the infuriating inconstancy of carbon emission factors
DESCRIPTION
The Infuriating Inconstancy of Carbon Emission Factors. Dr. Bob Everett Open University. The importance of getting the right numbers and accounting procedures. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
![Page 1: The Infuriating Inconstancy of Carbon Emission Factors](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062314/568134a2550346895d9ba381/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
The Infuriating Inconstancy of Carbon Emission Factors
Dr. Bob EverettOpen University
![Page 2: The Infuriating Inconstancy of Carbon Emission Factors](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062314/568134a2550346895d9ba381/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
It is essential that carbon counting is done properly. A decision that one number is larger than another may set off a whole train of policy action.
Just as the ‘financial engineering’ of a wind farm project may be as important as the nuts and bolts, so it will be with serious carbon counting.
The importance of getting the right numbers and accounting procedures
![Page 3: The Infuriating Inconstancy of Carbon Emission Factors](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062314/568134a2550346895d9ba381/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
The problem seems to be to get the numbers to lie down on the paper and stop wriggling.
![Page 4: The Infuriating Inconstancy of Carbon Emission Factors](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062314/568134a2550346895d9ba381/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
1. BIOFUELS Is all bio-ethanol equally green? Some figures on ethanol from maize and wood….
If you were offered a tanker-load of bio-ethanol could you be sure of its source?
![Page 5: The Infuriating Inconstancy of Carbon Emission Factors](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062314/568134a2550346895d9ba381/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
2. ELECTRICITY
SAP 2005 uses a carbon emission factor of 0.422 kg CO2/kWh for electricity consumed 0.568 kg CO2/kWh for electricity ‘displaced from the grid’
The current average UK factor is probably about 0.54 kg CO2/kWh
It would be nice to have just one number.
Alas - it’s all rather complicated...
![Page 6: The Infuriating Inconstancy of Carbon Emission Factors](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062314/568134a2550346895d9ba381/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
The demand on the grid varies over the year….
![Page 7: The Infuriating Inconstancy of Carbon Emission Factors](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062314/568134a2550346895d9ba381/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
And different plant is brought in to supply the load...
Source: Peacock & Newborough
![Page 8: The Infuriating Inconstancy of Carbon Emission Factors](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062314/568134a2550346895d9ba381/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
Source: Bettle, Pout & Hitchen
The higher the load on the grid, the higher its carbon intensity
![Page 9: The Infuriating Inconstancy of Carbon Emission Factors](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062314/568134a2550346895d9ba381/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
Pithy Questions:
Should a saved kilowatt hour be credited with cutting transmission losses from the power station?
Is a saved kilowatt hour an ‘average’ one or a ‘marginal’ one?
What happens if gas prices go up?
![Page 10: The Infuriating Inconstancy of Carbon Emission Factors](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062314/568134a2550346895d9ba381/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
Where have we come from and where are we going to?
Source: Batey & Pout, 2005
![Page 11: The Infuriating Inconstancy of Carbon Emission Factors](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062314/568134a2550346895d9ba381/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
3. COMBINED HEAT AND POWER GENERATION
Low carbon heat
or
Low carbon electricity?
![Page 12: The Infuriating Inconstancy of Carbon Emission Factors](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062314/568134a2550346895d9ba381/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
CHP plants produce both electricity and heat. Their overall fuel efficiency is higher than electricity-only power stations.
It is a low carbon technology, but which does it produce - low carbon heat or low carbon electricity?
![Page 13: The Infuriating Inconstancy of Carbon Emission Factors](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062314/568134a2550346895d9ba381/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
We could take waste heat from a large power station (such as Barking). Doing this will reduce the generation efficiency slightly, so we could see this as ‘low carbon heat’.
This could be used as an alternative to embarking on expensive retrofit insulation in local housing.
![Page 14: The Infuriating Inconstancy of Carbon Emission Factors](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062314/568134a2550346895d9ba381/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
What about a Stirling engine domestic micro-CHP unit? This is essentially a gas boiler that makes some electricity as well.
Shouldn’t this be seen as something that provides ‘normal’ gas fuelled heat but ‘low carbon electricity’?
![Page 15: The Infuriating Inconstancy of Carbon Emission Factors](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022062314/568134a2550346895d9ba381/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
Between these two extremes are a host of other types of CHP plant and potential ‘disharmonies’ between the UK assessment method (CHPQA) and the European Co-generation Directive assessment method.
A lot of further research and discussion will be needed…….