Quantitative assessment of the impact of ecological energy sources on atmospheric pollution

AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Protection, Department of Fossil Fuels, A. Mickiewicza 30 Ave, 30-059 Krakow, Poland

Abstract

Environmental pollution, in particular atmospheric pollution, is largely associated with the production of thermal energy. Suspended dusts and chemically aggressive gases generate a significant danger for as well human health as biosphere. In recent years there has been a growing conviction about decisive impact of greenhouse gasses emission generated by the economic and civilizational activity of humanity on global climate changes. Hopes of breaking these adverse trends is connected with the mass use of renewable energy sources or rather so called ecological energy sources, that are relatively less environmentally aggressive. The quantitative comparative assessment of their negative impact on the environment is important in the proper classification of energy sources. Comparing of quantities of emitted suspended dusts and aggressive gases including greenhouse gases is good parameter for evaluation of air pollution. In Polish conditions, atmospheric pollutions are predominated by products of coal combustion. A good indicator of the ecological quality of energy sources is therefore the reduction of emitted harmful substances as a result of coal substitution. In this work examples of ecological effects of geothermal installations have been presented. Geothermal energy is generally considered to be renewable and ecological, while the substitution of coal fuels by hydrocarbons, including natural gas, is more problematic. The comparative analysis performed for a single-family house shows a radical reduction in the emission of suspended dust and chemically aggressive gases associated with replacing the coal furnace by natural gas-fired boiler and reducing the emission of carbon dioxide by half.