In 2022, an energy inventory and analysis indicated that approximately 182,000 MWh of electricity was consumed on the main VT campus. This amount included consumption of the electricity generated by the on-campus VT cogeneration steam power plant of approximately 27,000 MWh, with the remainder purchased from the local utility. Assume that both of these values are measured at the campus buildings/facilities, after the transmission loss.
Assume the efficiency of the utility electricity power plant is 35% and the transmission loss from the power plant to campus is the value from the eGrid Summary table 2021, Table 1 - Subregion Output Emission Rates (eGRID2021), Grid Gross Loss%.
Assume that the efficiency for the campus power plant is 32%, but the transmission loss is only 2% since the transmission distances are much shorter.
1 Ton = 1 Short ton = 2000 lbs (US units, slightly different than metric tons)
1. Assume campus electricity total usage is 182,000 MWh and the electricity consumption from the VT Power Plant is 27,000 MWh. Calculate to the nearest 1000 MWh the amount of primary input energy (MWh) required for the electricity purchased from the electrical utility over the 2022 year.
2. Assuming 27,000 MWh of electricity consumption from the VT power plant and 182,000 MWh total campus electricity consumption, calculate the amount of coal (tons) needed for the electrical utility to generate this much energy assuming the fuel mix provided in the AEP-APCO 2022 Environmental Info sheet in the Appendix. Use the average annual average heat content (Btu/ton) of coal produced in the US for 2022 from the top of the EIA What is the heat content of U.S. coal? webpage. Round your answer to the nearest 100 tons.
3. Assuming 27,000 MWh of electricity consumption from the VT power plant and 182,000 MWh total campus electricity consumption, calculate the amount of natural gas in thousand cubic feet (MCF) that are needed for the electrical utility to generate this much energy assuming the fuel mix provided in the AEP-APCO 2022 Environmental Info sheet. Use the average energy content (Btu/cubic foot) of natural gas consumed for Virginia (2022) given in the EIA Heat Content of Natural Gas Consumed webpage. Round your answer to the nearest 1,000 MCF.