Abstract
Utilization of renewable energy, improvement of power generation efficiency, and reduction of fossil fuel consumption are important strategies for the Chinese power industry in response to climate change and environment challenges. Solar thermal energy can be integrated into a conventional coal-fired power unit to build a solar-aided coal-fired power generation (SACPG) system. Because solar heat can be used more efficiently in a SACPG system, the solar-coal hybrid power system can reduce coal consumption and CO2 emissions. The performance and costs of a SACPG system are affected by the respective characteristics of its coal-fired system and solar thermal power system, their coupling effects, the solar energy resource, the costs of the solar power system, and other economic factors of coal price and carbon price. According to the characteristics of energy saving and CO2 emission reductions of a SACPG system, a general methodology of CO2 abatement cost for the hybrid system is proposed to assess the solar thermal energy integration reasonably and comprehensively. The critical factors for carbon abatement cost are also analyzed. Taking a SACPG system of 600 MW in Jinan, Shandong and in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia in China as an example, the methodology is further illustrated. The results show that the efficiency of solar heat-to-electricity should be high and it is 0.391 in the scheme of SIH1 in Hohhot, and that the designed direct normal irradiation (DNI) should be greater than 800 W/m2 in order to make full use of solar energy resources. It is indicated that the abatement cost of a SACPG system depends significantly both on the cost of solar power system and its relevant costs, and also on the fuel price or the carbon prices, and that the carbon abatement cost can be greatly reduced as the coal prices or CO2 price increase. The methodology of carbon abatement cost can provide support for the comprehensive assessment of a SACPG system for its design and optimal performance.
Highlights
Improving the share of renewable energies and the efficiency of electricity power generation are the critical strategies to mitigate climate change and environment challenges, especially for China’s power supply, on the basis of the energy endowment and the high proportion of coal-fired power generation [1,2]
According to Equations (16) and (18), the CO2 abatement cost of a solar-aided coal-fired power generation (SACPG) system may decrease when much higher coupling efficiency of its solar energy power system and coal-fired power system can be achieved in the integration of solar thermal energy, which is conducive to promoting the energy saving and emission reductions for the hybrid system
The analysis model of CO2 abatement cost for a SACPG system will be used to analyze the key factors which affect the design and performance of the hybrid system, and the analyses of these factors may be helpful to make decisions about the project of a SACPG system
Summary
Improving the share of renewable energies and the efficiency of electricity power generation are the critical strategies to mitigate climate change and environment challenges, especially for China’s power supply, on the basis of the energy endowment and the high proportion of coal-fired power generation [1,2]. The Chinese government has implemented a series of policies and measures for developing the units with large capacities and suppressing the ones with small capacities [3], demand side management, energy-efficient retrofit or energy-efficient dispatching [4], and they have achieved a good effect on the efficiency improvement of coal-fired power generation. A SACPG system is a solar-coal hybrid system and it may improve the efficiency of the solar thermal power generation because of the high parameters of the conventional coal-fired power system [12]. TThheessee ffaaccttoorrss aarree sshhoowwnn iinn FFiigguurree 33 They may have an important effffect oonn tthhee ddeessiiggnn aanndd ppeerrffoorrmmaanncceeofofthtehSeASCAPCGPsGyssteymst,eamn,datnhdeytshheoyulsdhohuavlde thoabveeintotegbreatiendtetgorcaotmedprteoheconmsivperleyheevnasliuvaetley tehveacluoasteotfhtehecossotlaorf htheeatsionltaerghraeatitoinntiengtrhaetihoynbirnidthseyshtyebmri.d system. Where CCO2 is the conversion coefficient of carbon to CO2, in kg/kg; γ is the carbon proportion of standard coal in kg/kg; ∆EMCO2 is CO2 emission reductions, in kg; ∆b is the change of the average fuel consumption rate of the SACPG system, in kg/kWh; ∆Mc, is the change of coal consumption of the SACPG system, in kg
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