoir, and disruption of aquatic ecosystems and birdlife.
[18] There is a strong consensus now that countries should adopt an integrated approach towards managing water resources, which would involve planning hydropower development in co-operation with other water-using sectors.
[27] Nuclear power's lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions—including the mining and processing of uranium—are similar to the emissions from renewable energy sources.
[29][30] Although the uranium ore used to fuel nuclear fission plants is a non-renewable resource, enough exists to provide a supply for hundreds to thousands of years.
[33] Climate change mitigation pathways consistent with ambitious goals typically see an increase in power supply from nuclear.
[41] To help meet the Paris Agreement goals to limit climate change, analysts say it should expand much faster – by over 1% of electricity generation per year.
[45] Wind power is considered a sustainable, renewable energy source, and has a much smaller impact on the environment compared to burning fossil fuels.
Land-based (onshore) wind farms have a greater visual impact on the landscape than most other power stations per energy produced.
[46][47] Wind farms sited offshore have less visual impact and have higher capacity factors, although they are generally more expensive.
The 354 MW SEGS CSP installation is the largest solar power plant in the world, located in the Mojave Desert of California.
[59] Cost, the absence of measures to address long-term liability for stored CO2, and limited social acceptability have all contributed to project cancellations.
[64] Power generation from traditional coal fuel sources accounts for 18.8 percent of all world greenhouse gas emissions, nearly double that emitted by road transportation.
[68] By implementing low-carbon power options, world electricity demand could continue to grow while maintaining stable carbon emission levels.
Some countries have begun heat pump rebates to encourage switching to electricity, potentially adding a large demand to the grid.
