Using market-based dispatching with environmental price signals to reduce emissions and water use at power plants in the Texas grid

Alhajeri, Nawaf S.; Donohoo, Pearl; Stillwell, Ashlynn S.; King, Cary W.; Webster, Mort; Webber, Michael E.; Allen, David T.

doi:10.1088/1748-9326/6/4/044018

Cited by 21 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…In the Texas electrical grid, operated by the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), coal-based generation decreased from 37% of generation in 2008to 24% in 2014(ERCOT, 2009. In ERCOT, natural gas-fired units generally have lower air pollutant emissions per kilowatt hour of generation, relative to the coal plants, so when lower natural gas prices drive shifts from coal-based generation to natural gas-based generation, emissions of NO x , particulate matter (PM), sulfur oxides (SO x ), and carbon dioxide decrease (Alhajeri et al, 2011). Pacsi et al (2013 have modeled the electricity generation shifts, from coal to natural gas, that would be expected in ERCOT as natural gas prices change from $7.74 per million BTU (a representative price from 2006 to 2008), to $3.87 per million BTU, $2.88 per million BTU (an average price in late 2012) and $1.89 per million BTU (the price in late 2015, and a price equivalent to coal on an energy basis).…”

Section: Life Cycle Impactsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emissions from oil and gas operations in the United States and their air quality implications

Allen

2016

Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association

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The energy supply infrastructure in the United States has been changing dramatically over the past decade. Increased production of oil and natural gas, particularly from shale resources using horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, made the United States the world's largest producer of oil and natural gas in 2014. This review examines air quality impacts, specifically, changes in greenhouse gas, criteria air pollutant, and air toxics emissions from oil and gas production activities that are a result of these changes in energy supplies and use. National emission inventories indicate that volatile organic compound (VOC) and nitrogen oxide (NO x ) emissions from oil and gas supply chains in the United States have been increasing significantly, whereas emission inventories for greenhouse gases have seen slight declines over the past decade. These emission inventories are based on counts of equipment and operational activities (activity factors), multiplied by average emission factors, and therefore are subject to uncertainties in these factors. Although uncertainties associated with activity data and missing emission source types can be significant, multiple recent measurement studies indicate that the greatest uncertainties are associated with emission factors. In many source categories, small groups of devices or sites, referred to as super-emitters, contribute a large fraction of emissions. When super-emitters are accounted for, multiple measurement approaches, at multiple scales, produce similar results for estimated emissions. Challenges moving forward include identifying super-emitters and reducing their emission magnitudes. Work done to date suggests that both equipment malfunction and operational practices can be important. Finally, although most of this review focuses on emissions from energy supply infrastructures, the regional air quality implications of some coupled energy production and use scenarios are examined. These case studies suggest that both energy production and use should be considered in assessing air quality implications of changes in energy infrastructures, and that impacts are likely to vary among regions. Implications: The energy supply infrastructure in the United States has been changing dramatically over the past decade, leading to changes in emissions from oil and natural gas supply chain sources. In many source categories along these supply chains, small groups of devices or sites, referred to as super-emitters, contribute a large fraction of emissions. Effective emission reductions will require technologies for both identifying super-emitters and reducing their emission magnitudes. PAPER HISTORY

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Section: Life Cycle Impactsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emissions from oil and gas operations in the United States and their air quality implications

Allen

2016

Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association

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“…Water consumption is defined as the amount of water that is evaporated or permanently removed from the immediate water environment, while water withdrawal refers to the amount of water removed from the surface water or groundwater source for use. Thus, water consumption is the total amount of withdrawal minus returned amount of water (AlHajeri et al 2011). Water consumption is calculated in terms of the amount of water consumed to produce electricity -megawatt-hour (MWh).…”

Section: Electricity and Water Consumption And/or Withdrawalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact Assessment of Changing Fuel on Water Consumption in Kuwait’s Power Station

Alhajri¹,

Mesoudah²,

Alhashlamoun³

2017

IJERA

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Demands on electricity are in continuous increase and as a result an increase on water consumption and withdrawal. A huge expansion is done by Kuwait seven stations to meet the need of water and electricity using different combinations of four types of fuel (natural gas, gas oil, heavy fuel oil and crude oil). This study aims to determine the optimum fuel for reducing water consumption and cost without changing the capacity of electricity production in Kuwait. To attain that water consumption and/or withdrawal factor had been calculated for each fuel in each station depending on electricity and water consumption and production values, then cost of each mega watt produced had been determined using calculated cost of each fuel. It is concluded that natural gas is the least consuming water and least productivity for electricity where heavy fuel oil is the cheapest one and gas oil is the most expensive and most consuming water. However more time and detailed analysis are needed to determine the optimum fuel. Three scenarios had been assumed on different stations, best one was in Az-zour station when we decreased natural gas percentage and it was compensated by crude oil with keeping gas oil as it was. Consequently, it was noticed there was increase in water consumption and decrease in the cost: about 2 million Kuwait dinars. .

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“…Summary of scenario assumptions for the price of natural gas in the power sector and well completion activity in shale gas production regions in released in the United States (Alhajeri et al 2011a); electricity generation is also the largest category of water use in the United States, measured as withdrawals (Kenny et al 2009). As a result, changes to the electricity generation system have the ability to influence many regional environmental parameters, including air quality, water availability, and greenhouse gas emissions.…”

Section: Texasmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fine PM refers broadly to liquid and solid species (aerosols) in the air with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 microns, which are small enough to pass through barriers in the lungs (Dockery et al 1994); Power plants both directly emit fine PM and emit SO 2 and other species that can subsequently react to form PM. In Texas, sulfate (SO 4 ), which results from the oxidation of SO 2 , is the largest single mass component of fine PM (Russell et al 2004 (Alhajeri et al 2011a). Trade-offs between the prices of NO x and CO 2 have also been investigated (Alhajeri 2012).…”

Section: List Ofmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous research (Alhajeri et al 2011a) has indicated that environmental dispatching based on NO x emissions prices for the ERCOT grid causes a reduction in SO 2 emissions from EGUs as generation is shifted from coal-fired power plants to natural gas powered facilities. Since PM sulfate, which is formed from the oxidation of SO 2 , is the largest component of fine PM in eastern Texas (Russell et al 2004), NO x trading in ERCOT has the potential to decrease PM concentrations in eastern Texas.…”

Section: Research Objectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Electricity generation

2017

Energy

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Using market-based dispatching with environmental price signals to reduce emissions and water use at power plants in the Texas grid

Cited by 21 publications

References 9 publications

Emissions from oil and gas operations in the United States and their air quality implications

Emissions from oil and gas operations in the United States and their air quality implications

Impact Assessment of Changing Fuel on Water Consumption in Kuwait’s Power Station

Electricity generation

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