2021 Volume 17 Issue 1 Pages 29-44
In this technical report, we conducted a meta analysis of 66 peer-reviewed articles focusing on the life cycle GHG emissions of electrical power generation. The target power generation methods are coal, oil, natural gas, geothermal, wind, nuclear, hydro, solar thermal, solar photovoltaic, and biomass. These power generation methods were categorized further by the existence of CCS for coal and natural gas, the type of panel for solar photovoltaic, and onshore and offshore for wind power. The scope of the study is the full life cycle, which consists of power generation stages, such as fuel production, infrastructure construction, power generation, and decommissioning. We applied the average value of the same power generation method when there were missing stages in the collected data items. The meta analysis revealed the median value for each power generation method, and we found that switching from fossil fuel power generation to non-fossil fuel power generation reduces life cycle GHG emissions by 90% per kWh. However, the reduction can be as less as 50% depending on the non-fossil fuel power generation method. It was clarified that it is important to understand the impact of power generation on GHG emissions, such as power generation capacity, plant life, and power generation method.
