TY - JOUR
T1 - The life cycle CO2 emission performance of the DOE/NASA solar power satellite system
T2 - A comparison of alternative power generation systems in Japan
AU - Hayami, Hitoshi
AU - Nakamura, Masao
AU - Yoshioka, Kanji
N1 - Funding Information:
Manuscript received May 25, 2001; revised May 28, 2003, March 7, 2004, and September 14, 2004. This work was supported in part by the Environmental Conservation in the Asian Region project funded by the Research for the Future Program of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and a Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada research grant. This paper was recommended by Associate Editor K. Hipel.
PY - 2005/8
Y1 - 2005/8
N2 - Solar power generation and, in particular, space solar power generation seem to be one of the most promising electric power generation technologies for reducing emissions of global warming gases (denoted collectively as CO2 emissions below). Calculating the precise amount of net reduction in CO2 emissions of a solar power system over other alternative power systems requires careful life cycle considerations. For example, emissions from a space solar system must include the emissions from consuming rocket fuel during the launching the satellites, and the emissions from the energy consumed while producing the solar panels. In this paper, we calculate the CO2 emissions observed through the life cycle of a solar power satellite (SPS). This life cycle consists of the production of rocket fuel and solar panels and the construction of a Rectenna (power receiving antenna), satellite, and all other equipment listed in the Department of Energy/NASA reference system. The calculation also includes indirect CO2 emissions that occur in various stages of production of these materials. Our baseline scenario shows that the life cycle CO2 emissions for an SPS system per unit of energy generated are almost the same as the emissions for nuclear power systems and are much less than the life cycle emissions for LNG-fired and coal-fired power generation systems. Furthermore, our SPS-Breeder scenario, in which SPSs supply electricity for producing further SPS systems, shows significantly lower CO2 emissions. As electrical power generation constitutes one fourth of Japan's total CO2 emissions, reducing emissions from electric power generation is one of the most important issues on Japan's policy agenda for dealing with global warming. Our findings suggest that the SPS is the most effective alternative power generation technology.
AB - Solar power generation and, in particular, space solar power generation seem to be one of the most promising electric power generation technologies for reducing emissions of global warming gases (denoted collectively as CO2 emissions below). Calculating the precise amount of net reduction in CO2 emissions of a solar power system over other alternative power systems requires careful life cycle considerations. For example, emissions from a space solar system must include the emissions from consuming rocket fuel during the launching the satellites, and the emissions from the energy consumed while producing the solar panels. In this paper, we calculate the CO2 emissions observed through the life cycle of a solar power satellite (SPS). This life cycle consists of the production of rocket fuel and solar panels and the construction of a Rectenna (power receiving antenna), satellite, and all other equipment listed in the Department of Energy/NASA reference system. The calculation also includes indirect CO2 emissions that occur in various stages of production of these materials. Our baseline scenario shows that the life cycle CO2 emissions for an SPS system per unit of energy generated are almost the same as the emissions for nuclear power systems and are much less than the life cycle emissions for LNG-fired and coal-fired power generation systems. Furthermore, our SPS-Breeder scenario, in which SPSs supply electricity for producing further SPS systems, shows significantly lower CO2 emissions. As electrical power generation constitutes one fourth of Japan's total CO2 emissions, reducing emissions from electric power generation is one of the most important issues on Japan's policy agenda for dealing with global warming. Our findings suggest that the SPS is the most effective alternative power generation technology.
KW - Alternative technology
KW - C0 emissions
KW - Department of Energy (DOE)/NASA reference system
KW - Life cycle assessment (LCA)
KW - Power generation
KW - Solar power satellite (SPS)
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U2 - 10.1109/TSMCC.2004.843232
DO - 10.1109/TSMCC.2004.843232
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:23944479144
VL - 35
SP - 391
EP - 400
JO - IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man and Cybernetics Part C: Applications and Reviews
JF - IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man and Cybernetics Part C: Applications and Reviews
SN - 1094-6977
IS - 3
ER -