Centralised Power Stations Lose Over 60% of Energy.
August 12, 2008
Fiona MacDonald penned an article about MicroGeneration in the metro.co.uk last week that mentioned that the current system of centralised power stations loses more than 60 per cent of their energy through heat waste and transmission losses.
Similar figures are quoted by: Allan Jones of the London Climate Change Agency:
“Centralised electricity generation, whether through coal (36% efficient), gas (48% efficient) or nuclear (38% efficient) power stations, is inherently inefficient – wasting two thirds of primary energy input in the form of waste heat rejected into the atmosphere with further losses in the transmission and distribution networks.” The transmission losses are estimated at a further 10%.
Drax alone uses 10,000,000 tonnes of coal per year.
By my reckoning that means that every 4 units of energy generated and used locally by MicroGeneration could save the amount of coal, gas or nuclear energy needed to produce 10 units! These figures help underline just how much scope exists for reducing carbon emissions and waste by utilising alternative methods of generating energy such as MicroGeneration.
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