Four Ways to Reduce the Power Sector Emission Rate in Virginia

This World Resources Institute fact sheet outlines four strategies for Virginia to reduce its power sector emission rate to meet future U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards between 2020 and 2030.

• Virginia can achieve nearly 80 percent of the EPA's emission rate target for the 2020-2030 period through planned coal plant retirements and the optimization of existing infrastructure, specifically by increasing the use of combined heat and power (CHP) systems at facilities such as hospitals and universities, and increasing the utilization of combined cycle (NGCC) natural gas plants to 75 percent.
• To fully meet its emission rate target, Virginia can implement clean energy measures, including achieving 1.3 percent annual energy savings through efficiency policies to curb projected demand growth (which is expected to increase electric generation by 63 percent over 2006 levels by 2022) and increasing renewable energy generation to 15 percent by 2025.
• As of 2012, Virginia's renewable energy generation stood at only 3 percent, primarily sourced from biomass and hydro, despite a voluntary renewable portfolio standard goal of 15 percent by 2025.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Four Ways to Reduce the Power Sector Emission Rate in Virginia. https://www.wri.org/research/power-sector-opportunities-reducing-carbon-dioxide-emissions-virginia

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Four Ways to Reduce the Power Sector Emission Rate in Virginia. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/power-sector-opportunities-reducing-carbon-dioxide-emissions-virginia.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Four Ways to Reduce the Power Sector Emission Rate in Virginia |url=https://www.wri.org/research/power-sector-opportunities-reducing-carbon-dioxide-emissions-virginia |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendfour, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Four Ways to Reduce the Power Sector Emission Rate in Virginia}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/power-sector-opportunities-reducing-carbon-dioxide-emissions-virginia}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }