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New cannot be measured with old. The transformation of the electricity system from a network of fossil-based dispatchable power plants to one with large amounts of intermittent renewable power generation, flexible loads and markets, requires a concurrent development of new evaluation tools and metrics. The focus of this research is to investigate the value of power technologies in order to support decision making on optimal power system design and operation. Technology valuation metrics need to consider the complexity and interdependency of environmental and security objectives, rather than focusing on individual cost-competitiveness of technologies outside of the power system. We present the System Value as a new technology valuation metric, based on a mixed-integer linear program (MILP) formulation of a national-scale electricity system. The Electricity System Optimization model is able to capture detailed technical operation of the individual power plants as well as environmental and security requirements on the system level. We present a case study on the System Value of onshore wind power plants in comparison with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) equipped gas-fired power plants in a 2035 UK electricity system. Under the given emission constraints, the deployment of both technologies reduce total system cost of electricity generation. In the case of CCS-equipped power plants the reductions in total system cost are 2 to 5 times higher than for the deployment of onshore wind capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bio-energy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) is an important greenhouse gas removal (GGR) technology with the potential to provide significant reductions in atmospheric CO 2 concentration. The power generation efficiency of BECCS can be improved by using heat recovered from flue gas to supply energy requirements of the solvent regeneration process. This paper assesses the influence of solvent selection and biomass co-firing proportion on recoverable heat, energy efficiency and carbon intensity of a 500 MW pulverized fuel BECCS system. The effects of (i) coal type (high and medium sulphur content), (ii) biomass type (wheat straw and clean wood chips, (iii) variable moisture content, and (iv) biomass co-firing % on AFT and emissions of SO X and NO X was evaluated. Compared to firing of coal alone, co-firing low moisture biomass generated higher adiabatic flame temperature. As biomass co-firing proportion increased, SO X emissions decreased, whereas NO X emissions increased with greater AFT. Factors that enhanced BECCS efficiency included the use of high performance solvents and higher heat recovery (higher AFT and flue gas flow rate). These results lead to the development of a performance matrix which summarizes the effect of key process parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new approach is required to determine a technology's value to the power systems of the 21st century. Conventional cost-based metrics are incapable of accounting for the indirect system costs associated with intermittent electricity generation, in addition to environmental and security constraints. In this work, we formalise a new concept for power generation and storage technology valuation which explicitly accounts for system conditions, integration challenges, and the level of technology penetration. The centrepiece of the system value (SV) concept is a whole electricity systems model on a national scale, which simultaneously determines the ideal power system design and unit-wise operational strategy. It brings typical Process Systems Engineering thinking into the analysis of power systems. The model formulation is a mixed-integer linear optimisation and can be understood as hybrid between a generation expansion and a unit commitment model. We present an analysis of the future UK electricity system and investigate the SV of carbon capture and storage equipped power plants (CCS), onshore wind power plants, and grid-level energy storage capacity. We show how the availability of different low-carbon technologies impact the optimal capacity mix and generation patterns. We find that the SV in the year 2035 of grid-level energy storage is an order of magnitude greater than that of CCS and wind power plants. However, CCS and wind capacity provide a more consistent value to the system as their level of deployment increases. Ultimately, the incremental system value of a power technology is a function of the prevalent system design and constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]