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Severn Barrage tidal power project: implications for carbon emissions
Author(s) -
WoollcombeAdams Charlie,
Watson Michael,
Shaw Tom
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
water and environment journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.437
H-Index - 37
eISSN - 1747-6593
pISSN - 1747-6585
DOI - 10.1111/j.1747-6593.2008.00124.x
Subject(s) - greenhouse gas , renewable energy , environmental science , electricity generation , global warming , environmental engineering , electricity , carbon fibers , power station , climate change , natural resource economics , environmental protection , engineering , waste management , power (physics) , economics , oceanography , computer science , physics , algorithm , quantum mechanics , geology , composite number , electrical engineering
UK Government encouragement of the Severn Barrage project has regard for the fact that this is by far the largest single source of renewable energy available to the United Kingdom. A major concern for all forms of electricity generation is their effects of carbon emissions and, as a result which is now generally recognised, on global warming. The present paper makes use of published sources of carbon emissions data to estimate the carbon content of each of the operations required to produce, transport, construct, operate and decommission this barrage if it is located and designed as set out in 1989. The approach adopted here is based on estimating the ratio of the life‐cycle carbon emissions demand of the scheme (gCO 2 ) relative to its energy output (kW) over an assumed lifetime, this to include expected plant replacements over that period.