Regulatory Reform to Promote Clean Energy: The Potential of Output-Based Emissions Standards
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- ORNL
Barriers to industrial energy-efficient technologies hinder their use. A number of EPA analyses and industrial experts have found that the utilization of input-based emissions standards (measured in parts-per-million or pounds/MMBtu) in the Clean Air Act creates a regulatory barrier to the installation and deployment of technologies that emit fewer criteria pollutants and use energy more efficiently. Changing emission management strategies to an output-based emissions standard (measured in tons of pollutant emitted) is a way to ameliorate some of these barriers. Combined heat and power (CHP) is one of the key technologies that would see increased industrial application if the emissions standards were modified. Many states have made this change since the EPA first approved it in 2000, although direction from the Federal government could speed implementation modifications. To analyze the national impact of accelerated state adoption of output-based standards on CHP technologies, this paper uses detailed National Energy Modeling System (NEMS) and spreadsheet analysis illustrating two phased-in adoption scenarios for output-based emissions standards in the industrial sector. Benefit/cost metrics are calculated from a private and public perspective, and also a social perspective that considers the criteria and carbon air pollution emissions. These scenarios are compared to the reference case of AEO 2010 and are quite favorable, with a social benefit-cost ratio of 16.0 for a five-year phase-in scenario. In addition, the appropriateness of the Federal role, applicability, technology readiness, and administrative feasibility are discussed.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of International Affairs (IA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC05-00OR22725
- OSTI ID:
- 1025409
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Industry, July 24, 2011, Niagara Falls, NY, USA, 20110724, 20110724
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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