An evaluation method for calculating the emission responsibility of specific electric applications

Abstract

The potential implementation of measures intended for energy-efficiency or environmental purposes (such as the prohibition of electric heating, peak shaving and the installation of cogeneration amongst others) necessitates quantification methods to accurately estimate their assumed impact. Therefore, in this paper, a tool and a methodology are created to simulate and evaluate electric demand- and supply-side options. This way, the responsibility of a proposed measure with regard to emissions and energy use can be quantified.Throughout the years, many (often conflicting) views on the use of electricity have been advanced. Sometimes it was/is claimed that electricity use should be stimulated because electricity is a relatively clean source of energy (especially in countries with a lot of renewables and/or nuclear energy). Others claim that electricity use should be discouraged because it would be more efficient to use the primary energy sources directly, without the intermediate conversion into electricity and the associated transmission and distribution losses. Mostly, these statements cannot be justified without a detailed analysis of the local energy system. To fully grasp the impact of demand-side measures it is important to understand that incremental changes in demand instantaneously only affect the activation of a limited amount of plants, whereas the activation of all other plants remains unchanged. Therefore, only the parameters (emissions and energy use) of this limited amount of plants are relevant, whereas the average system is not. If the change in demand is large, also the evolution of the power system may have to be altered. Then, not only the impact of the demand-side measure, but also the choices made in the planning (i.e., investments) of the power system is important. In these cases, there are no obvious conclusions, and simulations are necessary for quantitative predictions. For simple demand-side options (without alteration of the power system), the results are often not conclusive. Most of the time the overall environmental gain or loss is small, especially when an electric option is compared to a fossil alternative. The result will then also depend on the efficiency of the fossil option. If the demand-side option, on the other hand, creates possibilities for substantial changes in the supply-side structure, the results are dominated by the supply side. If the measure triggers the construction of a cleaner plant (e.g., a combined cycle gas-fired plant), or prevents the commissioning of a polluting plant (e.g., a coal-fired plant), it provides positive results.