July 18, 2007—The US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new Power Profiler calculates how much air pollution results from electricity use at a specific site, the fuels used to produce that electricity, and how to reduce the impact.
EPA has updated the Web-based Power Profiler with recently released data on emissions and fuels. In addition to learning the emissions from their individual electricity use, users can see how they compare with national averages.
The air pollutants used in the calculator are carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). CO2 contributes to global warming or climate change, while NOx and SO2 contribute to unhealthy air quality and acid rain in many parts of the country, explains EPA.
Power Profiler displays the fuel mix in percent coal, oil, gas, nuclear, hydro-electric (water), and other renewable sources including biomass, wind, solar, geothermal, and landfill gas.
With information from the calculator on their monthly electricity use, consumers can assess their annual emissions. The site also guides users to other Web-based information showing how to reduce emissions from an individual business through greater energy efficiency and use of renewable energy.
Power Profiler uses information from EPA’s Emissions & Generation Resource Integrated Database (eGRID), a comprehensive source of data on the environmental characteristics of nearly all electric power generated in the US.
