www.ceners.org fb.me/CenterForEnergyStudies Coal: local pollution and externalities Filip Černoch cernoch@mail.muni.cz Coal usage in history • The first known depleted coal mine Fu Shun in China in 1000 BC. 300 BC Theophrastus described combustion of coal in Greece. Romans used coal in 400 BC to produce glass. • Coal substituted wood (charcoal) in glass and metal production – first energy revolution. • Deforestation of London surroundings in 1200, by 1500 production moved to Ireland, Scotland, Wales. • Coal depletition at Newcastle upon Tyne – spreading the mining activities across the country. • 1352 coal first internationally traded commodity (Newcastle → France). • Start of industrial revolution, steam engine, production of steel, coke. • Coal workers emancipation. • In navy shift from sails to steam. • In 1910 coal represented 60% of world energy mix, declining between world wars. CO2 emissions by fuel (pouds of CO2 /MBtu) Coal (anthracite) 228.6 Coal (bituminous) 205.7 Coal (lignite) 215.4 Coal (subbituminous) 214.3 Diesel fuel and heating oil 161.3 Gasoline (without ethanol) 157.2 Propane 139.0 Natural gas 117.0 CO2 emissions by fuel Environmental impacts • Mining (opecast/surface mines and underground mines) – land use, water and air pollution, dust. Impact on biotops and landscape. Noise. Aestethical damages. • Preparation for further processing – removal of impurities – acids, heavy metals, chemicals are released. • Transport – dust from coal, transport-related pollution. • Workers – exposition to the dust and chemicals, mining risks. • Coal combustion – GHG, primary pollutants, smog, acid rains. • Solid waste – ash. Environmental impacts • Mining (opecast/surface mines and underground mines) – land use, water and air pollution, dust. Impact on biotops and landscape. Noise. Aestethical damages. • Preparation for further processing – removal of impurities – acids, heavy metals, chemicals are released. • Transport – dust from coal, transport-related pollution. • Workers – exposition to the dust and chemicals, mining risks. • Coal combustion – GHG, primary pollutants, smog, acid rains. • Solid waste – ash. Air pollutants and their effects Name Source Effects (esp. on human) Particulate matter (PM) Combustion, industrial processes, wind erosion, atmospheric reactions of gases, transport Respiratory: asthma development (suspected), asthma exacerbation, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, stunted lung development (PM2.5), lung cancer; Cardiovascular: cardiac arrhythmias, acute myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure (PM2.5). Nervous system: ischemic stroke. Volatile organic compounds (VOC) Incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, evaporation of solvents and gasoline, emission from plants Organic chemicals in varied forms (eg. benzene, chlorofluorocarbons…). Carcinogenic, ozone formation Carbon monoxide (CO) Incomplete combustion of fuels Poisonous because of ability to bind to hemoglobin and block oxygen delivery to tissues. Visual impairment, reduced work capacity, reduced manual dexterity, poor learning ability, difficulty in performing complex tasks. Air pollutants and their effects Name Source Effects (esp. on human) Nitrogen oxides (NOx) Combustio n of fuels Asthma development (suspected), asthma exacerbation, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, stunted lung development; cardiac arrhythmias, ischemic stroke. Reacts with VOCs in sunlight to form ground- level ozone Increases an amount of nitrogen in soil and country – change of diversity. In aquasystems causes eutrophication. Increases acidity of soil and water. Sulfur oxides (SOx) Combustio n of sulfur- containing fuels (coal) Can affect respiratory system and lung functions, aggravation of asthma and chronic bronchitis, make people more prone to infections of the respiratory tract; irritation of eyes; cardiac disease aggravated; ischemic stroke risk. Contributes acid rain. Other elements Nickel, mercury, arsen, chromium, cadmium, lead, florine, chlorine Emissions Amount of pollutants (in tons per 1TWh – 1000MW plant for 1000hrs) SO2 2600 NOx 2800 Representative 1000MW coal power plant = 6 million tons of CO2 per year = equivalent of 2 million cars. Plus 2 670 000 tons of ash. In CR production of around 40 TWh of electricity from coal, installed capacity around 11 700 MW. (2014). Secondary pollution • London smog • Smoke and fog, typically in winter (combination with inversion). SO2 + PM (soot) + vater wapour = transport of gaseous matters of smog to the lungs. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSlwGIapFJI • Photochemical smog • Primary pollutants (NOx + Volatile Organic Compounds created during fossil fuel combustion) interacts under the influence of sunlight = ozon O3 plus other pollutants. • Ozone – bronchial constriction, coughing, wheezing, respiratory irritation, eye irritation, decreased crop yields, retars plant growth, damages plastics… • Accid rains • Acidic rains caused by emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide = with water produce acids. Health impacts of coal combustion World total primary energy supply by fuel Note: Peat and oil shale aggregated with coal. World total primary energy supply by fuel Note: Peat and oil shale aggregated with coal. Externalities • Who is paying for these damages to ecosystems and human health? • Reduction in life expectancy – respiratory and hearth ilnesses, cancers… • Degradation of buildings • Reduction of crop yields • Global warming • Ecosystem loss and degradation… Externalities Externality • A consequence of an economic activity that is experienced by unrelated third parties. An externality can be either positive or negative. • (Pigouvian) taxes/subsidies • Command and control solution • Ownership rights Coase theorem • If trade in an externality is possible and there are sufficiently low transaction costs, bargaining will lead to an efficient outcome regardless of the initial allocation of property. • Uneffective if: • there are many affected parties, so it is expensive to coordinate the necessary contracts for the sale of property rights. • one person can block the sale, regardless of the costs actually imposed on them. • enforcement of the contract is too expensive, such as the costs of court proceedings if there is a breach of contract. • the costs of monitoring the offending behavior are high Solution of the ´coal problem´? • Source substitution. • Higher efficiency of coal combustion. • Reduction of coal pollutants during the process. • CCS Gross electricity generation in the Czech Republic (GWh) Situation in the Czech Republic Situation in the Czech Republic Externalities of electricity production In €cents/kWh for selected energy sources in 2003 (Price of electricity in 2003 – 1-2 €cents/kWh 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Liberec (oils) Ledvice Hodonín (lignit) Počerady Tisová I, II Prunéřov II Tušimice II Chvaletice Mělník II Prunéřov I Mělník I Poříčí Dětmarovice (hard_coal) Mělník III Karlovy Vary (gas) Vřesová PPC Brno Č.Mlýn (gas) materials crops morbidity mortality climate change Sources • IEA: Medium Term Coal Market Report 2015 • EIA: International Energy Statistics, 2015. • HEAL: The Unpaid Helth Bill: How Coal Power Plants Make Us Sick, 2013 • Sourcewatch.org – External costs of coal • Ecofys: Subsidies and costs of EU energy, 2014 • Ščastný, M.; Melichar, J.: External Cost of Fossil And Non-fossil Energy Systems: The Case of the Czech Republic, 2007 • oEnergetice.cz (Bílina mine photo)