Scaling up solar energy generation by 15% could reduce U.S. carbon dioxide emissions by 8.54 million metric tons (m.t.) per year. That would account for 12% of the emissions cuts needed each year to meet a Biden-era rule aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions from power plants by 1,380 million m.t. by 2042.
The future of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) goals and regulations around CO2 is uncertain. In July, the Trump Administration announced an intention to rescind a finding that greenhouse gas emissions threaten human health. Rescinding that finding would remove the legal basis for regulating these emissions. Nevertheless, the U.S. already saw an increase in solar generation of 16% between 2022 and 2023, according to a 2024 Climate Central report, making an annual 15% scale-up a goal in line with recent growth.
“What I hope that this kind of study still shows is that there is a benefit to focusing on green energy,” says study author Arpita Biswas, an assistant professor in the Rutgers Univ. department of computer science who conducted the research along with colleagues at the...
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