Hourly U.S. Electricity Emission Factors by eGRID Subregion

Monthly average hourly CO2, NOx, and SO2 emission factors for each U.S. eGRID subregion. The data includes hourly average, minimum, and maximum emission factors, reported in lbs/MWh for site electricity use. The demand profiles used to generate the data are from 2005 for the eastern interconnect and 2008 for ERCOT and WECC regions.

Use Cases

• Model carbon footprinting for commercial buildings using hourly CO2 emission factors for specific eGRID subregions.
• Analyze regional air quality by comparing hourly NOx and SO2 emission factor trends across different interconnects.
• Benchmark emission intensity by calculating the average, minimum, and maximum emission factors for the same hour across a month.
• Assess grid decarbonization by tracking changes in hourly CO2 emission factors over time within the ERCOT or WECC regions.

Strengths

• Covers all eGRID subregions in the continental United States, providing national scope.
• Includes three key emission types: CO2, NOx, and SO2, enabling multi-pollutant analysis.
• Provides three statistical measures (average, minimum, maximum) for each hourly factor, offering data on variability.
• Accounts for electricity imports, exports, and transmission and distribution losses in the factor calculations.

Limitations

• The underlying demand profiles are from 2005 and 2008, making the emission factors potentially outdated for current grid conditions.
• Data granularity is monthly averages of hourly factors, not actual real-time or daily hourly data.
• The dataset does not include other greenhouse gases like methane or particulate matter.

Provenance

Source

Department of Energy via Data.gov.

Collection Method

Generated using GridViewTM electric grid dispatch software, modeling emissions to meet building load.

Time Range

Modeled based on demand profiles from 2005 (eastern interconnect) and 2008 (ERCOT, WECC).

Freshness

Last updated on 2023-02-21, but the modeled data is based on profiles from 2005-2008.

Geography

Continental United States, segmented by eGRID subregions and major interconnects (Eastern, ERCOT, WECC).