Pinch analysis approach to carbon-constrained energy sector planning

Abstract

Pinch analysis techniques have been developed for a wide range of applications ranging from process plant thermal or water integration to financial and supply chain management. This paper presents a new application of pinch analysis. A scenario is assumed wherein energy sector planning takes place with carbon emission constraints arising from an effort to reduce climate change effects. A procedure for identifying the minimum amount of zero-carbon energy resource required to achieve the overall emissions target for a country or region, given that the amount of fossil energy resources available are already known. The pinch analysis method can be used for a single overall emissions target, or for cases wherein separate sectors or geographic regions have distinct targets but share a common energy resource. For the latter case the procedure allows the allocation of the energy resources to meet both the overall emissions limit and the individual targets of the different sectors or location. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate the technique, which is intended for use as a preliminary energy sector-planning tool.