Net generation of electricity in countries belonging to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) increased 2.1% from 2004 to 2005. This rate of increase slightly exceeded the average for the 12-year period 1994 through 2005 of 2.0% per annum.

Fossil fuels are foreseen to continue to supply much of the increment in the world energy market throughout the projections. Oil remains the dominant energy source over the projection period, but its share of total world energy consumption is expected to decline from 38% in 2003 to 33% in 2030, largely in response to higher world oil prices in this year’s outlook, which reduce oil demand in the mid-term. 

Coal, natural gas, and nuclear generation have in combination provided about 85 percent to 88 percent of total net generation during the period 1994 through 2005. However, the trends for these three major generation sources have been different. Coal generation in 2005 grew 1.7% over 2004 to 2,013 billion kilowatthours. This was less than the overall growth in generation, and coal’s share of total net generation continued its slow decline, from 52.1% in 1994 to 49.7% in 2005.

Since the late 1990’s, natural gas has been the fuel of choice for the majority of new generating units, resulting in a nearly 81% increase in gas-fired capacity since 1999. The construction of natural gas plants began increasing in 1999, peaked during 2002 and 2003, and since then declined considerably.

Increasing price for oil and gas along with major innovation in coal-burning technologies have stimulated a new interest in coal power generation in the last years.

Fuel oil and natural gas are used in conventional steam power plants and integrated cycle power plants. Conventional steam plant is a mature technology used widely throughout the world. It consists of a steam generator (boiler), a steam turbine, balance-of-plant (bop) equipment, and particulate removal equipment (typically electrostatic precipitator, ESP). Steam plants burn oil, natural gas, and biomass independently or in combination. However, the power plant needs to be designed for the available fuels.

The combined-cycle unit combines the steam turbine and gas turbine thermodynamic cycles by using heat recovery boilers to capture the energy in the gas turbine exhaust gases for steam production to supply a steam turbine. Process steam can be also provided for industrial purposes. Combined-cycle efficiencies are already over 50% and research aimed at 1,370°C (2,500°F) turbine inlet temperature may make 60% efficiency possible by the turn of the century, according to some gas turbine manufacturers.

Pulverized coal-fired (PC) plants are conventional steam plants firing pulverized coal. In this plants there is the need for additional equipment, in particular a coal handling system (usually, a direct-firing system for pulverized coal), a coal preparation system including pulverizers, a particulate removal equipment (typically electrostatic precipitator, ESP), and a solid waste handling and disposal system. Coal-fired thermal power generation is aimed specifically towards the effective utilization of coal which is an abundant source worldwide by improving the existing technology.

In Figure 1 an overview of Energy Production worldwide in 2005 is illustrated, with reference to the different types of used fuels. 

Net electricity consumption is forecast to increase more than double between 2003 and 2030, from 14,781 billion kilowatthours to 30,116 billion kilowatthours. The strongest growth in net electricity consumption is projected for the non-OECD economies, averaging 3.9% per year. Robust economic growth in many of the non-OECD countries is expected to boost demand for electricity to run newly purchased home appliances for air conditioning, cooking, space and water heating, and refrigeration. Although expanding use of home appliances and other electronic devices also results in increased demand for electricity in the OECD nations, their more mature infrastructures and slower rates of population expansion result in slower growth for total net electricity consumption, averaging 1.5% per year over the projection horizon. 

The world’s most growing Power industry in the last years is the Chinese one, with an average increase of more than 7%. Coal-fired power plants dominate Chinese energy production scenario, accounting for 81% of total energy generation, with the related problems of greenhouse gas emission. The average Energy efficiency in China power production is lower than in developed countries, being 30% as average value. This is due in particular to the low efficiency of the boilers, which are the equipment that show the greatest opportunities for efficiency improvement. 

For these reasons the Chinese Power Production demonstrates to be the sector with the greatest potentials for improvements in energy efficiency, which will be object of this section of the web site. Here you can find various information about Thermal Power production, and opportunities for improvement in energy efficiency in this sector. Information provided is divided in five main sections, which are described as follows:

·             Chinese context, describing the actual situation in China, and opportunities for improvements in energy efficiency;

·              Benchmarking studies in Power Production sector, individualizing the main areas for intervention;

·              Assessing Key Components necessary for the specific energy audit to be conducted in specific Thermal Power Plants;

·              Specific Questionnaire, important for getting the most important information about the industrial sites object of the energy efficiency improvement studies;