Page 118 - Managing Global Warming

88 Managing Global Warming

Table 3.3 Largest operating power plants of the world (based on
installed capacity) by energy source [17]

Capacity
Rank Plant Country (MW el ) Plant type
1 Three Gorges Dam (Fig. 3.6A) China 22,500 Hydro (dam)
2 Bruce NPP (Fig. 3.5) Canada 6384 Nuclear
3 Taichung (Fig. 3.4) Taiwan 5780 Coal
4 Shoaiba Saudi 5600 Fuel oil
Arabia
5 Surgut-2 a Russia 5597 Natural gas
6 Gansu China 5160 Wind (onshore)
7 Bath County b USA 3003 Hydro (pumped
storage)
8 Chief Josef (Fig. 3.8) USA 2620 Hydro (run-of-
the-river)
9 Eesti Estonia 1615 Oil shale
10 The Geysers USA 1517 Geothermal
11 Shatura a Russia 1500 Peat a
12 Kurnool Ultra Mega Solar India 900 Solar (Photo-
Voltaic (PV))
13 Ironbridge UK 740 Biofuel a
14 London Array UK 630 Wind (offshore)
15 IPP3 a Jordan 573 Internal combustion
engines
16 Ivanpah (Fig. 3.15) USA 392 Solar (concentrated
thermal)
17 Sihwa Lake South 254 Tidal
Korea
18 Vasavi Basin Bridge India 200 Diesel
19 Soten€ as Sweden 3 Marine (wave)

a
It should be noted that actually, some thermal power plants use multifuel options, for example, Surgut-2 (15% natural
gas); Shatura (peat: 11.5%, natural gas: 78%, fuel oil: 6.8%, and coal: 3.7%) power plants.
b
Pumped storage hydroelectricity (PSH), or pumped hydroelectric energy storage (PHES), is a type of hydroelectric
power plant used by electric grids for load balancing. During off-peak hours (or during periods of lower electricity
prices), usually at night, water is pumped from a lower elevation reservoir to a higher elevation one. During peak hours
(or periods of high electricity prices), the plant is used as a regular hydroelectricity plant. It should be noted that such
plants usually consume energy overall, but the plant increases revenue by selling more electricity during periods of peak
demand, when electricity prices are highest (based on [18]).
energy R&D programs, nationalized or majority government-owned manufacturers and
constructors (particularly in the nuclear arena), centralized control of labor market and
engineering costs, or funding prototype or “demonstration” development and deployment.
Hence, there may be “hidden’ subsidies” that do not allow direct international comparisons.
(f ) The use of regulated limits constraints on CO 2 emissions on the use of carbon fuels in
energy systems, like coal and gas, manufacturing and transportation affect certain power
generation markets. Such schemes (as in the EU or California, United States) include
“cap and trade” markets in which permits or emissions rights are issued within some