Retired units transfer energy to power station

Do coal power plants need to be retired?

Coal power plants are the single largest contributor to global heating. With new constructions slowing globally, there is an urgent need to accelerate the retirement of existing plants. With numerous barriers hampering this, retirement speeds differ considerably across countries.

Can old coal plant sites be converted to new storage and renewable projects?

Conversion of old coal plant sites to new storage and renewable projects is happening in New Jersey, Nevada, Louisiana, and elsewhere across the country.

How will future developments affect plant retirement ages?

Furthermore, we expect other future developments to influence plant retirement ages. For example, retrofitting plants with co-firing (ammonia, biomass) or carbon capture technologies would involve new investments that marginally reduce emissions, thus incentivizing longer operation.

What percentage of power plants are covered by the WEPP database?

Its coverage, while generally adequate, may vary across geographies, technologies and plant capacity. According to the WEPP documentation 52, the database is considered comprehensive (>75%) for large- and medium-sized power plants of all types of fuel and technology.

Will CFPP units hamper future efforts to expedite retirements?

Nonetheless, the significant volume of CFPP units in these countries is expected to hamper future efforts to expedite retirements. Consider the case of Japan, whose coal lock-in score is 3.06. This is due to a roughly 30% share of coal in the electricity mix and a forecasted average lifetime operation of CFPPs close to 42 years.

Does a factor contribute to a unit's retirement age?

To identify each factor’s contribution to a unit’s retirement, we used SHAP values, informed by prior literature that recognizes the consistency and accuracy of these values for model forecasting. 67 SHAP values, given in log odds, reflect a factor’s influence on retirement age forecasting.