Yang, F;
Jia, L;
Zhou, Y;
Guan, D;
Feng, K;
Choi, Y;
Zhang, N;
(2022)
Life cycle assessment shows that retrofitting coal-fired power plants with fuel cells will substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
One Earth
, 5
(4)
pp. 392-402.
10.1016/j.oneear.2022.03.009.
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Abstract
Addressing emissions released from coal-fired power plants (CFPPs) is vital to mitigate climate change. China aims to replace 240 TWh CFPPs with fuel cell (FC) technologies by 2050 to achieve carbon-neutrality goals. However, FCs are not emission-free throughout their technology life cycle, and FC effectiveness will vary depending on the CFPP configuration. Despite these uncertainties, a comprehensive evaluation of on-site CFPP-to-FC mitigation potential throughout the entire life cycle remains underexplored. Here, we use a prospective life cycle assessment to evaluate the inclusive mitigation potential of retrofitting 240 TWh CFPPs via four FCs that use wind power/natural gas as feedstocks. We find CO2, PM2.5, and SO2 emissions decrease by 72.0%–97.0%, 55.5%–92.6%, and 23.1%–86.1%, respectively, by 2050. Wind-electrolysis hydrogen FCs enable the largest life cycle CO2 reduction, but mining metals for wind turbines reduces PM2.5 and SO2 savings. Prioritizing FC deployment in northern China could double the mitigation potential. Our study provides insights for designing carbon-neutrality CFPP-to-FC roadmaps in China.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Life cycle assessment shows that retrofitting coal-fired power plants with fuel cells will substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.oneear.2022.03.009 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2022.03.009 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
| UCL classification: | UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10148018 |
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