Solar, wind and nuclear have ‘amazingly low’ carbon footprints, study finds

Building solar, wind or nuclear plants creates an insignificant carbon footprint compared with savings from avoiding fossil fuels, a new study suggests.

The research, published in Nature Energy, measures the full lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions of a range of sources of electricity out to 2050.

It shows that the carbon footprint of solar, wind and nuclear power are many times lower than coal or gas with carbon capture and storage (CCS).

This remains true after accounting for emissions during manufacture, construction and fuel supply.