Electricity Generation Sector Research Articles

Green versus green: The case against holistic environmental permitting processes

Globally, there is a strong interest in investments in zero‑carbon technologies, e.g., in industry and the electricity generation sector, but projects supporting the climate transition are argued to be held back by environmental permitting challenges. For this reason, there are calls for novel regulatory reforms that broaden the scope of environmental permitting, and the underlying legal rules, by assigning a more prominent place for projects' climate benefits, i.e., the carbon dioxide emissions displaced elsewhere in the economy. This commentary argues against such a reform, which could create more problems than it solves. It risks increasing the complexity and the uncertainty of environmental permitting process, e.g., by making it more difficult to evaluate how various legal rules should be applied in the context of individual permit applications. Such a reform also clashes with the anti-anti-environment task of environmental law and permitting. The development of zero‑carbon projects and the protection of environmental harms involve difficult trade-offs, but the main role of environmental permitting is to identify measures that allow these goals to co-exist. The solution to this green versus green dilemma is not to reform the scope of permitting processes, but rather improve the ways in which existing legislation is implemented.

Economic and supply chain impacts from energy price shocks in Southeast Asia

Following the war in Ukraine, it became evident that substantial energy price increases had complex impacts on the economic systems and supply chains throughout the Southeast Asian region. In this article, we employ a global applied general equilibrium model (GTAP-E-PowerS) to examine how ongoing energy price increases might affect sectors, economies and emissions levels of the region. We additionally investigate how technological development including energy efficiency gains, utilisation of capital and how output augmenting technologies may help mitigate costs. Our findings indicate demand for renewable energy by private and industrial sectors increase substantially as a substitute for traditional fossil fuels, but are not adequate to compensate for losses. Agriculture and food sectors are not significantly affected, suggesting less hazards to food security as they are not energy-intensive. Manufacturing, transport and electricity generation sectors, which are energy-intensive, are materially adversely affected. More interestingly, however, is the primary energy supply sectors, viz. oil and gas extraction, and petroleum product manufacturing sectors, whose output declines by 20–70 % across countries. Real GDP also declines substantially, by 1.0–3.8 % in the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Conversely, total emissions decline by 6–22 % across countries. Of the options considered, investment in improving utilisation of capital resources is found to be the most effective against energy price shocks.

Advocacy coalitions, soft power, and policy change in Mexican electricity policy: a discourse network analysis

This research explores the influence of discourse power on policy change in the Mexican electricity sector, using the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF). Drawing on Discourse Network Analysis, it examines the discursive dynamics and power relations between competing advocacy coalitions from 1994 to 2018. This 24-year period encompasses three significant reform proposals that aimed to liberalise Mexico’s electricity generation sector, representing major potential policy changes. Specifically, the study tests the second policy change hypothesis proposed by the ACF, which suggests that major policy change is unlikely as long as the advocacy coalition defending the status quo remains in power. To operationalise the notion of which coalition is in power, the study employs Discourse Network Analysis to examine the discursive power of each coalition. This allows an exploration of how the interplay between coalition discursive power and the extent of belief differences shape policy outcomes. The findings align with the ACF’s second hypothesis on policy change. They also suggest the potential for enhancing the ACF by incorporating a nuanced understanding of the multiple dimensions of power, with a particular emphasis on the discursive influence of advocacy coalitions.

Role of smart charging of electric vehicles and vehicle-to-grid in integrated renewables-based energy systems on country level

The energy transition based on variable renewable energy sources raises concerns on satisfying the electricity demand at all hours of a year, which is amplified by the ongoing energy system electrification. Balancing variable electricity supply and inelastic demand requires additional sources of flexibility in the system: flexible electricity generation, energy storage, grids, flexible demand, and overall sector coupling. Electrification of transport increases the electricity demand; however, it offers the opportunity to use additional low-cost flexibility from electric vehicles batteries. The LUT Energy System Transition Model was modified to model the smart charging and vehicle-to-grid functionality of electric vehicles in integrated energy systems. The results show that, in countries with a large fleet of electric vehicles, smart charging and vehicle-to-grid allow for a substantial reduction of energy storage requirements, reducing the electricity and heat storage capacity by 35% and 25%, respectively and leading to 4% lower system cost. Flexible operation of electrolysers required for e-fuels synthesis have a similar effect and, in combination with smart charging and vehicle-to-grid, can lead to 8% lower system cost. The impact of vehicle-to-grid naturally depends on assigned operational cost; however, it contributes to system cost reduction even at high costs of 50 or 100 €/MWh.

Modeling dynamic power generation from ocean waves in the Kingdom of Tonga: A comprehensive analysis using integrated mechanical and electrical framework

Globally, ocean wave energy can significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions from the electricity generation sector. Wave energy converters (WECs) could be installed in the Kingdom of Tonga, which is surrounded by ocean, where the average wave energy flux is greater than 7 kW/m. There is a lack of feasibility studies in this area due to the unavailability of measured data on wave parameters and properties; hence, the potential of WEC is yet to be discovered or exploited. This study proposes an integrated mechanical and electrical modeling framework to analyze the impact of wave characteristics on dynamic power generation in three main islands of Tonga, including ‘Eua, Tongatapu, and Niuafo’ou. The mechanical simulation involves using a 2D Fourier wave model to identify the important factors that affect the power potential of ocean waves, such as wave height and period. The wave model is linked to a comprehensive electrical simulation model developed in Matlab Simulink, which includes a permanent magnet linear synchronous generator (PMLSG), rectifier, buck converter, inverter, and load to estimate the electrical power potential per 1 m2 of ocean area. According to the findings, in ‘Eua, the maximum annual generation intensity output is 90.45 kWh/m2, whereas in Niuafo'ou, the minimum is 48.5 kWh/m2. Applying this to a region (12.57 m2) where a WEC has been deployed in Australia, the highest yearly electricity generation in ‘Eua ranges between 926.41 and 1136.96 kWh/y, but in Tongatapu and Niuafo'ou, it ranges between around 610 and 899 kWh/y.

Is larger really better? Productivity and firm size in European electricity generation sectors

Although a conventional wisdom claims that larger firms perform better than smaller ones, the conclusions drawn by the literature are ambiguous. This study examines the effect of firm size on productivity, using a dataset on European electricity generators from 2012 to 2020. European electricity generation sectors are particularly interesting given the substantial liberalisations in the past decades and strong subsidisation of electricity generated from renewables. Next to estimating productivity of electricity generators and establishing a link between firm size and performance in this industry, the analysis allows for heterogeneity of impacts of firm size on productivity across various dimensions (e.g., regulation scheme, state ownership), as firm size may attenuate or fuel associated problems and benefits. Besides, it adds to the literature by investigating whether and how renewable subsidies impact reallocation from the technically less efficient to the more productive firms, since they often favour smaller generators in European countries that might be less productive. The overall results highlight that firm size significantly boosts firm performance. Effects, however, diminish with size. Last, renewable subsidies deteriorate allocative efficiency. Hence, renewable subsidies favouring smaller generators are at the cost of allocative efficiency.

The Cobalt Supply Chain and Environmental Life Cycle Impacts of Lithium-Ion Battery Energy Storage Systems

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) deployed in battery energy storage systems (BESS) can reduce the carbon intensity of the electricity-generating sector and improve environmental sustainability. The aim of this study is to use life cycle assessment (LCA) modeling, using data from peer-reviewed literature and public and private sources, to quantify environmental impacts along the supply chain for cobalt, a crucial component in many types of LIBs. The study seeks to understand where in the life cycle stage the environmental impacts are highest, thus highlighting actions that can be taken to improve sustainability of the LIB supply chain. The system boundary for this LCA is cradle-to-gate. Impact assessment follows ReCiPe Midpoint (H) 2016. We assume a 30-year modeling period, with augmentation occurring at the end of the 3rd, 7th, and 14th years of operations, before a complete replacement in the 21st year. Three refinery locations (China, Canada, and Finland), a range of ore grades, and five battery chemistries (NMC111, NMC532, NMC622, NMC811, and NCA) are used in scenarios to better estimate their effect on the life cycle impacts. Insights from the study are that impacts along nearly all pathways increase according to an inverse power-law relationship with ore grade; refining outside of China can reduce global warming potential (GWP) by over 12%; and GWP impacts for cobalt used in NCA and other NMC battery chemistries are 63% and 45–74% lower than in NMC111, respectively. When analyzed on a single-score basis, marine and freshwater ecotoxicity are prominent. For an ore grade of 0.3%, the GWP values for the Canada route decrease at a rate of 58% to 65%, and those for Finland route decrease by 71% to 76% from the base case. Statistical analysis shows that cobalt content in the battery is the highest predictor (R2 = 0.988), followed by the ore grade (R2 = 0.966) and refining location (R2 = 0.766), when assessed for correlation individually. The results presented here point to areas where environmental burdens of LIBs can be reduced, and thus they are helpful to policy and investment decision makers.

Analysis of Causes of Delays and Cost Overruns as Well as Mitigation Measures to Improve Profitability and Sustainability in Turnkey Industrial Projects

Delays and cost overruns in turnkey projects can lead to significant economic losses, disputes and even project abandonment. These facts negatively impact the environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies of companies involved in the project. In this paper, a bibliographic review was conducted to identify the leading causes of delays and cost overruns in turnkey industrial projects in the refining, gas and conventional electricity generation (RGE) sector and propose good practices to avoid or mitigate them. We identified 893 causes of delays and cost overruns and 147 mitigation measures. The causes and mitigation measures were grouped into eight categories based on the execution phases of an RGE project. A critical analysis was carried out to avoid duplication, and the result was evaluated by experts in turnkey project management, reducing the causes and mitigation measures to a final set of 103 and 49, respectively. The construction category showed the most significant influence on project delays and cost overruns, and this, together with the preliminary phase and project management categories, contributed to 60% of the identified causes. The findings of this study can help project managers improve the profitability of turnkey industrial projects, promoting innovation and sustainability within companies and society.

Asymmetric Relationships Between Natural Gas Price Inflation and Macroeconomic Factors: The Case of Turkey

Energy inflation is one of the main factors affecting macroeconomic indicators. The price inflation of natural gas, which is the basic input of electricity generation, housing, industry and service sectors and causes less CO2 emissions than other fossil fuel energy types, is the focus of this study. Natural gas, like other fossil fuels, is a scarce energy source and is not evenly distributed around the world. For this reason, some countries export natural gas, while others import natural gas. Countries that are foreign-dependent in natural gas are affected by the political, geographical and economic conjuncture of the countries they import from. In this context, Turkey was affected by Russia-Ukraine war and natural gas prices increased accordingly. The study aims to determine the asymmetric relationships between natural gas price inflation and macroeconomic factors in Turkey. For this purpose, autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) and nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) models were used for Turkey's 1998Q1-2023Q2 data. As a result of the analysis, it was determined that there was an asymmetric relationship between natural gas inflation and producer price index, gross domestic product, balance of payments. The results obtained showed the importance of natural gas found in the Black Sea and natural gas pipelines passing through Turkey (TANAP etc.), and an ecopolitical evaluation was made in this context.

Unveiling the changes of carbon emissions along supply chains: Drivers and sustainable mitigation strategies

China's annual carbon emissions decreased year by year during 2013–2016 and increased after 2016. Such fluctuation prompts important questions about the factors that drove the decrease and increase, and the desired pathway(s) to sustain a continuous reduction. With the consideration of supply-demand relationships, we quantitatively evaluate the socioeconomic drivers of carbon emission changes along supply chains. Here we find that from a supply perspective, industrial adjustment has negative impacts on the emission reduction of service-driven paths. For paths involving the electricity-generation sector, the adjustment of primary input structure has positive effects on path-level emission reduction (since 2007). The construction sector can adjust its consumption structure to help accelerate the system's low-carbon transition. For the supply- and demand-oriented paths, the mitigation effects of emission intensity will weaken if more sectors are involved in production activities. Further emission reductions may rely on both reducing emission intensity and minimizing the utilization of deep-processed products.Synopsis: An extensive path-and layer-related decomposition analysis may have significant implications for fast-growing economies in pursuing carbon neutrality.

Welfare Impacts of Electricity Generation Sector Reform in the Philippines

Welfare Impacts of Electricity Generation Sector Reform in the Philippines

The Application of Risk Based-Design (RBD) Methodology For LNG Carrier Under Varied Sea State

The energy transition issue is being pursued following the outcomes of the 22nd Summit by the G-20 group. The use of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) fuel has emerged as one of the solutions in addressing the energy transition challenge. In line with the issuance of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Decision in January 2022, the Indonesian Government will increase the utilization of natural gas in the form of LNG for the electricity generation sector. LNG fuel is considered to possess numerous advantages and is more environmentally friendly. The distribution of LNG fuel is often carried out by tanker ships equipped with cryogenic tanks called LNG carrier. However, challenges arise when ships operate in waters which has high sea state condition, where the vessel faces the risk of accidents such as sloshing, increased motion response, stability disruptions, and other. Therefore, this paper provide a comprehensive risk analysis to minimize the existing accident risks caused by varied sea state condition using Risk-Based Design (RBD). RBD is a structured and systematic method to ensure safety levels and cost-effectiveness and utilizing risk analysis.

The effects of polluting behaviour, dirty energy and electricity consumption on firm performance: Evidence from the recent crises

We examine the effects of polluting behaviour, dirty energy, and electricity consumption on firms' profitability during the recent crises (climate change, 2016 oil crisis and COVID-19) using a dataset of around 40,000 Vietnamese firms from 2011 to 2020. More specifically, we study how firm-specific characteristics affect energy consumption, polluting behaviour, and profitability. Our results show that (1) dirty energy consumption has a positive impact on firm performance; (2) larger firms and firms located in industrial zones tend to exploit dirty energy more than others; (3) state-owned firms manage resources better than privately owned firms; and (4) polluting firms are more profitable. After controlling for the Paris Climate Agreement, we find smaller polluting firms are affected more intensely than other firms. We also find that electricity consumption negatively impacts firm profitability, but the impact was alleviated during the oil and COVID-19 crises. Finally, our results indicate that recent crises negatively affected firms' profitability in the electric power generation, transmission, and distribution sectors. The findings of this paper suggest that more stringent policies are required around dirty energy consumption, and these policies must target larger organisations—particularly in industrial zones.

Scenarios for transitioning the electricity sector of the Republic of Serbia to sustainable climate neutrality by 2050

By ratifying the Paris Agreement, the Republic of Serbia has committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 13.2% by 2030 compared to the 2010 levels. About 70% of electricity is generated in thermal power plants that use low-quality domestic lignite as fuel. Greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation amounted to 51.5 Mt CO2eq in 2014. The Republic of Serbia has a significant renewable energy source (RES) potential for electricity generation. This research aims to define sustainable scenarios for the years 2030 and 2050 in the transition process of the electricity generation sector in the Republic of Serbia. These scenarios provide an opportunity to gradually reduce CO2 emissions by 2050, with the goal of zero-emission electricity generation in 2050. The scenarios were created using the hourly electricity balance of the Serbian power system in the EnergyPLAN software, with 2010 as the base year for the calculations. The proposed scenarios promote the sustainable use of RES for electricity generation in the Republic of Serbia. The results show a reduction in CO2 emissions of 35% and 59% in 2030 for the scenarios and 66% and 100% in 2050 compared to the reference year 2010.

Integrated life cycle sustainability assessment of the electricity generation sector in Bangladesh: Towards sustainable electricity generation

The electricity sector of Bangladesh has experienced a drastic expansion over the last decade, which will continue in the future. However, the country is not attaining optimal benefit from the sector due to discrepancies among its different components. Increased generation capacity based on fossil fuel sources is not only causing negative environmental impacts but also raising future energy security concerns. Stakeholders are unable to address these interconnected issues due to lack of adequate knowledge, which is leading to policy inconsistencies. This paper aims to evaluate the integrated sustainability of Bangladesh’s electricity generation, considering environmental, economic and social aspects using a life cycle approach. Eighteen sustainability indicators have been assessed for five electricity generation technologies currently in operation. Applying a multi-criteria decision analysis, all the technologies have been ranked considering equal as well as differing preferences for the three aspects. Solar power followed by hydropower is the most sustainable option when all aspects are given equal importance and priority is given to economic and social aspects. However, hydropower becomes the most sustainable option when the environmental aspect is prioritized. Among fossil sources, gas is the best and oil power is found as the least sustainable option in all preferences except the environmental aspect when coal becomes the worst. By identifying the disputes between different indicators, this study demonstrates the variations in the results of the integrated sustainability assessment that can be considered while planning improved energy policies for sustainable future electricity generation.

Development of an interval double-stochastic carbon-neutral electric power system planning model: A case study of Fujian province, China

Synergic adoption of diverse measures and consideration of multiple uncertainties are essential for electric power systems to achieve carbon neutrality. To fill the research gap, an interval double-stochastic carbon-neutral electric power system planning (abbreviated as IDS-CEP) model is developed. In the IDS-CEP model, reduction measures include electricity mix improvement, CO2 capture, transport, and storage (including monoethanolamine absorption and membrane separation), CO2 direct air capture (containing solid adsorption technique and liquid adsorption technique), ecosystem carbon sinks (forest, farmland, and ocean); uncertainties involve stochastic electricity demand, CO2 emission allowance, CO2 emission coefficient, and other interval parameters, which are quantified as forty-five scenarios and three levels. Through the application in Fujian province (China), results disclose that: (i) combination of the reduction measures would help Fujian achieve carbon neutrality with minimized system cost by 2060, their contributions could averagely be ranked as electricity mix improvement (70.75%) > forest (6.03%) > monoethanolamine absorption (5.98%) > farmland (4.53%) > solid adsorption technique (3.83%) > membrane separation (3.45%) > ocean (3.35%) > liquid adsorption technique (2.08%); (ii) to guarantee electricity supply, total installed capacity should be expanded to [156.16, 197.78]GW, where low-carbon electricity (especially nuclear, wind and photovoltaic electricity) installed capacity would occupy [74.68, 76.66]% by conducting electricity mix improvement to reduce CO2 emission; (iii) the changes in electricity mix structure would lead to decreased water utilization (by [48.57, 61.54]%) and pollutant emissions (by [77.00, 87.35]%); (iv) uncertainties would significantly affect decisions about electricity generation and CO2-emission reduction, resulting in varied system costs (in a wide interval of [6.07, 9.16] × 1012 RMB¥). Authorities can choose appropriate schemes according to their risk attitudes towards uncertainties. Results provide scientific planning support for Fujian's electricity generation sector; meanwhile, the IDS-CEP model can also be used in other regions by updating data information.

Geospatial environmental techno-economic assessment of pretreatment technologies for bioethanol production

Second-generation biofuels, starting from lignocellulosic biomass, are considered as a renewable alternative for fossil fuels with lower environmental impact and potentially higher supply and energy security. The economic and environmental performance of second-generation bioethanol production from corn stover in the European Union (EU) is studied, starting in Belgium as base case. A comparative environmental techno-economic assessment has been conducted, with process simulations in Aspen Plus and corn stover availability data in thirteen EU countries to calculate minimum ethanol selling prices (MESP) and Greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe). In this analysis, the emphasis is on the comparison of different pretreatment technologies, namely (i) dilute acid, (ii) alkaline, (iii) steam explosion and (iv) liquid hot water. Dilute acid showed the best economic and environmental performance for the base case scenario. Within the EU, Hungary and Romania presented the lowest MESP for the steam explosion model at 0.39 and 0.43 EUR/L respectively. Poland showed the lowest GHGe, at 0.46 kg CO2eq/L for the alkaline model, mainly due to the avoided product allocation on electricity and its high carbon intensity in the electricity generation sector. The second lowest GHGe were obtained in France for the dilute acid model and are attributed to its low agricultural emissions intensity. This study identifies a location-dependence of the economic and environmental performance of pretreatment technologies, which can be extrapolated from the EU to other large regions around the world and should be taken into consideration by decision-makers.

Decarbonization of the electricity generation sector and its effects on sustainability goals

The substitution of fossil fuels, especially coal, with renewable energy is a crucial step for the CO2 emissions reduction and the avoidance of Global Climate Change. The electric power generation industry is the first economic sector that will have to transition to renewable energy. However, wind and solar energy, the two most abundant renewable energy forms, are not dispatchable. The high penetration of these renewables in the energy market will create a demand–supply mismatch, which can only be alleviated with large-scale energy storage. This paper uses the case of Texas—a state that generates and consumes more electricity than several large, industrialized nations—to quantitatively examine the required infrastructure for the decarbonization of the electricity generation industry, while satisfying the current electric power demand in the State. Among the parameters that are examined are: the additional solar and wind capacity; the necessary energy storage infrastructure; the energy dissipation in the storage/regeneration process; and the effect of decarbonization on the cost of electricity and the welfare of the citizens. The computations show that the technology is available for the transition to a decarbonized electric power sector but requires significant investment in new wind and photovoltaic units as well as substantial energy storage. This would increase the electricity prices by a factor between 2.9 and 3.7 and, would have a disproportionate impact on the citizens in the lower income brackets.

Contribution of renewable energy (hydro, wind, solar and biomass) to decarbonization and transformation of the electricity generation sector for sustainable development

Decarbonization of the energy sector to mitigate the consequences of climate change is possible by incorporating a greater share of electricity from renewable sources and thus reducing the share of fossil fuels in the energy mix, improving energy efficiency in general and increasing energy storage capacities. Renewable energies are increasingly permeating energy systems, causing significant shifts in the energy production mix. The success of transforming the electricity mix is dependent on the variability of renewable energy sources such as solar photovoltaic, wind, biomass, and hydro. The share of renewable sources in Romania’s energy mix was determined based on real data on electricity generation and consumption in 2019. However, the current electricity consumption has significantly surpassed the electricity produced from renewable sources. Specifically, the combined contribution of hydro, solar photovoltaic, wind, and biomass energy accounted for 39.86% of the total electricity consumption.

Hydrogen blending in Italian natural gas grid: Scenario analysis and LCA

In this paper, a detailed analysis of the impact of hydrogen blending in the natural gas grid in terms of potential increase of Intermittent Renewable Energy Source (IRES) penetration, increase of electrolyzer power installed, reduction of CO2 emission and environmental footprint, is provided formulating models in EnergyPLAN and OpenLCA software. The Italian energy system is taken as case-study. Three scenarios have been analysed: BASELINE scenario represents the current energy system; MID-SCENARIO foresees a total IRES capacity of 158.17 GW (x5 compared to 2019 capacity) derived from the capability to convert intermittent electricity surplus in hydrogen and inject it in the natural gas grid; in the END-SCENARIO, the IRES capacity is pushed up to 272.1 GW.The main outcomes of the study attest that blending of hydrogen in the natural gas grid leads to beneficial impacts in terms of environmental footprint. Considering the global energy system, hydrogen production and blending in the natural gas grid leads to a maximum decrease of 15% in CO2 emissions compared to 2019. The impact is significant but limited by a threshold in the maximum hydrogen amount that the gas distribution infrastructure can currently accept (hydrogen molar fraction <20%).Focusing the study on the electricity generation sector, the reduction of CO2 emissions reaches −66% in the END-SCENARIO. The LCA index “Fossil resource scarcity” is reduced by up to −77% due to the replacement of fossil fuels, starting from coal. On the other hand, the LCA category “Mineral scarcity” undergoes an increase (x3.03 in MID-SCENARIO, ×2.73 in END-SCENARIO) due to the large amounts of materials needed to manufacture the photovoltaic plants, wind farms and electrolyzers, such as copper, aluminum, platinum, nickel, titanium and silicon, exacerbating the critical materials issue.