Fossil fuel power station is also beneficial to the environment. In some instances, torrefaction of biomass may be needed if biomass is the material the converted fossil fuel power plant will be using. Improving energy efficiency of a coal-fired power plant also reduces emissions. For example, emissions can be reduced by upgrading existing plants or building new high-efficiency, low-emissions plants. Such plants emit almost 20% less CO than a subcritical unit operating at a similar load. Over the longer term, HELE plants can further facilitate emission reductions because coal-fired plants operating at the highest efficiencies are also the most appropriate option for carbon capture
Solar power plants in the Mojave Desert preserved, but the solar industry is mainly interested in areas of the western desert, "where the sun burns hotter and there is easier access to transmission lines", said Kenn J. Arnecke of "FPL Energy", a view shared by many industry executives. Concentrating solar plants in the Mojave Desert have brought up issues of water use, because concentrating solar power plants with wet-cooling systems have high water-consumption intensities compared to other types of electric power plants; only fossil-fuel plants with carbon-capture and storage may have higher water intensities. A 2013 study comparing various sources of electricity found that the median water