Generalized Estimation of Average Displaced Emissions by Wind Generation

Abstract

This paper presents a generalized approach for the estimation of average displaced or avoided system emissions by intermittent renewable sources such as wind. The quantification of the environmental benefits of renewable energy projects is of utmost importance for: 1) the creation and trading of certified emission reductions or credits and 2) the design of green energy government policies that recognize the contribution of renewable energy for the reduction of national/regional carbon emissions. The proposed approach is based on the correlation factor between time-evolution of system marginal emissions and wind power generation. Results show that average displaced emissions by wind generation can be estimated once typical power system dispatch data and regional wind generation is available, thus circumventing the use of proprietary power dispatch models. The main objective of this work is to contribute towards the development of simplified methodologies that will facilitate the assessment of renewable energy projects in a variety of regulatory and regional settings.