US Clean Energy Futures—Air Quality Benefits of Zero Carbon Energy Policies

Vasilakos，Petros N.1; Shen，Huizhong2,3; Mehdi，Qasim4; Wilcoxen，Peter4; Driscoll，Charles5; Fallon，Kathy6; Burtraw，Dallas7; Domeshek，Maya7; Russell，Armistead G.1

2022-09-01

10.3390/atmos13091401

Atmosphere   Impact Factor & Quartile

2073-4433

In this work, we compare the air quality benefits of a variety of future policy scenarios geared towards controlling EGU (electricity generating units) emissions between the present-day conditions and 2050. While these policies are motivated by reducing CO emissions, they also yield significant co-benefits for criteria pollutants, such as ozone and PM. An integrated set of clean energy policies were examined to assess the time-varying costs and benefits of a range of decarbonization strategies, including business as usual and the Affordable Clean Energy plan, with a primary focus on others that look to achieve very low, if not zero, CO emissions from the EGU sector by 2050. Benefits assessed include mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions as well as air quality co-benefits. In this introductory work, we describe the potential air quality changes from various clean air policies, to set the stage for upcoming work looking at health and monetized benefits. Emission changes for key pollutants are forecast using the Integrated Planning Model (IPM), which are then transformed into emission inputs for the Community Multiscale Air Quality Model (CMAQ). For all primary scenarios considered that achieve large greenhouse gas decreases, significant reductions in ozone and PM are realized, mainly in the eastern US, and all policies produce air quality benefits.

clean energy standards (CES) Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) electricity generating units (EGUs) ozone PM2.5 policy

SCI

English

Others

Environmental Sciences & Ecology ; Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences

Environmental Sciences ; Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences

WOS:000856234000001

MDPI

2-s2.0-85138724880

Scopus

1.School of Civil and Environmental Engineering,Georgia Institute of Technology,Atlanta,30332,United States
2.School of Environmental Science and Engineering,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,518055,China
3.Guangdong Provincial Observation and Research Station for Coastal Atmosphere and Climate of the Greater Bay Area (GORSCAC),Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,518055,China
4.The Maxwell School,Syracuse University,Syracuse,13244,United States
5.Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering,Syracuse University,Syracuse,13244,United States
6.Ecologic Analysis & Communication,Hartland,05052,United States
7.Resources for the Future,Washington,20036,United States

Vasilakos，Petros N.,Shen，Huizhong,Mehdi，Qasim,等. US Clean Energy Futures—Air Quality Benefits of Zero Carbon Energy Policies[J]. Atmosphere,2022,13(9).

Vasilakos，Petros N..,Shen，Huizhong.,Mehdi，Qasim.,Wilcoxen，Peter.,Driscoll，Charles.,...&Russell，Armistead G..(2022).US Clean Energy Futures—Air Quality Benefits of Zero Carbon Energy Policies.Atmosphere,13(9).

Vasilakos，Petros N.,et al."US Clean Energy Futures—Air Quality Benefits of Zero Carbon Energy Policies".Atmosphere 13.9(2022).