Life cycle assessment shows that retrofitting coal-fired power plants with fuel cells will substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions

Abstract

Addressing emissions released from coal-fired power plants (CFPPs) is vital to mitigate climate change. China aims to replace 240 TWh CFPPs with fuel cell (FC) technologies by 2050 to achieve carbon-neutrality goals. However, FCs are not emission-free throughout their technology life cycle, and FC effectiveness will vary depending on the CFPP configuration. Despite these uncertainties, a comprehensive evaluation of on-site CFPP-to-FC mitigation potential throughout the entire life cycle remains underexplored. Here, we use a prospective life cycle assessment to evaluate the inclusive mitigation potential of retrofitting 240 TWh CFPPs via four FCs that use wind power/natural gas as feedstocks. We find CO<inf>2</inf>, PM<inf>2.5</inf>, and SO<inf>2</inf> emissions decrease by 72.0%–97.0%, 55.5%–92.6%, and 23.1%–86.1%, respectively, by 2050. Wind-electrolysis hydrogen FCs enable the largest life cycle CO<inf>2</inf> reduction, but mining metals for wind turbines reduces PM<inf>2.5</inf> and SO<inf>2</inf> savings. Prioritizing FC deployment in northern China could double the mitigation potential. Our study provides insights for designing carbon-neutrality CFPP-to-FC roadmaps in China.