Environomical analysis of peak hours‘ electricity production in targeted European countries

The generation of electricity is one of the most impactful factors related to climate change. In order to mitigate the effects of Global Warming, analyzing electricity production with a time-dependency perspective is essential, to better develop further efficient grid improvement strategies. Environmental impacts and prices are two main outputs related to the power generation. This work presents the methodology to assess the potential environmental impacts and the market prices of hourly generation profiles, by means of the ENTSO-E Transparency Platform, and applying Attributional Life Cycle Assessment. This methodology is then applied to analyze the electricity production of the five pilotsites in the INVADE H2020 Project. Green House Gases emissions are determined, using the Global Warming potential indicator to assess the environmental impacts of the hourly electricity production on each targeted country. The electricity prices related to peak hours are then analyzed to discover possible links with the emissions. The highlight is on the type of resources used to meet peak hours demand, in order to understand the time variability outcomes of electricity generation. The results show the importance of having a base load covered by nuclear power plants. Furthermore, it reveals the usefulness of hydro resources, especially the flexible reservoir and pumped storage. In addition, evaluating the time-slots in which peak hours occur becomes relevant to implement energy storage strategies and peak-shaving solutions. This study can be seen as optimal support in the development of policies to increase the grid integration of renewable energy resources.