Coal In Electricity Production Research Articles

Production of Electricity from Coal-Fired Power Plants and Accompanying CO2 Emissions: Comparison of EU-27 and Serbia

Even in the third decade of the 21st century, large power plants are still responsible for more than half of the electricity production in Europe. They predominantly use fossil fuels in their work, which results in the emission of pollutants into the air. Nevertheless, thanks to EU directives, as well as disturbances on the market, emissions of carbon dioxide from large combustion plants in the EU-27 are intensively decreasing in the last two decades. Although the use of coal, especially in the countries of the European Union, is in constant decline, there is space for additional reduction. Through this paper, the authors wanted to present the completely actual situation of emissions of CO2 from thermal power plants in Europe, that have used coal for electricity production, as well as to compare such plants with those operating in the Republic of Serbia. The CO2 emission was analysed in relation to the installed capacity, as well as compared to the energy produced and supplied to the system. By analysing the obtained values of the ratio of emissions to the number of inhabitants, the area of the territory, production and consumption of electricity, as well as to the GDP, it is noticeable that a much larger amount of CO2 is generated on the territory of the Republic of Serbia to achieve a similar energy, industrial and economic effect compared to the EU-27. By researching location data of coal burning in the production of electricity in the Republic of Serbia revealed the existence of a large difference in the amount of CO2 emissions, which is a consequence of the composition of the coal used and the combustion modes in thermal power plants.

Greening Polish transportation? Untangling the nexus between electric mobility and a carbon-based regime

This paper examines electric mobility transition in Poland which dates back to the beginning of the 1990s when Polish niche-level actors started to innovate with new technologies for low carbon transportation. By drawing on the multi-level perspective (MLP) on sustainability transitions in combination with historical institutionalism (HI) in political economy, the analysis reconstructs patterns of interactions between regime- and niche-level actors running projects in e-mobility. We pursue a two-pronged, mixed-method empirical approach that uses primary written sources and semi-structured expert interviews (N = 25) with key actors in the field. Such an approach allows us to study e-mobility transition as embedded in the incumbent energy regime of a given country. The case of Poland reveals heavy reliance on coal for electricity production and difficulties to break away from the fossil fuel regime, both in the energy and transportation sector. We find that the e-mobility transition in Poland is a double-paced process, where projects led by Polish state actors have failed thus far, while projects led by private, niche-level actors met with international interest. At the same time, the analysis shows that the successful ventures may not necessarily green Poland’s transportation system, but their performance at international markets may rather contribute to e-mobility transitions in other parts of the world.

Will Poland fulfill its coal commitment by 2030? An answer based on a novel time series prediction method

Coal accounted for around 80 percent of power production in Poland in 2018. Facing the serious climate problem and pressure from all sides, Poland has laid out a long-term energy strategy: reducing the proportion of coal in electricity production to about 60% by 2030. However, considering the history of Poland’s dependence on coal and blank in the field of forecasting Polish coal consumption, many researchers and politicians have shown worry about this commitment. Therefore, we proposed a novel time series prediction method ‘ASR’ which combined Adaptive Boosting, Simulated Annealing and Relevance Vector Machine. ASR inherited the advantages of the three algorithms and was applied to predict carbon consumption in Poland. To confirm the effectiveness of ASR, we compared ASR with several previous methods by two experiments using the Polish coal consumption data from 1965 to 2018. The experimental results showed that the mean absolute error of ASR was 1.2% in executing single point prediction and 5.8% in long-term prediction, which were much lower than previous methods. After verifying ASR, finally, we trained a final ASR model to predict the coal consumption of Poland with 95% confidence interval from 2019 to 2030. Results showed Poland is likely to fulfill its promises under current policy.

Steel in a circular economy: Global implications of a green shift in China

Abstract China is increasingly known for its ambitions towards an ‘ecological civilisation’ and a circular economy. Our article assesses the implications of an accelerated shift towards steel recycling in China. Given the relevance of steel for development worldwide as well as its environmental intensity, any such shift is likely to have implications for competitiveness in China and beyond. Recent findings suggest that China could take advantage of an increasing availability of obsolete steel scrap in the coming decades, moving towards more circular, and potentially greener, steel production. We assess such industrial restructuring from an economic perspective and address the competitiveness of China relative to other developing and industrialised regions. The analysis uses a novel global economy-wide modelling framework (ENGAGE-materials) to assess the aggregate and sector-level impacts of different scrap use options in China in the 2019–2030 time frame. The results show moderate GDP gains for China of cumulated USD 589 billion in GDP gains by 2030 despite a replacement of primary steel capacity. A more comprehensive industrial policy mix aimed at improved recycling practices and more adaptive downstream sectors could increase gains to USD 819 billion. The international implications are mixed, with losses for iron ore producers (Australia, Brazil and India) and gains for most developing countries benefiting from lower steel prices. Another result is an increasing demand for coal in electricity production if such a shift wouldn’t be aligned with an accelerated energy transition towards low carbon pathways. We discuss policy implications of such alignment, potential co-benefits, and a need for green international partnerships.

Comparative Sustainability Analysis of Two Asian Cities: A Multidimensional Assessment of Taipei and Almaty

The article compares economic and environmental performance of Taipei and Almaty from the point of view of "green" economy, which is able to act as a key tool to ensure sustainable development of the region. As the comparison of the parameters of ecological and economic development of the Taipei and Almaty cities shows, they are similar in population size, but demonstrate completely different trends of sustainable development. Economic performance of the Taipei city is achieved with a decrease in the consumption of natural resources and the production of pollution, while the situation in Almaty is the opposite. Almaty maintains a high level of air pollution due to the use of coal in electricity production, as well as increased traffic and density of construction, including the southern part of the city, which is a zone for the transit of mountain air flows. The article discusses the activities jointly conducted by the Government of Taiwan and non-governmental organizations on environmental issues, as well as environmental NGOs, which resulted in significant improvements in the environmental field. Measures to stimulate the development and implementation of environmental innovations applied in the field of sustainable development in the city of Taipei can be adapted for the city of Almaty, where the environmental situation deteriorates year by year.

Evaluation of wind power potential in shelek corridor (Kazakhstan) using weibull distribution function

Kazakhstan currently has one of the highest, per capita, carbon footprints in the world. There are heavy reliance (approx 85%) on coal for electricity production in Kazakhstan. Coal is a very carbon intensive fuel. A drive to moderate coal’s contribution to electricity production provides a driver for wind energy development. Finding a suitable location requires a detailed and often costly analysis of local wind conditions. Wind resource assessment is a crucial first step in gauging the potential of a site to produce energy from wind turbines. In this paper, the wind energy potential of Shelek corridor, located in the Almaty region in Kazakhstan were examined. Local wind speed distributions are represented by Weibull statistics. The results show that the average annual mean wind speed variation for Shelek corridor ranges from 4.0 to 8.0 m/s. The wind power density variation based on the Weibull analysis ranges from 280.0 to 320.0 W/m2. undefined undefined Звуковая функция ограничена 200 символами Настройки : История : Обратная связь : Donate Закрыть

Do CPEC Power Plants Impact Pakistan's Environmental condition: Evidence from Literature

Purpose: With the increase in the population of the world and with the increase in the civilizations the need of humanity is increasing day by day. Now people need electricity for the meeting of their needs. From the period of 2000s Pakistan is suffering from the problem of load shedding. Load shading results in the poverty, hunger and unemployment. Government of Pakistan is keen to solve the power shortages problem and for this in 2013, CPEC idea was emerged, China government aims to invest in Pakistan and they have will to solve this problem. However environmental experts have shown their concerns regarding the use of coal in electricity production. With the help of literature available this point established that there are environmental hazards that will surely harm the environment.

ONCE GRAND, NOW FORGOTTEN: WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE SUPERHIGH-ORGANIC-SULPHUR RAŠA COAL?

The Istrian coal mines, located in the eastern part of the Istrian Peninsula (Northern Adriatic Sea, Croatia) had by far the most important and economically the most valuable deposits of the anthracite coal reserves in Croatia since the 18th century until the year 1999, when their excavation and use in the coal-fired power plant Plomin ceased. The coal is found within the Palaeocene Kozina limestone beds. Four coal basins, Karojba, Sveti Martin, Pican, and the Labin basin, hosted seven coal mines, e.g. Tupljak, Potpican, Kozljak, Strmac, Rasa, Ripenda, and Krapan. The coal has been generally known under the name of Rasa coal. It is exceptional in world terms due to its high content of organic sulphur, which can be up to 14%. Herewithin, this paper reviews Croatian scientific publications devoted to various aspects of Rasa coal, along with the most important publications on either similar coals or relevant subjects worldwide. A brief introduction deals with the role of coal in electricity production, and the history of coal mining in Istria. The following chapter summarises current knowledge of the coal sulphur geochemistry, with several examples of high-sulphur coals from India and China. It is followed by the geological, geochemical, and physical characterisation of Rasa coal. Since perturbations to ecosystems caused by coal combustion have been documented in numerous papers from a number of countries, Croatian studies carried out to determine the impact of Rasa coal combustion on the local environment are also presented.

The fight against climate change: some proposals for action for Italy in Europe

The goal of this article is to formulate some proposals to reduce CO2 emissions with efficient and effective policies. After presenting three possible ways that countries can follow to define their policies for combating change, the article discusses the tools available to implement these policies. It then reviews the reasons why it would be preferable to set centrally the carbon price rather than limit the amount of emissions and let the market setting the price. On the basis of these considerations some concrete proposals for the policy of combating change in Italy and the EU are formulated. It is proposed that Italy re-introduces a carbon tax, called climate contribution and defines its evolution in a coordinated manner with the price of ETS emission permits. To make prices of the permits more stable and predictable, it is proposed to reform of the EU ETS by introducing a floor price rather than a market stability reserve. In addition to make the European policy more effective and rational, it is proposed that the floor price of emission permits is fixed in such a way that within a decade it is no longer convenient to use coal in electricity production (unless in this period the carbon capture and storage becomes competitive).

Implications of shale gas development for climate change.

Advances in technologies for extracting oil and gas from shale formations have dramatically increased U.S. production of natural gas. As production expands domestically and abroad, natural gas prices will be lower than without shale gas. Lower prices have two main effects: increasing overall energy consumption, and encouraging substitution away from sources such as coal, nuclear, renewables, and electricity. We examine the evidence and analyze modeling projections to understand how these two dynamics affect greenhouse gas emissions. Most evidence indicates that natural gas as a substitute for coal in electricity production, gasoline in transport, and electricity in buildings decreases greenhouse gases, although as an electricity substitute this depends on the electricity mix displaced. Modeling suggests that absent substantial policy changes, increased natural gas production slightly increases overall energy use, more substantially encourages fuel-switching, and that the combined effect slightly alters economy wide GHG emissions; whether the net effect is a slight decrease or increase depends on modeling assumptions including upstream methane emissions. Our main conclusions are that natural gas can help reduce GHG emissions, but in the absence of targeted climate policy measures, it will not substantially change the course of global GHG concentrations. Abundant natural gas can, however, help reduce the costs of achieving GHG reduction goals.

Prospects for carbon-neutral housing: the influence of greater wood use on the carbon footprint of a single-family residence

This paper examines the energy and carbon balance of two residential house alternatives; a typical wood frame home using more conventional materials (brick cladding, vinyl windows, asphalt shingles, and fibreglass insulation) and a similar wood frame house that also maximizes wood use throughout (cedar shingles and siding, wood windows, and cellulose insulation) in place of the more typical materials used – a wood-intensive house. Carbon emission and fossil fuel consumption balances were established for the two homes based on the cumulative total of three subsystems: (1) forest harvesting and regeneration; (2) cradle-to-gate product manufacturing, construction, and replacement effects over a 100-year service life; and (3) end-of-life effects – landfilling with methane capture and combustion or recovery of biomass for energy production. The net carbon balance of the wood-intensive house showed a complete offset of the manufacturing emissions by the credit given to the system for forest re-growth. Including landfill methane emissions, the wood-intensive life cycle yielded 20 tons of CO 2e emissions compared to 72 tons for the typical house. The wood-intensive home's life cycle also consumed only 45% of the fossil fuels used in the typical house. Diverting wood materials from the landfill at the end of life improved the life cycle balances of both the typical and wood-intensive houses. The carbon balance of the wood-intensive house was 5.2 tons of CO 2e permanently removed from the atmosphere (a net carbon sink) as compared to 63.4 of total CO 2e emissions for the typical house. Substitution of wood fuel for natural gas and coal in electricity production led to a net energy balance of the wood-intensive house that was nearly neutral, 87.1 GJ energy use, 88% lower than the scenario in which the materials were landfilled. Allocating biomass generation and carbon sequestration in the forest on an economic basis as opposed to a mass basis significantly improves the life cycle balances of both houses. Employing an economic allocation method to the forest leads to 3–5 times greater carbon sequestration and fossil fuel substitution attributable to the house, which is doubled in forestry regimes that remove stumps and slash as fuel. Thus, wood use has the potential to create a significantly negative carbon footprint for a house up to the point of occupancy and even offset a portion of heating and cooling energy use and carbon emissions; the wood-intensive house is energy and carbon neutral for 34–68 years in Ottawa and has the potential to be a net carbon sink and energy producer in a more temperate climate like San Francisco.

Coping with carbon: a near-term strategy to limit carbon dioxide emissions from power stations

Burning coal to generate electricity is one of the key sources of atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions; so, targeting coal-fired power plants offers one of the easiest ways of reducing global carbon emissions. Given that the world's largest economies all rely heavily on coal for electricity production, eliminating coal combustion is not an option. Indeed, coal consumption is likely to increase over the next 20-30 years. However, the introduction of more efficient steam cycles will improve the emission performance of these plants over the short term. To achieve a reduction in carbon emissions from coal-fired plant, however, it will be necessary to develop and introduce carbon capture and sequestration technologies. Given adequate investment, these technologies should be capable of commercial development by ca 2020.

A comparative analysis of woody biomass and coal for electricity generation under various CO2 emission reductions and taxes

Mitigating global climate change via CO 2 emission control and taxation is likely to enhance the economic potential of bioenergy production and utilization. This study investigated the cost competitiveness of woody biomass for electricity production in the US under alternative CO 2 emission reductions and taxes. We first simulated changes in the price of coal for electricity production due to CO 2 emission reductions and taxation using a computable general equilibrium model. Then, the costs of electricity generation fueled by energy crops (hybrid poplar), logging residues, and coal were estimated using the capital budgeting method. Our results indicate that logging residues would be competitive with coal if emissions were taxed at about US$25 Mg −1 CO 2 , while an emission tax US$100 Mg −1 CO 2 or higher would be needed for hybrid poplar plantations at a yield of 11.21 dry Mg ha −1 yr −1 (5 dry tons ac −1 yr −1 ) to compete with coal in electricity production. Reaching the CO 2 emission targets committed under the Kyoto Protocol would only slightly increase the price of fossil fuels, generating little impact on the competitiveness of woody biomass. However, the price of coal used for electricity production would significantly increase if global CO 2 emissions were curtailed by 20% or more. Logging residues would become a competitive fuel source for electricity production if current global CO 2 emissions were cut by 20–30%. Hybrid poplar plantations would not be able to compete with coal until emissions were reduced by 40% or more.

Assessing plantation biomass for co-firing with coal in northern Indiana: A linear programming approach

Tightening environmental regulations and the signing of the Kyoto Protocol have prompted electric utilities to consider co-firing biomass with coal to reduce the levels of CO 2, SO 2, and NO x in stack emissions. This analysis examines the cost competitiveness of plantation produced woody biomass and waste wood with coal in electricity production. A case study of woody biomass production and co-firing in northern Indiana is presented. A Salix (willow) production budget was created to assess the feasibility of plantation tree production to supply biomass to the utility for fuel blending. Co-firing with waste wood from primary and secondary wood processing activities and local municipalities also is considered. A linear programming model was developed to examine the optimal co-firing blend of coal and biomass while minimizing variable cost, including the cost of ash disposal and material procurement costs. This model was used to examine situations where coal is the primary fuel and waste wood, willow trees, or both are available for fuel blending. The results indicate that co-firing woody biomass is cost-effective for the power plant. Sensitivity analysis explored the effect of waste wood prices on co-firing cost.

A Model for the Economic Evaluation of Plantation Biomass Production for Co-firing with Coal in Electricity Production

Public and private electric utilities are considering co-firing biomass with coal as a strategy to reduce the levels of CO2, SO2 and NOx in stack emissions, as well as a response to state legislative mandates requiring the use of renewable fuels. This analysis examines the conditions under which biomass co-firing is economically feasible for utilities and woody biomass producers and describes additional environmental and community benefits associated with biomass use. This paper presents a case study of woody biomass production and co-firing at the Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) Michigan City Unit No. 12 power plant. A Salix (willow) production budget was created to assess the feasibility of plantation tree production to supply biomass to the utility for fuel blending. A GAMS model was developed to examine the optimal co-firing blend of coal and biomass while minimizing variable cost, including the cost of ash disposal and material procurement costs. The model is constrained by the levels of pollution produced. This model is used to examine situations where coal is the primary fuel and waste wood, willow trees, or both are available for fuel blending. Capital costs for co-firing were estimated outside of the model and are incorporated into the total cost of co-firing. The results indicate that under certain circumstances it is cost-effective for the power plant to co-fire biomass. Sensitivity analysis is used to test biomass price sensitivity and explores the effects of potential public policies on co-firing.