Dissertation: Results

IV.    Results

The net GHG Emissions (measured in kgCO₂e) resulting for each scenario are shown in Figure 1, and the rate of net GHG emissions compared to the weekly electricity demand that is met (measured in kgCO₂e/MWh_demand) are shown in Figure 2. The results show that emissions and the rates of emissions are virtually identical in BL and S1. The scenarios (listed in order of descending emissions and rates of emissions) are S1, S2, S4, and S3.

Figure 1: This figure displays the net greenhouse gas emissions (in millions of kgCO₂ equivalent) of a simulated electric utility grid during a one-week model run for a baseline scenario (BL), which does not incorporate bulk energy storage technology, and four other scenarios (S1, S2, S3, S4), which incorporate bulk energy storage technologies.

Figure 2: This figure displays the rate of net greenhouse gas emissions (in kgCO₂ equivalent per MWh of demand met) of a simulated electric utility grid during a one-week model run for a baseline scenario (BL), which does not incorporate bulk energy storage technology, and four other scenarios (S1, S2, S3, S4), which incorporate bulk energy storage technologies.

Interestingly, in BL and S1approximately 3.1% and 2.8% of the net GHG emissions respectively could have been avoided through the use of ES (or transferred to a later period of time in the case of S1). In S2, S3, and S4 approximately 10.2%, 1.1%, and 22.8% of the net GHG emissions respectively are attributable to the use of ES technology. See Table 4 for some of the pertinent output data associated with each of the scenarios.

Table 4: This table lists some of the output data from one-week trial runs of each scenario that is referred to throughout the study. For a complete list of the output data please see Appendix F.

	BL	S1	S2	S3	S4
Net GHG Emissions (Lower Bound)	8,554,897,158 kgCO2e	8,554,886,391 kgCO2e	7,616,839,503 kgCO2e	1,471,886,100 kgCO2e	3,825,223,442 kgCO2e
Net GHG Emissions (Upper Bound)	11,700,791,870 kgCO2e	11,699,165,045 kgCO2e	10,329,233,555 kgCO2e	2,307,909,136 kgCO2e	5,483,357,498 kgCO2e
GHG Emissions Rate (Lower Bound)	557 kgCO2e/ MWh	557 kgCO2e/ MWh	496 kgCO2e/ MWh	96 kgCO2e/ MWh	249 kgCO2e/ MWh
GHG Emissions Rate (Upper Bound)	761  kgCO2e/ MWh	761 kgCO2e/ MWh	672 kgCO2e/ MWh	150 kgCO2e/ MWh	357 kgCO2e/ MWh
Maximum ES Storage	N/A	13,617 MW/hour	17,489 MW/hour	23,489 MW/hour	12,849 MW/hour
Maximum ES Release	N/A	3,183 MW/hour	36,659 MW/hour	28,659 MW/hour	57,935 MW/hour
GHG Emissions Associated with ES	3.1%*	2.8%	10.2%	1.1%	22.8%

*Denotes a potential for GHG emissions to be avoided.

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