IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jresou/v10y2021i8p84-d615505.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Coal to Biomass Conversion as a Path to Sustainability: A Hypothetical Scenario at Pego Power Plant (Abrantes, Portugal)

Author

Listed:
  • Margarida Casau

    (DEGEIT, Departamento de Economia, Gestão, Engenharia Industrial e Turismo, Campus Universitário de Santiago, Universidade de Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
    GOVCOPP, Unidade de Investigação em Governança, Competitividade e Políticas Públicas, Campus Universitário de Santiago, Universidade de Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal)

  • Diana C. M. Cancela

    (DEGEIT, Departamento de Economia, Gestão, Engenharia Industrial e Turismo, Campus Universitário de Santiago, Universidade de Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
    GOVCOPP, Unidade de Investigação em Governança, Competitividade e Políticas Públicas, Campus Universitário de Santiago, Universidade de Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal)

  • João C. O. Matias

    (DEGEIT, Departamento de Economia, Gestão, Engenharia Industrial e Turismo, Campus Universitário de Santiago, Universidade de Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
    GOVCOPP, Unidade de Investigação em Governança, Competitividade e Políticas Públicas, Campus Universitário de Santiago, Universidade de Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal)

  • Marta Ferreira Dias

    (DEGEIT, Departamento de Economia, Gestão, Engenharia Industrial e Turismo, Campus Universitário de Santiago, Universidade de Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
    GOVCOPP, Unidade de Investigação em Governança, Competitividade e Políticas Públicas, Campus Universitário de Santiago, Universidade de Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal)

  • Leonel J. R. Nunes

    (PROMETHEUS, Unidade de Investigação em Materiais, Energia e Ambiente para a Sustentabilidade, Escola Superior Agrária, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, Rua da Escola Industrial e Comercial de Nun’Alvares, 4900-347 Viana do Castelo, Portugal)

Abstract

Energy consumption is associated with economic growth, but it comes with a toll regarding the environment. Renewable energies can be considered substitutes for fossil fuels and may contribute to reducing the environmental degradation that the world is presently facing. With this research, we aimed to offer a broader view of the state-of-the-art in this field, particularly regarding coal and biomass. The main objective is to present a viable and sustainable solution for the coal power plants still in operation, using as a hypothetical example the Pego Power Plant, the last operating coal fueled power plant in Portugal. After the characterization of land use and energy production in Portugal, and more particularly in the Médio Tejo region, where the power plant is located, the availability of biomass was assessed and it was concluded that the volume of biomass needed to keep the Pego power plant working exclusively with biomass is much lower than the yearly growth volume of biomass in the region, which means that this transition would be viable in a sustainable way. This path is aligned with policies to fight climate change, since the use of biomass for energy is characterized by low levels of GHGs emissions when compared to coal. The risk of rural fires would be reduced, and the economic and social impact for this region would be positive.

Suggested Citation

  • Margarida Casau & Diana C. M. Cancela & João C. O. Matias & Marta Ferreira Dias & Leonel J. R. Nunes, 2021. "Coal to Biomass Conversion as a Path to Sustainability: A Hypothetical Scenario at Pego Power Plant (Abrantes, Portugal)," Resources, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-20, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jresou:v:10:y:2021:i:8:p:84-:d:615505
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/10/8/84/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/10/8/84/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Baz, Khan & Cheng, Jinhua & Xu, Deyi & Abbas, Khizar & Ali, Imad & Ali, Hashmat & Fang, Chuandi, 2021. "Asymmetric impact of fossil fuel and renewable energy consumption on economic growth: A nonlinear technique," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 226(C).
    2. Tonini, Davide & Vadenbo, Carl & Astrup, Thomas Fruergaard, 2017. "Priority of domestic biomass resources for energy: Importance of national environmental targets in a climate perspective," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 295-309.
    3. Millot, Ariane & Krook-Riekkola, Anna & Maïzi, Nadia, 2020. "Guiding the future energy transition to net-zero emissions: Lessons from exploring the differences between France and Sweden," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    4. Sen, Souvik & Ganguly, Sourav, 2017. "Opportunities, barriers and issues with renewable energy development – A discussion," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 1170-1181.
    5. Christian Breyer & Mahdi Fasihi & Arman Aghahosseini, 2020. "Carbon dioxide direct air capture for effective climate change mitigation based on renewable electricity: a new type of energy system sector coupling," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 25(1), pages 43-65, January.
    6. Shahbaz, Muhammad & Benkraiem, Ramzi & Miloudi, Anthony & Lahiani, Amine, 2017. "Production function with electricity consumption and policy implications in Portugal," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 588-599.
    7. Sebastián, F. & Royo, J. & Gómez, M., 2011. "Cofiring versus biomass-fired power plants: GHG (Greenhouse Gases) emissions savings comparison by means of LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) methodology," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(4), pages 2029-2037.
    8. Kyoung-Min Lim & Seul-Ye Lim & Seung-Hoon Yoo, 2014. "Oil Consumption, CO 2 Emission, and Economic Growth: Evidence from the Philippines," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(2), pages 1-13, February.
    9. Benjamin Brown & Samuel J. Spiegel, 2019. "Coal, Climate Justice, and the Cultural Politics of Energy Transition," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 19(2), pages 149-168, May.
    10. Guido Ceccherini & Gregory Duveiller & Giacomo Grassi & Guido Lemoine & Valerio Avitabile & Roberto Pilli & Alessandro Cescatti, 2020. "Abrupt increase in harvested forest area over Europe after 2015," Nature, Nature, vol. 583(7814), pages 72-77, July.
    11. Marvão Pereira, Alfredo & Marvão Pereira, Rui Manuel, 2010. "Is fuel-switching a no-regrets environmental policy? VAR evidence on carbon dioxide emissions, energy consumption and economic performance in Portugal," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 227-242, January.
    12. Swain, Ranjula Bali & Karimu, Amin, 2020. "Renewable electricity and sustainable development goals in the EU," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    13. Park, Sun-Young & Yoo, Seung-Hoon, 2014. "The dynamics of oil consumption and economic growth in Malaysia," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 218-223.
    14. Hamid Sefidari & Bo Lindblom & Lars-Olof Nordin & Henrik Wiinikka, 2020. "The Feasibility of Replacing Coal with Biomass in Iron-Ore Pelletizing Plants with Respect to Melt-Induced Slagging," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-25, October.
    15. Sharma, Ashish & Strezov, Vladimir, 2017. "Life cycle environmental and economic impact assessment of alternative transport fuels and power-train technologies," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 1132-1141.
    16. Luigi Santopietro & Francesco Scorza, 2021. "The Italian Experience of the Covenant of Mayors: A Territorial Evaluation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-23, January.
    17. Awasthi, Mukesh Kumar & Sarsaiya, Surendra & Patel, Anil & Juneja, Ankita & Singh, Rajendra Prasad & Yan, Binghua & Awasthi, Sanjeev Kumar & Jain, Archana & Liu, Tao & Duan, Yumin & Pandey, Ashok & Zh, 2020. "Refining biomass residues for sustainable energy and bio-products: An assessment of technology, its importance, and strategic applications in circular bio-economy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    18. Griffin, Paul W. & Hammond, Geoffrey P. & Norman, Jonathan B., 2018. "Industrial energy use and carbon emissions reduction in the chemicals sector: A UK perspective," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 227(C), pages 587-602.
    19. Anabela Carvalho & Luísa Schmidt & Filipe Duarte Santos & Ana Delicado, 2014. "Climate change research and policy in Portugal," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 5(2), pages 199-217, March.
    20. McIlveen-Wright, David R. & Huang, Ye & Rezvani, Sina & Redpath, David & Anderson, Mark & Dave, Ashok & Hewitt, Neil J., 2013. "A technical and economic analysis of three large scale biomass combustion plants in the UK," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 396-404.
    21. Fortes, Patrícia & Simoes, Sofia G. & Gouveia, João Pedro & Seixas, Júlia, 2019. "Electricity, the silver bullet for the deep decarbonisation of the energy system? Cost-effectiveness analysis for Portugal," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 237(C), pages 292-303.
    22. Höök, Mikael & Tang, Xu, 2013. "Depletion of fossil fuels and anthropogenic climate change—A review," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 797-809.
    23. Bogdanov, Dmitrii & Gulagi, Ashish & Fasihi, Mahdi & Breyer, Christian, 2021. "Full energy sector transition towards 100% renewable energy supply: Integrating power, heat, transport and industry sectors including desalination," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 283(C).
    24. Lingling Wang & Tsunemi Watanabe & Zhiwei Xu, 2015. "Monetization of External Costs Using Lifecycle Analysis—A Comparative Case Study of Coal-Fired and Biomass Power Plants in Northeast China," Energies, MDPI, vol. 8(2), pages 1-28, February.
    25. Carlos V. Miguel & Adélio Mendes & Luís M. Madeira, 2018. "An Overview of the Portuguese Energy Sector and Perspectives for Power-to-Gas Implementation," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-20, November.
    26. Elkerbout, Milan & Egenhofer, Christian & N��ez Ferrer, Jorge & Catuti, Mihnea & Kustova, Irina & Rizos, Vasileios, 2020. "The European Green Deal after Corona - Implications for EU climate policy," CEPS Papers 26869, Centre for European Policy Studies.
    27. Lindholt, Lars & Glomsrød, Solveig, 2018. "Phasing out coal and phasing in renewables – Good or bad news for arctic gas producers?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 1-11.
    28. Thornley, Patricia, 2006. "Increasing biomass based power generation in the UK," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(15), pages 2087-2099, October.
    29. Nunes, L.J.R. & Causer, T.P. & Ciolkosz, D., 2020. "Biomass for energy: A review on supply chain management models," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    30. Pereira, Alfredo M. & Pereira, Rui M. & Rodrigues, Pedro G., 2016. "A new carbon tax in Portugal: A missed opportunity to achieve the triple dividend?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 110-118.
    31. Iglesias, Ana & Garrote, Luis, 2015. "Adaptation strategies for agricultural water management under climate change in Europe," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 155(C), pages 113-124.
    32. Bunn, Derek W. & Redondo-Martin, Jorge & Muñoz-Hernandez, José I. & Diaz-Cachinero, Pablo, 2019. "Analysis of coal conversion to biomass as a transitional technology," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 752-760.
    33. Dominković, D.F. & Bačeković, I. & Ćosić, B. & Krajačić, G. & Pukšec, T. & Duić, N. & Markovska, N., 2016. "Zero carbon energy system of South East Europe in 2050," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 184(C), pages 1517-1528.
    34. Klette, Tor Jakob & Moen, Jarle & Griliches, Zvi, 2000. "Do subsidies to commercial R&D reduce market failures? Microeconometric evaluation studies1," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 29(4-5), pages 471-495, April.
    35. Rizzi, Francesco & van Eck, Nees Jan & Frey, Marco, 2014. "The production of scientific knowledge on renewable energies: Worldwide trends, dynamics and challenges and implications for management," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 657-671.
    36. Andy Yuille & David Tyfield & Rebecca Willis, 2021. "Implementing Rapid Climate Action: Learning from the ‘Practical Wisdom’ of Local Decision-Makers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-18, May.
    37. Piotr Gołasa & Marcin Wysokiński & Wioletta Bieńkowska-Gołasa & Piotr Gradziuk & Magdalena Golonko & Barbara Gradziuk & Agnieszka Siedlecka & Arkadiusz Gromada, 2021. "Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Agriculture, with Particular Emphasis on Emissions from Energy Used," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-20, June.
    38. Mirkouei, Amin & Haapala, Karl R. & Sessions, John & Murthy, Ganti S., 2017. "A mixed biomass-based energy supply chain for enhancing economic and environmental sustainability benefits: A multi-criteria decision making framework," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 206(C), pages 1088-1101.
    39. Jens Fuhrmann & Reinhard Madlener, 2020. "Evaluation of Synergies in the Context of European Multi-Business Utilities," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-41, December.
    40. Yang, Christopher & Yeh, Sonia & Zakerinia, Saleh & Ramea, Kalai & McCollum, David, 2015. "Achieving California's 80% greenhouse gas reduction target in 2050: Technology, policy and scenario analysis using CA-TIMES energy economic systems model," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 118-130.
    41. Fischer, W. & Hake, J.-Fr. & Kuckshinrichs, W. & Schröder, T. & Venghaus, S., 2016. "German energy policy and the way to sustainability: Five controversial issues in the debate on the “Energiewende”," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 115(P3), pages 1580-1591.
    42. Simões, Sofia & Cleto, João & Fortes, Patri­cia & Seixas, Júlia & Huppes, Gjalt, 2008. "Cost of energy and environmental policy in Portuguese CO2 abatement--scenario analysis to 2020," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(9), pages 3598-3611, September.
    43. Fekete, Hanna & Kuramochi, Takeshi & Roelfsema, Mark & Elzen, Michel den & Forsell, Nicklas & Höhne, Niklas & Luna, Lisa & Hans, Frederic & Sterl, Sebastian & Olivier, Jos & van Soest, Heleen & Frank,, 2021. "A review of successful climate change mitigation policies in major emitting economies and the potential of global replication," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    44. Ozcan, Burcu & Ozturk, Ilhan, 2019. "Renewable energy consumption-economic growth nexus in emerging countries: A bootstrap panel causality test," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 30-37.
    45. Nejat, Payam & Jomehzadeh, Fatemeh & Taheri, Mohammad Mahdi & Gohari, Mohammad & Abd. Majid, Muhd Zaimi, 2015. "A global review of energy consumption, CO2 emissions and policy in the residential sector (with an overview of the top ten CO2 emitting countries)," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 843-862.
    46. Syed Abdul Rehman Khan & Yu Zhang & Anil Kumar & Edmundas Zavadskas & Dalia Streimikiene, 2020. "Measuring the impact of renewable energy, public health expenditure, logistics, and environmental performance on sustainable economic growth," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(4), pages 833-843, July.
    47. Wenbing Guo & Mingjie Guo & Yi Tan & Erhu Bai & Gaobo Zhao, 2019. "Sustainable Development of Resources and the Environment: Mining-Induced Eco-Geological Environmental Damage and Mitigation Measures—A Case Study in the Henan Coal Mining Area, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-34, August.
    48. Amorim, Filipa & Pina, André & Gerbelová, Hana & Pereira da Silva, Patrícia & Vasconcelos, Jorge & Martins, Victor, 2014. "Electricity decarbonisation pathways for 2050 in Portugal: A TIMES (The Integrated MARKAL-EFOM System) based approach in closed versus open systems modelling," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 104-112.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Østergaard, P.A. & Lund, H. & Thellufsen, J.Z. & Sorknæs, P. & Mathiesen, B.V., 2022. "Review and validation of EnergyPLAN," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    2. Liu, Xi & Du, Huibin & Brown, Marilyn A. & Zuo, Jian & Zhang, Ning & Rong, Qian & Mao, Guozhu, 2018. "Low-carbon technology diffusion in the decarbonization of the power sector: Policy implications," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 344-356.
    3. Stefan N. Petrović & Oleksandr Diachuk & Roman Podolets & Andrii Semeniuk & Fabian Bühler & Rune Grandal & Mourad Boucenna & Olexandr Balyk, 2021. "Exploring the Long-Term Development of the Ukrainian Energy System," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-20, November.
    4. Lopez, Gabriel & Aghahosseini, Arman & Child, Michael & Khalili, Siavash & Fasihi, Mahdi & Bogdanov, Dmitrii & Breyer, Christian, 2022. "Impacts of model structure, framework, and flexibility on perspectives of 100% renewable energy transition decision-making," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    5. Adewuyi, Adeolu O. & Awodumi, Olabanji B., 2017. "Renewable and non-renewable energy-growth-emissions linkages: Review of emerging trends with policy implications," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 275-291.
    6. Santos, Andreia & Carvalho, Ana & Barbosa-Póvoa, Ana Paula & Marques, Alexandra & Amorim, Pedro, 2019. "Assessment and optimization of sustainable forest wood supply chains – A systematic literature review," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 112-135.
    7. Margarida Casau & Marta Ferreira Dias & João C. O. Matias & Leonel J. R. Nunes, 2022. "Residual Biomass: A Comprehensive Review on the Importance, Uses and Potential in a Circular Bioeconomy Approach," Resources, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-16, March.
    8. Lund, Henrik & Thellufsen, Jakob Zinck & Sorknæs, Peter & Mathiesen, Brian Vad & Chang, Miguel & Madsen, Poul Thøis & Kany, Mikkel Strunge & Skov, Iva Ridjan, 2022. "Smart energy Denmark. A consistent and detailed strategy for a fully decarbonized society," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    9. Dong, Kangyin & Sun, Renjin & Li, Hui & Liao, Hua, 2018. "Does natural gas consumption mitigate CO2 emissions: Testing the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis for 14 Asia-Pacific countries," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 419-429.
    10. Ruffini, Eleonora & Wei, Max, 2018. "Future costs of fuel cell electric vehicles in California using a learning rate approach," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 329-341.
    11. Jos Alberto Fuinhas & Ant nio Cardoso Marques & Alcino Pinto Couto, 2015. "Oil-Growth Nexus in Oil Producing Countries: Macro Panel Evidence," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 5(1), pages 148-163.
    12. Bilgili, Faik & Koçak, Emrah & Bulut, Ümit & Kuşkaya, Sevda, 2017. "Can biomass energy be an efficient policy tool for sustainable development?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 830-845.
    13. Fortes, Patrícia & Simoes, Sofia G. & Gouveia, João Pedro & Seixas, Júlia, 2019. "Electricity, the silver bullet for the deep decarbonisation of the energy system? Cost-effectiveness analysis for Portugal," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 237(C), pages 292-303.
    14. Dagoumas, Athanasios S. & Koltsaklis, Nikolaos E., 2019. "Review of models for integrating renewable energy in the generation expansion planning," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 242(C), pages 1573-1587.
    15. Vaillancourt, Kathleen & Bahn, Olivier & Frenette, Erik & Sigvaldason, Oskar, 2017. "Exploring deep decarbonization pathways to 2050 for Canada using an optimization energy model framework," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 195(C), pages 774-785.
    16. Zakari, Abdulrasheed & Khan, Irfan & Tawiah, Vincent & Alvarado, Rafael & Li, Guo, 2022. "The production and consumption of oil in Africa: The environmental implications," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    17. Chen, Hao & Tang, Bao-Jun & Liao, Hua & Wei, Yi-Ming, 2016. "A multi-period power generation planning model incorporating the non-carbon external costs: A case study of China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 183(C), pages 1333-1345.
    18. Koltsaklis, Nikolaos E. & Dagoumas, Athanasios S., 2018. "State-of-the-art generation expansion planning: A review," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 230(C), pages 563-589.
    19. Agbor, Ezinwa & Oyedun, Adetoyese Olajire & Zhang, Xiaolei & Kumar, Amit, 2016. "Integrated techno-economic and environmental assessments of sixty scenarios for co-firing biomass with coal and natural gas," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 169(C), pages 433-449.
    20. Lauma Balode & Kristiāna Dolge & Dagnija Blumberga, 2023. "Sector-Specific Pathways to Sustainability: Unravelling the Most Promising Renewable Energy Options," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-24, August.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jresou:v:10:y:2021:i:8:p:84-:d:615505. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.