Dataset Information

Modeling the relative GHG emissions of conventional and shale gas production.

ABSTRACT: Recent reports show growing reserves of unconventional gas are available and that there is an appetite from policy makers, industry, and others to better understand the GHG impact of exploiting reserves such as shale gas. There is little publicly available data comparing unconventional and conventional gas production. Existing studies rely on national inventories, but it is not generally possible to separate emissions from unconventional and conventional sources within these totals. Even if unconventional and conventional sites had been listed separately, it would not be possible to eliminate site-specific factors to compare gas production methods on an equal footing. To address this difficulty, the emissions of gas production have instead been modeled. In this way, parameters common to both methods of production can be held constant, while allowing those parameters which differentiate unconventional gas and conventional gas production to vary. The results are placed into the context of power generation, to give a ?well-to-wire? (WtW) intensity. It was estimated that shale gas typically has a WtW emissions intensity about 1.8-2.4% higher than conventional gas, arising mainly from higher methane releases in well completion. Even using extreme assumptions, it was found that WtW emissions from shale gas need be no more than 15% higher than conventional gas if flaring or recovery measures are used. In all cases considered, the WtW emissions of shale gas powergen are significantly lower than those of coal.

SUBMITTER: Stephenson T

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3238415 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Modeling the relative GHG emissions of conventional and shale gas production.

Stephenson Trevor T Valle Jose Eduardo JE Riera-Palou Xavier X

Environmental science & technology 20111115 24

Recent reports show growing reserves of unconventional gas are available and that there is an appetite from policy makers, industry, and others to better understand the GHG impact of exploiting reserves such as shale gas. There is little publicly available data comparing unconventional and conventional gas production. Existing studies rely on national inventories, but it is not generally possible to separate emissions from unconventional and conventional sources within these totals. Even if unco ...[more]

PMID: 22085088

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Project description:This paper analyzes changes in U.S. energy-intensive, trade-exposed (EITE) manufacturing over the past decade, through the lens of previously proposed climate policy measures. The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 defined measures and thresholds for EITE eligibility and proposed compensatory allowances designed to reduce negative competitive impacts to domestic industry and to prevent emissions leakage. We undertook a retrospective analysis of the 2009 eligibility criteria, using the same methods with more recent data to examine trends over the 2004-2017 period. We find that energy intensity, emissions intensity, output, and emissions have fluctuated with economic conditions, and defining measures and thresholds that remain informative is challenging. Had ACES been enacted as written and not revised, the number of sectors qualifying for rebates would have decreased from 39 to 26, after adjustment for the changes in North American Industry Classification System definitions. Emissions from the eligible sectors fell 26% across the three periods of analysis, while emissions from manufacturing as a whole fell 5%. We decompose the changes in emissions into scale and intensity measures based on a hybrid measure derived from Grossman and Krueger [(1993). Environmental impacts of a North American free trade agreement. In The US-Mexico Free Trade Agreement, PM Garber (ed.). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press] and Kaya and Yokoburi [(1997). Environment, Energy, and Economy: Strategies for Sustainability. Tokyo: United Nations University Press]. As an alternative, we perform the same analyses using the EPA's Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program data. These data, not available when ACES was written, offer annual greenhouse gas estimates for facilities that emit more than 25,000 tons CO2e annually. Finally, we draw some recommendations for future policy including (1) using measures that make price level adjustments straightforward or unnecessary, (2) keeping EITE policy focused on a small group of industries to minimize sectoral reclassification problems, (3) identifying industries prone to emissions leakage rather than just changes in output and (4) consider spatial heterogeneity of emissions and trade patterns.

Dataset Information

Modeling the relative GHG emissions of conventional and shale gas production.

Publications

Modeling the relative GHG emissions of conventional and shale gas production.

Similar Datasets

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