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Eco-Efficiency Assessment of the Application of Large-Scale Rechargeable Batteries in a Coal-Fired Power Plant

This article presents the results of an eco-efficiency assessment of the application of large-scale rechargeable battery technology in electricity generation from coal. The eco-efficiency of electricity production in a 350 MW coal-fired power plant was calculated. Two production variants were compared: with the use of a lithium-ion battery of a 400 MWh capacity to optimize the operation of power blocks and without using the battery. Hard coal is one of the main fossil fuels used to generate electricity in Poland. Despite the growing share of electricity from renewable sources, this situation will persist for many more years. The main reasons for this are the high costs and long-lasting process of moving away from fossil fuels in the energy sector. Therefore, any technical solutions that can temporarily reduce the negative impact of coal-based power engineering on the environment should be considered. At the same time, the economic aspects of such solutions must be taken into account. That is why the eco-efficiency assessment method was chosen, which integrates economic and environmental aspects. The obtained results of the analyses indicate the occurrence of environmental and economic benefits resulting from the use of the battery in coal-fired power plants. It has been found that battery-based technology is more eco-efficient than technology without such a battery. A sensitivity analysis was carried out, which allowed the impact of individual computational variables on the eco-efficiency assessment result to be assessed. The results indicate that fuel prices (coal and heavy fuel oil—mazout) and CO2 emission allowances have the greatest impact on the eco-efficiency of the analyzed technology. It was also found that the factors related to the battery, such as its efficiency, life span, decrease of the capacity after 10 years of operation, and construction cost, have a much smaller impact on the results.