29 October – A simple generator dispatch method for stimulating marginal emissions factors and least-emissions dispatch for the US power sector
Date: 29 October
Time: 12:00pm
Location: Baker Hall 129 Conference Room
Speaker: Thomas Deetjen
Topic: A simple generator dispatch method for stimulating marginal emissions factors and least-emissions dispatch for the US power sector
Abstract: This study develops an open-source, simplified generator dispatch tool and uses it to simulate emissions for the U.S. power sector. The presentation will briefly discuss the theory behind simplified generator dispatch followed by two application areas for the model. First, we use the model to simulate marginal emissions factors (MEFs) for the U.S. power sector. We compare these against historically derived MEFs to show how low-emissions power plants are beginning to compete with coal generation as the lowest-cost resources in U.S. power plant fleets. Second, we use the model to simulate the least-emissions (instead of least-cost) dispatch of the current U.S. power system. This simulation yields an abatement cost curve that quantifies the $/ton cost of reducing CO2 emissions through various degrees of re-dispatch of the existing power plant fleet.