Life cycle analysis of external costs of a parabolic trough Concentrated Solar Power plant (original) (raw)
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SOLARPACES 2018: International Conference on Concentrating Solar Power and Chemical Energy Systems
The recent signing of outstanding power purchase agreements (PPA's), as part of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Program (REI4P) in South Africa (SA), was received with mixed reactions. While the renewable energy sector and agencies involved in sustainable development applauded the courage of the SA government, the signing was fiercely challenged with industrial actions by local labour unions for the fear of job losses. Wind, Solar PV and Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) dominated the signed PPAs and are thus perceived as major threats to current powersector labour in SA. Although, the SA court had thrown out the cases against the signed IPPs, it is important to understand the impact of the specific renewable energy technology (RET) on the economy, trade and the local jobs. This study assesses the SA local manufacturing capabilities for CSP related services, and analysed the economic impact of CSP adoption. An expert elicitation was carried out and the strength and the challenges were identified, the economic and social benefits of improvements were estimated, including the employment opportunities, and the overall impacts on trade and economy. It was also found that an increase in CSP manufacturing capability could only be achieved in an emerging market such as SA, if the local economy benefits directly from the deployment of CSP.
External Effects of Renewable Energy Projects: Life Cycle Analysis-Based Approach
International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, 2019
Nowadays planning and developing of innovative renewable energy projects across the globe imply calculation and consideration of negative environmental effects not only at the stage of utilization but also at the stage of manufacturing and disposal. Thus, the modern practice of environmental management on a regional level requires the more widespread introduction of life cycle analysis. The aim of the present paper is to develop an environmental effects evaluation methodology based on ecological impact categories through all the stages of lifecycle of renewable energy technologies. We used DEA-based calculation of the efficiency score for each renewable energy technology. EcoInvent database which rests on CML 2001 methodology has been chosen as a source of eco-indicators. We suppose, the efficiency ratio will remain unchanged, when transferring estimates of the life cycle of renewable energy facilities to another territory. This allows us to use data obtained in other regions of the world, to extrapolate comparative assessments and make the choice of the most environmentally preferable technology. The input-oriented DEA modelling has demonstrated geothermal and biogas technologies are the most preferable from an environmental point of view with the highest possible score. The least effective technologies are both modifications of PV with the minimum efficiency score. The results of the presented work might be useful for decision-and policymakers for a more consistent planning and energy strategy deployment.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ANALYSIS OF CONCENTRATED SOLAR POWER PLANTS IN MOROCCO
IAEME Publication, 2020
Many countries all over the world have started to massively introduce renewable energy sources as clean alternatives to conventional energy sources. These technologies are expected to reduce pollution and dependence on fossil fuels. Indeed, the objective of introducing these alternative energy sources is to switch to more sustainable ones that would not compromise the capability of future generations to meet their own energy requirements. However, not many studies have been conducted to illustrate the impact of those renewable energy sources on the environment. Therefore, it is necessary to study their impact taking into consideration all stages of the life cycle of the power plant: the extraction of raw materials, construction of components, installation, operation and maintenance of the plant; and the end of life including waste management. This study focuses on one renewable energy source, which is Concentrated Solar Power (CSP). The approach used is a life cycle analysis of a CSP power plant located in Morocco using a software (OpenLCA) and supported by studies performed from the literature review. The results show that the phase that has the most impact on the environmental performance is the extraction and manufacturing phase followed by operation and maintenance phase. In addition, the environmental category that is most impacted by the technology is the land transformation. The land and soils are significantly impacted and become prone to erosion, temperature change and biodiversity change. Still, the impact is less significant that the adverse environmental impact that arises from conventional energy sources. Moreover, the calculated energy payback time for this case is 15 months, which is considerably less than the energy payback time required from other power plants. Areas of future research have been identified to be able to mitigate the impact of CSP power plants on the soils and to decrease the impact of the material extraction and manufacturing phase on the environment.
Exergetic and environmental life cycle assessment analysis of concentrated solar power plants
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2016
The study addresses an exergetic analysis combined with a Life Cycle Assessment of concentrated solar power (CSP) plants. This work is focused on 50 MW parabolic-trough plants; its main objectives are: 1) to assess the environmental impact and cost, in terms of exergy for the entire life cycle of the plant; 2) to find out the weak points of the process; and 3) to verify whether solar power plants have the potential of reducing environmental pollution and the cost of electricity generation. The economic evaluation is presented through a thermoeconomic analysis conducted using the specific exergy cost (SPECO) approach. The main findings of the study are that the solar field is the component with the most important contribution towards environmental impact (79%). Out of the material used in the construction of the CSP plants, the one with the highest impact is steel followed by molten salt and synthetic oil. The "Human Health" damage category presents the highest impact (69%), followed by "Resource" damage category (24%) and "Ecosystem Quality" damage category (7%). The highest exergy demand lies with the steel manufacturing (47% out of the total demand). The solar field presents the largest value of cost rate, where the boiler is a component with the highest cost rate among the power cycle components followed by the condenser.
Economic Evaluation of Sectoral Emission Reduction Objectives for Climate Change
Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies - 6th International Conference, 2003
On its way to its current form this report has received significant input from a considerable number of experts. In particular, a panel of experts in Brussels discussed a draft version of the report on March 29, 2000 (see Annex 1 for a list of names), and made a number of specific and more general comments and suggestions. The authors would like to thank these people for their valuable inputs into this study. It was attempted to consider their suggestions wherever possible.
A Closer Look at the Environmental Impact of Solar and Wind Energy
Global Challenges
because of its significant environmental impact that goes against sustainability and energy targets set for the next decades by countries worldwide. [4,5] Natural gas plants emit approximately one-third of the greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted by conventional coal-fired plants. [6] In 2018, 70% of the emissions in the power sector were released by coal-fired power plants. This corresponded to approximately 29% of the global CO 2 emissions. Transportation, largely based on oil, was the second most polluting sector in 2018. [2,4] With regard to nuclear power, its low cost and greenhouse gas emissions make it an attractive energy source. However, the radioactive waste and the possibility of a nuclear accident hinder its wider adaptation. [5] Among the main types of renewable energy sources (RES), hydropower, wind and solar energy are the most prominent. Hydroelectricity is very efficient and widely deployed, with the highest production share among all renewable technologies. [7] The great potential of wind and solar energy systems, however, is expected to increase the importance of these technologies in the future energy mix. [8,9] An overview of the state-of-the-art of the main RES types and their basic characteristics can be found in Appendix A. Today, there is a worldwide push towards the decarbonization of the power and transport sectors. The European Commission has set long-term energy goals to be climate-neutral in the next three decades. [10] By 2030, the share of renewables in the EU must be 32.5% and the GHG emissions must be decreased by 55%, compared to 1990 levels. Additionally, a 32.5% improvement in energy efficiency must be achieved by that time. [11] To set correct goals for a sustainable energy sector, it is necessary to thoroughly study the construction-and operationrelated environmental impact of renewable and non-renewable energy sources (NRES). A well-defined comparative analysis between the total environmental impact of RES and NRES under similar conditions is still missing. The aim of this study is to critically compare the environmental performance of wind, solar, and fossil fuel plants, including all relevant life cycle stages. On the side of RES, the focus is on manufacturing, construction, and installation. Indirect impacts, like noise or animal disturbance, that intrinsically come with the deployment of renewable energy are not accounted for in this study. With NRES, on the other hand, the focus is mainly on the operation of the plant that is the primary source of emissions. [12-14] Moving towards a sustainable society implies constant improvement in the way energy is supplied and consumed, with wider implementation of solar and wind energy facilities in stand-alone or hybrid configurations. The goal of this work is to evaluate the lifecycle performance (construction and operationrelated impact) of large-scale solar and wind energy systems and to compare it with conventional coal and natural gas fossil fuel plants under similar conditions. Environmental analyses of energy conversion systems today usually neglect the construction-related environmental impact of fossil fuel plants, because it is significantly smaller than the impact related to the operation of the plant. However, the construction of large-scale renewable plants implies the use of rare materials, transport-related emissions, and other environmentally impactful activities. The plants evaluated here are configured and compared for similar emissions and similar power output. It is found that the life-cycle environmental impact of the renewable plants could, in some specific cases, exceed that of the fossil fuel plants. Understanding the reasons behind this and the possible limitations of the different technologies can help plan for sustainable energy systems in the future. Finally, solutions to minimize the impact of renewable energy are proposed for more environmentally friendly implementation and future research.
Understanding Full Life-cycle Sustainability Impacts of Energy Alternatives
Energy Procedia, 2017
Pragmatic and reliable methods for assessing sustainability remain difficult for many organizations. Further, understanding the three elements of sustainability over the full life cycle of products and processes is essential. In some cases, understanding environmental issues is the easiest area. However, economic and social issues are less well understood. Life Cycle Sustainability Analysis is a framework for reviewing all three areas and enabling not only full coverage but understanding balancing and interactions between the elements. This paper reviews the three elements of sustainability, life cycle assessment, and analysis and evaluation of the three elements over a life cycle. These frameworks will be described so as to facilitate development of ways to help decision makers present proposals and illustrate results. Means are presented to enable illustration of findings to both expert and non-expert audiences. Specifically, uses of the life cycle sustainability triangle and the life cycle sustainability dashboard will presented. Examples will be presented for a comparison of solar PV panels. Other examples include alternative energy sources in Mexico to 2050, contrasting alternative vehicles, and electricity scenarios in the UK to 2070. The paper is intended to help practitioners better understand linkages between the three elements of sustainability and ways to analyze them.
Environmental impacts energy production
The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) was attended by approximately 21 000 international delegates in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2002. The aim was to institute ecologically sound environmental management. Research has shown that fossil fuel or coal fired power plants are the major cause of air pollution in electricity generation. This paper seeks to show technologies that can contribute to reducing the environmental impacts of electricity production, via emission control systems, industry energy policy, renewable energy technologies etc. and the promotion of active research and development in alternative energy applications in Africa. Innovative energy technology research and development and applications such as smaller scale distributed generation and solid state lighting (SSL) are seen as capable of adding a positive contribution in this area.