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Unlike emissions from travel, electricity emissions can occur at great distances from the location where electricity is used. This is a result of the fact that nearly all electricity emissions occur at the power plant where electricity is produced.

In almost any power plant, electricity is created when a turbine is forced to spin, allowing a device known as an electromagnetic inductor to generate electricity. In most cases, a fossil fuel is burned in order to generate enough force to rotate the turbine. The two most common types of power plant facilities use coal or natural gas as fuels.

The combustion of coal and natural gas are different chemical processes. Like gasoline, coal and natural gas are both hydrocarbons that produce heat as a result of combustion. Coal is a carbon molecule in a special state known as a zero oxidation state. Natural gas, however, is composed of several gasses such as methane, ethane, propane, and butane. Since each of these gasses is relatively small and mixes with air easily, the combustion of natural gas is highly efficient. This allows for fewer emissions which is why natural gas is known as a clean-burning fossil fuel.