Synergy of benefits

There is a single, centrally-dispatched wholesale electricity market in New England. The entity operating this market, ISO New England, is mandated to efficiently dispatch generated electricity to meet electricity demand, subject to grid capabilities. Therefore, electricity generated by a Barrington turbine would offset electricity production at some plant in New England. Unlike previously stated on this page, it would probably not be at Brayton power plant.

Based on the reports below from ISO-NE (on marginal emission reduction for on-peak and off-peak times) and Synapse (on marginal emission reduction for the typical profile of energy production for a wind turbine), the Barrington turbine would offset approximately 500 tons of CO2, 1000 pounds of NOx and 900 pounds of SOx. One can compare this with the health cost analysis of the Army Corps of Engineers for Cape Wind to estimate offset health costs.

References
Synapse Energy EconomicsAnalysis of Indirect Emissions Benefits of Wind, Landfill Gas, and Municipal Solid Waste Generation, funded by and submitted to the EPA prepared for PPM Energy July, 2008.

System Planning Dept of ISO-NE, "2006 New England Marginal Emission Rate Analysis", Sept 2008 http://www.iso-ne.com/genrtion_resrcs/reports/emission/2006_mea_report.pdf

Table 5.16.6 of the Army Corp Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Cape Wind.

Kempton, W., Archer, C.L., Dhanju, A., Garvine, R., Jacobson, M. "Large CO2 reductions via offshore wind power matched to inherent storage in energy end-uses", Geophysical Research Letters, Vol 34, Jan 2007.source

Letter from the Harvard School of Public Health to Delaware Commissioner: http://www.ocean.udel.edu/Windpower/DE-Qs/IRP-KempLevy-Health.pdf


Health Effect Offsets from Cape Wind


Emission Reductions from Cape Wind

Ozone

Ground level ozone is one of the air pollutants considered in the Army Corps study. Ozone is great up high in the stratosphere, but at ground level creates health problems.

Ozone irritates the respiratory system,
can reduce lung function,
aggravates asthma,
can inflame and damage lung cells,
and can aggravate chronic lung diseases and reduce the immune system.

Repeated short-term zone damage in children can lead to reduced lung capacity as an adult. The highest risk group of people are active children who play outdoors in the summer.

Ozone is created when volatile organic compounds (VOCs) interact with nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the presence of sunlight. Power plants accounted for 16% of NOx emissions, and 3% of VOCs emissions, in 2002 in New England.