Electric vehicles/Fossil fuel powered: Difference between revisions
(Added more detail, but didn't account for the differences of GHG of each fuel yet.) |
(Accounted for the different GHG of different fuels. I still plan to refactor the calculations so the steps are less awkward.) |
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'''Yes.''' | '''Yes.''' | ||
The carbon emissions are ''' | The carbon emissions are '''about the same''' as gas cars, if the electricity is generated by | ||
* coal power plants | * coal power plants | ||
* ''simple'' natural gas power plants | * ''simple'' natural gas power plants | ||
For ''advanced'' natural gas power plants, which are more efficient, best-case carbon emissions are | For ''advanced'' natural gas power plants, which are more efficient, best-case carbon emissions are about '''half''' of what they'd be from driving a gas car. | ||
==Long answer== | ==Long answer== | ||
| Line 102: | Line 102: | ||
What is the environmental impact of lithium batteries? - Changeit ...</nowiki><br /><nowiki> | What is the environmental impact of lithium batteries? - Changeit ...</nowiki><br /><nowiki> | ||
changeit.app › blog › 2021-03-26-environmental-impact-of-lithium-batteries </nowiki> | changeit.app › blog › 2021-03-26-environmental-impact-of-lithium-batteries </nowiki> | ||
}} | |||
{{dp | |||
|<nowiki>coal.ghg_by_energy</nowiki> | |||
|<nowiki>95.35 kg / million btu</nowiki> | |||
|<nowiki>CO2 emissions of burning coal</nowiki> | |||
|<nowiki>https://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/co2_vol_mass.php</nowiki> | |||
}} | }} | ||
{{dp | {{dp | ||
| Line 108: | Line 114: | ||
|<nowiki>CO2 emissions of burning gasoline</nowiki> | |<nowiki>CO2 emissions of burning gasoline</nowiki> | ||
|<nowiki>https://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/co2_vol_mass.php</nowiki> | |<nowiki>https://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/co2_vol_mass.php</nowiki> | ||
}} | |||
{{dp | |||
|<nowiki>usa.natural_gas.fugitive_ghg</nowiki> | |||
|<nowiki>176.1 million tonnes / year</nowiki> | |||
|<nowiki>Greenhouse gas CO2eq of fugitive methane leaks from all natural gas infrastructure in the USA</nowiki> | |||
|<nowiki>Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)</nowiki><br /><nowiki> | |||
Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2014</nowiki><br /><nowiki> | |||
https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/inventory-us-greenhouse-gas-emissions-and-sinks-1990-2014</nowiki><br /><nowiki> | |||
2016 Complete Report (PDF)</nowiki><br /><nowiki> | |||
Using data from 2014</nowiki> | |||
}} | |||
{{dp | |||
|<nowiki>usa.natural_gas.energy</nowiki> | |||
|<nowiki>27.9 quadrillion btu / year</nowiki> | |||
|<nowiki>U.S. energy consumption from natural gas combustion only</nowiki> | |||
|<nowiki>Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)</nowiki><br /><nowiki> | |||
Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2014</nowiki><br /><nowiki> | |||
https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/inventory-us-greenhouse-gas-emissions-and-sinks-1990-2014</nowiki><br /><nowiki> | |||
2016 Complete Report (PDF)</nowiki><br /><nowiki> | |||
Datapoint was found on page 115, from pie chart and line graph, using data from 2014</nowiki> | |||
}} | |||
{{dp | |||
|<nowiki>natural_gas.fugitive_ghg_by_energy</nowiki> | |||
|<nowiki>usa.natural_gas.fugitive_ghg / usa.natural_gas.energy</nowiki> | |||
|<nowiki>Fugitive emissions (CO2eq) of natural gas, per unit energy</nowiki> | |||
|<nowiki>Average based on US datapoints.</nowiki> | |||
}} | |||
{{dp | |||
|<nowiki>natural_gas.ghg_by_energy</nowiki> | |||
|<nowiki>53.07 kg / million btu</nowiki> | |||
|<nowiki>CO2 emissions of burning natural gas</nowiki> | |||
|<nowiki>Does not include the fugitive methane emissions from unburned fuel. Those vary by how the gas is burned.</nowiki><br /><nowiki> | |||
</nowiki><br /><nowiki> | |||
https://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/co2_vol_mass.php</nowiki> | |||
}} | }} | ||
{{dp | {{dp | ||
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''Now compare for the gasoline a non-electric car would burn, on average:'' | ''Now compare for the gasoline a non-electric car would burn, on average:'' | ||
{{calc | {{calc | ||
|average_us_vehicle.mileage_by_time | |gasoline.ghg_by_energy * average_us_vehicle.mileage_by_time / car.fuel_economy | ||
|tonnes / year | |tonnes / year | ||
|gasoline_ghg | |gasoline_ghg | ||
| Line 155: | Line 195: | ||
''Now, for coal power plants charging EVs, same amount of driving:'' | ''Now, for coal power plants charging EVs, same amount of driving:'' | ||
{{calc | {{calc | ||
|average_us_vehicle.mileage_by_time | |coal.ghg_by_energy * average_us_vehicle.mileage_by_time / fuel_economy_if_coal | ||
|tonnes / year | |tonnes / year | ||
|coal_ghg | |coal_ghg | ||
}} | }} | ||
''Now, for advanced natural gas power plants charging EVs, same amount of driving:'' | ''Now, for advanced natural gas power plants charging EVs, same amount of driving:'' | ||
{{calc | {{calc | ||
|average_us_vehicle.mileage_by_time | |(natural_gas.ghg_by_energy + natural_gas.fugitive_ghg_by_energy) * average_us_vehicle.mileage_by_time / fuel_economy_if_advanced_natural_gas | ||
|tonnes / year | |tonnes / year | ||
|advanced_natural_gas_ghg | |advanced_natural_gas_ghg | ||
}} | }} | ||
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}} | }} | ||
Thus, emissions are | Thus, with coal power, emissions are worse than driving a gasoline-powered car. But for ''advanced'' natural gas power plants, emissions are about half. In either case, this doesn't count the other environmental impacts {{light|(non-CO<sub>2</sub>)}} of mining lithium & cobalt. | ||
<!-- TODO: redo this with more precision: coal.ghg_by_energy and natural_gas.ghg_by_energy? but then what about fugitive emissions? maybe make a datapoint "natural_gas.fugitive_ghg_by_energy" that factors it in --> | <!-- TODO: redo this with more precision: coal.ghg_by_energy and natural_gas.ghg_by_energy? but then what about fugitive emissions? maybe make a datapoint "natural_gas.fugitive_ghg_by_energy" that factors it in --> | ||