Concentration of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere prior to the dawn of the industrial age 200 years ago, as measured in parts per million: 275
Current atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide in ppm: 392
Atmospheric carbon dioxide level that scientists say is necessary to avoid catastrophic and irreversible climate impacts, in ppm: 350
Percent of U.S. carbon emissions accounted for by coal-fired electricity: 40
Percent by which the big Southeast Five utilities -- Duke Energy Carolinas, Florida Power & Light, Georgia Power, Progress Energy and South Carolina Electric & Gas -- plan to reduce their coal generation capacity over the next two decades: 16
Percent by which Duke Energy Carolinas plans to reduce its coal generation during that period: 3.6
Size in megawatts of the new coal-fired power unit that Duke Energy is building at its Cliffside plant in western North Carolina, scheduled to begin operating next year: 825
Tons of carbon dioxide that the Cliffside plant will emit to the atmosphere each year: 6,000,000
Amount by which Progress Energy is planning to increase its reliance on natural gas in the coming years: 25
Percent by which greenhouse gas emissions from drilling for natural gas in shale formations actually exceeds such emissions from coal-fired electricity over time: 20
Average percentage of the Southeast Five's generation capacity expected to come from wind and solar over the next couple of decades: 0.25
That figure for Duke Energy, the Southeast Five's leader in planned wind and solar power: 0.77
That figure for Progress Energy Florida, SCE&G and Georgia Power: 0
Average percentage of the Southeast Five's generation capacity expected to come from energy efficiency over the next couple of decades: 1.9
That figure for SCE&G, the Southeast Five's leader in planned efficiency: 5.09
Percent of Georgia Power's and FP&L's total generation capacity expected to come from energy efficiency: 0
Total amount by which the Southeast Five are planning to increase their generation capacity over the next two decades, in megawatts: 23,188
Percent of that capacity increase represented by planned nuclear reactors: 38
Total number of new nuclear reactors those utilities are planning to build: 10
Approximate cost of each new nuclear reactor: $10 billion-$12 billion
Percent by which the five utilities' current business plans are expected to increase customer rates: 50-100
Compared to nuclear energy, percent less that energy efficiency and onshore wind power cost per kilowatt-hour: 1/3
Percent of the world's electricity needs that could be met with renewable energy by 2050, according to a recent United Nations report: 80
(Click on figure to go to source. Most are drawn from a new report titled "New Nuclear Power Is Ruining Climate Protection Efforts and Harming Customers" by NC WARN, a North Carolina-based climate watchdog group. Graph by Robert A. Rohde from NOAA data via Wikipedia.)
INSTITUTE INDEX: Clinging to dirty energy in the South
October 13, 2011
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Sue Sturgis
Sue is the editorial director of Facing South and the Institute for Southern Studies.