Global group urges more-efficient coal plants that emit less CO2
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The International Energy Agency called for making new fossil-fueled power plants more efficient as a global priority, especially in major coal-using countries.
Many coal-fired units all over the world currently operate at efficiencies well below 30%, the Paris energy body of the OECD countries said in a statement.
“This is a significant waste of energy and unnecessary cause of climate-damaging [carbon dioxide] emissions. Given that the share of coal in power generation is rising, this is alarming,” said IEA Executive Director Nobuo Tanaka, “particularly since coal-fired power generation technologies with efficiencies close to 45% are already operating in certain locations.”
Tanaka was speaking last week at the launch of a new IEA publication, “Fossil Fuel-Fired Power Generation — Case Studies of Recently Constructed Coal and Gas-Fired Power Plants,” which, he said, highlighted these challenges.
The studies in the report were conducted in response to a request from the G8 Summit in 2005, asking the IEA to illustrate the efficiency achieved in modern plants in different parts of the world using various types and grades of fossil fuels.
The plants were selected from different geographical areas, because local factors influence attainable efficiency, the IEA said. The report assessed which technologies were the most cost-effective and had the highest efficiencies and lowest emissions.
Depending on the quality of coal and geographical location, modern coal-fired technologies exist that operate from about 35% to close to 45% efficiency, the IEA said.
Efficiencies approaching 50% (higher heating value basis) are envisioned within the next 10-15 years, the report says, as development of very high temperature steam conditions are continued.
The advanced plants include pulverized coal combustion, with both sub-critical and supercritical cycles, a natural gas-fired combined cycle plant, and a review of current and future applications of coal-fueled integrated gasification combined-cycle plants.
Filed by Amadeus Domaradzki under The Environment, Energy and Nuclear Safety