This gives a doubtlessly greener and extra financially enticing different to vitality transition pathways Asia is presently contemplating. These embody switching from coal to fuel and extra just lately, using nascent applied sciences like ammonia co-firing and carbon seize and storage (CCS).
“What’s so dangerous about coal-fired energy vegetation? It’s simply coal. Every thing else is a helpful asset. Whether or not it’s the turbines, grids, individuals who work there, the land that they use – all that may be repurposed,” mentioned Randolph Brazier, world head of unpolluted energy methods of HSBC, on the whitepaper’s launch occasion.
The paper famous that whereas facilitating the early closure of coal-fired energy vegetation has been proven to be financially attainable, “the inclusion of repowering and repurposing must also be on the desk.”
The examine explicitly dominated out contemplating conversions to unabated pure fuel as “clear repowering”, because it “nonetheless emits unacceptable ranges of carbon dioxide emissions when combusted”, and carries vital environmental dangers, like methane leaks, regardless of burning extra cleanly than coal.
Whereas ammonia co-firing was not explicitly dominated out, the paper said this technique could be much less environmentally and commercially viable, given the low full-cycle effectivity of ammonia, referencing the energy-intensive course of of manufacturing ammonia.
“These challenges render these choices much less aggressive than really useful applied sciences similar to next-generation geothermal, concentrated solar energy, or superior nuclear reactors,” mentioned the paper, which pressured the significance of avoiding carbon lock-ins or “suboptimal options”.
Repowering isn’t a novel idea, however has but to attain widespread adoption.
The US and Poland have been main the push for coal-to-nuclear repowering initiatives, with the TerraPower Natrium undertaking in Wyoming, US and the ZE PAK undertaking in Patnow, Poland. “Critical feasibility research” are additionally underway in nations throughout Jap Europe, Canada and China, the report famous.
At the least one superior coal-to-geothermal repowering undertaking is presently being developed in Texas. Coal-to-solar and the conversion of present coal turbines to spinning turbines that preserve grid stability, also referred to as synchronous condensers, have additionally began in Canada and the US.
Repower Initiative, the worldwide non-profit which authored the whitepaper, mentioned it is going to start the method of mapping all present coal-fired energy plant websites to think about attainable repowering choices at every website, together with the advantages of sustaining present transmission infrastructure.
Aside from repowering choices explored within the whitepaper, London-headquartered technical consultancy Quantified Carbon’s founder Staffan Qvist, who oversees the initiative, mentioned that they’re open to different choices and are “all the time scanning the horizon of tech that’s being developed.”
HSBC’s world head of sustainability and partnerships Jenny McInnes mentioned the initiative “has the potential to be an actual game-changer” and has already begun to shift the discourse round early coal retirement.
“By figuring out websites the place repower can scale back prices, ship dependable vitality now and sooner or later, and assist native communities – within the nations and areas the place it’s wanted most urgently – we’ve got the potential to speed up our transition to internet zero,” mentioned McInnes.
The Repower Initiative will initially focus its analysis on China, Indonesia, India, and South Korea, said its press launch. It can additionally prioritise nations focused by the Asian Improvement Financial institution’s Power Transition Mechanism and Simply Power Transition Partnerships, a funding package deal financed by rich donor nations and personal traders which HSBC is concerned in.
Planning forward and greenwash dangers
Qvist mentioned repowering is an “augmentation” and an add-on to present coal phase-out mechanisms, together with a novel class of carbon credit that may be produced from the early retirement of high-emitting belongings, which Singapore’s central financial institution launched final yr.
“One factor it’s a must to do, although, is to suppose forward. Say you wish to shut off your coal plant ten years from now, in the event you’re planning to reuse some gear, you’d run it in a different way,” he mentioned. As an example, if a coal website has loads a land, its homeowners may begin putting in photo voltaic panels or testing the feasibility of incorporating geothermal vitality early on.
When requested if repowering may provide a perverse incentive for utilities to proceed increasing their coal capability, Qvist acknowledged that there’s a threat of greenwash the place somebody may construct a brand new coal energy plant, then announce that they might repower it 5 or ten years later.
“That is what individuals are doing with pure fuel vegetation now, saying, ‘Oh I’m going to burn hydrogen ten years from now.’ That could be a greenwashing threat that we actually must be vigilant about as a result of repowering categorically doesn’t assist the development of recent coal-fired energy vegetation, ever.”
Whereas the idea has not gained a lot traction in Japan and South Korea, Qvist shared that repowering has been added to Indonesia’s nationwide vitality coverage and he’s hopeful it could possibly be included in China’s subsequent five-year plan. There are plans to have interaction Vietnam as properly sooner or later, he added.
