Climate & Environment
Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF6)
Definition
Sulfur hexafluoride is a synthetic gas used mainly as an insulator and arc-quenching medium in high-voltage electrical switchgear. It is the most potent greenhouse gas covered by the UNFCCC, with a 100-year global warming potential of roughly 24,300 times CO₂ and an atmospheric lifetime exceeding a thousand years. Though emitted in small quantities, leakage from electrical equipment makes it significant; the EU's 2024 F-gas Regulation bans SF6 in most new switchgear on a phased schedule as alternatives become available.
References
This reference provides supporting context for how “Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF6)” is defined and used.
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Overview
How it is used
The gas structures F-gas regulation, utility procurement and asset management, SF6 emission reporting in GHG inventories, and grid equipment R&D.
Why it matters
SF6 shows that decarbonising electricity is not only about generation — the kit that moves the electrons must be cleaned up too.