Articles * Electricity

May 17, 2024

1 min read

Electricity emissions: what role does electricity play in Australia’s greenhouse gases?

Electricity production is the biggest contributor to Australia's greenhouse gas emissions. This is primarily due to our reliance on coal-fired power plants, which are highly emissions-intensive, to meet electricity needs. Natural gas and, to a lesser extent, oil, have also played key roles in Australia's energy mix. As the demand for electricity has grown, so too has the impact of its production on Australia's greenhouse gas emissions. There is currently a huge push for more renewable energy

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May 17, 2024

1 min read

Renewable energy emissions: what greenhouse gases do Australia’s renewables create?

Renewable energy has a low carbon footprint. In Australia, the shift towards renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydroelectric power is a major part of the emissions reduction strategy. The lifecycle emissions of renewables, including manufacturing, installation, operation, and decommissioning, are far lower than those of coal, oil, and natural gas. Studies show that renewable energy systems can reduce emissions by up to 90-99% compared to conventional fossil fuels. The production

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May 17, 2024

2 min read

Emissions from non-renewable energy: what greenhouse gases do Australia’s fossil fuels create?

Australia's reliance on non-renewable energy sources, particularly coal, natural gas, and oil, is a massive contributor to the country's greenhouse gas emissions. These fossil fuels are the primary sources of energy for electricity, heating, transportation, and industrial processes in Australia. They emit a wide range of greenhouse gases throughout their lifecycle. Coal Coal is the most carbon-intensive fossil fuel. It has historically been a cornerstone of Australia's energy system, especial

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May 17, 2024

1 min read

Emissions intensity in electricity: which fuel is most efficient?

Emissions intensity refers to the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced per unit of output, such as per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity generated, per unit of economic output (e.g., GDP), or per unit of product manufactured. It's a measure used to assess the environmental impact of producing energy or goods, indicating how much carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases are emitted for each unit of production. Lower emissions intensity means that less CO2 is released for the amoun

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Jul 25, 2023

2 min read

3 simple electricity charts

Last week, we added electricity emissions to OnlyFacts. Our feature chart has three buttons at the top: electricity by power output, by emissions output and emissions intensity. Emissions intensity means emissions* divided by electricity produced. That is, how much bang do we get for our buck? Let's look at emissions output first. Data viz is always tricky when you're trying to put big and smallish numbers together. Above, you can see that emissions from brown and black coal totally obsc

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