Energy-Related Emissions and Health Effects

Atmospheric pollutants emitted from energy generation and use—including particulate matter, ozone, precursors such as nitrogen oxides (NO_x), certain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and sulfur dioxide (SO₂), and co-pollutants—can cause harmful health effects and are subject to state and federal pollution reduction policies. Greenhouse gases (GHGs) —including carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O)—are emitted from both natural and human sources and remain in the atmosphere for long periods of time, contributing to atmospheric warming. NYSERDA’s Environmental Research Program supports research on the causes and consequences of energy-related atmospheric pollutants, focusing on pollution sources, atmospheric processing and human exposure to inform and evaluate the effectiveness of pollution reduction policies. Completed projects are documented in final project reports.

Areas of Research

This research focuses on two key contributors to atmospheric impact—greenhouse gas emission and combustion-related pollutant sources.

Greenhouse Gas Emission and Mitigation

New York’s clean energy transition requires periodic greenhouse gas inventories to guide the State’s strategy and measure progress on emissions reductions.

NYSERDA’s Environmental Research Program supports research to improve the accuracy of the state GHG inventory, characterizing emissions sources and atmospheric trends through field monitoring, source apportionment studies and technology evaluations, and identifying opportunities for GHG mitigation.

Fossil Fuel and Biomass Combustion

Heating and electric generation from fossil fuel and biomass combustion emits criteria and hazardous air pollutants, as well as GHGs, with emissions varying by combustion conditions such as ignition, shutdown, and burn rate.

NYSERDA’s Environmental Research Program supports research into these combustion emissions under realistic operating conditions, characterizing emissions with high time resolution to quantify reduction opportunities and identify potential combustion technology improvements.