Kiera Jefferson
Electricity is a clean and safe form of energy, but its generation and transmission can affect the environment. Power plants that burn fossil fuels like coal, gas, oil, and biomass to generate electricity produce harmful pollutants that affect the air, water, and land. These emissions include sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and mercury, which can cause cancer and other health issues. Additionally, the mining and extraction of fuels can harm nearby communities and workers, and the transportation of these fuels poses serious risks. The large physical footprint of power plants can also alter the visual landscape, especially in undeveloped areas. All forms of electricity generation have some environmental impact, but coal-fired power is the dirtiest.
What You'll Learn
Burning fossil fuels
Secondly, burning fossil fuels is a major contributor to climate change. It releases carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere, causing the greenhouse effect, which intensifies heat in the atmosphere and increases the Earth's average air temperatures. This has far-reaching effects on ecosystems, including changes to snow and ice melt patterns and increased acidity of precipitation, which negatively impacts aquatic life and harms sensitive plants and animals.
Thirdly, the burning of fossil fuels also affects the quality of the air we breathe. Particle pollution, formed by ash, soot, and the conversion of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide in the air, can blow hundreds of miles, causing haze in cities and scenic areas. This haze, coupled with ozone, contributes to respiratory issues such as asthma and chronic bronchitis.
Lastly, the disposal of coal ash, a byproduct of burning solid fuels, poses risks to groundwater. Coal ash often contains hazardous materials, and when stored in retention ponds, can burst and cause pollution downstream.
The issues outlined above highlight the critical need to transition to clean, renewable, and non-combustion sources of electricity to protect human health and the environment.
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Radioactive contamination
Nuclear power plants use the energy released by the decay of certain radioactive isotopes to generate electricity. In the process, additional radioactive isotopes are produced. Nuclear power plants use specially designed fuel rods and containment structures to prevent radioactive materials and the ionizing radiation they produce from escaping into the environment. However, if the fuel and surrounding containment structures are severely damaged, radioactive materials and ionizing radiation may be released, posing a health risk to people.
Ionizing radiation is a form of energy capable of removing electrons from atoms. It can arise from the spontaneous decay of unstable isotopes, which are also called radioactive isotopes, in nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons explosions. It can also come from cosmic rays, X-ray machines, and other technological devices.
At high doses, ionizing radiation can cause immediate damage to the human body, including radiation sickness and death. At lower doses, it can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, cataracts, and cancer, primarily by damaging DNA and causing cancer-causing gene mutations. Children and adolescents are more susceptible to the cancer-causing effects of ionizing radiation because their bodies are still developing, and they have more years of life ahead of them for cancer to develop.
The release of radioactive material and ionizing radiation from nuclear power plants can have severe consequences for human health and the environment. The 1986 accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine, considered the worst nuclear disaster in history, released radioactive material that reached as far as Sweden and led to the permanent resettlement of approximately 350,000 people. The accident caused 31 direct deaths and thousands of additional cancer deaths.
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Water usage
The amount of water usage is often of great concern for electricity generating systems as populations increase and droughts become a more pressing issue. Changes in water resources may also impact the reliability of electricity generation.
Discussions of water usage in electricity generation distinguish between water withdrawal and water consumption. According to the United States Geological Survey, "withdrawal" is defined as the amount of water removed from the ground or diverted from a water source for use, while "consumption" refers to the amount of water that is evaporated, transpired, incorporated into products or crops, or otherwise removed from the immediate water environment.
Water withdrawal and consumption are both important environmental impacts to evaluate. In 2015, the total water withdrawals from thermoelectric power plants were just over 60 trillion gallons, but this decreased to just under 50 trillion gallons in 2020. This decrease in water usage is largely attributed to the increase in the use of renewable energy sources.
Since 2015, 80% of the decrease in water use is due to the use of natural gas and renewables instead of coal-fired plants. The other 20% of the decrease in water use is due to the implementation of closed-loop recirculating and hybrid cooling systems rather than once-through cooling systems. Once-through cooling systems have an excessive amount of water withdrawals, as the water is only used once and then released. In contrast, closed-loop systems reuse water several times, resulting in much lower water withdrawals.
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Greenhouse gas emissions
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a greenhouse gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect. It is released when fossil fuels are burned for electricity, heat, and transportation. In 2023, coal consumption accounted for about 16% of total annual energy-related CO2 emissions in the US. The same year, the electric power sector accounted for about one-third of total US energy-related CO2 emissions.
Other greenhouse gases include methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and fluorinated gases (F-gases). Methane is emitted during agricultural activities, waste management, energy production and use, and biomass burning. Nitrous oxide is emitted during agricultural activities, such as fertilizer use, chemical production, and fossil fuel combustion. Fluorinated gases, including hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), are emitted during industrial processes, refrigeration, and the use of various consumer products.
The Clean Air Act and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have helped reduce emissions from power plants. The EPA also publishes estimates for total US greenhouse gas emissions.
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Air pollution
Electricity is a clean and relatively safe form of energy, but electricity generation and transmission can affect the environment. In the United States, about 62% of the electricity generated in 2022 came from fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, petroleum, and other gases), biomass, and municipal and industrial waste. Burning these fuels releases harmful pollutants into the air, including:
- Carbon dioxide (CO2)
- Carbon monoxide (CO)
- Sulfur dioxide (SO2)
- Nitrogen oxides (NOx)
- Particulate matter (PM)
- Heavy metals such as mercury
These combustion byproducts have negative effects on the environment and human health. For example, CO2 is a greenhouse gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect, causing climate change. SO2 causes acid rain, which is harmful to plants and aquatic life, and it also worsens respiratory illnesses and heart diseases, especially in children and the elderly. NOx contributes to ground-level ozone, which irritates and damages the lungs. PM, when combined with ozone, causes asthma and chronic bronchitis, especially in children and the elderly, and may also cause emphysema and lung cancer. Heavy metals such as mercury are hazardous to human and animal health, affecting the nervous system and brain functions.
The Clean Air Act in the United States regulates air pollutant emissions from power plants, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets emissions standards. Power plants can reduce air pollution emissions by burning low-sulfur-content coal, using wood chips with coal, pretreating and processing coal, and employing various particulate emission control devices.
In addition to air pollution, electricity generation can also impact water bodies, generate solid waste, and affect land use and ecosystems.
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Frequently asked questions
Burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas to generate electricity emits harmful pollutants such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon monoxide, contributing to climate change and causing respiratory issues.
Power plants use water for cooling, and this water, when discharged back into water bodies, is often at a higher temperature, causing thermal pollution. Additionally, the generation process may release toxic metals and other pollutants into nearby water bodies.
Electricity generation, particularly from coal-fired power plants, produces solid waste in the form of ash, which contains hazardous materials captured by pollution control devices.
Electricity generation can impact land use through fuel sourcing, mining, and the construction of power plants, transmission lines, and infrastructure, potentially leading to wildlife displacement and ecosystem alterations.
