Environmental implications of decarbonising electricity supply in large economies: The case of Mexico

Abstract

a b s t r a c tDriven by the security of supply and climate change concerns, decarbonisation of energy supply has become a priority for many countries. This study focuses on Mexico, the world's 14th largest economy, and considers the environmental implications of decarbonising its electricity supply. Eleven scenarios are considered for the year 2050 with different technology mixes and GHG reduction targets, ranging from stabilisation at the year 2000 level to a reduction of 60-85%. Unlike most energy scenario analyses which focus mainly on direct CO 2 or GHG emissions, this paper presents the full life cycle impacts of electricity generation in 2050 considering ten environmental impacts which, in addition to global warming, include resource and ozone layer depletion, acidification, eutrophication, summer smog, human and ecotoxicity. The results indicate that continuing with business as usual (BAU) would double the current life cycle GHG emissions, even if annual electricity demand growth was reduced to 2.25% from the current 2.8%. Switching from the current fossil fuel mix to a higher contribution of renewables (55-86%) and nuclear power (up to 30%) would lead to a significant reduction of all ten life cycle impacts compared to the current situation and up to an 80% reduction compared to BAU.

Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Costing of a SOFC system for distributed power generation

“…A life-cycle approach is in fact required to reveal the sustainability of an option without disregarding any burden shift [11]. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is the environmental management tool that enables quantification of environmental burdens along the life cycle of both renewable and fossil fuel based systems [12,13], so as to assist in a rational choice of technical solutions for power generation [14,15]. Owing to the inclusion of the input and output flows associated with the process, a very attractive feature of LCA is the emphasis on environmental impact rather than emissions as a means of comparing different alternatives [16].…”

Performance assessment of water reuse strategies using integrated framework of urban water metabolism and water-energy-pollution nexus

“…The electricity required for the UWS operation in the case study is supplied from the grid and less than 1% is generated onsite by the biogas produced in the WWTW. Grid electricity in Mexico is mainly sourced by fossil fuels, 87% gas and coal and 13% other sources (Santoyo-Castelazo et al 2014). As the wastewater inflow to the WWTW is reduced due to the implementation of decentralised strategies, the proportion of renewable energy produced is reduced in these strategies, as shown in Fig.…”

Consequences of the National Energy Strategy in the Mexican Energy System: Analyzing Strategic Indicators with an Optimization Energy Model

“…Santoyo-Castelazo et al [19] evaluate prospective scenarios for the decarbonization of the power system in Mexico by 2050. Different technology combinations are used to get lower levels of emissions.…”