Electricity Production Decarbonization

Energy Systems
Author’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course Code and Name
Professor’s Name
Date

Energy Systems
Electricity production decarbonization is a primary societal challenge, which can be addressed by the adoption of renewable energy sources. The overreliance on fossil fuels has made it difficult for individuals and industries to use renewable power sources. Currently, the effects of global warming are seen in almost every part of the world. There has been an increase in the average temperature, high precipitation rate, floods, and irregular weather patterns in some places. However, only the decarbonization of electricity production will solve the problem of global warming. The paper is a summary of the “Electricity Markets Under Deep Decarbonization” by Jacob Mays.
The emission of greenhouse gases has adversely affected the world in various ways. In that light, the United States of America’s (USA) government has a plan to eliminate emissions of carbon dioxide by 2050. All the energy is expected to come from carbon-free sources. Although the USA is committed to clean energy by reducing the release of greenhouse gasses by about 80%-100%, it will not be an easy thing to achieve (Mays, 2021). By 2035, the USA can manage to have 90% clean and carbon-free electricity without opening new fossil fuel plants and at no extra cost to consumers. For example, simulations are evident that California can obtain 90% of electricity from the combination of solar, wind, geothermal, and batteries (Mays, 2021). As a result, the decarbonization of electricity production in the USA is a viable, affordable, and feasible thing that would cost about 1% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
Solar and wind energy sources are the most effective ways to decarbonize electricity production in the USA. In particular, these renewable power sources are readily available, and the government needs to search for ways to harness them. Although zero-carbon energy sources might be incompatible with the conventional market design, it would be appropriate to find ways to implement them. For example, adding 60 GW of r...