Assessing the Carbon Intensity of Hourly Electricity Mix in Sweden and Identifying Opportunities for Renewable Energy Integration (2018-2022)
(2004) AEBM01 20231Department of Building and Environmental Technology
Division of Energy and Building Design
- Abstract
- The carbon intensity is an important metric that provides a clear measure of the environmental impact associated with the electricity use. Carbon intensity of electricity use is differentiated into CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, which standardises the measurement by expressing the emissions of various greenhouse gases in terms of the equivalent amount of CO₂ based on their global warming potential. It is a crucial metric for a variety of parties, including building and construction sector, industries, policy makers, researchers, energy companies, and international organisations. These parties use carbon intensity data to assess and compare the environmental impact of different energy sources, develop strategies to reduce emissions,... (More)
- The carbon intensity is an important metric that provides a clear measure of the environmental impact associated with the electricity use. Carbon intensity of electricity use is differentiated into CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, which standardises the measurement by expressing the emissions of various greenhouse gases in terms of the equivalent amount of CO₂ based on their global warming potential. It is a crucial metric for a variety of parties, including building and construction sector, industries, policy makers, researchers, energy companies, and international organisations. These parties use carbon intensity data to assess and compare the environmental impact of different energy sources, develop strategies to reduce emissions, inform policy and regulatory decisions, and guide investment in renewable energy technologies. Often the values that are used for the carbon intensity of electricity generation are generalised and do not include important processes associated with the electricity grid, leading to less accurate assessments of true emissions and potential misguidance in policy and strategic decisions.
Hourly evaluation of carbon intensity of electricity mix can provide reliable data, which daily, monthly or annually evaluations cannot. This is mainly due to the fact that most renewable energy sources like solar and wind are dependent on environmental conditions. Solar energy relies on sunlight availability, which varies with time of day and weather, while wind energy depends on wind speeds, which can fluctuate hourly and seasonally. Additionally, electricity use, or the consumer profile, also experiences hourly fluctuations, making it important to assess if the introduction of more renewable sources can match this profile. Therefore, hourly data is crucial for accurately capturing the electricity generation of all sources of energy and their impact on carbon intensity, and evaluating the potential for increased integration of renewable energy sources.
This study investigates the hourly carbon intensity of electricity in all four zones in Sweden from 2018 to 2022. It creates a database on carbon intensity since one does not exists. That is achieved by processing data from various hourly databases, such as Swedish electricity generation by energy source, foreign electricity generation by energy source for the zones which Sweden is exchanging electricity with, exchange of electricity between Swedish and neighbouring zones, and carbon intensity of energy sources for Sweden and neighbouring countries. The study shows how all these databases are combined to find the carbon intensity of the electricity mix in Sweden. They are processed using a combination of programming languages.
The aim is to analyse the possibility of decommissioning the fossil fuels energy sources. The results are interesting. Sweden is not producing enough electricity to shut down all sources of fossil fuels. Even though a lot of electricity is being exported, Sweden still relies on import. That means that there is a big potential of increasing the use of renewable energy sources. The study demonstrates that relying on a single renewable energy source, such as solar or wind, to replace the electricity generated by fossil fuels, is insufficient due to intrinsic constraints and seasonal variations. To address complex issues and ensure a sustainable, resilient energy future, a diversified and well-planned strategy is essential. (Less) - Popular Abstract
- Sweden, renowned for its leadership in climate action, aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. Central to this ambition is the reduction of carbon intensity in its electricity mix. Carbon intensity measures the amount of carbon dioxide emissions produced per kilowatt-hour of electricity generated, and it's crucial for understanding the environmental impact of electricity consumption.
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9157902
- author
- Stamenov, Georgi LU
- supervisor
- organization
- alternative title
- A Study Focused on Carbon Intensity of Sweden's Electricity Zones from 2018-2022
- course
- AEBM01 20231
- year
- 2004
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Carbon Intensity, Electricity Mix, Hourly Analysis, Renewable Energy, Energy Transition, Sweden Energy Zones, CO2 Emissions, Energy Sources, Renewable Integration, Energy Consumption, Environmental Impact, Greenhouse Gases, Policy Implications, Sustainable Energy, Energy Data Analytics, Python
- language
- English
- id
- 9157902
- date added to LUP
- 2024-06-05 06:43:29
- date last changed
- 2024-06-05 06:43:29
@misc{9157902,
abstract = {{The carbon intensity is an important metric that provides a clear measure of the environmental impact associated with the electricity use. Carbon intensity of electricity use is differentiated into CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, which standardises the measurement by expressing the emissions of various greenhouse gases in terms of the equivalent amount of CO₂ based on their global warming potential. It is a crucial metric for a variety of parties, including building and construction sector, industries, policy makers, researchers, energy companies, and international organisations. These parties use carbon intensity data to assess and compare the environmental impact of different energy sources, develop strategies to reduce emissions, inform policy and regulatory decisions, and guide investment in renewable energy technologies. Often the values that are used for the carbon intensity of electricity generation are generalised and do not include important processes associated with the electricity grid, leading to less accurate assessments of true emissions and potential misguidance in policy and strategic decisions.
Hourly evaluation of carbon intensity of electricity mix can provide reliable data, which daily, monthly or annually evaluations cannot. This is mainly due to the fact that most renewable energy sources like solar and wind are dependent on environmental conditions. Solar energy relies on sunlight availability, which varies with time of day and weather, while wind energy depends on wind speeds, which can fluctuate hourly and seasonally. Additionally, electricity use, or the consumer profile, also experiences hourly fluctuations, making it important to assess if the introduction of more renewable sources can match this profile. Therefore, hourly data is crucial for accurately capturing the electricity generation of all sources of energy and their impact on carbon intensity, and evaluating the potential for increased integration of renewable energy sources.
This study investigates the hourly carbon intensity of electricity in all four zones in Sweden from 2018 to 2022. It creates a database on carbon intensity since one does not exists. That is achieved by processing data from various hourly databases, such as Swedish electricity generation by energy source, foreign electricity generation by energy source for the zones which Sweden is exchanging electricity with, exchange of electricity between Swedish and neighbouring zones, and carbon intensity of energy sources for Sweden and neighbouring countries. The study shows how all these databases are combined to find the carbon intensity of the electricity mix in Sweden. They are processed using a combination of programming languages.
The aim is to analyse the possibility of decommissioning the fossil fuels energy sources. The results are interesting. Sweden is not producing enough electricity to shut down all sources of fossil fuels. Even though a lot of electricity is being exported, Sweden still relies on import. That means that there is a big potential of increasing the use of renewable energy sources. The study demonstrates that relying on a single renewable energy source, such as solar or wind, to replace the electricity generated by fossil fuels, is insufficient due to intrinsic constraints and seasonal variations. To address complex issues and ensure a sustainable, resilient energy future, a diversified and well-planned strategy is essential.}},
author = {{Stamenov, Georgi}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Assessing the Carbon Intensity of Hourly Electricity Mix in Sweden and Identifying Opportunities for Renewable Energy Integration (2018-2022)}},
year = {{2004}},
}