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Carbon Constrained Energy Planning in Trinidad and Tobago's Power Generation Sector

May 19, 2021 | Views:208853 |

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Office of Research, Impact and Postgraduate Studies

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Carbon Constrained Energy Planning in Trinidad and Tobago's Power Generation Sector

by Mr. Dillon Ramsook

Small island developing states like Trinidad and Tobago are expected to see some of climate change's greatest effects in the coming decades (IPCC, 2014). To maintain its commitment to mitigate these effects, the country has adopted National Determined Contributions (NDCs) for greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction until the year 2030 through the Paris Agreement. In the published data however, there lies an apparent gap in correlating the constraints of GHG emissions, renewable energy commitments, and economic factors.

The scope of this M.Phil. is geared towards filling this gap in the power generation sector with carbon constrained energy planning to account for these constraints by utilising an adaptation of carbon emission pinch analysis (CEPA) originally proposed by Tan & Foo (2006). The research was designed by first outlining the local constraints, selecting the most applicable model for Trinidad and Tobago, and gathering the necessary quantitative data for scenario analysis. Using IPCC guidelines and a novel modification of CEPA to model for Trinidad and Tobago's unique case, a business-as-usual scenario was developed with emission factors for the power plants and national grid. This was then compared to scenarios where power plant allocation and renewable energy capacity variables were altered to satisfy the constraints. This study empirically contributes to local decision-making on specific actions needed to meet the 2030 targets through power plant optimisation, renewable energy capacity requirements, and techno-economic analysis.

With these findings, there is also a potential to expand this work to include other upcoming clean initiatives on Trinidad and Tobago's radar such as carbon capture and storage (CCS), and heat recovery steam generation (HRSG). CCS and HRSG also offer the potential of reducing the GHG footprint of the power sector, similar to renewable energy. Using a techno-economic analysis, the CEPA model developed can be extended as a measuring tool to compare options of GHG reduction and optimise the solution; essentially creating a roadmap of actions to meet the 2030 NDCs economically. Having the ability to satisfy multiple constraints in energy planning, CEPA for Trinidad and Tobago allows the introduction of the ‘GHG' variable, facilitates power plant ecology, and facilitates economic comparison.

Mr. DILLON RAMSOOK is a graduate of The University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) with a Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) in Process Engineering. During his time as a UTT student from 2012-2018, he represented the University in multiple national competitions and conferences where he gravitated to clean production and sustainable development. His current M.Phil. research at UTT is an extension of his M.Eng. thesis project which won "Best R&D Project 2017". Where?

During the period of 2017-2019, while employed at UTT, he provided technical insight on two national projects, focusing on carbon reduction through carbon capture and storage (CCS). The findings of these projects provide crucial insights into T&T's decarbonisation strategy. Additionally, he has experience in advanced techno-economic modelling of CCS for application in Trinidad and Tobago. In 2020, he was selected as 1 of 50 persons worldwide to participate in the upcoming IEAGHG's CCS Summer School, to be held in Bandung, Indonesia in 2022. This Summer School is geared towards exposing the best young minds in the field of CCS to hands-on experience and coaching from the top companies in the world.

Currently he is employed as an Executive Management Trainee at the ANSA McAL Group of Companies through their Champions Program. Here, he is constantly placed in situations to challenge the status quo, improve processes, manage operations, and drive sustainable organisational/technical change. This programme is directed toward developing his management skills through continuous exposure to the company's executives and high-level business decision making.