Efficiency and emissions monitoring and reporting, CCC/188

Author(s): LL Sloss

Ref: CCC/188
ISBN: 978-92-9029-508-2
Published Date: 01/09/2011
No. of Tables: 5
No. of Figures: 7
No. of Pages: 67


As concern about emissions and the environmental footprint of energy production grows, it is increasingly evident that more accurate information on emissions of CO2, SO2, NOx and trace pollutants from fossil fuel power plants will be needed. Since the determining factors for these emissions are coal characteristics and power plant efficiency, it is also necessary to be able to assess the performance of a coal plant. Power plant efficiency data are calculated at most plants in developed countries but are often considered commercially sensitive. Accurate information for plants in developing countries is not systematically obtained. There are several different methods available to estimate power plant efficiency and this lack of standardisation is proving a barrier to allowing direct comparison between plants. Benchmarking has been tried in countries such as the Netherlands in a move towards determining the best performing plants and to set a target level for less-efficient plants.

In developed nations and in an increasing number of emerging economies, power plant emissions must be measured and maintained below legislated limits. Although there are basic principles used in any system designed to monitor emissions such as CO2, SO2 or mercury, the actual techniques and equipment used can vary significantly. This, and variation in the way these monitoring systems are applied, means that there is, as yet, no internationally standardised approach to measuring pollutant emissions.

This report summarises the techniques and equipment used to determine efficiency and pollutant emissions at coal-fired plants and discusses how the data from these systems are used to comply with the various permits, legislation and action plans that apply to coal-fired power plants in different countries.

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