Difference between revisions of "BIOHER assessment"

Revision as of 08:03, 28 January 2009

Bioher is a research project coordinated by KTL. The duration is 2008-2011. Project includes five subprojects with 1) measurement of PM and greenhouse gas emissions, 2) chemical characterization and assessment of atmospheric thermal impact of emitted PM, 3) toxicological characterization of emitted PM, 4) assessment of exposure to and health effects of current residential wood combustion, 5) assessment of health risks. This assessment page includes scope, definition, and result of health  risk assessment of fine particles of four residential heating scenarios (more detailed later).

Scope

Purpose

The purpose is to evaluate PM2.5 and GHG emissions of detached houses and small heating power plant, to assess exposure and health effects due to evaluated emissions and to define emission, heating and health effect costs. Assessment is going to compare four alternative ways to arrange decentralised energy production in communities with 2000 - 10000 inhabitants: light oil and pellets as fuel of detached houses and heavy oil and wood chips as fuel of small heating plants.

Questions:

• What would be the health effects of PM2.5 emissions of small power plant and individual houses in small living area (2000- 10000 inh.)?
• What are GHG emissions of individual houses and small power plant and how emissions effect on CC?
• What are the costs of different alternatives?
• What is the optimal decision to produce energy and heat to houses?

Boundaries

• Energy production (single house and small energy plant level)
• Population (2000-10000 inh.)
• Exposure for PM2.5
• ER-functions for PM2.5
• PM2.5 emissions (->health effects)
• PM2.5 climate effect (-> health effects)
• Household heating scenarios:
  • Heavy/ light oil, wood chips, pellets
• Atmospheric thermal impact
• DALY

• Impacts:
  • Premature mortality
  • Costs

Scenarios

Scenarios include two different fuel types of energy production in detached houses and small power plant:

Detached houses

• light oil
• pellets

Small power plant

• heavy oil
• wood chips

Intended users

• City-level policy-makers in all sectors in Kuopio as well as everywhere else
• International policy-makers related climate change
• Policy-makers related health risks of fine particles and green house gases
• General public
• Scientists working on health risks of fine particles, green house gases and climate change
• Other interested of topic

Participants

Definition

Variables

Analyses

Result

Conclusions

See also

• Bioher project page