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|Impacts of a 25-Percent Renewable Electricity Standard as Proposed in the American Clean Energy and Security Act Discussion Draft                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          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|Introduction
                      This report responds to requests from Chairman Edward  Markey, for an analysis of a 25-percent Federal renewable electricity standard  (RES).  The RES  proposal analyzed in this report is included in the discussion draft of broader  legislation, the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACESA) of 2009, issued  on the Energy and Commerce Committee website at the end of March 2009.3  The two request letters and the relevant  section of the ACESA discussion draft are provided as Appendices A, B, and C of  this report.
                      While Chairman Markey’s original letter asked that  sensitivities with alternative greenhouse gas policies be prepared, his  subsequent letter released the Energy Information Administration (EIA) from  that requirement.  Consequently, the  analysis presented here does not consider the interactions of the RES provisions contained in ACESA with other key  provisions of that legislation. An analysis of these interactions will not be  possible until some open issues in the ACESA discussion draft are  resolved.  However, this report does  provide a qualitative discussion of potential interactions with an energy  efficiency resource standard (EERS) and a cap-and-trade program for greenhouse  gases, two other programs that are also included in the ACESA discussion draft.
                      Background
                      An RES, also  known as a renewable portfolio standard (RPS), is a policy that requires  covered electricity retailers to supply a specified share of their electricity  sales from qualifying renewable energy resources.  As of the end of 2008, 28 States and the District of Columbia had  enacted an RPS or similar renewable energy requirement. The Federal RES analyzed here would apply to electricity  retailers on a nationwide basis, establishing a target level for the market  share of qualifying renewable resources that grows from 6 percent in 2012 to 25  percent in 2025 and beyond.
                      To stimulate an increase in the use of renewable resources  to generate electricity, an RES  requires that a specified share of the power sold must be produced from  qualifying renewable facilities. Companies that generate power from qualifying  renewable facilities are issued credits that they can hold for their own use or  sell to others. To meet the RES  requirement, each covered electricity seller must generate their own qualifying  renewable power or purchase renewable energy credits from others.  For example, a covered electricity retailer  with 100 billion kilowatthours of retail electricity sales in a year with a  25-percent RES requirement would  have to generate or purchase credits representing a combined total of 25  billion kilowatthours of qualifying renewable power for that year. In a  competitive market, the price of renewable energy credits should rise to the  level needed to stimulate powerplant developers to construct the amount of  qualifying renewable capacity needed to meet the RES  requirement while allowing the market to determine the most economical  renewable compliance options to develop.
                      The RES  program analyzed in this report has the following characteristics:
                      The program begins in 2012       with the required renewable share starting at 6 percent and growing in       scheduled increments to 25 percent in 2025. The program sunsets in 2040.Power sellers with retail       sales of at least 1 billion kilowatthours (1,000,000 megawatthours) are       covered. Entities with retail sales below this level are exempt.Generation from existing       hydroelectric and municipal solid waste (MSW)       facilities are not included in the base electricity sales but also do not       earn compliance credits.The total amount of       qualifying renewable generation required each year is calculated by       multiplying the base (total electricity retail sales minus existing       hydroelectric and MSW       generation and sales by exempt small retailers) by the required share.Qualifying renewable       facilities include all new and existing nonhydroelectric renewable       generation facilities, including co-firing modifications to existing coal       plants4 that are placed in service on or after the enactment date of the       legislation. Qualifying fuels include incremental hydropower5,       geothermal, solar, wind, ocean, landfill gas, and certain biomass       feedstocks.Generation from distributed       renewable generation resources, i.e., customer-sited facilities such as       roof-top photovoltaics and small wind turbines, earns three credits for       every kilowatthour of generation through 2014, with a discretionary       adjustment possible after 2014.6For purposes of this analysis, it is assumed that the credit will be       reduced to one credit per kilowatthour after 2014, because the affected       distributed generation resources show significant growth prior to 2014       when they receive triple credits and continue to grow slowly after 2014,       indicating that have approached competitiveness in some markets.Credits are granted for       qualified State energy efficiency programs to satisfy up to 20 percent of       the RES requirement upon       petition of the governor of any State provided that the State is in       compliance with the EERS provisions of the bill.The market value of credits       used for compliance is capped at 5 cents per kilowatthour, adjusted annually       for inflation. Power sellers may purchase an unlimited number of alternative       compliance credits from the Federal government at this “safety-valve”       credit value, allowing them to meet their program obligations without       providing additional renewable generation.        Revenue from the sale of government-issued credits will be returned       to retail suppliers in proportion to the credits they submit.The program does not affect any State-level RES requirements or similar obligations.Analysis Cases
                      The analysis presented in this  report starts from an updated version of the *Annual Energy Outlook 2009* (*AEO2009*)  reference case that reflects the projected impacts of the American Recovery and  Reinvestment Act (ARRA), enacted in February 2009, and revised economic  assumptions.  ARRA has a significant  impact on the projected growth of renewable energy over the next 5 years, so it  is important to take account of its enactment in considering the projected  impacts of an RES  requirement.  For example, overall  targets for renewable generation in this RES  proposal, on a credits-earned basis, are below projected renewable generation  in the updated reference case through 2015.
                      The development of the updated reference case is described  in a recent EIA report *An Updated Annual  Energy Outlook 2009 Reference Case Reflecting Provisions of the American  Recovery and Reinvestment Act and Recent Changes in the Economic Outlook.*7  As noted in that report, EIA plans to use  this updated baseline in its analyses of proposed changes in laws and  regulations, including the RES  analysis presented in this report.   Therefore, the term “reference case” in this report means this updated  reference case unless otherwise stated.
                      The RES proposal  that is the subject of this report contains a provision requiring the Secretary  of Energy to adjust the credit multiplier for distributed renewable generation  to maintain it at a level “no  higher than the Secretary determines is necessary to make distributed  generation facilities cost competitive with other sources of renewable  electricity generation.”   Enforcement of this provision will require significant discretion from  the Secretary, which EIA is unable to analyze.   Based on the market response of distributed renewable resources in the  reference case, EIA has assumed that distributed renewable resources will be  assigned a multiplier of one beyond 2014, the earliest date for adjustment of  the initial multiplier of three in the two RES  policy cases analyzed in this report.
                      One key difference between the RES  proposal contained in H.R. 890 and the RES  in the ACESA discussion draft that is the focus of this report is that the  latter provides for the inclusion of credits for qualified State energy  efficiency programs to satisfy up to 20 percent of the RES  requirement upon petition of the governor of any State provided that the State  is in compliance with the EERS provisions of the bill.  As the baselines for and details of the  yet-to-be-established EERS program are unknown, the extent to which States  would have access to efficiency credits for purposes of the RES is not clear.   In order to assess how different outcomes regarding the application of  efficiency credits might affect the projected impacts of the RES, EIA analyzed two RES  policy cases.  The RES with Full Efficiency Credits (RESFEC) case  assumes that the maximum level of efficiency credits, up to one-fifth of the  credits in the target in any given year, are claimed.  This is reflected as a 20-percent reduction  in the applicable target for eligible renewable generation.  The RES  with No Efficiency Credits (RESNEC) case assumes that States cannot qualify  for, or elect not to use, efficiency credits, so that the RES targets stated in the proposal are used as the  actual targets for eligible renewable generation.
                      This report provides an analysis of the RES provisions in the ACESA discussion draft on a  standalone basis.  The impact of the EERS  on the overall growth in electricity load, which could also affect the  projected effects of an RES, is  also not clear.  A cap-and trade program  for greenhouse gas emissions could also affect RES  impacts.  These interactions are beyond  the scope of the analysis in this report, but they are addressed qualitatively.
                      Figure 1. Share of Renewables Required (share of total electricity sales).  Need help, contact the National Energy Information Center at 202-586-8800.figure dataFigure 2. Generation by Fuel (billion kilowatthours).  Need help, contact the National Energy Information Center at 202-586-8800.figure dataTable 1. Summary Results.  Need help, contact the National Energy Information Center at 202-586-8800.printer-friendly versionResults
                      Required Level of Renewables
                      The level of renewables required to comply  with the RES will be lower than  the nominal target because of the exemptions and baseline adjustments.  Figure 1 illustrates the derivation of the  overall share of renewables required when these factors are taken into account.  While the nominal share in 2025 is 25  percent, exempting the small retailers lowers the effective target to 22  percent of total electricity sales.  The  effective target is lowered further to 21 percent when the generation from hydroelectric  power and municipal solid waste is removed from the sales baseline.  The effective target will be lowered still  further by the degree to which qualifying energy efficiency credits are  used.  If States are able to take full  advantage of the energy efficiency credits, using them to meet up to 20 percent  of the RES requirement, the  effective share of renewables required could drop to approximately 17 percent  of total electricity sales.  These values  are both greater than the 11-percent share of total electricity sales achieved by  eligible renewables in 2025 in the reference case in this report.
                      Electricity Sector Results
                      Under both the RES  simulations prepared, generation from renewable resources increases relative to  the reference case (Figure 2).  However,  the growth in renewable generation, particularly for wind, stimulated by State  RES programs and ARRA in the reference case plays a major role in compliance with the  Federal RES.  For example, in 
                        the reference case, wind generation increases from 32  billion kilowatthours in 2007 to 208 billion kilowatthours in 2030.  This increase in wind generation accounts for  a significant share of the increase in renewable generation require with the  Federal RES.  In the cases analyzed in this report, biomass  generation, both from dedicated biomass plants and existing coal plants  co-firing with biomass fuel, also plays a major role in compliance with the  Federal RES, with biomass  generation more than doubling from 218 billion kilowatthours in the reference  case to 438 billion kilowatthours in the RESFEC case and 577 billion  kilowatthours in the RESNEC case (Table 1).   Unlike for wind, the renewable provisions of ARRA did not have as large an  impact on biomass because the co-firing of biomass only receives half the  credit available to new wind plants and new dedicated biomass plants generally  take longer to develop than the period of the credit extension in ARRA.
                      Wind generation in the RESFEC case reaches the same level  (208 billion kilowatthours) as in the reference case by 2030, but in the RESNEC  case wind generation increases to 249 billion kilowatthours.  Although total solar generation does not  reach the level of wind, it has a higher percentage increase than wind by 2030,  when compared to the reference case.   Solar generation, including utility-owned solar thermal and photovoltaics  and customer-sited distributed generation, increases from 23 billion  kilowatthours in 2030 in the reference case to 30 billion kilowatthours in the  RESFEC and 31 billion kilowatthours in the RESNEC case, an increase of 30  percent and 35 percent, respectively.
                      The increase in renewable generation stimulated by the  Federal RES leads to lower  projected coal and natural gas generation.   In the two RES cases, coal  generation ranges between 182 billion kilowatthours (8 percent) and 257 billion  kilowatthours (11 percent) below the reference case level.  Similarly, natural gas generation in the two RES cases in 2030 is between 55 billion  kilowatthours (6 percent) and 150 billion kilowatthours (15 percent) below the  level projected in the reference case.
                      Given the amount of eligible renewable generation projected in  the reference case, the RES is not  expected to affect national average electricity prices until after 2020.  As the required RES  share increases to its maximum value in 2025, the value of RES credits increases and impacts on national  average electricity prices become evident.   The peak effect on national average electricity prices, 2.7 percent in  the RESFEC case and 2.9 percent in the RESNEC case, occurs as the required  renewable share ramps up more rapidly than the demand for electricity is  growing.  In the later years of the projections,  the impact on national average electricity prices is smaller, as the impact of the  RES requirement on the cost of  coal and natural gas, fuels whose use is reduced by added renewables, is  increasingly reflected in electricity prices.   By 2030, electricity prices are projected to be little changed from the  reference case in both RES cases,  with 2030 prices less than 1 percent higher than in the reference case.
                      By 2030, natural gas prices, measured as the average  wellhead price, have decreased 1 percent in the RESFEC case and 4 percent in  the RESNEC case, relative to the reference case. Also by 2030, average  minemouth coal prices relative to the reference case have decreased 2 percent in  the RESFEC case and 4 percent in the RESNEC case.
                      Renewable credit prices do not rise above zero in either RES proposal until 2020. The RESNEC case generally  results in a higher credit price than the RESFEC case.  In both cases, credit prices reach a maximum  of 5 cents per kilowatthour in 2024 and maintain this price through 2028, after  which time the price begins to drop as electricity demand grows enough to  absorb the required growth in renewables.   In 2030, the RESFEC case results in a credit price of 2.5 cents per  kilowatthour and the RESNEC case results in a credit price of 3.5 cents per  kilowatthour.
                      Figure 3. National Energy Modeling System Electricity Regions.  Need help, contact the National Energy Information System.Figure 4. Regional Price Impacts in the RESNEC Case (percent change from reference case).  Need help, contact the National Energy Information Center at 202-586-8800.figure dataFigure 5. Regional Price Impacts in the RESFEC Case (percent change from reference case).  Need help, contact the National Energy Information System.figure dataFigure 6. Electricity Sector Carbon Dioxide Emissions (million metric tons).  Need help, contact the National Energy Information Center at 202-586-8800.figure dataRegional Results
                      Compliance with RES  targets can vary significantly by region.   Although all regions do provide some significant fraction of their  required renewable generation from in-region sales, some tend to over-comply  and thus are able to sell credits to other regions, and other regions tend to  under-comply and need to purchase credits to achieve compliance.  Several factors contribute to a region’s  overall tendency to be a net credit importer or exporter, including:
                      Cost and availability of renewable resources.  Regions with low-cost and/or abundant  resources may be able to comply more economically or to a greater extent than  other regions.  Some regions may also be  able to access lower cost resources in an adjacent region, with additional  investment in transmission improvements.
                        Cost of alternative generation options.  Regions that rely on more expensive  conventional generation options, such as natural gas, will see reduced  compliance costs, even with relatively expensive or limited renewable  resources, as credit prices are a function of the spread between the cost of  the renewable and the cost of the displaced generation.
                        State incentives for renewable generation.  Some regions may have State RES requirements in excess of the net Federal  requirement for that region and, as a result, will necessarily over-comply with  the Federal RES.Because of regional differences in electricity market  structure, State RES requirements,  and ability to utilize resources, regional compliance surpluses or deficits may  have differing price impacts, as shown in Figures 3 through 5.  In regions dominated by traditional  cost-of-service regulation, the net cost increases or decreases from RES compliance are generally passed through to  consumers; in regions with more open electricity market structures, these  changes in costs will only be passed through to consumers to the extent that  market forces allow and will otherwise by absorbed by the industry.  In cases where one region may be building  dedicated renewable energy resources in an adjacent region, costs and benefits  may be shared between the two regions, as the host region will realize the  local economic benefits such as employment and land-owner payments, but also  local costs such as any undesirable land uses, and the ownership region will  receive any net proceeds from the operation and sale of credits, however, price  impacts will tend to be in the ownership region.
                      By 2020, when the RES targets first start to result in significant  new capacity builds above reference case levels, most regions start to see an  increase in electricity prices, with most regions seeing an increase of 2 to 5  percent above reference case levels through 2025.  After 2025, prices begin to return to  reference case levels, and by 2030 they are generally 1 percent to 3 percent  higher than projected in the reference case.   In a few regions, especially the MAPP region (covering the northern  Great Plains States), with abundant and low-cost renewable resources, prices  fall below the reference case level.  In  the RESNEC case, ERCOT (covering most of Texas)  also sees a significant decrease in electricity prices compared to the  reference case, as a result of the significant wind resources of Texas and also because  of the significant reliance of that region on natural gas as a generation  fuel.  The RES  leads to lower natural gas use and prices, which benefits regions that rely  heavily on natural gas.
Carbon Dioxide Emissions
                      This analysis is of the RES  portion of the ACESA discussion draft and does not account for the various  carbon-reduction policies that affect other markets outside of the electric  power sector.  Within the electric power  sector, the RES is projected to  result in reductions in carbon dioxide emissions relative to the reference case  (Figure 6).  In the RESFEC and RESNEC case,  electricity sector carbon dioxide emissions in 2030 are projected to be 2,444  million metric tons and 2,333 million metric tons  respectively, compared to 2,639 million tons  in the reference case and 2,433 million tons estimated in 2007.
                      Interactions Between  the RES, the EERS, and the  Cap-and-Trade Program for Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the ACESA Discussion  Draft
                      EIA’s modeling of the RES  in the ACESA discussion draft was a standalone analysis that did not consider  interactions with other key programs in the ACESA discussion draft.  While EIA cannot develop an integrated  analysis until there are clearer insights into how some of the other ACESA  programs would actually be implemented, interactions among the elements of  ACESA could be significant.
                      In previous analyses of economy-wide policies to limit or  reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, EIA has generally found that a  cap-and-trade program for greenhouse gases leads to significant growth in the  use of renewable energy for electricity generation, which becomes more  attractive when the cost of using fossil fuels goes up.     Where there  are multiple targets that can be satisfied with the same energy resources and  projects, the target that sets the upper limit on the use of the resource will  generally absorb all of the incremental costs from that resource, making  compliance with the non-binding goal appear to be costless.  To the extent  that the proposed cap and trade program induces more renewable resources than required  by the concurrent RES proposal,  one might expect a reduction in apparent RES  compliance costs, since those costs would already be reflected in the value of  carbon dioxide allowances.
                      In contrast, an EERS, which reduces or eliminates projected  growth in electricity load, and therefore the need for additional generation  capacity, makes it more likely that a given RES  target will require that generation from new eligible renewable capacity  replace generation from existing capacity rather than from other types of new  capacity.   The cost penalty associated  with backing out existing capacity, whose capital cost is already sunk, is  typically much larger than the cost penalty associated with backing out  alternative types of new capacity.  The  EERS in the ACESA discussion draft calls for a 15-percent reduction in load  relative to the EERS baseline between 2012 and 2020, with further reductions  beyond 2020 to be established through a rulemaking process.  Although the relationship between the EERS  baseline and the updated *AEO2009* reference case is far from clear, projected electricity demand growth in the  updated *AEO2009*reference case,  before application of an EERS, is only about 1.0 percent per year from 2008  through 2030.  If the EERS program in  fact leads to a significant reduction in projected demand growth relative to  the updated *AEO2009* baseline, many  regions would likely have little if any need for new capacity, so new  generation from eligible renewables required to meet the RES target would be backing out generation from  existing capacity.
                      Uncertainties
                      As with any long-term projections, there are considerable  uncertainties in these results. Among the key uncertainties are projections of  the growth in the demand for electricity, future fuel prices, and the cost and  performance of new generating equipment, both renewable and nonrenewable  technologies. Future energy and environmental policy is also a key uncertainty.
                      Future coal and natural gas prices are important in  determining the credit price needed to make new renewable electricity  competitive with other generation options. If coal and natural gas prices turn  out to be lower than are projected in this report, the renewable energy credit  price needed to make renewables competitive would be larger. Conversely, it  would be lower if coal and natural gas prices turn out to be higher than  expected.
                      Projections of the future cost and performance of new  generating equipment are always difficult, particularly for technologies that  currently have little or no market experience. Nonhydroelectric renewable  technologies currently produce about 3 percent of the power generated in the United States.  Spurring the market penetration of these  technologies with an RPS might allow developers to make reductions in their  costs and improve their performance through mass production techniques and  learning by doing.  These types of  improvements are assumed to occur and are incorporated in the National Energy Modeling  System (NEMS), EIA’s long-term domestic energy model.
                      However, it could turn out that the current relatively  low market shares for these technologies result from high costs that cannot be  easily reduced. In addition, even if renewable technology developers are  successful in improving the cost and performance of their technologies, their  ability to penetrate the market will depend on the relative costs and  performance of nonrenewable technologies. If renewable and nonrenewable  technologies improve by similar amounts, the relative advantage that  nonrenewable technologies have today would likely remain. If renewable  technology improves at a faster rate than assumed, compliance costs could be  less than projected.
                      For wind, solar, and biomass technologies, the level of  development called for with the proposed RPS comes with some uncertainty. For  example, developers or grid operators may have to pay to build or upgrade long  transmission lines from the remote areas with ample wind resources to the  cities with significant demand.  In this  analysis, costs are assumed to increase as developers turn to more costly sites  such as those with higher interconnection costs, higher land costs, or more  difficult terrain.  However, there is  significant uncertainty about the actual cost increases that might occur, and  the actual costs may be more or less than projected.
                      Wind and solar power development may also be constrained by  the intermittent nature of the resource which may lead to the need for  additional capacity to ensure that consumers’ need for electricity can be met  at all times. At regional penetration levels seen for wind in this analysis,  NEMS represents many of the most significant costs of accommodating wind  intermittency, including costs for additional firm system capacity when needed,  potential mismatch between load and wind-production peaks, and lost revenue  during periods of excess wind production.
                      The solar resource development seen in this report would  largely occur at the customer site, on the distribution rather than on the  transmission system. Such a level of penetration may have minor or significant  effects on system cost and reliability, largely depending on localized  concentration of installations and the pre-existing condition of local  distribution systems.
                      As with wind, data suggest that there are sufficient biomass  resources to fuel the increased biomass generation projected in the RPS case.  However, currently there are relatively few  coal plants that co-fire with biomass. To achieve the level of biomass  co-firing called for in the RPS case, the infrastructure to reliably gather,  process, and deliver the available biomass to coal plants would have to be  developed.  Utilities with coal plants  may also be resistant to investing in them to allow them to use biomass, if  they believe that future climate policy may lead them to shut the plant down or  reduce its utilization.
                      Finally, EIA assumes the use of biomass gasification  technology for dedicated biomass generation plants. Based on current estimates,  these plants trade off somewhat higher capital costs for significantly improved  efficiency compared to direct-combustion technology, thus reducing operating  costs. However, few commercial biomass gasification operations currently exist,  and capital costs for this technology are highly uncertain.
Biomass generation, both in dedicated plants and in  co-firing operations, is a significant compliance option in this report.  A low carbon fuels standard may cause  increased competition for the same biomass feedstocks on land that is projected  to be used to meet this renewable electricity sector.  Such competition for feedstocks/fuels could  result in a shift in compliance strategy for the RES  and/or an increase in renewable electricity credit prices and compliance  costs.  However, increased production of  liquid fuels from biomass may also result in increased electricity generation  from biofuel production facilities, which may be able to burn biomass wastes from  their production processes to produce electricity.


                    Notes
|Introduction
                      This report responds to requests from Chairman Edward  Markey, for an analysis of a 25-percent Federal renewable electricity standard  (RES).  The RES  proposal analyzed in this report is included in the discussion draft of broader  legislation, the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACESA) of 2009, issued  on the Energy and Commerce Committee website at the end of March 2009.3  The two request letters and the relevant  section of the ACESA discussion draft are provided as Appendices A, B, and C of  this report.
                      While Chairman Markey’s original letter asked that  sensitivities with alternative greenhouse gas policies be prepared, his  subsequent letter released the Energy Information Administration (EIA) from  that requirement.  Consequently, the  analysis presented here does not consider the interactions of the RES provisions contained in ACESA with other key  provisions of that legislation. An analysis of these interactions will not be  possible until some open issues in the ACESA discussion draft are  resolved.  However, this report does  provide a qualitative discussion of potential interactions with an energy  efficiency resource standard (EERS) and a cap-and-trade program for greenhouse  gases, two other programs that are also included in the ACESA discussion draft.
                      Background
                      An RES, also  known as a renewable portfolio standard (RPS), is a policy that requires  covered electricity retailers to supply a specified share of their electricity  sales from qualifying renewable energy resources.  As of the end of 2008, 28 States and the District of Columbia had  enacted an RPS or similar renewable energy requirement. The Federal RES analyzed here would apply to electricity  retailers on a nationwide basis, establishing a target level for the market  share of qualifying renewable resources that grows from 6 percent in 2012 to 25  percent in 2025 and beyond.
                      To stimulate an increase in the use of renewable resources  to generate electricity, an RES  requires that a specified share of the power sold must be produced from  qualifying renewable facilities. Companies that generate power from qualifying  renewable facilities are issued credits that they can hold for their own use or  sell to others. To meet the RES  requirement, each covered electricity seller must generate their own qualifying  renewable power or purchase renewable energy credits from others.  For example, a covered electricity retailer  with 100 billion kilowatthours of retail electricity sales in a year with a  25-percent RES requirement would  have to generate or purchase credits representing a combined total of 25  billion kilowatthours of qualifying renewable power for that year. In a  competitive market, the price of renewable energy credits should rise to the  level needed to stimulate powerplant developers to construct the amount of  qualifying renewable capacity needed to meet the RES  requirement while allowing the market to determine the most economical  renewable compliance options to develop.
                      The RES  program analyzed in this report has the following characteristics:
                      The program begins in 2012       with the required renewable share starting at 6 percent and growing in       scheduled increments to 25 percent in 2025. The program sunsets in 2040.Power sellers with retail       sales of at least 1 billion kilowatthours (1,000,000 megawatthours) are       covered. Entities with retail sales below this level are exempt.Generation from existing       hydroelectric and municipal solid waste (MSW)       facilities are not included in the base electricity sales but also do not       earn compliance credits.The total amount of       qualifying renewable generation required each year is calculated by       multiplying the base (total electricity retail sales minus existing       hydroelectric and MSW       generation and sales by exempt small retailers) by the required share.Qualifying renewable       facilities include all new and existing nonhydroelectric renewable       generation facilities, including co-firing modifications to existing coal       plants4 that are placed in service on or after the enactment date of the       legislation. Qualifying fuels include incremental hydropower5,       geothermal, solar, wind, ocean, landfill gas, and certain biomass       feedstocks.Generation from distributed       renewable generation resources, i.e., customer-sited facilities such as       roof-top photovoltaics and small wind turbines, earns three credits for       every kilowatthour of generation through 2014, with a discretionary       adjustment possible after 2014.6For purposes of this analysis, it is assumed that the credit will be       reduced to one credit per kilowatthour after 2014, because the affected       distributed generation resources show significant growth prior to 2014       when they receive triple credits and continue to grow slowly after 2014,       indicating that have approached competitiveness in some markets.Credits are granted for       qualified State energy efficiency programs to satisfy up to 20 percent of       the RES requirement upon       petition of the governor of any State provided that the State is in       compliance with the EERS provisions of the bill.The market value of credits       used for compliance is capped at 5 cents per kilowatthour, adjusted annually       for inflation. Power sellers may purchase an unlimited number of alternative       compliance credits from the Federal government at this “safety-valve”       credit value, allowing them to meet their program obligations without       providing additional renewable generation.        Revenue from the sale of government-issued credits will be returned       to retail suppliers in proportion to the credits they submit.The program does not affect any State-level RES requirements or similar obligations.Analysis Cases
                      The analysis presented in this  report starts from an updated version of the *Annual Energy Outlook 2009* (*AEO2009*)  reference case that reflects the projected impacts of the American Recovery and  Reinvestment Act (ARRA), enacted in February 2009, and revised economic  assumptions.  ARRA has a significant  impact on the projected growth of renewable energy over the next 5 years, so it  is important to take account of its enactment in considering the projected  impacts of an RES  requirement.  For example, overall  targets for renewable generation in this RES  proposal, on a credits-earned basis, are below projected renewable generation  in the updated reference case through 2015.
                      The development of the updated reference case is described  in a recent EIA report *An Updated Annual  Energy Outlook 2009 Reference Case Reflecting Provisions of the American  Recovery and Reinvestment Act and Recent Changes in the Economic Outlook.*7  As noted in that report, EIA plans to use  this updated baseline in its analyses of proposed changes in laws and  regulations, including the RES  analysis presented in this report.   Therefore, the term “reference case” in this report means this updated  reference case unless otherwise stated.
                      The RES proposal  that is the subject of this report contains a provision requiring the Secretary  of Energy to adjust the credit multiplier for distributed renewable generation  to maintain it at a level “no  higher than the Secretary determines is necessary to make distributed  generation facilities cost competitive with other sources of renewable  electricity generation.”   Enforcement of this provision will require significant discretion from  the Secretary, which EIA is unable to analyze.   Based on the market response of distributed renewable resources in the  reference case, EIA has assumed that distributed renewable resources will be  assigned a multiplier of one beyond 2014, the earliest date for adjustment of  the initial multiplier of three in the two RES  policy cases analyzed in this report.
                      One key difference between the RES  proposal contained in H.R. 890 and the RES  in the ACESA discussion draft that is the focus of this report is that the  latter provides for the inclusion of credits for qualified State energy  efficiency programs to satisfy up to 20 percent of the RES  requirement upon petition of the governor of any State provided that the State  is in compliance with the EERS provisions of the bill.  As the baselines for and details of the  yet-to-be-established EERS program are unknown, the extent to which States  would have access to efficiency credits for purposes of the RES is not clear.   In order to assess how different outcomes regarding the application of  efficiency credits might affect the projected impacts of the RES, EIA analyzed two RES  policy cases.  The RES with Full Efficiency Credits (RESFEC) case  assumes that the maximum level of efficiency credits, up to one-fifth of the  credits in the target in any given year, are claimed.  This is reflected as a 20-percent reduction  in the applicable target for eligible renewable generation.  The RES  with No Efficiency Credits (RESNEC) case assumes that States cannot qualify  for, or elect not to use, efficiency credits, so that the RES targets stated in the proposal are used as the  actual targets for eligible renewable generation.
                      This report provides an analysis of the RES provisions in the ACESA discussion draft on a  standalone basis.  The impact of the EERS  on the overall growth in electricity load, which could also affect the  projected effects of an RES, is  also not clear.  A cap-and trade program  for greenhouse gas emissions could also affect RES  impacts.  These interactions are beyond  the scope of the analysis in this report, but they are addressed qualitatively.
                      Figure 1. Share of Renewables Required (share of total electricity sales).  Need help, contact the National Energy Information Center at 202-586-8800.figure dataFigure 2. Generation by Fuel (billion kilowatthours).  Need help, contact the National Energy Information Center at 202-586-8800.figure dataTable 1. Summary Results.  Need help, contact the National Energy Information Center at 202-586-8800.printer-friendly versionResults
                      Required Level of Renewables
                      The level of renewables required to comply  with the RES will be lower than  the nominal target because of the exemptions and baseline adjustments.  Figure 1 illustrates the derivation of the  overall share of renewables required when these factors are taken into account.  While the nominal share in 2025 is 25  percent, exempting the small retailers lowers the effective target to 22  percent of total electricity sales.  The  effective target is lowered further to 21 percent when the generation from hydroelectric  power and municipal solid waste is removed from the sales baseline.  The effective target will be lowered still  further by the degree to which qualifying energy efficiency credits are  used.  If States are able to take full  advantage of the energy efficiency credits, using them to meet up to 20 percent  of the RES requirement, the  effective share of renewables required could drop to approximately 17 percent  of total electricity sales.  These values  are both greater than the 11-percent share of total electricity sales achieved by  eligible renewables in 2025 in the reference case in this report.
                      Electricity Sector Results
                      Under both the RES  simulations prepared, generation from renewable resources increases relative to  the reference case (Figure 2).  However,  the growth in renewable generation, particularly for wind, stimulated by State  RES programs and ARRA in the reference case plays a major role in compliance with the  Federal RES.  For example, in 
                        the reference case, wind generation increases from 32  billion kilowatthours in 2007 to 208 billion kilowatthours in 2030.  This increase in wind generation accounts for  a significant share of the increase in renewable generation require with the  Federal RES.  In the cases analyzed in this report, biomass  generation, both from dedicated biomass plants and existing coal plants  co-firing with biomass fuel, also plays a major role in compliance with the  Federal RES, with biomass  generation more than doubling from 218 billion kilowatthours in the reference  case to 438 billion kilowatthours in the RESFEC case and 577 billion  kilowatthours in the RESNEC case (Table 1).   Unlike for wind, the renewable provisions of ARRA did not have as large an  impact on biomass because the co-firing of biomass only receives half the  credit available to new wind plants and new dedicated biomass plants generally  take longer to develop than the period of the credit extension in ARRA.
                      Wind generation in the RESFEC case reaches the same level  (208 billion kilowatthours) as in the reference case by 2030, but in the RESNEC  case wind generation increases to 249 billion kilowatthours.  Although total solar generation does not  reach the level of wind, it has a higher percentage increase than wind by 2030,  when compared to the reference case.   Solar generation, including utility-owned solar thermal and photovoltaics  and customer-sited distributed generation, increases from 23 billion  kilowatthours in 2030 in the reference case to 30 billion kilowatthours in the  RESFEC and 31 billion kilowatthours in the RESNEC case, an increase of 30  percent and 35 percent, respectively.
                      The increase in renewable generation stimulated by the  Federal RES leads to lower  projected coal and natural gas generation.   In the two RES cases, coal  generation ranges between 182 billion kilowatthours (8 percent) and 257 billion  kilowatthours (11 percent) below the reference case level.  Similarly, natural gas generation in the two RES cases in 2030 is between 55 billion  kilowatthours (6 percent) and 150 billion kilowatthours (15 percent) below the  level projected in the reference case.
                      Given the amount of eligible renewable generation projected in  the reference case, the RES is not  expected to affect national average electricity prices until after 2020.  As the required RES  share increases to its maximum value in 2025, the value of RES credits increases and impacts on national  average electricity prices become evident.   The peak effect on national average electricity prices, 2.7 percent in  the RESFEC case and 2.9 percent in the RESNEC case, occurs as the required  renewable share ramps up more rapidly than the demand for electricity is  growing.  In the later years of the projections,  the impact on national average electricity prices is smaller, as the impact of the  RES requirement on the cost of  coal and natural gas, fuels whose use is reduced by added renewables, is  increasingly reflected in electricity prices.   By 2030, electricity prices are projected to be little changed from the  reference case in both RES cases,  with 2030 prices less than 1 percent higher than in the reference case.
                      By 2030, natural gas prices, measured as the average  wellhead price, have decreased 1 percent in the RESFEC case and 4 percent in  the RESNEC case, relative to the reference case. Also by 2030, average  minemouth coal prices relative to the reference case have decreased 2 percent in  the RESFEC case and 4 percent in the RESNEC case.
                      Renewable credit prices do not rise above zero in either RES proposal until 2020. The RESNEC case generally  results in a higher credit price than the RESFEC case.  In both cases, credit prices reach a maximum  of 5 cents per kilowatthour in 2024 and maintain this price through 2028, after  which time the price begins to drop as electricity demand grows enough to  absorb the required growth in renewables.   In 2030, the RESFEC case results in a credit price of 2.5 cents per  kilowatthour and the RESNEC case results in a credit price of 3.5 cents per  kilowatthour.
                      Figure 3. National Energy Modeling System Electricity Regions.  Need help, contact the National Energy Information System.Figure 4. Regional Price Impacts in the RESNEC Case (percent change from reference case).  Need help, contact the National Energy Information Center at 202-586-8800.figure dataFigure 5. Regional Price Impacts in the RESFEC Case (percent change from reference case).  Need help, contact the National Energy Information System.figure dataFigure 6. Electricity Sector Carbon Dioxide Emissions (million metric tons).  Need help, contact the National Energy Information Center at 202-586-8800.figure dataRegional Results
                      Compliance with RES  targets can vary significantly by region.   Although all regions do provide some significant fraction of their  required renewable generation from in-region sales, some tend to over-comply  and thus are able to sell credits to other regions, and other regions tend to  under-comply and need to purchase credits to achieve compliance.  Several factors contribute to a region’s  overall tendency to be a net credit importer or exporter, including:
                      Cost and availability of renewable resources.  Regions with low-cost and/or abundant  resources may be able to comply more economically or to a greater extent than  other regions.  Some regions may also be  able to access lower cost resources in an adjacent region, with additional  investment in transmission improvements.
                        Cost of alternative generation options.  Regions that rely on more expensive  conventional generation options, such as natural gas, will see reduced  compliance costs, even with relatively expensive or limited renewable  resources, as credit prices are a function of the spread between the cost of  the renewable and the cost of the displaced generation.
                        State incentives for renewable generation.  Some regions may have State RES requirements in excess of the net Federal  requirement for that region and, as a result, will necessarily over-comply with  the Federal RES.Because of regional differences in electricity market  structure, State RES requirements,  and ability to utilize resources, regional compliance surpluses or deficits may  have differing price impacts, as shown in Figures 3 through 5.  In regions dominated by traditional  cost-of-service regulation, the net cost increases or decreases from RES compliance are generally passed through to  consumers; in regions with more open electricity market structures, these  changes in costs will only be passed through to consumers to the extent that  market forces allow and will otherwise by absorbed by the industry.  In cases where one region may be building  dedicated renewable energy resources in an adjacent region, costs and benefits  may be shared between the two regions, as the host region will realize the  local economic benefits such as employment and land-owner payments, but also  local costs such as any undesirable land uses, and the ownership region will  receive any net proceeds from the operation and sale of credits, however, price  impacts will tend to be in the ownership region.
                      By 2020, when the RES targets first start to result in significant  new capacity builds above reference case levels, most regions start to see an  increase in electricity prices, with most regions seeing an increase of 2 to 5  percent above reference case levels through 2025.  After 2025, prices begin to return to  reference case levels, and by 2030 they are generally 1 percent to 3 percent  higher than projected in the reference case.   In a few regions, especially the MAPP region (covering the northern  Great Plains States), with abundant and low-cost renewable resources, prices  fall below the reference case level.  In  the RESNEC case, ERCOT (covering most of Texas)  also sees a significant decrease in electricity prices compared to the  reference case, as a result of the significant wind resources of Texas and also because  of the significant reliance of that region on natural gas as a generation  fuel.  The RES  leads to lower natural gas use and prices, which benefits regions that rely  heavily on natural gas.
Carbon Dioxide Emissions
                      This analysis is of the RES  portion of the ACESA discussion draft and does not account for the various  carbon-reduction policies that affect other markets outside of the electric  power sector.  Within the electric power  sector, the RES is projected to  result in reductions in carbon dioxide emissions relative to the reference case  (Figure 6).  In the RESFEC and RESNEC case,  electricity sector carbon dioxide emissions in 2030 are projected to be 2,444  million metric tons and 2,333 million metric tons  respectively, compared to 2,639 million tons  in the reference case and 2,433 million tons estimated in 2007.
                      Interactions Between  the RES, the EERS, and the  Cap-and-Trade Program for Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the ACESA Discussion  Draft
                      EIA’s modeling of the RES  in the ACESA discussion draft was a standalone analysis that did not consider  interactions with other key programs in the ACESA discussion draft.  While EIA cannot develop an integrated  analysis until there are clearer insights into how some of the other ACESA  programs would actually be implemented, interactions among the elements of  ACESA could be significant.
                      In previous analyses of economy-wide policies to limit or  reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, EIA has generally found that a  cap-and-trade program for greenhouse gases leads to significant growth in the  use of renewable energy for electricity generation, which becomes more  attractive when the cost of using fossil fuels goes up.     Where there  are multiple targets that can be satisfied with the same energy resources and  projects, the target that sets the upper limit on the use of the resource will  generally absorb all of the incremental costs from that resource, making  compliance with the non-binding goal appear to be costless.  To the extent  that the proposed cap and trade program induces more renewable resources than required  by the concurrent RES proposal,  one might expect a reduction in apparent RES  compliance costs, since those costs would already be reflected in the value of  carbon dioxide allowances.
                      In contrast, an EERS, which reduces or eliminates projected  growth in electricity load, and therefore the need for additional generation  capacity, makes it more likely that a given RES  target will require that generation from new eligible renewable capacity  replace generation from existing capacity rather than from other types of new  capacity.   The cost penalty associated  with backing out existing capacity, whose capital cost is already sunk, is  typically much larger than the cost penalty associated with backing out  alternative types of new capacity.  The  EERS in the ACESA discussion draft calls for a 15-percent reduction in load  relative to the EERS baseline between 2012 and 2020, with further reductions  beyond 2020 to be established through a rulemaking process.  Although the relationship between the EERS  baseline and the updated *AEO2009* reference case is far from clear, projected electricity demand growth in the  updated *AEO2009*reference case,  before application of an EERS, is only about 1.0 percent per year from 2008  through 2030.  If the EERS program in  fact leads to a significant reduction in projected demand growth relative to  the updated *AEO2009* baseline, many  regions would likely have little if any need for new capacity, so new  generation from eligible renewables required to meet the RES target would be backing out generation from  existing capacity.
                      Uncertainties
                      As with any long-term projections, there are considerable  uncertainties in these results. Among the key uncertainties are projections of  the growth in the demand for electricity, future fuel prices, and the cost and  performance of new generating equipment, both renewable and nonrenewable  technologies. Future energy and environmental policy is also a key uncertainty.
                      Future coal and natural gas prices are important in  determining the credit price needed to make new renewable electricity  competitive with other generation options. If coal and natural gas prices turn  out to be lower than are projected in this report, the renewable energy credit  price needed to make renewables competitive would be larger. Conversely, it  would be lower if coal and natural gas prices turn out to be higher than  expected.
                      Projections of the future cost and performance of new  generating equipment are always difficult, particularly for technologies that  currently have little or no market experience. Nonhydroelectric renewable  technologies currently produce about 3 percent of the power generated in the United States.  Spurring the market penetration of these  technologies with an RPS might allow developers to make reductions in their  costs and improve their performance through mass production techniques and  learning by doing.  These types of  improvements are assumed to occur and are incorporated in the National Energy Modeling  System (NEMS), EIA’s long-term domestic energy model.
                      However, it could turn out that the current relatively  low market shares for these technologies result from high costs that cannot be  easily reduced. In addition, even if renewable technology developers are  successful in improving the cost and performance of their technologies, their  ability to penetrate the market will depend on the relative costs and  performance of nonrenewable technologies. If renewable and nonrenewable  technologies improve by similar amounts, the relative advantage that  nonrenewable technologies have today would likely remain. If renewable  technology improves at a faster rate than assumed, compliance costs could be  less than projected.
                      For wind, solar, and biomass technologies, the level of  development called for with the proposed RPS comes with some uncertainty. For  example, developers or grid operators may have to pay to build or upgrade long  transmission lines from the remote areas with ample wind resources to the  cities with significant demand.  In this  analysis, costs are assumed to increase as developers turn to more costly sites  such as those with higher interconnection costs, higher land costs, or more  difficult terrain.  However, there is  significant uncertainty about the actual cost increases that might occur, and  the actual costs may be more or less than projected.
                      Wind and solar power development may also be constrained by  the intermittent nature of the resource which may lead to the need for  additional capacity to ensure that consumers’ need for electricity can be met  at all times. At regional penetration levels seen for wind in this analysis,  NEMS represents many of the most significant costs of accommodating wind  intermittency, including costs for additional firm system capacity when needed,  potential mismatch between load and wind-production peaks, and lost revenue  during periods of excess wind production.
                      The solar resource development seen in this report would  largely occur at the customer site, on the distribution rather than on the  transmission system. Such a level of penetration may have minor or significant  effects on system cost and reliability, largely depending on localized  concentration of installations and the pre-existing condition of local  distribution systems.
                      As with wind, data suggest that there are sufficient biomass  resources to fuel the increased biomass generation projected in the RPS case.  However, currently there are relatively few  coal plants that co-fire with biomass. To achieve the level of biomass  co-firing called for in the RPS case, the infrastructure to reliably gather,  process, and deliver the available biomass to coal plants would have to be  developed.  Utilities with coal plants  may also be resistant to investing in them to allow them to use biomass, if  they believe that future climate policy may lead them to shut the plant down or  reduce its utilization.
                      Finally, EIA assumes the use of biomass gasification  technology for dedicated biomass generation plants. Based on current estimates,  these plants trade off somewhat higher capital costs for significantly improved  efficiency compared to direct-combustion technology, thus reducing operating  costs. However, few commercial biomass gasification operations currently exist,  and capital costs for this technology are highly uncertain.
Biomass generation, both in dedicated plants and in  co-firing operations, is a significant compliance option in this report.  A low carbon fuels standard may cause  increased competition for the same biomass feedstocks on land that is projected  to be used to meet this renewable electricity sector.  Such competition for feedstocks/fuels could  result in a shift in compliance strategy for the RES  and/or an increase in renewable electricity credit prices and compliance  costs.  However, increased production of  liquid fuels from biomass may also result in increased electricity generation  from biofuel production facilities, which may be able to burn biomass wastes from  their production processes to produce electricity.


                    Notes
|Figure 1. Share of Renewables Required (share of total electricity sales).  Need help, contact the National Energy Information Center at 202-586-8800.figure data                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
|Figure 2. Generation by Fuel (billion kilowatthours).  Need help, contact the National Energy Information Center at 202-586-8800.figure data                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
|Table 1. Summary Results.  Need help, contact the National Energy Information Center at 202-586-8800.printer-friendly version                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
|Figure 3. National Energy Modeling System Electricity Regions.  Need help, contact the National Energy Information System.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
|Figure 4. Regional Price Impacts in the RESNEC Case (percent change from reference case).  Need help, contact the National Energy Information Center at 202-586-8800.figure data                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
|Figure 5. Regional Price Impacts in the RESFEC Case (percent change from reference case).  Need help, contact the National Energy Information System.figure data                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
|Figure 6. Electricity Sector Carbon Dioxide Emissions (million metric tons).  Need help, contact the National Energy Information Center at 202-586-8800.figure data