Coal For Electricity Generation Research Articles

Electrifying the Road to Net-Zero: Implications of Electric Vehicles and Carbon Emission Coefficient Factors in European Power Systems

The global trend is shifting towards adopting low-carbon transportation solutions, with electrification emerging as a prominent approach. The effectiveness of this transition in mitigating climate change hinges significantly on the source of electricity used for charging electric vehicles. This study focuses on four European Union countries: Switzerland, Italy, Germany, and Poland, each characterized by varying levels of carbon emissions from their power systems. Assumptions are made for the short-term (10%), medium-term (30%), and long-term (60%) penetration of electric vehicles, aligning with the 2050 net zero emissions targets. The study investigates the impact of these penetration levels on energy demand, exploring scenarios ranging from 100% renewable source-generated electricity to 100% coal-generated electricity for EV charging. Finally, utilizing PSS®E 35.5 simulation software, the study assesses the implications of the electric vehicles’ load on medium-voltage transmission lines. The findings highlight the substantial influence of electrifying the transport sector on both environmental sustainability and the power system infrastructure, underscoring the critical role of regional energy mixes and the power system carbon emissions coefficient factor. Regions with lower carbon emission coefficient factors witness significant benefits even with a modest transition to electric vehicles, whereas regions with high carbon emission coefficient factors experience minimal impact despite large-scale EV adoption. Additionally, densely populated urban areas may encounter challenges related to transmission line congestion to meet the growing demand for electric vehicle charging.

Bitcoin is an Environmental Disaster. Is the Indictment Distorted?

The literature is inundated with the claim that Bitcoin pollutes the environment. While the assertion is irrefutable, the unsettled issue is whether the indictment of environmental disaster is disproportionate or distorted. This is an empirical question; this paper evaluates it via two econometric methods. First, accepting carbon dioxide (CO2) emission as a proxy for environmental pollution, the paper quantifies the elasticity of CO2 emission in relation to electricity consumption in Bitcoin production. The results reveal that, while Bitcoin production based on conventional electricity is inelastic, carbon emission responsiveness to fossil fuel is significant. A 1% increase in Bitcoin’s usage of coal-generated electricity leads to a 1.64% surge in CO2 emission. Second, the study applies the error correction model to show that some electricity consumption shocks emanate from global coal prices driven by economic factors beyond Bitcoin’s control. This raises the question of whether Bitcoin should shoulder the entire blame for the 1.64% pollution responsiveness. Therefore, the study makes two important contributions. First, Bitcoin’s pollution impact varies according to timespan and electricity source. Second, the intensity of carbon emission from electricity consumption is aggravated by external market factors beyond Bitcoin’s control. The findings should inform policymakers and enlighten environmental advocates.

Global building life cycle assessment: Comparative study of steel and concrete frames across European Union, USA, Canada, and Australia building codes

The construction industry has one of the worst carbon footprints among the major industries and accounts for 39% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions. One of the main determinants of the carbon footprint of a building is the type of frame used in its structure. The most commonly used types of structural frames are steel and concrete frames, each having its own advantages and drawbacks. This study estimates and compares the carbon footprint of two buildings designed with a steel frame and a concrete frame, respectively, based on the building structural design codes of the European Union (EC), USA (ACI, AISC), Canada (CSA), and Australia (AS). The primary objective of this study is to conduct a comprehensive comparison of carbon emissions from these buildings. The focus extends beyond operational emissions to include an assessment of embodied emissions using the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. This comparison aims to gauge the overall emissions of the buildings and also evaluate the impact of major building codes on their carbon footprint. The results show that among the steel frame structures designed based on different building codes, the one designed according to the codes of the European Union has the highest carbon emission (142 kgCO2-eq/m2 floor area), and the one designed based on the Australian code has the lowest carbon emission (119 kgCO2-eq /m2). Among the concrete frame structures, the one designed based on the Canadian codes had the highest carbon emission (221 kgCO2-eq/m2), but again, the structure designed according to the Australian code had the lowest carbon emission (134 kgCO2-eq /m2). Carbon emission estimations for the operational phase showed that, while Canadian Cities exhibit the highest portion of energy consumption, its utilization of a green electricity grid results in the lowest operational carbon emissions. In contrast, Sydney, despite having the lowest energy consumption, exhibits the highest level of operational carbon emissions due to its reliance on coal for electricity generation. The findings of this study can serve as a valuable benchmark for policymakers in various areas. They can identify the shortcomings and advantages of their region's building codes, paving the way for targeted modifications that contribute to achieving a more sustainable built environment in their respective locales.

Assessing China's Path to Carbon Neutrality: Analyzing Historical and Projected Electricity-Related Carbon Emissions in the Context of the Dual Carbon Plan

Carbon emissions have become a hot topic in the energy sector. China has proposed the "Dual Carbon Plan," aiming to peak its carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, whereby carbon emissions will be completely offset or absorbed, resulting in a net zero or negative carbon emission balance. However, China's heavy reliance on coal for electricity generation, coupled with issues of overcapacity and relatively backward technology, not only leads to significant carbon emissions but also poses challenges for a rapid transition to clean energy. This paper analyses historical data on China's total carbon emissions and carbon emissions from electricity generation. Additionally, it predicts future electricity-related carbon emissions based on policy and technological scenarios proposed by existing scholars, discussing the feasibility of achieving the goals set forth in the Dual Carbon Plan.

Feature selection for coal heating level estimation in thermal power plants

Several recently signed environmental agreements and protocols emphasize the global need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with a focus on limiting coal consumption due to high NOX and CO2 emissions. However, many countries, including those in the Western Balkans, rely heavily on coal for electricity generation. The outdated thermal power plant infrastructure in these regions poses a major challenge when it comes to meeting modern environmental standards while maintaining efficiency. This study is part of the more comprehensive research which aims to develop an expert system that utilizes existing measurements to estimate key parameters crucial for both energy production and pollution reduction. The focus is on Serbian thermal power plants, particularly plant ?Nikola Tesla? unit B1. One of the critical parameters for optimizing thermal power plant control loops is the heating value of coal, which is challenging to measure in real time due to the coal's varying chemical compositions and caloric values. This paper examines 74 different parameters measured in 59 instances to estimate the hating value of coal at unit B1. Through detailed analysis and feature selection methods, including linear regression, this research aims to identify the most informative parameters for estimating the heating value of coal, which will improve the control system that enables more efficient and environmentally friendly power generation in coal fired thermal power plants.

LITERATUR STUDY OF UTILIZATION OF SOLAR CELLS FOR SUPPORTING AGRICULTURE

Indonesia is known as a country whose economy depends on or is supported by the agricultural sector. But now climate change poses an increasingly greater threat. The agricultural sector is very vulnerable to climate change because of its dependence on weather. Renewable energy is expected to surpass the use of coal in electricity generation in the second half of the 2020s, and by 2050, renewable energy will account for 50% of global electricity generation. Based on the data, there is a lot of use of solar cells to support energy in the agricultural sector. There are several uses, such as irrigation, drying, spraying, fertilizing, pest control, and controlling pH and temperature. Apart from that, using solar panels also has the advantage of being environmentally friendly, economical, efficient, and can be used for a long period.

Mortality risk from United States coal electricity generation.

Policy-makers seeking to limit the impact of coal electricity-generating units (EGUs, also known as power plants) on air quality and climate justify regulations by quantifying the health burden attributable to exposure from these sources. We defined "coal PM2.5" as fine particulate matter associated with coal EGU sulfur dioxide emissions and estimated annual exposure to coal PM2.5 from 480 EGUs in the US. We estimated the number of deaths attributable to coal PM2.5 from 1999 to 2020 using individual-level Medicare death records representing 650 million person-years. Exposure to coal PM2.5 was associated with 2.1 times greater mortality risk than exposure to PM2.5 from all sources. A total of 460,000 deaths were attributable to coal PM2.5, representing 25% of all PM2.5-related Medicare deaths before 2009 and 7% after 2012. Here, we quantify and visualize the contribution of individual EGUs to mortality.

Identification of Sources Causing Air Pollution in Indian Cities Using Hierarchical Agglomerative Cluster Analysis

The distressing levels of air pollution in India is becoming health hazard to the inhabitants. It's important to note that due to the nation's continued urbanisation and its heavy reliance on coal for electricity generation, air pollution is expected to get worse in some areas of India over the next few decades. Present study aims to address the issue by identifying the sources causing air pollution using Hierarchical Agglomerative Cluster Analysis [HACA]. Two years daily data (2018 and 2019), downloaded from publicly available source Kaggle.com of sixteen selected air pollution monitoring stations was used for the study. The stations were selected based upon diversified environmental conditions and local sources. HACA was successful in grouping the monitoring stations into four clusters based on their average Air Quality Index (AQI) level. These four clusters are named as Low Pollution, Moderate Pollution, High Pollution and Very High Pollution Region [LPR, MPR, HPR and VHPR] with average AQI 96; 135; 173 and 227 respectively. Discriminant Analysis (DA) confirmed the resulting clusters with 100% accuracy. It was found that stations with similar environmental factors, regional sources, and pollution amounts were clustered together. Despite numerous actions taken by the authorities to reduce air pollution, it was noticed that topographical conditions play an essential role in the rise of pollution. This study helps to implement different strategies by the authorities’ concern based on local sources and topographical conditions.

Guest Editorial: Balancing the Barrel and Beyond

_ Back in the early stages of the pandemic, a high-ranking executive at GALP told me the Portuguese company was positioning itself to become “the Amazon of Energy,” explaining that a fully digitalized operation and a diverse portfolio of products and services that extend well beyond GALP’s oil and gas roots would enable the company to thrive, even in the face of extreme disruption. Now, more than 2 years later, the disruption in energy markets has indeed reached extreme levels due to the war in Ukraine, inflation, economic uncertainty, changing climate, the global push to decarbonize, and yes, even the remnants of the COVID-19 pandemic. All of which is testing the ability of oil, gas, and energy companies to respond to rapidly changing market signals and energy priorities. Doing business in highly volatile market conditions has long been a strong suit for hydrocarbon-focused energy companies. Now, amid a unique confluence of factors, these companies are being asked to be more responsive, agile, and Amazon-like than they have ever been, with the ability to rapidly read the signals they’re getting from the market, from geopolitical forces and other sources, then respond, reprioritize, reallocate, and scale accordingly. That could mean producing and exporting more liquefied natural gas supplies for the European market to fill the void left by Russia, for example, or accelerating timelines for renewable energy production projects to reduce reliance on coal for electricity generation. How can traditionally hydrocarbon-focused companies answer the call—and in doing so, take advantage of the opportunities that today’s unique market dynamics present? I see five keys to maintaining a high level of operational and supply chain readiness, without compromising near-term or long-term profitability. 1. Build a diverse portfolio of revenue streams that balances today’s realities with tomorrow’s priorities. Traditional hydrocarbon-focused energy companies lately have been diversifying into new energy products and services, and new lines of business, as a hedge against volatile oil and gas prices, and as a means to meet longer-term carbon-reduction and ESG (environment, social, and governance) goals. At the same time, however, shifts in the short-term energy mix in Europe and elsewhere as a result of supply disruptions have returned the energy security issue to the front burner, providing a clear reminder of the vital role oil and gas will continue to play not just in the months ahead, but for the long term. Strategically, the pursuit of lower-carbon revenue streams and the continued focus on hydrocarbon production aren’t mutually exclusive. Recent developments highlight how important it is for energy companies (and policymakers) to balance longer-term carbon-reduction goals with near-term energy market realities. At Shell, for example, near-term oil and natural gas production remains a top priority. Yet the company also is pressing forward with a plan to build a network of half a million electric vehicle charge points by 2025. Meanwhile, Occidental and its carbon-capture subsidiary 1PointFive plan to open what they tout as the world’s largest direct air capture plant in Texas by 2024, with the potential to build another 70 such plants worldwide by 2035. These are the types of markets energy companies could and should be exploring to increase their resilience, stability, and flexibility.

Carbon dioxide prevented by Rohtak division after the installation of Solar Rooftop panels

The non-renewable resources are not only depleting but are also a major cause of concern because of the pollution and climate changing happening due to them. Hence, it becomes important for India to participate in the growing opportunities and necessities of the world to substitute its type of energy usage. Out of all such clean renewable energy sources, solar energy sounds the most favourable and long lasting for India. Although, it looks a lot less on the ground level, the amount of kW sanctioned to households and institutes and social sector, but together they make a huge difference. The decentralisation of electricity not only makes one more self-reliant but ensures the reduction in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere occurring because of burning of fossil fuels, particularly coal for electricity generation. This paper deals with the amount of carbon dioxide which has been prevented from release in the atmosphere because of the adoption of solar rooftop panels. The role which different sectors have played in slowing climate change, however small, will encourage authorities as well as end users to shift to solar energy for bigger and better results. The amount released in the atmosphere every year makes it even more important to control carbon dioxide emissions but it needs to be balanced with the energy needs of the concerned region which is going to rise in the coming years with development. Rohtak division of Haryana is one of the most populated, urbanised and close to Delhi, NCR region and it can show us the future potential of the solar rooftop panels in reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

Effects of Fossil Fuel Usage in Electricity Production on CO2 Emissions: A STIRPAT Model Application on 20 Selected Countries

This article examines the causes of air pollution while paying particular attention to the effects of fossil fuel use in electricity generation. Dietz and Roza's (1994) STIRPAT model, which is a reformulated version of the IPAT model, was used. The data includes the 20 countries with the highest CO2 emission levels and covers the years 1991 to 2015. According to the empirical results of this article, increases in population and GDP per capita are followed by a proportional increase in CO2 emissions. Moreover, the results show that the share of coal in electricity generation has a negative impact on CO2 emissions in selected countries. On the other hand, the results show that the share of gas in electricity generation does not have a significant impact on CO2 emissions in selected countries and selected period.

Decision Support for Investments in Sustainable Energy Sources Under Uncertainties

Investment in sustainable energy sources is one of the climate mitigation strategies that can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the energy sector. However, in developing countries, investment is challenged by high capital expenditures and several uncertainties. This paper aims to provide decision support for investment in sustainable energy projects by evaluating the comparative attractiveness of shifting energy sources from fossil fuels to renewables and nuclear. Applying the real options approach (ROA), this paper calculates the value of the flexibility to postpone the investment decision and identifies the optimal timing (described here as the trigger price of coal) for shifting to sustainable energy sources. Then, various uncertainties are considered, such as coal and electricity prices, negative externality of using fossil fuels, and the risk of a nuclear accident, which are modelled using geometric Brownian motion, Poisson process, and Bernoulli probability. Applying the ROA model in the case of the Philippines, results find that investing in sustainable energy is a better option than continuing to use coal for electricity generation. However, contrary to conventional option valuation result that waiting is a better strategy, this study found that delaying or postponing the investment decisions may lead to possible opportunity losses. Among the available sustainable energy sources, geothermal is the most attractive with trigger prices of coal equal to USD 49.95/ton, followed by nuclear (USD 58.55/ton), wind (USD 69.48/ton), solar photovoltaic (USD 72.04/ton), and hydropower (USD 111.14/ton). Also, the occurrence of jump (extreme) prices of coal, raising the current feed-in-tariff, and considering negative externalities can decrease the trigger prices, which favor investments in sustainable energies. Moreover, the risk of a nuclear disaster favors investment in renewable energy sources over nuclear due to the huge damage costs once an accident occurs. Results provide bases for policy recommendations toward achieving a more secure and sustainable energy sector for developing countries that are highly dependent on imported fossil fuels.

Life cycle assessment as a design consideration for process development for value recovery from gold mine tailings

With the decline of gold grades of primary resources in many parts of the world, gold recovery from primary resources may become unprofitable. Therefore, the identification of secondary gold resources (such as mine tailings) to prolong the existence of the gold industry has developed growing interest. Life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to design two process flowsheets (cyanide and thiosulphate) for recovering gold from a hypothetical tailings dam scenario in the West Witwatersrand region of South Africa while reducing environmental impacts of processes. The thiosulphate flowsheet reduced environmental impacts for 18 out of 19 impact categories compared to the cyanide flowsheet, apart from the freshwater consumption. The flowsheets proposed reduced sulphide, uranium, and arsenic in mine tailings by 82%, 75% and 94% respectively. Therefore, the solutions presented reduce environmental impacts associated with acid mine drainage, radionuclides and arsenic while producing gold as a value stream. The LCA model and corresponding sensitivity analysis showed that South Africa’s dependency on coal for electricity generation was a major contributor to environmental impacts for both flowsheets and transition to renewable energy can reduce environmental impact of mining operations.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Biomass Supply Chains: The Case of the Canadian Wood Pellet Industry

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted global economic activity in all sectors, including forest industries. Changes in demand for forest products in North America over the course of the pandemic have affected both primary processors and downstream industries reliant on residues, including wood pellet producers. Wood pellets have become an internationally traded good, mostly as a substitute for coal in electricity generation, with a significant proportion of the global supply coming from Canadian producers. To determine the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Canadian wood pellet industry, economic and market data were evaluated, in parallel with a survey of Canadian manufacturers on their experiences during the first three waves of the pandemic (March 2020 to September 2021). Overall, the impact of the pandemic on the Canadian wood pellet industry was relatively small, as prices, exports, and production remained stable. Survey respondents noted some negative impacts, mostly in the first months of the pandemic, but the quick recovery of lumber production helped to reduce the impact on wood pellet producers and ensured a stable feedstock supply. The pandemic did exacerbate certain pre-existing issues, such as access to transportation services and labour availability, which were still a concern for the industry at the end of the third wave in Canada. These results suggest that the Canadian wood pellet industry was resilient to disruptions caused by the pandemic and was able to manage the negative effects it faced. This is likely because of the integrated nature of the forest sector, the industry’s reliance on long-term supply contracts, and feedstock flexibility, in addition to producers and end-users both being providers of essential services.

Mercury atmospheric emission, deposition and isotopic fingerprinting from major coal-fired power plants in Australia: Insights from palaeo-environmental analysis from sediment cores

Despite Australia's high reliance on coal for electricity generation, no study has addressed the extent to which mercury (Hg) deposition has increased since the commissioning of coal-fired power plants. We present stratigraphic data from lake sediments in the Hunter Valley (New South Wales) and Latrobe Valley (Victoria), where a significant proportion of Australia's electricity is generated via coal combustion. Mercury deposition in lake sediments increased in the 1970s with the commissioning of coal-fired power plants, by a factor of 2.9-times in sediments of Lake Glenbawn (Hunter Valley) and 14-times in Traralgon Reservoir (Latrobe Valley). Sediments deposited after the commissioning of power plants have distinct Hg isotope compositions, similar to those of combusted coals. Mercury emission, estimated using an atmospheric model (CALPUFF), was higher in the Latrobe Valley than in the Hunter Valley. This is a result of higher Hg concentrations in lignite coal, lax regulation and older pollution-control technologies adopted by coal-fired power plants in the Latrobe Valley. Near-source deposition of Hg in Australia is significantly higher than North America and Europe, where better emission controls (e.g. wet flue gas desulfurization) have been in effect for decades. The challenge for Australia in years to come will be to ratify the Minamata Convention and develop better regulation policies to reduce Hg emissions.

Advanced Coal Technologies for sustainable power sector in India

In India, more than two-thirds of the total electricity is generated from coal-based power plants. The country will be heavily dependent on coal for electricity generation at least for a few more decades. A low carbon scenario for 2030 is projected and the results show that coal-based power plant will contribute to 58 % of electricity generated. This paper reports the sustainability assessment of several Advanced Coal Technologies (ACT), with and without a CO2 capture system, for application in Indian coal-based power plants. In order to assess sustainability quantitatively, an index called Sustainability Index is estimated using a sequential combination of the Analytic Hierarchy Process and a multi-criteria decision-making method. The results show that ACTs like supercritical and ultra supercritical power plants with a carbon capture system have higher sustainability indices. These ACTs will help in reducing the CO2 emissions and combat climate change. This study helps academicians, industrialists, policymakers, and other stakeholders to develop a technology roadmap for sustainable development in India.

Well-to-wheels emissions, costs, and feedstock potentials for light-duty hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in China in 2017 and 2030

Hydrogen has the potential to contribute to a clean, secure, and affordable energy future. It can provide distributed energy storage for intermittent renewable energy resources and support hydrogen-based transportation. This study reports well-to-wheels greenhouse gas (GHG) and criteria air pollutant emissions and levelized cost of driving (LCD) for light-duty fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) in China in 2017 and 2030, powered with hydrogen from renewable and conventional sources. All FCV pathways, except electrolysis using grid electricity or liquefied hydrogen pathways, have GHG, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), nitrogen oxides (NOX), fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions lower than, or comparable to, gasoline vehicles. Electricity sources strongly influence the environmental impacts for electrolysis-based hydrogen pathways. For FCV GHG, NOX, PM2.5, and SO2 emissions to be lower than gasoline vehicles, the share of coal-fired electricity used in hydrogen production must be less than 50%, 58%, 20%, and 34%, respectively; the share of coal in electricity generation in China was ~65% in 2017 and is projected to be ~50% in 2030. A case study shows that additional electricity is required to supplement wind curtailment to achieve higher hydrogen production volumes thus lowering production cost. Assuming decreased costs for both hydrogen production and FCVs in 2030, the LCD for wind-electrolysis FCV pathway (~$0.31/km) could approach that for gasoline (~$0.29/km) and battery electric vehicles (~$0.30/km). Wind and solar curtailment were 27.7 TWh and 5.5 TWh in 2018 and could be used to produce hydrogen for 4.9 million FCVs.

Installment of desulfurization equipment at coal-fired power plants in North Carolina and associations with preterm birth among surrounding residents

Background: Coal-fired power plants (CFPPs) are major contributors of air pollution globally. In 2002, North Carolina (NC) adopted regulation that required CFPPs to substantially reduce their sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions by 2013. CFPPs complying with this regulation have resulted in measurable decreases of ambient SO2 across NC. Air pollution research suggests an association between ambient SO2 and preterm birth (PTB, gestational age < 37 completed weeks). PTB is an important risk factor for neonatal mortality and associated with high healthcare costs. This study aims to evaluate the impact of SO2 emissions reduction strategies at CFPPs on preterm birth in North Carolina.Methods: The US Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Markets Program data were used to determine when the SO2 emissions reduction strategies were implemented at NC’s largest CFPPs (capacity > 150 megawatts). The study population was derived from geocoded NC resident singleton live birth data from 2003-2015 obtained from the NC State Center for Health Statistics. A difference-in-difference analysis using a linear mixed model with random intercepts for the CFPPs will be employed to compare the risk of PTB for mothers living 0-5 miles and 5-10 miles from the CFPPs before and after the intervention, with a control of mothers living 10-15 miles from the CFPPs.Results: During the study period, 7 CFPPs installed desulfurization equipment (i.e. SO2 scrubbers). The median concentration for reported monthly SO2 air emissions from the CFPPs in the pre-period and post-period were 4,421 tons and 281 tons, respectively. With the spatial and temporal exposure restrictions applied, there were 42,076 births within 15 miles of the CFPPs.Conclusions: This study comes at a time when the United States government is considering whether to move away from or reinvest in coal for electricity generation.

Production of sorghum pellets for electricity generation in Indonesia: A life cycle assessment

The current study makes use of life cycle assessment to evaluate the potential greenhouse gas (GHG) savings in coal electricity generation by 5% co-firing with sorghum pellets. The research models the utilization of 100 thousand hectares of under-utilized marginal land in Flores (Indonesia) for biomass sorghum cultivation. Based on equivalent energy content, 1.12 tons of pellets can substitute one ton of coal. The calculated fossil energy ratio of the pellets was 5.8, indicating that the production of pellets for fuel is energetically feasible. Based on a biomass yield of 48 ton/ha·yr, 4.8 million tons of pellets can be produced annually. In comparison with a coal system, the combustion of only pellets to generate 8,300 GWh of electricity can reduce global warming impacts by 7.9 million tons of CO2-eq, which is equivalent to an 85% reduction in GHG emissions. However, these results changed when reduced biomass yield of 24 ton/ha·yr, biomass loss, field emissions, and incomplete combustion were considered in the model. A sensitivity analysis of the above factors showed that the potential GHG savings could decrease from the initially projected 85% to as low as 70%. Overall, the production of sorghum pellets in Flores and their utilization for electricity generation can significantly reduce the reliance on fossil fuels and contribute to climate change mitigation. Some limitations to these conclusions were also discussed herein. The results of this scenario study can assist the Indonesian government in exploring the potential utilization of marginal land for bioenergy development, both in Indonesia and beyond.

Climate and Health Benefits of Rapid Coal-to-Gas Fuel Switching in the U.S. Power Sector Offset Methane Leakage and Production Cost Increases.

In this paper, we ask whether rapidly displacing coal electricity generation with underutilized, existing natural gas capacity has net societal benefits or net costs when considering climate change, economics, and air pollution. We use a power plant dispatch model to quantify the effects of dispatching because of a tax on carbon or because of a tax on carbon, methane leakage, and air pollution. We explicitly model exhaust stack CO2 emissions, production costs, health damages caused by criteria air pollutants, and methane leakage from the natural gas infrastructure. We show that (1) the optimal coal-to-gas redispatch displaces 62-77% of coal energy, leaving some coal online, (2) the health benefits of redispatch are larger in magnitude than the climate benefits, (3) reducing methane leakage rates from 2.3 to 2.0% increases the net climate benefits of redispatch by $1.1B-$1.4B, (4) although internalizing methane leakage, climate damages, and health damages in the power plant dispatch maximizes the net benefits of redispatch, 75-87% of these benefits can be achieved using a carbon tax mechanism alone, and (5) when choosing an optimal carbon tax, focusing on climate at the exclusion of health-and vice-versa-provides less net benefit than looking at both issues jointly.