Naslov
External Costs of Electricity: from Air Emissions to Health Damage

Autori
Kovačević, Tea ; Tomšić, Željko ; Debrecin, Nenad

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u zbornicima skupova, cjeloviti rad (in extenso), znanstveni

Izvornik
Environmental Impact Assessment Prague 2000, Conference Proceedings / Houdek, Lubomir - Prag : Nakladatelstvi Galen, 2000, 317-321

Skup
12th Regional Central European Conference IUAPPA and 4th International Conference on Environmental Impact Assessment Prague 2000

Mjesto i datum
Prag, Češka Republika, 11.09.2000. - 14.09.2000

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
electricity generation; power system; external costs; health damage; environmental impact assessment; generation planning
(electricity generation; power system; external costs; health damage; environmental impact assessment)

Sažetak
To stimulate environmentally sound decisions in the energy sector, environmental impacts of electricity generation should be expressed in money terms, through external costs. This paper estimates external costs of the two representative power plants, one coal and one gas fired unit, determined as candidates for Croatian power system expansion till the year 2030. External costs are estimated using the impact pathway approach, which consists of the following steps: (i) quantification of emissions, (ii) calculation of the associated ambient concentration increase by means of atmospheric dispersion and transport models, (iii) estimation of physical impacts using various exposure-response functions, and (iv) monetary evaluation of damages. Focus of the analysis was put on the effects of ambient air pollution on human health, as one of the priority impacts of electricity generation. Since air pollutants are transported over large distances, crossing national borders, their impacts are quantified both for population in Croatia, i.e. around 5 million people, and for the whole of Europe, with around 540 million inhabitants. Europe is mapped onto a grid comprised of 100x100 km sized cells, i.e. receptors. Atmospheric transport and chemical transformations of emitted pollutants are modelled by a long-range trajectory model, while the exposure-response functions linking incremental air pollution with health effects are taken from the well-grounded medical surveys. The average damage cost on the country level turns out to be around 0, 3 US cents/kWh for the candidate coal power plant, while 6 times lower for the gas power plant. Damage costs for the whole of Europe are 10 to 15 times larger. It is further analyzed how the estimated external costs, if added to direct production costs of a power plant, would affect the competitiveness of fossil-fired power plants compared to other generation options, i.e. how they would influence the optimal capacity expansion strategy of the Croatian power system.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Elektrotehnika

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