Climate Change

The issue of greenhouse gas emissions and their impact on climate change continues to be a point of public and political debate. Against this backdrop, DTE Energy is participating in a number of voluntary initiatives that have been shown to or have the potential to reduce, offset or sequester carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from power plant operations.

Detroit Edison supports the Edison Electric Institute's (EEI) Climate Change Principles (PDF), and uses a business approach to further reduce, avoid or offset emissions.

DTE Energy was one of the first utilities to sign onto the US Department of Energy's Climate Challenge Program (PDF), and is a member of the Chicago Climate Exchange.

DTE Energy's activities to reduce our carbon footprint include:

Detroit Edison is a leading partner in PowerTree Carbon Co, LLC, a voluntary consortium of 25 U.S. power companies undertaking six bottomland hardwood forest restoration projects in the lower Mississippi River valley. As trees grow, carbon is separated from the carbon dioxide, and stored in the tree itself.
As a member of the Midwest Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership, DTE Energy is participating in the demonstration project near Gaylord that will test the feasibility of using the rock formation of the Michigan Basin to inject CO2 deep underground for permanent storage.
In support of landfill methane recovery opportunities, DTE Biomass Energy installs and operates more than 30 landfill methane recovery facilities nationwide. Methane is another very potent greenhouse gas. In 2005, our landfill recovery facilities offset the equivalent of nearly four million tons of CO2 emission.

What does sequestration mean?

The dictionary defines "sequester" as "to remove or set apart." Carbon sequestration refers to the process of removing greenhouse gases from either the atmosphere or an industrial process.

One way to sequester CO2 from the atmosphere is to plant trees. As trees grow, carbon is separated from the carbon dioxide, and stored in the tree itself.

Forest restoration creates wildlife habitat, helps prevent soil erosion, contributes to improved water quality and offers recreational opportunities.

Detroit Edison works with many of its major industrial customers to identify and implement energy saving ideas at their locations. Reducing waste reduces the need for coal-fired power and the attendant emissions.
Nuclear power and renewable resources all help accommodate the growth in electricity demand while avoiding greenhouse gas emissions. The Fermi 2 nuclear plant generated nearly 8.3 million MWh of electricity in 2007, which avoided nearly nine million tons of CO2 emissions that would have been produced by a fossil-fueled power plant.
Detroit Edison regularly undertakes energy efficiency projects like upgrading turbine-generators on coal-fired units, which means more electricity is generated by the same amount of steam production (coal consumption) and less CO2 is emitted per kilowatt-hour of electricity produced. Improving energy efficiency of equipment or processes that consume electricity also avoids greenhouse gas emissions. If a pump or motor at a power plant is replaced with one that uses less electricity to perform the same function, more electricity leaves the plant.

Carbon Dioxide emission profile chart

Our maximum CO2 emission, 50 million tons, occurred in 1998, and our CO2 emissions have been closer to 1990 emission levels since then.

Carbon Dioxide emission rate chart

Since 1996, we have achieved a steady decline in CO2 emissions per megawatt-hour (MWh) for both fossil fuel generation and our total system generation.

Net CO2 emissions chart

Direct CO2 emissions in 2000, minus offsets created through landfill methane recovery and forest carbon sequestration, were below 1990 emissions. Net emissions today remain below 1990 levels.