Who produces CARMA? CARMA is a product of the Confronting Climate Change Initiative at the Center for Global Development. The initiative’s work is led by Senior Fellow David Wheeler. Located in Washington DC, The Center for Global Development is an independent, non-profit think tank that works to reduce global poverty and inequality by encouraging policy change in the U.S. and other rich countries.

Where do the data come from? The data in CARMA are compiled from numerous sources. Emissions data for thousands of power plants in the U.S., Canada, the EU, and India come from official reports. Other data are derived from information provided by power sector analysts, the International Energy Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and a host of geographic databases.

How accurate are CARMA’s CO2 emissions estimates? CARMA uses a statistical model that predicts CO2 emissions given the size, age, fuel type, estimated capacity utilization, and engineering specifications of individual plants. We have verified that these plant characteristics predict actual emissions with high accuracy, using officially-reported emissions from thousands of power plants in the US, Canada, the European Union and India. For the thousands of plants that have reported emissions, we replace the model’s estimates with the official figures. We have also performed two accuracy checks at the country level. For power production, we have compared CARMA’s total power production in each country with the total reported by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. For CO2 emissions from the power sector, we have compared CARMA’s total emissions in each country with the total reported by the World Resources Institute. In both cases, the correlation is 99%. CARMA is meant to be a repository of the best available information on power sector carbon emissions. Our policy is to correct any errors or omissions if suggested revisions are verified by an independent third party.

Why does CARMA treat dams and nukes the same as solar and wind power? CARMA focuses on one particular dimension that is important to the environment: carbon emissions from power production. For this reason, we treat hydroelectric and nuclear power the same as other forms of carbon-free energy like solar and wind. This does not mean that dams and nukes are free from serious environmental problems. CARMA does not endorse or favor any particular technology. Our goal is to simply report the best available information on sources of power sector carbon emissions.

Why isn’t the fuel type of individual plants made available? Proprietary licensing agreements with some of our data suppliers prevent us from revealing the fuel sources (coal, gas, nuclear, etc.) of individual plants. For more information, see our page on Plant-Specific Information.

What do terms like Intensity, MWh Produced, and Future mean? The glossary provides complete definitions of the terms used on CARMA. Also, every plant, company, and region page includes a section (beneath Power Trends) with links to explanations and additional information.

How can I get my hands on the data? CARMA.org allows users to search and browse their way through a vast amount of information. For those who are interested in downloading data for further analysis, many pages include the option to download a .csv file of the data in question. If you are interested in using CARMA’s data on your own website, we have an Application Programming Interface (API) to facilitate the process. Those interested in obtaining the full datasets for academic or professional research should Contact Us. Any data used in print or web publication should cite CARMA accordingly.

When I enter my zip code, I don’t get a match. What’s wrong? For 70% of U.S. zip codes, CARMA is able to return at least one matching operating or parent company. In the remaining zip codes, it is likely that the local provider is actually a power distributer, not a power generator. Companies that buy and sell electricity but do not own or operate plants (”middle men”) are not listed in the CARMA database. If this applies to your locale, try calling your power provider for information about the original generator of your electricity.

I’ve entered a city or state/province in the search box without success. What’s wrong? CARMA’s extensive geographic database includes 4,000 states and provinces and almost 190,000 cities worldwide. The search field is not case-sensitive, but it does require correct spelling. In some cases, the database may contain the spelling dictated by the local language. For example, the city of Ghent in the East Flanders region of Belgium is entered in the database under its Dutch spelling: Gent, Oost-Vlaanderen.