Cracow Clean Fossil Fuels
and
Energy Efficiency Program
Cracow
Clean Fossil Fuels
and
Energy Efficiency Program
Wawel Castle - Cracow
Background
Coal-fired, Low Emission Sources (LES) present a great challenge to Central and Eastern European Countries, the Newly Independent States, and other areas. These sources contribute greatly to local, urban air pollution problems and include: small home stoves, hand fired boilers firing coal or coke, and stoker-fired boilers which feed district heating systems and also meet local industrial steam demand. Regional planners in these areas must balance expectations for cleaner air with technology options, user cost impacts, and limited financial resources.
Since 1991, the U.S. and Poland have been cooperating in a multi-million dollar (US) program to reduce pollution from Low Emission Sources. This work has been centered in the city of Cracow and been guided by the Bilateral Steering Committee for the U.S./Polish Cooperative program. This includes representatives of:
- Office of the President of the City of Cracow
- Department of Environmental Protection, Cracow Province
- Polish Ministry of Environmental Protection
- U.S. Agency for International Development
- U.S. Department of Energy
The first Phase included field testing for source characterization, engineering studies to develop cost data, public opinion surveys, the development of tools for options comparison, and analysis of incentives programs. Important conclusions from Phase I include:
While the low emission sources are important contributors to air pollution problems in Cracow, even their complete elimination will not bring pollution levels below those set by current ambient air quality standards. The most significant effects of the low sources are in the central part of the city.
- Coal-fired stoves constitute the most noxious component of the low emission sources. They generate over 1,000 Mg of particulates each season (over 43% of total emissions). These emissions can be reduced dramatically through the use of upgraded fuels.
- The entire elimination of home stoves is not possible in the near term and temporary solutions, such as fuel switching, should be implemented.
- Heat energy conservation is possible in both the distribution systems and at the end users. Significant energy savings can be achieved at the point of consumption by weatherization of the buildings, and installation of temperature control equipment, which would allow billing for actual heat consumption.
- Excess capacity in the district heating system would allow more than half of the existing boiler houses to be eliminated by connecting them to the municipal district heating network.
- In order to eliminate or significantly reduce low emission in Cracow, it is possible to undertake various actions, for example:
- application of improved operating procedures for tile stoves and boilers;
- use of improved fuel in tile stoves and boilers;
- connection of boiler houses fired with coke and coal to the municipal district heating network;
- replacement of coke- and coal-fired boiler houses with gas-fired units;
- modernization of boiler houses, especially the mechanical stoker boilers houses, using various technically feasible methods in order to increase efficiency of the units and to reduce emission, and
- elimination of coal-fired tile stove heating by replacement with electric or gas heating.
At the end of Phase I, a comprehensive report of Phase I investigations was prepared. The Table of Contents may be viewed here, and a copy of the report may be ordered from one of the contacts below.
Following this investigative Phase, the program has supported U.S./ Polish commercial joint ventures to reduce pollution in the city.
A Conference was held in Cracow in October 1995. The Conference drew together all participants in the program as well as interested parties from other areas with similar issues. The Table of Contents from the Conference Proceedings may be viewed here, and the Proceedings may be ordered from one of the contacts below.
In October 1998 project participants prepared a Progress Report which summarizes the project as well as recent trends in Cracow. In June 1999 Brookhaven National Laboratory presented a paper at the International District Heating Association's 90th Annual Conference and Trade Show in Boston. The paper focusses on Cracow's district heating system and recent efforts to modernize the system and to eliminate small local boilerhouses. The paper concludes with a summary of improving air quality in Cracow. Both the Progress Report and the IDEA paper may be ordered from the contacts listed below; the IDEA paper may be read here in Microsoft Word format (IDEA paper).
A final report on the project was issued in June 2001 and is available in pdf format.
For more information about the project, contact:
In the U.S.
In Europe
Andrzej Lazecki
Biuro Rozwoju Krakowa (BRK, Cracow Development Office)
31-547 Krakow
ul. Kordylewskiego 11
Krakow, Poland
Tele: 48 12 4 11-26-27
Fax: 48 12 4 12-55-04
Email: brk_sa@kr.onet.pl
Additional WWW Sites of Interest
City of Cracow: www.Krakow.pl
Poland: www.polishworld.com
U.S. Department of Energy: www.doe.gov
Brookhaven National Laboratory: www.bnl.gov
U.S. National Energy Technology Center: www.netl.doe.gov
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