Comparison of the New 2017 California Power Content Label with That of 2016.
The new SC Edison 2017 Power Content Label also includes the California 2017 Power Content Label. We will present that and compare it to the 2016 Power Content Label. The starred * rows are improved news.
2017 PCL 2016 PCL
Renewables: 29%. 25%. *
Biomass. 2%. 2%
Geothermal 4%. 4%
Small hydro. 3%. 2%. *
Solar. 10%. 8%. *
Wind. 10%. 9%. *
Coal: 4% 4%
Large Hydro: 15%. 10% *
Natural Gas: 34%. 37% *
Nuclear: 9%. 9%
Unspecified: 9%. 15% *
Other: < 1% 0%
———————————————————–
CLEAN ENERGY 53%. 44%
All relative good news between the two years. Of the 12 numbers, 7 are improvements in lowering CO2 emissions. Let’s start with the accountant’s desire that the Unspecified category has reduced by 6%, from 15% to 9%, possibly at State urging. Out-of-state Unspecified is treated as Natural Gas.
Renewables have gained by 4%, to 29% from 25%. This is from a 1% gain in Small Hydro, 2% in Solar, and 1% in Wind.
Large Hydro jumped by a large 5%, from 10% to 15%, because 2017 was again a good rain year. In 2016, the jump was also 5%, from 5% to 10%, being a drought ending year.
CO2 producing Natural gas sank by 3%, from 37% to 34%. Adding Unspecified power as Natural gas reduces the total Natural gas from 52% to 43%.
Large CO2 producing Coal was small, but stayed the same at 4%.
Clean Nuclear power stayed the same at 9%.
Adding Renewables, Large Hydro and Nuclear as CLEAN POWER for 2017 now give 53%, a huge 9% jump in total power from 44% in 2016.
CO2 emissions in pounds per kWh is 2.21 for Coal and 0.922 for Natural gas.
In 2017 this is 0.04 X 2.21 + 0.43 X 0.922 = 0.088 + 0.396 = 0.484 lbs CO2/kWh, averaged statewide.
In 2016 this was 0.04 X 2.21 + 0.52 X 0.922 = 0.088 + 0.479 = 0.567 lbs CO2/kWh.
So 2017 emissions were reduced by 0.083 / 0.567 = 0.146, or 14.6%, or about 1/7 th.
When we totally lose Coal at 0.088 of the present 0.484, it will be an 18% reduction.
