U.S. power sector emissions fell 10% between 2019 and 2020, owing to greater energy efficiency and reduced reliance on coal. While the coronavirus pandemic may have played a role in suppressing demand for electricity and subsequently reducing power plant emissions, the data compiled by Entergy, Exelon, Bank of America, Ceres and the Natural Resources Defense Council point to the emissions drop as part of a long-term trend fueled by increased renewable generation and coal-to-gas transitions.

The benchmarking analysis analyzes key air pollutant emissions from the 100 largest U.S. power producers based on publicly reported generation and emissions data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Between 2000 and 2020, power sector carbon dioxide emissions decreased 37% while GDP grew 40% and generation from non-hydro renewables more than doubled. In 2020, power sector CO₂ emissions were roughly 40% below the industry’s 2007 peak. Alongside the steep annual decline in CO₂ emissions, power sector sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides emissions have decreased 93% and 85% from 2000 levels, respectively.

The 100 largest power producers in the U.S. collectively accounted for more than 80% of the sector’s total generation and reported air emissions across nearly 3,500 owned power plants.

Zero-carbon power resources produced 38% of all power in the U.S. in 2020, an all-time high and continuation of an upward trend.

For the fifth consecutive year, natural gas was the leading source of electricity generation in the U.S., accounting for 40%, followed by nuclear with a 20% contribution. Non-hydro renewables made up 11% of total U.S. generation in 2020. Of that, 20% came from solar, 76% from wind and 4% from geothermal sources.