Environmental Impacts Of Renewable Energy Research Articles

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF ELECTRICITY GENERATION FROM BIOGAS IN PALESTINE

In Palestine, the energy situation is unique compared to other Middle Eastern Countries, as there are technical and political challenges for transporting, storing, importing and exporting energy. Actually, energy import from Israel meets the major share of Palestinian energy needs. Palestinian reliance on Israel concerning its energy supply is an issue due to the political situation. Furthermore, from an environmental point of view, Israel predominantly relies on fossil fuels for its own electricity production; therefore, renewable energy production in Palestine can represent a solution to environmental concerns. With regard to electricity (EE) generation, Anaerobic Digestion (AD) of biomass and/or Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste (OFMSW) can be a particularly suitable solution when realized in small and local plants. In this study, the environmental impact of electricity generation from two Anaerobic Digestion (AD) plants in Palestine was evaluated, using the Life Cycle Assessment methodology. In both of them, the produced biogas is used to feed a CHP engine and the generated electricity is put into the grid. The first pilot plant, located in Dura (Governatorate of Hebron), is fed with animal manure and other urban waste; the second is in Bethlehem and mainly fed with OFMSW. For both AD plants, the results show that: 1) the produced EE has a lower environmental impact respect to that imported from Israel, 2) the main environmental hotspots are: digestate emissions, electricity and diesel consumption and emissions from biogas combustion.

Environmental management with the use of LCA in the Polish energy system

The article presents an assessment of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and pointed out its advantages in the analysis of the environmental impact of electricity generation. The article also points to the direction of development of the Polish energy sector and pointed out the need to determine the environmental risks associated with the production of electricity. The use of coal and lignite as the primary fuel causes a significant burden on the environment. An analysis by the method of LCA based on data obtained from two Polish power plants. The results were compared and identified the cause of the existing differences in the results obtained. The article sets out the actions that contributed to reduce the negative impact on the environment, taking place during the production of electricity.

Can Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage from Power Plants Reduce the Environmental Impact of Electricity Generation?

Carbon dioxide capture and storage has been presented as a necessary component of energy plans, because it is presumed to deliver significant environmental benefits. In this study, we systematically evaluate the environmental impact of electricity generated by natural gas and coal power plants with selected CO2 capture technologies with and without CO2 storage. To examine uncertainties that could arise from the provided environmental impacts of the applied methodology of life cycle assessment, we perform sensitivity analyses of important parameters over a large range of values. In addition, a sensitivity analysis of the thermodynamic efficiencies allows evaluation of power plants with different thermodynamic performances. We find that, in plants using either natural gas or coal, post-combustion capture results in a higher environmental impact per MWh than that of business-as-usual (i.e., no CO2 capture). Furthermore, chemical looping combustion only marginally decreases the environmental impact of electri...

Environmental impact assessment of three coal-based electricity generation scenarios in China

A life cycle assessment was conducted out to estimate the environmental impact of three coal-based electricity generation scenarios commonly used or encouraged in China, namely, sub-critical technology (300 MW), supercritical technology (600 MW), and ultra-supercritical technology (1000 MW). Compared with other scenarios, the ultra-supercritical technology accounted for significantly environmental benefits in most categories, except in the natural land occupation category because of the landfill disposal of coal ash. Optimizing net coal consumption efficiency, reusing coal ash as building material, increasing desulfurization and denitrization system efficiency, and decreasing the road transport distance from coal buyer to supplier are key factors in reducing the overall environmental impact of electricity generation.

Inevitability of Nuclear Power in the Asian Region

The Asian region, most populous and fastest growing in terms of economic growth, has countries with lowest per capita energy/electricity consumption. Barring the Middle East, the rest of the region is, by and large, modest in conventional energy resources. This is also a region where large sections of population suffer from income inequality and inadequate economic development. Economic growth and quality of life of a population depend heavily on per capita availability of energy/electricity, and thus there is an urgent need to increase the per capita electricity production/consumption in the region. Unlike in the past, it is the Asian region that is poised to dwarf the today's developed world in new capacity addition in the coming years. This fact alone asks for sensible choices to be made. Also, the Asian region is quite vulnerable to the effects of climate change, given the geography and population distribution. Today, governments must seriously consider the environmental impact of electricity generation, in order to help mitigate global warming and its consequences. Nuclear power, being environmentally benign, affords sustainability at the very outset. But that's not all. The other compelling reasons in favour of nuclear power are its compact nature as a source of energy and the promise of long-term energy security. Nuclear power is, therefore, inevitable for the region. Recognising this, the rapidly developing countries in the region – such as India and China – are pursuing ambitious nuclear power programmes, while several other countries in the region are also planning to embark on the nuclear power route for electricity generation. As nuclear power is inherently technology-intensive, there is a need for greater cooperation, to reach out to countries that presently do not have the technology base for starting nuclear power programmes on their own. Even in the countries with established commercial nuclear power programmes, there is a need to reach out to the people to demonstrate the merits, safety aspects and economic competitiveness of nuclear power, and also the role of nuclear power in the preservation of the environment. The imperatives of the current scenario warrant building confidence among the people regarding nuclear power through sharing of credible information on all its aspects to remove misconceptions. This paper describes the current scenario, key issues, challenges and possible ways to address them. The paper also briefly describes the Indian nuclear power programme for being the second-most aggressive player in the nuclear arena in this region, after China.

Electrifying integration: Electricity production and the South East Europe regional energy market

The paper provides an overview of the generation of electricity in 10 countries in South East Europe during 1995–2004. Using the latest available statistics, we explore the potential of the nascent integration of the electricity markets in South East Europe. We conduct a cross-country analysis of electricity production based on different types of fuel used. The region has a low level of gasification combined with few nuclear power generation facilities, while some countries heavily rely on hydro electric generation. Differences in countries' resource endowment and the possibility of intertemporal substitution between electricity generated from various fuels could stimulate a regional trade in electricity. As an alternative to nationally independent energy policy, regional trade could displace a proportion of the substantial investment in generation facilities required to avert serious supply shortages. Finally, we consider the environmental impact of electricity generation, and identify some of the key trade-offs between different policy objectives.

Sustainability and Environmental Impact of Renewable Energy Resources (Eds R. E. Hester and R. M. Harrison)

Edited by R. E. Hester and R. M. HarrisonRoyal Society of Chemistry,Cambridge 2003, 140 pp.ISBN 0-85404-290-3Softcover, £45

Electricity's hidden costs

The environmental impact of electricity generation is not reflected in current market prices. In this paper, the author outlines the implications of a major European study aimed at assessing electricity's environmental externalities.

Multiple criteria decision making and risk analysis as risk management tools for power systems planning

Uncertainties in power systems planning are getting more important nowadays due to the liberalization of the electricity industry and the increasing concern for the environmental impact of electricity generation. This paper presents an electricity planning model which deals with uncertainty and its associated risk at two levels: at the first level, by minimizing environmental risk through a multiple-criteria model; and at the second level, by performing a risk analysis consistent with the multiple criteria model used before, and which applies classical decision rules for selecting the best planning strategy under uncertainty. Results show that the incorporation of additional criteria produce much more flexible and efficient strategies, which greatly reduce environmental risk at a little cost increment, while the risk analysis process selects flexible and robust strategies for the scenarios analyzed.

Multiple Criteria Decision-Making and Risk Analysis as Risk Management Tools for Power Systems Planning

Uncertainties in power systems planning are gaining importance due to the liberalization of the electricity industry and the increasing concem for the environmental impact of electricity generation. This paper presents an electricity planning model that deals with uncertainty and its associated risk at two levels: at the first level, by minimizing environmental risk through a multiple-criteria model; at the second level, by perfonning a risk analysis consistent with the multiple criteria model used before and which applies classical decision rules for selecting the best planning strategy under uncertainty. Results show that the incorporation of additional criteria produce much more flexible and efficient strategies, which greatly reduce environmental risk at a little cost increment while the risk analysis process selects flexible and robust strategies for the scenarios analyzed.

Environmental impact of electricity generation

Energy is the basis of economic growth and economic growth is essential for human development. Energy demand is driven by population increases, living standards and industrialization. Energy supply is constrained by resource availability and environmental impact. How will the world population increase and how much energy will be needed? The best projections indicate a population of between 9 and 13 billion by 2100 and an energy demand at least 3 times and more likely 5 times that of today. Electricity will become increasingly important in the energy mix.