System-Wide Emissions Implications of Increased Wind Power Penetration

Valentino, Lauren; Valenzuela, Viviana; Botterud, Audun; Zhou, Zhi; Conzelmann, Guenter

doi:10.1021/es2038432

Cited by 60 publications

(48 citation statements)

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“…Emissions due to partload operation were 2 to 6 times higher than those from start-up. This is consistent with [10], and in contrast with the findings of [11], highlighting how cycling emissions are specific to each power system. In the current study, not accounting for cycling emissions would not have changed the ranking of the alternative scenarios.…”

Section: Emissions From Cyclingsupporting

confidence: 84%

“…Many studies in recent years have assessed the technical feasibility of power systems with large shares of renewables [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11], nevertheless the environmental impacts for such systems have only partially been assessed, focusing predominantly on direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at the power plant level. Tonini & Astrup [12] is the only study that the authors are aware of which assesses the environmental impacts over the entire life cycle of a power system with a high penetration of renewables.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A common approach within LCA is to identify the emission per unit of energy generated [22]; emissions induced by variable renewables through cycling of fossil power plants are, therefore, usually not included, and have only recently been discussed [9-11, 21, 23]. This study followed the approach outlined in [9][10][11], which analyzed entire energy systems and recognized that aggregation reduced both variability of wind power and cycling requirements of the dispatchable power plant fleet. However [9][10][11] only assessed direct emissions, i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This study followed the approach outlined in [9][10][11], which analyzed entire energy systems and recognized that aggregation reduced both variability of wind power and cycling requirements of the dispatchable power plant fleet. However [9][10][11] only assessed direct emissions, i.e. at the power plant stack.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Emissions from cycling of thermal power plants in electricity systems with high penetration of wind power: Life cycle assessment for Ireland

et al. 2014

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Publication information Applied Energy, 131 : 1-8Publisher ElsevierItem record/more information http://hdl.handle.net/10197/8075 Publisher's statementThis is the author's version of a work that was accepted for publication in Applied Energy. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Applied Energy (VOL 131, ISSUE 2014, (2014 AbstractThe increase of renewable sources in the power sector is an important step towards more sustainable electricity production. However, introducing high shares of variable renewables, such as wind and solar, cause dispatchable power plants to vary their output to fulfill the remaining electrical demand. The environmental impacts relating to potential future energy systems in Ireland for 2025 with high shares of wind power were evaluated using life cycle assessment (LCA), focusing on cycling emissions (due to partload operation and start-ups) from dispatchable generators. Part-load operations significantly affect the average power plant efficiency, with all units seeing an average yearly efficiency noticeably less than optimal. In particular, load following units, on average, saw an 11% reduction. Given that production technologies are typically modeled assuming steady-state operation at full load, as part of LCA of electricity generation, the efficiency reduction would result in large underestimation of emissions, e.g. up to 65% for an oil power plant. Overall, cycling emissions accounted for less than 7% of lifecycle CO 2 , NO x and SO 2 emissions in the five scenarios considered: while not overbalancing the benefits from increasing wind energy, cycling emissions are not negligible and should be systematically included (i.e. by using emission factors per unit of fuel input rather than per unit of power generated). As the ability to cycle is an additional service provided by a power plant, it is also recommended that only units with similar roles (load following, mid merit, or base load) should be compared. The results showed that cycling emissions increased with the installed wind capacity, but decreased with the addition of storage. The latter benefits can, however, only be obtained if base-load electricity production shifts to a cleaner source than coal. Finally, the present study indicates that, in terms of emission reductions, the priority for Ireland is to phase out coal-based power plants. While investing in new storage capacity reduces system operating costs at high wind penetrations and limits cycling, the emissions reductions are somewhat negated when coupled with base load coal. KeywordsLife cycle assessment (LCA), energy modeling, power plant cycling, wind power, renewable energy system, emission factors Highlights  Environmental impact of a power system with a high share of wind power assessed  Cyc...

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Section: Emissions From Cyclingsupporting

confidence: 84%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Emissions from cycling of thermal power plants in electricity systems with high penetration of wind power: Life cycle assessment for Ireland

et al. 2014

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“…Previous research has explored the emissions implications of renewable energy (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7). The US Department of Energy estimates that achieving 20% wind penetration in the United States would reduce CO 2 emissions by 825 million metric tons by 2030 (1).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Regional variations in the health, environmental, and climate benefits of wind and solar generation

Siler-Evans¹,

Azevedo²,

Morgan³

et al. 2013

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

159

117

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When wind or solar energy displace conventional generation, the reduction in emissions varies dramatically across the United States. Although the Southwest has the greatest solar resource, a solar panel in New Jersey displaces significantly more sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter than a panel in Arizona, resulting in 15 times more health and environmental benefits. A wind turbine in West Virginia displaces twice as much carbon dioxide as the same turbine in California. Depending on location, we estimate that the combined health, environmental, and climate benefits from wind or solar range from $10/MWh to $100/MWh, and the sites with the highest energy output do not yield the greatest social benefits in many cases. We estimate that the social benefits from existing wind farms are roughly 60% higher than the cost of the Production Tax Credit, an important federal subsidy for wind energy. However, that same investment could achieve greater health, environmental, and climate benefits if it were differentiated by region.

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Location or insolation: the importance of siting in emissions mitigation from solar photovoltaics

Johnson

2017

WIREs Energy & Environment

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Achieving environmental benefits is often a primary motivation for integrating renewable energy into the grid. The magnitude of generation from a solar power project is influenced by the solar resource quality, but locations with high insolation do not necessarily yield the greatest emission reduction benefits. This study simulates the power system response to 10 identical solar projects in different regions across the United States, selected to represent a wide range of solar resource quality and power grid configurations. The power grid mix is often a key determinant in offsetting CO2 , SO2 , and NOx emissions, illustrating how lower‐quality solar resources can be more effective than sunnier sites at emissions mitigation when one considers characteristics of the power grid. The analysis shows a strong relationship between emissions mitigation and the share of offset generation that is coal‐fired. The strongest correlation is shown for CO2 ; the presence or absence of emissions control equipment and the sulfur content of the coal complicates the relationship of SO2 and NOx . The emissions intensity of offset generation is insensitive to whether the solar project is fixed tilt or single‐axis tracking. When seeking to mitigate power sector emissions, the impacts of solar design considerations on the temporal profile of generation are less important than the overall amount of generation and the location of interconnection. Public policies that target only the magnitude of generation from renewables (e.g., many Renewable Portfolio Standards) or the installed cost (e.g., the Investment Tax Credit) will likely lead to suboptimal emissions mitigation. WIREs Energy Environ 2017, 6:e249. doi: 10.1002/wene.249 This article is categorized under: Photovoltaics > Climate and Environment Energy and Development > Systems and Infrastructure

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System-Wide Emissions Implications of Increased Wind Power Penetration

Cited by 60 publications

References 10 publications

Emissions from cycling of thermal power plants in electricity systems with high penetration of wind power: Life cycle assessment for Ireland

Emissions from cycling of thermal power plants in electricity systems with high penetration of wind power: Life cycle assessment for Ireland

Regional variations in the health, environmental, and climate benefits of wind and solar generation

Location or insolation: the importance of siting in emissions mitigation from solar photovoltaics

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