Decarbonising electricity made simple

183 Pages·2020·9.752 MB·English

by  Crossland, Andrew F

DECARBONISING ELECTRICITY
MADE SIMPLE
This book assesses how low-carbon generation, the advance of energy storage
and consumer-based models can help decarbonise electricity supplies at a na-
tional level.
This book is built around developing a decarbonised electricity mix for B ritain
which reduces fossil fuels from 50% of supply in 2018 down to levels within 2030
interim carbon goals on the way to net zero emissions. Crossland explores the
idea of a future energy storage mix which blends domestic batteries, vehicles,
thermal stores and pumped hydro to provide a flexible, responsive electricity sys-
tem. He then goes on to look at how much storage can contribute to decarbonisa-
tion in a multitude of contexts – from domestic to national electricity. This book
also discusses how efficiency and self-sufficiency can bring about a decarbonised
electricity use within our homes today. Britain is used as the main example, but
the themes and conclusions are applicable to a global audience, and each chapter
draws on practical case studies from around the world to illustrate key ideas.
Drawing on the author’s experience in delivering and analysing low-carbon
energy projects in the UK, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and Oceania,
this book will be of great relevance to students, scholars and industry special-
ists with an interest in energy technology, policy and storage.
Andrew F. Crossland is a specialist in the social, technical and economic
modelling of energy systems. In 2017, he won the “Rising Star” Award from
Energy UK recognising some of his work in the rapidly changing electricity
system including work on the platform MyGridGB. His PhD from Durham
University focused on the techno-economic assessment of energy storage in
integrating solar photovoltaic (PV) on electricity networks.
Routledge Explorations in Energy Studies
Energy Poverty and Vulnerability
A Global Perspective
Edited by Neil Simcock, Harriet Thomson, Saska Petrova and Stefan Bouzarovski
The Politics of Energy Security
Critical Security Studies, New Materialism and Governmentality
Johannes Kester
Renewable Energy for the Arctic
New Perspectives
Edited by Gisele M. Arruda
Decarbonising Electricity Made Simple
Andrew F. Crossland
DECARBONISING
ELECTRICITY MADE
SIMPLE
Andrew F. Crossland
First published 2020
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2020 Andrew F. Crossland
The right of Andrew F. Crossland to be identified as author of
this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections
77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted
or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic,
mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented,
including photocopying and recording, or in any information
storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from
the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Crossland, Andrew F., author.
Title: Decarbonising electricity made simple / Andrew F. Crossland.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY: Routledge, 2020. |
Series: Routledge explorations in energy studies |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2019018258 (print) | LCCN 2019018554 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780367203337 (Master) | ISBN 9780367203313
(hardback: alk. paper) | ISBN 9780367203320 (pbk.: alk. paper) |
ISBN 9780367203337 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Electric power production—Technological innovations. |
Renewable energy sources. | Carbon dioxide mitigation. |
Electric power-plants—Fuel.
Classification: LCC TK1005 (ebook) | LCC TK1005 .C755 2020
(print) | DDC 333.79/4—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019018258
ISBN: 978-0-367-20331-3 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-367-20332-0 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-367-20333-7 (ebk)
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CONTENTS
List of figures ix
List of tables xiv
Acknowledgements xv
Preface xvi
About the author xviii
1 Introduction 1
2 Britain’s evolving and decarbonising electricity system
where change is nothing new 16
3 Designing a low-carbon electricity system 28
4 Welcome to the store-age: the energy storage mix
and its role in flexible electricity 61
5 New energy is very different 77
6 A vision for decarbonising British electricity 88
7 A vision for lower-carbon domestic electricity 120
viii Contents
8 Continuing the decarbonisation of energy 133
Epilogue 155
Appendix 157
Index 161
FIGURES
1.1 Global consumption of primary energy sources between
1965 and 2016 3
1.2 Total global carbon emissions from 1965 to 2016 4
1.3 Average carbon emissions per capita of 217 countries and
territories per income group 4
1.4 Carbon emissions per capita in the EU, USA, China and India 6
1.5 Median (minimum and maximum) lifecycle carbon
intensity factor of different electricity generation
technologies, gCO eq./kWh 7
2
1.6 Global sources of electricity by energy source in 2014 8
1.7 Division of electricity, oil, gas, coal and bioenergy
between key sectors of the UK in 2017 10
1.8 British electricity, gas for heat and transport energy
consumption 2016–2018 10
1.9 The British electricity mix between 2012 and 2018 12
1.10 Energy in fuel in the supply of thermal power stations in
Britain and Northern Ireland compared to the electricity
actually supplied by these generators to the grid 13
2.1 The UK electricity supply mix, 1970–2015 17
2.2 Electricity generation from coal every hour from May
2011 to December 2017 18
2.3 Electricity from gas and coal per year 2012–2017 19
2.4 Electricity generated by coal and wind in Britain
between July 2011 and January 2019 21