Thermal/electric energy generation and CO2 production for greenhouse facilities

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 141-151
Author(s):  
O. E. Gnezdova ◽  
E. S. Chugunkova

Introduction: greenhouses need microclimate control systems to grow agricultural crops. The method of carbon dioxide injection, which is currently used by agricultural companies, causes particular problems. Co-generation power plants may boost the greenhouse efficiency, as they are capable of producing electric energy, heat and cold, as well as carbon dioxide designated for greenhouse plants.Methods: the co-authors provide their estimates of the future gas/electricity rates growth in the short term; they have made a breakdown of the costs of greenhouse products, and they have also compiled the diagrams describing electricity consumption in case of traditional and non-traditional patterns of power supply; they also provide a power distribution pattern typical for greenhouse businesses, as well as the structure and the principle of operation of a co-generation unit used by a greenhouse facility.Results and discussion: the co-authors highlight the strengths of co-generation units used by greenhouse facilities. They have also identified the biological features of carbon dioxide generation and consumption, and they have listed the consequences of using carbon dioxide to enrich vegetable crops.Conclusion: the co-authors have formulated the expediency of using co-generation power plants as part of power generation facilities that serve greenhouses.

The theoretical framework of the study covers the formation and development of cryptoeconomics, as well as its impact on the environment. The term cryptoeconomics is used to refer to a new industry, which develops around cryptocurrencies and blockchain. Cryptocurrency mining consumes a lot of electricity. As of September 2019, the estimated annual electricity consumption was 78.93 TWh (with an electricity price of 0.05 USD). This model was used to create the Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Index web service. If we assume that electricity for mining is generated at coal-fired power plants only, then knowing the energy consumption of bitcoin miners, we can estimate carbon dioxide emissions at the upper boundary. In this case, carbon dioxide emissions are about 80.43 million tons of CO2, which corresponds to 0.24% of the total emissions in the world. The aim of this work is to simulate carbon dioxide emissions caused by bitcoin mining, taking into account the regional distribution of miners and various sources of electricity that are used for mining. To achieve it, the following tasks were set: 1) the formation of a reasonable list of mining pools; 2) clarification of the geographical distribution of miners; 3) assessment of the distribution of mining capacities by region; 4) evaluation of air pollution by regions. The problem of increasing electricity consumption by the network of bitcoin (and other cryptocurrencies) miners and the corresponding environmental impact should be discussed with policymakers, industry participants and the general public. According to the proposed method for assessing the geographical distribution of mining using the traffic of mining pools web pages, carbon dioxide emissions is about 44.12 million tons per year (0.13% of global emissions), which is two times lower than the upper boundary estimate.


Author(s):  
Michael O’Sullivan ◽  
Michael Gravatt ◽  
Joris Popineau ◽  
John O’Sullivan ◽  
Warren Mannington ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clément Beust ◽  
Erwin Franquet ◽  
Jean-Pierre Bédécarrats ◽  
Pierre Garcia ◽  
Jérôme Pouvreau ◽  
...  

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