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Wagamaga OP t1_j6rrspq wrote

While emissions of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), the world’s most potent greenhouse gas, have fallen sharply in the U.S. in recent decades, actual emissions are significantly higher than the official government estimates, a new study concludes.

Across the United States, 390 metric tons of SF6 were emitted into the atmosphere in 2018, the most recent year for which data are available, according to a new study resulting from a joint initiative between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency. The study, designed to better quantify SF6 emissions in the U.S., was published in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

SF6, a man-made gas used by electric utilities to quickly interrupt the flow of electricity in high voltage circuit breakers, is also the most potent greenhouse gas ever studied by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The gas is 25,200 times more effective at warming the planet than carbon dioxide, making even small releases of SF6 cause for concern.

The volume of SF6 released in 2018 is less than half of what it was a decade prior, but still equaled the annual greenhouse gas emissions of 2.1 million automobiles, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s greenhouse gas equivalency calculator.

https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/23/1437/2023/acp-23-1437-2023.pdf

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Huntguy t1_j6sm428 wrote

….2.1 million cars? California alone almost has that offset with their close to a million EV’s. It feels like we’re barking up the wrong tree here

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JMEEKER86 t1_j6t4nyb wrote

Yeah, it's basically clickbait trying to deflect from the real problems. It's like how nukes being far more powerful than guns doesn't mean much when more guns kill more people every single year than nukes ever have. Sure, one may be 25,000x more powerful, but there's way waaaaaay more than 25,000x difference in quantity.

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Huntguy t1_j6t4z7n wrote

It feels like this article was written by big oil.

“But look at this! It’s way worse than co2!”

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[deleted] t1_j6tli1s wrote

One of the big selling points of SF6 equipment has been that it's more compact size and higher electrical efficiency, actually results in lower global warming, because the CO2 savings from improved efficiency outweigh climate effects from escaping SF6.

The counterpoint is that unless properly maintained the equipment may develop unacceptable rates of leakage - and that this may be happening in a widespread fashion.

That SF6 is a serious problem is well known - in the 1997 Kyoto protocol, it was named as 1 of the 6 main greenhouse gases, and it is regulated by governments across the world because of this. Extensive research into alternatives has also been performed since that time.

That SF6 is so good is part of the problem - it has proved extremely difficult to find alternative gases which have similar performance, and which could be used in similar equipment. The last 2 or 3 years have seen some significant progress, with a number of potentially viable alternatives being named such as 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoro-2-(trifluoromethyl)propanenitrile which is approaching commerically ready. The alternatives are much better, but have the disadvantage of toxicity, significant GWP (but nowhere near as high as SF6), and as perfluoro-compounds are potentially "forever chemicals".

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K_Kraz t1_j6x7cqh wrote

Not necessarily. It is something to consider and address in conjunction with other emission reduction acts. This is also a good time to do it since the push towards EVs will require substantial expansion of the electrical grid. Currently only about 1% of the cars on the road are EV. As that number increases, so will the grid and use of SF6. So why not address that now and avoid having to rework the electrical grid later when it is a much bigger problem? Tackling just one aspect of the greenhouse gas issue is not enough. Per the EPA, vehicle emissions account for only 27% of greenhouse gasses so there are a lot of other areas to improve too.

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