How Long & at What Cost, the Inefficient Use of Coal Energy?

 

                  

The fact is, "It takes energy to make energy". In the case of Coal based Thermal Power Plants (TPPs) , the energy is Extracted from Coal and Converted (Thermal-Mechanical-Electrical) to Electrical Energy, which is Transported from TPPs to the end users for Consumption.

 

It is estimated that by using Subcritical technology boilers and the steam turbine-generator sets, the efficiency of Extraction and Conversion to Electrical energy from Coal is hardly 33% and it may go up to around 40% even by using Supercritical technology boilers.

 

Taking into account, the consumption of electricity at TPPs (auxiliary consumption 10%)  and the losses in Transportation of electricity from TPPs to the end users (T & D Losses 25%), the energy available to the consumers will be around 27% of the Coal Energy

 

By conservative estimates, there is a potential of 15 to 20% for saving energy by cost effective energy efficiency measures (DSM) by the end users. Taking all these inefficiencies into account, the overall efficiency, of extraction and conversion of Coal Energy to Electrical Energy and its transportation & the end use, may work out to be around 20%

 

While about 80% of energy of the Coal is being lost, should the addition of the Coal based TPPs be continued, unmindful of their associated adverse socio-economic & ecological impacts and with out giving a thought & priority for the following:

 

a)     Improving the end use efficiency of electrical energy by appropriate DSM Measures which are more cost effective?  

b)    Bringing down Auxiliary Consumption at T & D Losses by appropriate SSM Measures at marginal costs?  

c)    Bringing down Coal consumption by adopting Cleaner Coal technologies such as IGCC (Coal cannot be clean) and integrating Solar Thermal Technology with Coal based Thermal Power Plants?

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