HALF YOUR COSTS, DOUBLE YOUR RANGE
In 2019, 4.118 tr kWh of electric power was produced in the US, which caused emission of 1.620 bn metric tons of carbon dioxide. Since around 5% of the produced electricity is wasted during transportation and distribution, the actual carbon dioxide emission per one kWh of usable electric energy was estimated at [(1.620/4.118)/0.95], i.e., 0.414 kg.
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In 2019, a total of 5,138.3 m metric tons of carbon dioxide were produced in the US, of which 2,671.3* m metric tons came from the following sources:
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974.6 m metric tons, coal for power production;
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618.4 m metric tons, natural gas for power production;
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275 m metric tons, residential natural gas for heating;
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193.7 m metric tons, commercial natural gas for heating;
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549.6 m metric tons, industrial natural gas for energy production;
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60 m metric tons, residential (36,7 m metric tons), and commercial (23.3 m metric tons) heating oil for heating,
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*(carbon dioxide emissions from residential, commercial, and industrial hydrocarbon gas liquids (HGL), which in their totality constituted 30.9 m; 11.2 m; 60.2 m metric tons, totally round 102.3 m metric tons, and industrial distillate fuel oil (90,4 m metric tons) were not taken into account due to lack of detailed data from EIA designating their specific uses)
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Since in 2019 in the US, 23.5% of power was produced by coal power plants, and 38.4% by natural gas power plants, carbon footprint of coal power was [(974.6/23.5)/(618.4/38.4)], i.e., 2.575 greater than that of natural gas power. In 2019, the quotient of the heat rate for electricity** of natural gas power and that of coal power was [7.822/10,514], i.e., 0.744. This number shows that in 2019 in the US, the average efficiency of coal power plants was [3,412***/10,514], i.e., around 32.5%, which is [1-0.744], i.e. 25.6% lower than that of natural gas power plants.
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** (the heat rate is the amount of energy commonly expressed in Btu, used by a power plant to generate one kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity)
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***( 3,412 is the Btu equivalent of 1 kWh of power)
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When a coal-fired power plant is converted to a natural gas-fired power plant, the thermal efficiency of the coal power plant's boilers declines by around 4%. Accordingly, if in 2019 all coal-fired power plants were converted to natural gas-fired power plants, they would have produced around [974.6/2.575/0.744/(1-0.04)], i.e., 530 m metric tons of carbon dioxide.
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If in 2019 in the US, AG-Cycle was implemented at full scale in the power/heating sector, it would have reduced carbon dioxide emission by around [(974.6-530) + (530+618.4+275+193.7+549.6+60)*0.6], i.e. 1,779.5 m metric tons, which would have constituted [1-(2,671.3-1,779.5)/2,671.3], i.e. 67% reduction in carbon dioxide emission in the sector.
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In 2019, carbon dioxide emission from highway vehicles and aviation, brought about by consumption of motor gasoline, distillate fuel oil, and jet fuel in the US, was 1,090.97 m, 455.08 m, and 255.2 m tons, respectively, totally 1,801.3 m metric tons.
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If AG-Cycle were implemented at full scale in 2019 in the highway vehicles/ aviation sector, it would have reduced carbon dioxide emission by around [(1,090.97+455.08)*0.6+255.2*0.55***], i.e., by 1,068 m metric tons.
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***(since in aircraft Closed AG-Cycle will be used, the its efficiency will be reduced to around 55% due to the loss of around 10% of thrust)
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If AG-Cycle were implemented at full scale in 2019 in power production/heating, and highway vehicles/aviation sectors, it would have reduced carbon dioxide emission by [1,779.5+1068], i.e., 2,847.5 m metric tons, i.e., by [2,847.5/(2671.3+1,801.3)], i.e. around 64% in both sectors.
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Since the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) calculates the social cost of carbon (SCC) at $37 per metric ton, AG-Cycle would have reduced SCC by [2,847.5*$37], i.e., around $105 bn.
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In 2005, the carbon dioxide emission in the US was 5,999 m. metric tons. According to the Paris Climate Agreement, the US was supposed to reduce CO2 emission by 28% before 2026, i.e., by 2026, carbon dioxide emission is not expected to exceed [5,993.3*0.72], i.e. 4,315.2m metric tons.
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If AG-Cycle was implemented in the US in 2019, it would have reduced carbon dioxide emission to [5,138.3-2,847.5], i.e., 2,290.8 m metric tons, which would have been [4,315.2/2.290.8], i.e., minimum 1.9 times better than US' 2026 target established by the Agreement. Adverb "minimum" implies that the actual difference would have been even more significant if the application of AG-Cycle in the marine and railway sector was taken into consideration; the analysis presented above covers [(2,671.3+1,801.3)/5,138.3], i.e., around 87% of the entire annual carbon dioxide emission.