LANSING – Despite opposition from conservatives in the state, and elsewhere, to proposed carbon dioxide emissions standards for power plants, Michigan’s fleet of power plants should be able to meet the standards, the World Resources Institute said in a report released Monday.
The report said current state renewable power and energy efficiency standards could mean a 33 percent reduction in emissions by 2020 over levels in 2011. That would at least meet expected federal standards, the report said.
The largest single emissions reduction, 13 percent, would come from meeting the energy efficiency standards, the report said.
But some of that reduction would come from changing energy use, the report said. For instance, the state could reduce emissions by 7 percent by increasing its use of 75 percent of its current combined cycle natural gas capacity.
The state is also using only 38 percent of its capacity for combined heat and power. Increasing that to 63 percent would mean a 4 percent emissions reduction, the report said.
Another 8 percent would assume meeting the renewable portfolio standards entirely through in-state generation. Some of the renewable portfolio has been filled by purchasing power form out-of-state generators.
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