How Dirty are You?

I've mentioned before that electric scooters (lead/acid batteries) play a large role in urban transportation in China. Other electric vehicles are very few,

Power sources across the provinces range from about 50-50 coal and hydro in the southwest to 90% coal int he northeast. Renewables overall may average 10%?

There may be good published summaries on this; I've not looked. But I doubt there is anything at the resolution of the 5-digit postal codes in this country.

 

This could only work in areas with a static energy supplier. In many states, customers are free to choose their own ESCO (energy supply company), with their own mix of fuel sources, that feeds the grid on their behalf. My electric ESCO, Green Mountain energy, provides 100% renewable-sourced power, to supplement my own PV system, so I guess that's about as good as it gets.

 

On my end, no matter what California zip code is entered, the same California-wide data is spit out. Can't seem to get local only.

 

mass came in pretty sweet, i need a bigger battery!

 

I wish we had such an option. I wasn't aware anyone in the country had such options. That is very cool.
Most of the utilities around here do have a windsource program where you basically buy a block of wind power. The utilities can't sell more "blocks" than they generate and the funds go into building more wind. Not bad, but not as good as what you have.

Our region is pretty sad, which is one of the reasons we have solar.
That said, this tool uses the 2005 electric grid! I have no idea why as they have updates since greet2007 (which is what they indicate they are using). Just updating to the most recent greet2012 using 2010 data improves my region's grid cleanliness by 16%.

 

....EPA Website seems out of date...says 50% coal US average but that was like 2009 we are now closer to 40%.
It is similar to the EPA Power Profiler website but last time I checked., also that website does not seem updated to 2012 when coal really fell off.

it said 45% coal for me, but Va only has 20% of coal in the fuel mix, so it implies (perhaps correctly) that we get a lot of coal power from other states.

 

My utility company sell 100% renewable electricity. I drive a Prius and Mrs Cabbie an IQ. I think we're pretty clean as far as it goes as well as not impeding our lifestyle in any way.

If everyone made similar choices the world would be a better place

 

Cool Page!

 

If you want how clean a specific plugin car performs, use this link:

Beyond Tailpipe Emissions

For reference, 50 MPG standard Prius emits 222 g/mi.

 

Similarly, my zip code produces a chart vastly different from the utility's annual fuel mix statement. And zips from Oregon, Idaho, and Montana produce that very same chart.

 

I plugged in my zip, the information was not for my utility, but probably for all of ercot (the grid I am on that is as big as england's grid) and the data is old. For ercot wind and coal have increased since that data, and natural gas has decreased. In 2018 coal will decrease to about the levels in that chart and wind will have increased more. Its good for a snapshot, but most can do better by consulting their local utility.

My local grid though in 2012 from my provider is
38% Gas
20% Coal
3% Nuclear
16% Ercot and purchase (likely the mix above with more natural gas and less wind)
23% Renewable

When they try to adjust for ercot and purchase they get 0.47 kg co2 equiv/kwh in 2012 versus 0.59kg/kwh ercot from 2005 (pops up most from eia, and it is actually higher in 2013). The current EPA plan would have ercot drop ghg emissions 38% by 2030, and most of this would happen during the lifetime of plug-ins as they would help expand wind a key part of any plan.