Slides from the lanuch of a major new report of the International Resource Panel on the benefits, risks and trade-offs of low-carbon technologies for electricity production.

1. Lead authors:
Edgar Hertwich, Thomas Gibon, Sangwon Suh,
Jacqueline Aloisi de Larderel, Joe Bergesen

2. Green Energy Choices
The Benefits, Risks and Trade‐offs of Low‐Carbon Technologies for Electricity Production
Background
2

3. Green Energy Choices
The Benefits, Risks and Trade‐offs of Low‐Carbon Technologies for Electricity Production
IPCC: A near‐complete shift to low‐carbon energy
sources is required for any stabilization target
2.6°C 2.2°C 1.9°C 1.6°C
Importance of
electricity increases
Source: IPCC AR5 (2014)
3

4. Green Energy Choices
The Benefits, Risks and Trade‐offs of Low‐Carbon Technologies for Electricity Production
Challenge
Which technologies for
electricity generation can
reduce both GHG emissions and
avoid impacts on human health
and ecosystems?
Source: IEA Energy Technology Perspectives 2015
4
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
2012 2020 2030 2040 2050
GtCO2
Technologies Renewables 30%
CCS 13%
Power generation efficiency and fuel switching 1%
End‐use fuel switching 10%
End‐use fuel and electricity efficiency 38%
Nuclear 8%
Baseline emissions 56 Gt
BLUE Map emissions 14 Gt
Renewables 30%
CCS 13%

5. Green Energy Choices
The Benefits, Risks and Trade‐offs of Low‐Carbon Technologies for Electricity Production
What are environmental, health and resource use implications
of a massive expansion of low‐carbon electricity?
5
©Richie Chan/Shutterstock
A 5MW offshore wind turbine
requires 1200 tons of steel
350 000 such wind turbines
would be required to provide 12%
electricity in 2050.

6. Green Energy Choices
The Benefits, Risks and Trade‐offs of Low‐Carbon Technologies for Electricity Production
What are environmental, health and resource use implications
of a massive expansion of low‐carbon electricity?
6
© Ranglen/Shutterstock
3.2 million premature deaths
from particulate matter.

7. Green Energy Choices
The Benefits, Risks and Trade‐offs of Low‐Carbon Technologies for Electricity Production
7
• Coal and gas with and
without CO2 capture and
storage (CCS),
• Photovoltaic power,
• Concentrated solar
power,
• Hydropower,
• Geothermal,
• Wind power.
Nine electricity
technologies
• Damage on ecosystems
• ecotoxicity,
• eutrophication,
• acidification…
• Damage on human
health
• particulate matter,
• human toxicity…
• Resource use
• iron, copper,
aluminium, cement,
• energy, water and land
Impact
categories
• Extraction of raw
materials,
• Fuel supply chain,
• Production of power
plants,
• Transportation
• Operation,
• Maintenance,
• Decommissioning.
Life cycle
perspective
Assessment Approach and Method

8. Green Energy Choices
The Benefits, Risks and Trade‐offs of Low‐Carbon Technologies for Electricity Production
Results
8

9. Green Energy Choices
The Benefits, Risks and Trade‐offs of Low‐Carbon Technologies for Electricity Production
Human Health
(DALY/TWh)
Ecosystems
(species‐year/TWh)
9
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
Supercritical Offshore,
gravity
foundation
Offshore,
steel
foundation
Onshore
Coal Wind
Human toxicity
Ionising radiation
Particulate matter
Summer smog
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Supercritical Offshore,
gravity
foundation
Offshore,
steel
foundation
Onshore
Coal Wind
freshwater ecotoxicity
freshwater eutrophication
marine ecotoxicity
terrestrial acidification
terrestrial ecotoxicity
Wind power
Excluding effects of climate change and land use

10. Green Energy Choices
The Benefits, Risks and Trade‐offs of Low‐Carbon Technologies for Electricity Production
Wind power
•Very low GHG emissions (++)
Climate change
•Reduced exposure to particulate matter(++)
•Reduced human toxicity (‐‐)
Human Health
•Collision fatalities of birds and bats (+=)
•Reduced ecotoxicity and eutrophication (=‐)
Ecosystems
•Increased consumption of bulk metals ( +=)
•Low water use (==)
•Low direct land use (==)
Resources
Key (##)
First symbol
(+) high agreement among studies (=) moderate agreement (‐) low agreement
Second symbol
(+) robust evidence (many studies) (=) medium evidence (‐) limited evidence
10
©Jeff Adkins

11. Green Energy Choices
The Benefits, Risks and Trade‐offs of Low‐Carbon Technologies for Electricity Production
Low‐impact projects:
• Good wind conditions
• Limit bird and bat collision
fatalities
• Recycling
Wind power
11
©Jeff Adkins

12. Green Energy Choices
The Benefits, Risks and Trade‐offs of Low‐Carbon Technologies for Electricity Production
Human Health
(DALY*/TWh)
Ecosystems
(species‐year/TWh)
12
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
SupercriticalwCCS
Supercritical
IGCCwithCCS
IGCC
NaturalgaswCCS
Naturalgas
Coal Natural gas
Human toxicity
Ionising radiation
Particulate matter
Summer smog
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
SupercriticalwCCS
Supercritical
IGCCwithCCS
IGCC
NaturalgaswCCS
Naturalgas
Coal Natural gas
freshwater ecotoxicity
freshwater eutrophication
marine ecotoxicity
terrestrial acidification
terrestrial ecotoxicity
Coal and natural gas power, with CO2 capture and storage
Excluding effects of climate change and land use

13. Green Energy Choices
The Benefits, Risks and Trade‐offs of Low‐Carbon Technologies for Electricity Production
Coal and natural gas power, with CO2 capture and storage
• Low GHG (++)
• Substantial fugitive methane emissions (==)
• Concern about CO2 leakage (‐=)
Climate
• Solvent related emissions (==)
• High particulate matter (==)
• High human toxicity (=‐)
Human health
• High eutrophication (mining, ++)
• Ecotoxicity (+=)
Ecosystem health
• Increased fossil fuel consumption (++)
• Limited CO2 storage (++)
Resources
Key (##)
First symbol
(+) high agreement among studies (=) moderate agreement (‐) low agreement
Second symbol
(+) robust evidence (many studies) (=) medium evidence (‐) limited evidence
13
©Reuters

14. Green Energy Choices
The Benefits, Risks and Trade‐offs of Low‐Carbon Technologies for Electricity Production
Low‐impact projects:
• Reduced emissions in
fuel production and
transport
• Geology
• Sourcing
Coal and natural gas power, with CO2 capture and storage
14
©Reuters

15. Green Energy Choices
The Benefits, Risks and Trade‐offs of Low‐Carbon Technologies for Electricity Production
Technology Comparison
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16. Green Energy Choices
The Benefits, Risks and Trade‐offs of Low‐Carbon Technologies for Electricity Production
Human Health Impact
DALY/TWh
400
300
200
100
0
Comparative Human Health Impacts

17. Green Energy Choices
The Benefits, Risks and Trade‐offs of Low‐Carbon Technologies for Electricity Production
60
40
20
0
Damage to ecosystems
Species-year/1000 TWh
Comparative Ecological Impacts

18. Green Energy Choices
The Benefits, Risks and Trade‐offs of Low‐Carbon Technologies for Electricity Production
Impacts from electricity generation under IEA Blue Map vs
business as usual scenarios
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19. For more information please visit:
www.unep.org/resourcepanel