Key Concepts of Carbon Awareness Flashcards
What does carbon intensity measure?
Carbon intensity measures how much carbon (CO2e) is emitted per kilowatt-hour (KWh) of electricity consumed. The standard unit is gCO2eq/kWh.
What is the carbon intensity of electricity from a wind farm?
0 gCO2eq/kWh, since a wind farm emits no carbon to produce electricity.
Why can’t most people plug directly into wind farms?
Most people plug into power grids supplied with electricity from various sources.
Can you control the sources of electricity you use on a grid?
No, you get a mix of all current power sources in a grid.
Why does carbon intensity vary by location?
It varies because some regions have an energy mix with more clean energy sources than others.
How does weather affect carbon intensity?
Carbon intensity increases when weather conditions reduce renewable energy production, leading to more carbon-emitting sources being used.
What happens if a utility doesn’t produce enough electricity to meet demand?
A brownout occurs, which is a dip in the voltage level of the power line.
What happens if a utility produces more electricity than required?
Breakers trip to prevent infrastructure damage, causing blackouts.
What is dispatchability in terms of power production?
Dispatchability is the ability to control the power produced to meet demand, easier with fossil fuels than with renewables.
What is curtailment in power production?
Curtailment is the process of throwing away excess electricity produced by renewable sources when it is not needed.
What is marginal carbon intensity?
Marginal carbon intensity is the carbon intensity of the power plant employed to meet new demand.
Why do fossil-fueled power plants rarely scale down to 0?
They have a minimum functioning threshold and some are considered consistent, always-on baseload.
What happens when the demand for electricity goes down?
Utilities reduce supply by buying less energy from fossil fuel plants or renewable sources, preferring to reduce fossil fuels first.
What happens when the demand for electricity goes up?
Utilities increase supply by buying more energy from curtailed renewable sources or fossil fuel plants, preferring renewable sources first.
What is the goal of energy market investment?
To increase investment in lower carbon energy sources like renewables and decrease investment in higher carbon sources like coal.
