EPRI: 'CYCLING' OF COAL-FIRED PLANTS HURTS EFFICIENCY, FUEL COSTS

摘要

Equating the efficiency of power plants to that of a car, the Electric Power Research Institute concludes in a new article in its EPRI Journal that intermittent cycling of coal-fired power plants can have detrimental effects both on the long-term efficiency of a power plant and the cost of fuel. Though traditional coal-fired power plants weren't made for "cycling" or consistent start-up and shut-down, researchers with EPRI conclude in a December journal article that "today's low natural gas prices, increased renewable generation, and economic downturn have created the utility equivalent of heavy traffic," forcing coal plants that would typically run for many hours to shut down for short intervals, thus reducing both the efficiency of the plant and the reliability of the plant's equipment.