Equivalent Carbon Dioxide Emission in Useful Energy Generation in the Heat-Generating Plant – Application of the Carbon Footprint Methodology

Abstract

The energy sector worldwide is a significant source of air pollutant emission. In Poland, the vast majority of heat and electricity is generated in coal-fired heat and power plants. There is a common belief that high greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sector in Poland are mainly due to the technological processes involving the conversion of energy by burning fossil fuels. However, coal mining also causes a high environmental burden. This paper aimed to determine the carbon footprint of a typical hard coal-fired heating plant in Poland, taking into account mining of hard coal, its transport to the heating plant and useful energy generation in the heating plant. The investigation carried out allowed comparing the process steps and determining which of them is the dominant source of the greenhouse gas emissions. The obtained results show that hard coal mining and hard coal transport account for almost 65% and 5% of total equivalent carbon dioxide emission, respectively. Energy transformations in the heating plant account for 30% of total equivalent carbon dioxide emission, where approx. 29% is due to hard coal burning and 1% due to electricity consumption. The relative shares of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide in total equivalent carbon dioxide emission account for approx. 91%, 4% and 5%, respectively.