Power Plants

Environmental Impact of
Power Generation
Introduction
• Any energy generating system impacts the environment.
• Environmental problems are particularly apparent in developing or
newly industrialized countries, where energy-consumption growth
rates are typically extremely high
• air pollution, ozone depletion, and the carbon emissions.
Introduction
• A generic power production system which consumes some fuels,
generates useful work, and expels some pollutants in the
environment.
Introduction
• The system might cause
• pollutant emissions,
• accidents,
• hazards,
• ecosystem degradation through air and water pollution,
• animal poisoning,
• greenhouse gas emission,
• carbon monoxide leakages,
• Stratospheric ozone depletion,
• and the emission of SO2, NOx, VOCs (volatile organic compounds), PM
(particulate matter), and other aerosols.
• The effluents expelled into the atmosphere
by power generation systems can be
divided into two categories:
• Greenhouse gases (GHG)
• Aerosols.
 GHG are those chemicals which are released in the
terrestrial atmosphere and produce the greenhouse
effect.
Green
House
In the troposphere, GHG absorb an important part of
Gases the infrared radiation emitted by the earth surface.
As a consequence, the earth’s surface temperature
tends to increase, and this process is called the
greenhouse effect.
Aerosols
• Aerosols
• such as VOCs, soot, and PM, are released continuously in the
atmosphere and concentrate in its upper layers.
• Due to their presence in the atmosphere, aerosols reflect a portion of
the incident solar radiation back into space.
Aerosols
• An aerosol is a suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets, in
air or another gas.
• Aerosols can be natural or anthropogenic.
• Examples of natural aerosols are fog, dust, forest exudates and geyser
steam.
• Examples of anthropogenic aerosols are haze, particulate air
pollutants and smoke
Albedo Effect
Global warming leads to drastic
changes in natural systems.
Global warming leads to drastic
changes in natural systems.
Moreover, changes in global precipitation patterns have been
observed (more dry areas and more regional flooding), along
with a higher frequency of extreme events (tsunami, extreme
winds, cyclones, earthquakes, tornadoes, etc.).
• Another major environmental impact of energy systems results from
acidic precipitation.
• Gaseous effluents expelled in the atmosphere by power generation
systems can eventually form acids that return back to earth in
precipitation, contributing to acidification of soil and seas.
• This acidification negatively affects all life systems.
• Other impacts are also possible, as it will be detailed subsequently.
• The main types of pollutant emissions due to energy systems are
listed in Table below and their influence is explained.
• The environmental impacts produced by pollutants can be classified
in seven categories determined by life cycle assessment
methodologies according to the norm ISO 14042 (2000).
• These impact categories are global warming, acidification, ozone
depletion, toxicity, photooxidant formation, eutrophication, and
depletion of abiotic resources.
• The norm ISO 14042 (2000) includes methodologies for quantitative
assessment of each environmental impact category, using indicators.
• Table lists the environmental impact categories and gives
the impact indicators that are used to quantify each type of impact.
• The impact indicators are defined by convention and are based on
some measurable quantities.
• For example, global warming is quantified by the global warming
potential (GWP), measured in kilograms of CO2, which is the
equivalent of GHG emitted.
• The acidification potential is measured in SO2 emitted, expressed in
so-called Switzerland equivalent.
• Ozone depletion is quantified by ozone depletion potential (ODP)
measured as the trichlorofluoromethane equivalent.
• The toxicity is measured with the 1,4-dichlorobenzene equivalent.