Ember Subnational Data Methodology

The Ember Subnational Data Methodology describes the data sources and calculation methods for electricity metrics across 36 states/union territories in India and 50 states in the US. It details the mapping of nine fuel types and the application of IPCC 5th Assessment Report emissions factors to determine carbon intensity, while noting caveats regarding fuel quality, methane potency, and plant efficiency.

• The subnational dataset provides monthly and yearly data on electricity generation (GWh), power generation capacity (MW), emissions from electricity generation (ktCO2e), and carbon intensity (gCO2 per KWh). As of November 17, 2022, the scope includes 36 states/union territories in India (from 2019) and 50 states in the United States (from 2015), though capacity data is not available for the US.
• Ember maps fuel data into nine categories: Bioenergy, Coal, Gas, Hydro, Nuclear, Other Fossil, Other Renewables, Solar, and Wind. For India, specific mappings include 'Other Fossil' as diesel, and 'Bioenergy' as a total including bagasse, non-bagasse biomass cogeneration, and waste-to-energy.
• Emissions are calculated by multiplying generation numbers by factors from the IPCC 5th Assessment Report Annex 3 (2014), which cover full lifecycle emissions including upstream methane and manufacturing. The assigned intensities (gCO2eqkWh-1) range from 11 for Wind to 820 for Coal.
• The methodology acknowledges several caveats that may cause IPCC emissions factors to deviate from reality, including regional variations in fuel quality (e.g., lignite vs. anthracite), the underestimation of short-term methane potency, and improvements in thermal power plant efficiency and renewable energy manufacturing.

APA

Ember (n.d.). Ember Subnational Data Methodology. https://files.ember-energy.org/public-downloads/ember_subnational_data_methodology.pdf

Chicago

Ember. Ember Subnational Data Methodology. n.d. https://files.ember-energy.org/public-downloads/ember_subnational_data_methodology.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=Ember Subnational Data Methodology |url=https://files.ember-energy.org/public-downloads/ember_subnational_data_methodology.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{emberndember, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{Ember Subnational Data Methodology}}, institution = {Ember}, url = {https://files.ember-energy.org/public-downloads/ember_subnational_data_methodology.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }