December 30, 2007

The Quality of Electricity

Interesting link (hat tip Insty) to Les Jones who links to this page at the US EPA: How clean is the electricity I use? - Power Profiler From the site:
In the United States, electricity is generated in many different ways, with a wide variation in environmental impact. Electricity generation from the combustion of fossil fuels contributes toward unhealthy air quality, acid rain, and global climate change.

Many electricity customers can choose their provider of electricity or can purchase green power from their utility. In fact, you might now have the option of choosing cleaner, more environmentally friendly sources of energy.

Power Profiler will:
  • Determine your power grid region based on your ZIP code and electric utility
  • Compare the fuel mix and air emissions rates of the electricity in your region to the national average
  • Determine the air emissions impacts of electricity use in your home or business

Power Profiler is very easy to use and takes about 5 minutes. To start, all you need is your ZIP code.
Very cool! Here is the result for the Pacific Northwest area (Bellingham)
EPA_Power_Profiler.Png
Click for full-size Image
Wish that we used more Nuclear but happy to see that our dependence on Coal is lower than the national average and that we are utilizing so much Hydro. Posted by DaveH at December 30, 2007 3:34 PM