Solving The “Peaker Problem:” A Playbook to Cut Emissions and Support Community Health
By Eliasid Animas and Erin Childs
In the United States, installed renewable generating capacity from solar and wind has increased 5x from 2010 to 2022 and has grown by 42% in the last 10 years – faster than any other energy source. Despite continued growth of clean energy solutions, our energy system continues to rely on more than 1,100 fossil fuel-based “peaker” power plants that provide electricity during the times of greatest demand. This 230-gigawatt peaker fleet represents almost one-third of the installed fossil fueled capacity in the country and tends to be sited in or near densely populated urban areas.
Not only are peakers highly inefficient and therefore costly to operate, they are also intensive emitters of both climate-altering carbon emissions as well as local pollutants associated with negative health effects, including reduced quality of life, disease, premature mortality, and productivity losses. In the U.S. alone, peakers emit close to 42,000 metric tons of NOX and 7,000 metric tons of SO2 every year, which react in the atmosphere to form secondary pollutants like PM2.5. Unlike carbon pollution, these types of local pollutants remain close to their source, which means that these pollutants disproportionately impact residents who live and work near peaker plants. More than 4.4 million people live within one -mile of an active peaker plant, and almost 32 million live within three miles. Oftentimes, these areas are home to primarily low-income and minority populations, which means that these environmental burdens disproportionally fall on vulnerable populations.
“The Peaker Problem: An Overview of Peaker Power Plant Facts and Impacts in Boston, Philadelphia, and Detroit,” a new report by the Clean Energy Group and Strategen, looks at the U.S. peaker fleet from an environmental justice and energy planning perspective. In this report, CEG and Strategen synthesize learnings from recent peaker replacement and decarbonization initiatives to publish a national assessment of the peaker problem, describing its scale, location, and impacts. The report examines the need for fossil-fueled peaking plants and quantifies the pollution burden on local communities. The authors describe a framework and planning paradigm that considers health, environmental, and resilience considerations in the design of our energy system, based on the availability of clean energy alternatives and updates to the regulatory frameworks governing electricity markets. Challenges and opportunities are identified, based on learnings from decarbonization and peaker retirement projects across the country.
This report is an important step forward in the conversation on how we identify, address, and remediate the harms that have been inflicted on vulnerable populations by our continued reliance on fossil fuels. This report continues the important work that Strategen has carried out to support the health and well-being of these communities, as well as their efforts to pursue clean energy solutions that can reduce reliance on fossil fueled power sources. Recently, Strategen supported the PEAK Coalition in defining a potential pathway for New York City to speed the retirement of one of the country’s largest peaker fleets. Strategen has also provided analysis and expert testimony to avoid the construction of new peakers in several communities, and to accelerate the retirement of many others through resource modeling and planning interventions.
Strategen strongly believes that the development of an equitable and just clean energy transition is critical to fully realizing the value that clean energy solutions can provide to communities. Reports like “The Peaker Problem” highlight the need to reduce pollutants, and are a reminder of the human costs associated with our continued dependence on fossil fuels. While more action is needed to advance these solutions and protect the most vulnerable members of our communities, Strategen is excited to support Clean Energy Group’s continued leadership in this space.
To learn more about how Strategen supports the development and deployment of impactful energy system decarbonization strategies:
Upcoming Webinar
Join the report authors of "The Peaker Problem: An Overview of Peaker Power Plant Facts and Impacts in Boston, Philadelphia, and Detroit” for an upcoming webinar on Tuesday, August 16, 2022 from 1:00-2:00 PM ET for an in-depth discussion on the report findings and lessons learned on how to surmount the Peaker Problem and accelerate a clean and just energy transition.