Burning peat in Ireland: An electricity market dispatch perspective

Typeset version

 

TY  - JOUR
  - Tuohy, A,Bazilian, M,Doherty, R,O Gallachoir, B,O'Malley, M
  - 2009
  - March
  - Energy Policy
  - Burning peat in Ireland: An electricity market dispatch perspective
  - Validated
  - ()
  - Government policy Peat energy
  - 37
  - 3035
  - 3042
  - This paper examines peat power production in Ireland under the three pillars of energy policy-security, competitiveness and environment. Peat contributes to energy security-as an indigenous fuel, it reduces dependency on imports. During a period of low capacity margins, the operation of the peat plants is useful from a system security perspective. Peat generation is being financially supported by consumers through an electricity levy. The fuel also has high carbon intensity. It is not politically viable to consider peat on equal economic criteria to other plant types because of history and location. This paper reviews electricity generation through combustion of peat in Ireland, and quantifies the costs of supporting peat utilising economic dispatch tools, finding the subsidy is not insignificant from a cost or carbon perspective. It shows that while peat is beneficial for one pillar of energy policy (security), the cut-rent usage of peat is not optimal from a competitiveness or environmental perspective. By switching from the current 'must-run' mode of operation for peat to the 'dispatched' mode used for the other generation, significant societal savings (in the range (sic)21 m per annum) can be achieved, as well as reducing system emissions by approximately 5% per year. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
  - DOI 10.1016/j.enpol.2009.03.049
DA  - 2009/03
ER  - 
@article{V43334978,
   = {Tuohy,  A and Bazilian,  M and Doherty,  R and O Gallachoir,  B and O'Malley,  M },
   = {2009},
   = {March},
   = {Energy Policy},
   = {Burning peat in Ireland: An electricity market dispatch perspective},
   = {Validated},
   = {()},
   = {Government policy Peat energy},
   = {37},
  pages = {3035--3042},
   = {{This paper examines peat power production in Ireland under the three pillars of energy policy-security, competitiveness and environment. Peat contributes to energy security-as an indigenous fuel, it reduces dependency on imports. During a period of low capacity margins, the operation of the peat plants is useful from a system security perspective. Peat generation is being financially supported by consumers through an electricity levy. The fuel also has high carbon intensity. It is not politically viable to consider peat on equal economic criteria to other plant types because of history and location. This paper reviews electricity generation through combustion of peat in Ireland, and quantifies the costs of supporting peat utilising economic dispatch tools, finding the subsidy is not insignificant from a cost or carbon perspective. It shows that while peat is beneficial for one pillar of energy policy (security), the cut-rent usage of peat is not optimal from a competitiveness or environmental perspective. By switching from the current 'must-run' mode of operation for peat to the 'dispatched' mode used for the other generation, significant societal savings (in the range (sic)21 m per annum) can be achieved, as well as reducing system emissions by approximately 5% per year. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.}},
   = {DOI 10.1016/j.enpol.2009.03.049},
  source = {IRIS}
}
AUTHORSTuohy, A,Bazilian, M,Doherty, R,O Gallachoir, B,O'Malley, M
YEAR2009
MONTHMarch
JOURNAL_CODEEnergy Policy
TITLEBurning peat in Ireland: An electricity market dispatch perspective
STATUSValidated
TIMES_CITED()
SEARCH_KEYWORDGovernment policy Peat energy
VOLUME37
ISSUE
START_PAGE3035
END_PAGE3042
ABSTRACTThis paper examines peat power production in Ireland under the three pillars of energy policy-security, competitiveness and environment. Peat contributes to energy security-as an indigenous fuel, it reduces dependency on imports. During a period of low capacity margins, the operation of the peat plants is useful from a system security perspective. Peat generation is being financially supported by consumers through an electricity levy. The fuel also has high carbon intensity. It is not politically viable to consider peat on equal economic criteria to other plant types because of history and location. This paper reviews electricity generation through combustion of peat in Ireland, and quantifies the costs of supporting peat utilising economic dispatch tools, finding the subsidy is not insignificant from a cost or carbon perspective. It shows that while peat is beneficial for one pillar of energy policy (security), the cut-rent usage of peat is not optimal from a competitiveness or environmental perspective. By switching from the current 'must-run' mode of operation for peat to the 'dispatched' mode used for the other generation, significant societal savings (in the range (sic)21 m per annum) can be achieved, as well as reducing system emissions by approximately 5% per year. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
PUBLISHER_LOCATION
ISBN_ISSN
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DOI_LINKDOI 10.1016/j.enpol.2009.03.049
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