Every kilowatt-hour of electricity carries a carbon cost that depends only on how it was generated. This sim blends the lifecycle CO2 intensity of six sources by their share of total demand — the same weighted-average calculation grid operators use to report a national or regional "carbon intensity" figure.
intensity = Σ (share_i × gCO2perKWh_i)
| Source | g CO2 / kWh |
| Coal | 935 (820–1050) |
| Natural gas | 425 (350–500) |
| Solar PV | 35 (20–50) |
| Wind | 15 (10–20) |
| Hydro | 15 (10–20) |
| Nuclear | 10 (5–15) |
- Each tower's smoke rate scales with share × intensity — coal and gas smoke heavily even at moderate shares, while solar/wind/hydro/nuclear towers stay nearly clear.
- The central column height tracks the blended intensity live — drag any slider and watch it rise or fall instantly.
- Annual demand converts the blended intensity into total tonnes of CO2 emitted per year by the whole grid.
- The EU cut grid emissions 31% since 1990 largely by shifting shares from coal/gas toward wind, solar and nuclear — try replaying that shift with the sliders.