Electricity power generation economic considerations

In future, the economics of electric power generation is likely to be affected considerably by the amount of CO2 produced and the level of any environmental penalty... 

Many considerations are necessary when deciding if heat recovery equipment should be included in an incineration facility. Unless a practical use for the recovered heat exists, it is usually not advisable to include heat recovery equipment at a facility since the equipment is expensive. If an incineration facility operates at a large capacity, the generation of power from heat recovery equipment is generally economical. Municipal solid waste incineration facilities are widely used to produce steam for electric power generation. 

Fossil fuel power plants, in the context of electric generating stations, produce only one product electricity. Any and all other materials that come from them are considered ancillary or waste by-products. The ultimate goal of operating a fossil fuel power plant is to maximize the output of electricity from each unit of fuel consumed, while also minimizing any and all undesirable outputs. To that end, the efficiencies of control design, the data feedback process, economics, fuel processing, and a host of other aspects of the electric power generation industrial complex are examined each year. Not the least of these considerations is the placement and construction of new facilities and the maintenance of older facilities. 

As a rule, the use of traditional fossil-fuelled electric power plants and low-capacity boiler plants for heating is associated with the delivery of fuel and combustive-lubricating materials, which is risky and results in the considerable increase of the costs of electric and heat power generated in these regions. Pending problems of power supply became an obstacle of social and economical development of the Russian northern territory [1]. 

A fuel cell power generation system consists of several components besides the fuel cell such as a fuel processor and a power conditioner/inverter. The fuel processor is the first step of the conversion of fuel into an electrical current Typically, a fuel processor utilizes a combination of steam reforming (SR) and partial oxidation (POX) methods to convert hydrocarbons (methane, natural gas) into the pure hydrogen necessary as input to the fuel processor. During this process, the fuel processor also should strip the input gas of its pollutants such as carbon and carbon monoxide. The fuel processor is one of the areas in which the greatest environmental threat can occur because of this. There are a number of other considerations to be taken into account when examining the environmental impact and life cycle assessment of fuel cell power generation system such as axillary equipment and their economic and environmental impact (Kordesch and Simader 1995 van Rooijen 2006 Tromp 2002). 

In South Africa, the large national utility, Eskom, which has an installed generation capacity of about 38,000 MWe, is in the process of performing a technical and economic evaluation of a helium-cooled pebble bed module reactor. It would be directly coupled to a gas turbine power conversion system for consideration in increasing the capacity of the utility s electrical system. 

According to our analysis, the generation of electricity from wood waste is technically feasible and economically attractive. The most difficult problem in implementing a wood-fired power plant is perceived as being of institutional nature. These concerns are primarily associated with forest management, the economy, and environmental considerations. 

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