Full cost accounting for the life cycle of coal

Epstein, Paul R.; Buonocore, Jonathan J.; Eckerle, Kevin; Hendryx, Michael; Stout, Benjamin M.; Heinberg, Richard; Clapp, Richard; May, Beverly; Reinhart, Nancy L.; Ahern, Melissa M.; Doshi, Samir; Glustrom, Leslie

doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2010.05890.x

Cited by 268 publications

(193 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…A recent study from the Harvard School of Public Health estimated that coal costs the U.S. public an additional US$300-500 million annually. 4 Including these damages would double or triple the price per kilowatt-hour of electricity generated from coal, making photovoltaics economically competitive.…”

Section: Economicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability metrics for extending thin-film photovoltaics to terawatt levels

Fthenakis

2012

MRS Bull.

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Section: Economicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability metrics for extending thin-film photovoltaics to terawatt levels

Fthenakis

2012

MRS Bull.

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“…It is important to consider the entire life cycle and environmental costs of PV power compared to electricity produced from coal. The environmental cost of PV systems over their entire lifecycle is an order of magnitude lower than a coal power station in terms of greenhouse gas emissions (Peng et al 2013;Epstein et al 2011) and other reduced environmental and human impacts associated with non-renewable energy sources (Spath et al 1999). The successful application of the BMS combined with the solar PV has highlighted the opportunity to expand the PV system at the Aquarium if a larger TES is added, delaying the need for electrical battery storage.…”

Section: Renewable Energymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An increase in renewable energy systems throughout Australia is expected to reduce grid energy use, life cycle costs for energy generation, transport and transmission (Stoppato 2008;Epstein et al 2011;Garnaut 2011). In 2011, the Aquarium installed the second largest (at that time) rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) system in north Queensland, where conditions are geographically ideal.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimising energy use in an existing commercial building: a case study of Australia’s Reef HQ Aquarium

Thyer

Thomas

McClintock³

et al. 2017

Energy Efficiency

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Reef HQ Aquarium is a major tourism attraction in tropical North Queensland, Australia. In 8 years, a 50% reduction in grid electricity was achieved through targeted infrastructure investment, whilst growing the business. Initially, grid energy consumption was 2438 MWh per annum, with 490-kW peak demand and energy intensity of 1625 MJ m −2 year −1 used on typical equipment such as HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), machinery, lighting and catering equipment. Savings of 13% were achieved in the first year by increasing indoor air temperature set-points by 1.5°C with no significant costs or impacts on occupant thermal comfort or worker productivity. Peak demand was decreased by 46% by upgrading the computerised building management system (BMS), HVAC, machinery and lighting; and by installing a 206-kW photovoltaic (PV) solar power system. This case study illustrates that (a) significant energy use reductions are possible at low cost; (b) capital investment in energy-efficient infrastructure can have short payback times and high direct and indirect benefits, particularly where equipment is ending its life. This study is unique as it examines how a commercial building with integrated chilled water thermal energy storage (TES) and a 3.2-ML chilled seawater aquarium system can be controlled by a BMS to optimise solar power to manage peak energy demand and also increase the utilisation of generated PV power in the absence of electrical battery storage. An interesting building is used to demonstrate efficiency methods with elements such as HVAC and lighting which usually consume over half commercial buildings' energy use.

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“…The entire chain of coal-based electricity generation is thus associated with dire impacts. 6 However, research has mainly focused on the externalities of the combustion process both internationally 7,8 and locally [9][10][11][12][13] . In addition, the emphasis, even within this phase, is on human health and climate change impacts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Externality costs of the coal-fuel cycle: The case of Kusile Power Station

Nkambule¹,

Blignaut²

2017

S. Afr. J. Sci.

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ARTICLE INCLUDES: Supplementary material × Data set FUNDING:National Research Foundation (South Africa) Coal-based electricity is an integral part of daily life in South Africa and globally. However, the use of coal for electricity generation carries a heavy cost for social and ecological systems that goes far beyond the price we pay for electricity. We developed a model based on a system dynamics approach for understanding the measurable and quantifiable coal-fuel cycle burdens and externality costs, over the lifespan of a supercritical coal-fired power station that is fitted with a flue-gas desulfurisation device (i.e. Kusile Power Station). The total coal-fuel cycle externality cost on both the environment and humans over Kusile's lifespan was estimated at ZAR1 449.9 billion to ZAR3 279 billion or 91c/kWh to 205c/kWh sent out (baseline: ZAR2 172.7 billion or 136c/kWh). Accounting for the life-cycle burdens and damages of coal-derived electricity conservatively, doubles to quadruples the price of electricity, making renewable energy sources such as wind and solar attractive alternatives. Significance:• The use of coal for electricity generation carries a heavy cost for social and ecological systems that goes far beyond the price we pay for electricity.• The estimation of social costs is particularly important to the electric sector because of non-differentiation of electricity prices produced from a variety of sources with potentially very dissimilar environmental and human health costs.• Because all electricity generation technologies are associated with undesirable side effects in their fuelcycle and lifespan, comprehensive comparative analyses of life-cycle costs of all power generation technologies is indispensable to guide the development of future energy policies in South Africa.

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Full cost accounting for the life cycle of coal

Cited by 268 publications

References 66 publications

Sustainability metrics for extending thin-film photovoltaics to terawatt levels

Sustainability metrics for extending thin-film photovoltaics to terawatt levels

Optimising energy use in an existing commercial building: a case study of Australia’s Reef HQ Aquarium

Externality costs of the coal-fuel cycle: The case of Kusile Power Station

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