Production and Mitigation of SF6 in Power Sector for Climate Change

Arpit and I wrote this for an NGO called JWALA when we were in DCE, Thanks to you too Arpit.

http://www.panalinkinfotech.com/demo/jwala/pdf/Report_JWALA_2004-2005.pdf

Climate change has emerged as a key concern for the World Bank and its clients in the 21st century. Sea level rise, warming temperatures, uncertain effects on forest and agricultural systems, and increased variability and volatility in weather patterns are expected to have a significant and disproportionate impact in the developing world, where the world's poor remain most susceptible to the potential damages and uncertainties inherent in a changing climate. These climate changes are being caused due to the greenhouse gases.

The World Bank is increasingly incorporating these considerations into its development operations, advising clients on options, helping promote sectoral efficiency and clean energy alternatives, and assisting its clients in adapting to foreseeable impacts while seeking globally equitable responses to the challenge.

"Continued global warming is in nobody's interest, but the simple facts of the matter are that developing countries will suffer the most damage, and their poor will be at an even greater disadvantage. I see the Bank's role in climate change as providing every opportunity to developing countries to benefit from the huge investment OECD must make in reducing climate change"

The threat climate change poses to the poor is of particular concern to the World Bank. Given the mission of sustainable poverty reduction, the World Bank is committed to helping its clients protect themselves from, and adapt to, the impacts of climate change. However, they also recognize that without action to limit global greenhouse gas emissions, the Earth’s climate will warm at an unprecedented rate and undermine the very foundation of sustainable development.

Community Development Carbon Fund (CDCF) was launched by the World Bank at the World Submit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg on September 2, 2002, Monday. This initiative was launched for the basic purpose to benefit the Sixty-four of the poorest countries in the world such as Mozambique, Togo, and Senegal in Africa, Honduras in Latin America, and Nepal and Bangladesh in Asia.
The World Bank and the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) joined their forces to raise US$100 million funds to provide finance, for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, to small-scale projects in small developing countries and to rural areas of all developing countries.
The countries, which participated in the funding process, received carbon emission reduction credits for reduction in carbon emissions while the poorer communities got the advantage of development dollars coming their way.

The carbon finance business took on a new sense of urgency in the face of mounting evidence that the Earth’s climate is changing and that could have dire consequences for major parts of humanity. Climate change and accompanying disrupted weather patterns caused by the so-called greenhouse effect through atmospheric loading of greenhouse gases could wreak havoc on the planet.

The Community Development Carbon Fund is the best or the only opportunity for some of the poorest countries to get any benefits from the Kyoto Protocol. Recent carbon market research done by the World Bank shows that although the market for carbon emissions more than doubled in the last year, only 13 percent of direct private sector carbon emission reduction investment went to developing countries, and none to the least developed countries. This is an extraordinary opportunity to not just reduce carbon emissions but to use carbon finance as an innovative development tool as the CDCF links private investors with community development projects, so that there are equitable benefits under the Kyoto Protocol, benefits that also go to the poorest of the poor.

Kyoto Protocol has identified six gases as the greenhouse gases (GHG). They are Carbon dioxide (CO2),Methane (CH4),Nitrous oxide (N20),Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs),Perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6).Approximately 25 other gases, such as chloroform and carbon monoxide, qualify as climate-changing greenhouse gases, but only the above mentioned six are released in sufficient quantities to justify regulation under Kyoto. Water vapour is a very important greenhouse gas, but is not controllable by human intervention.

Now we will discuss in detail about the SF6 use and emissions in India. SF6 is emitted by the electric power industry in circuit breakers, gas-insulated substations and switchgear. That industry uses a significant percentage of the 6,500 to 7,500 metric tones produced worldwide each year. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), SF6 is the most potent greenhouse gas that it has evaluated, with GWP (global warming potential) of 23,900 (CO2 is 1). However, because it’s mixing ratio in the atmosphere is low vs. CO2 (ca. 5 ppm vs. 365 ppm), its contribution to global warming is comparatively low, but still very substantial. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was established in 1988 by two United Nations organizations, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to assess the risk of human-induced climate change. The Panel is open to all members of the WMO and UNEP. Its...Greenhouse gases are gaseous components of the atmosphere that contribute to the greenhouse effect.


A survey was done in a metro of India and the following results were found about the SF6 emissions.


Most of the sf6 is used in circuit breakers which are used in transmission stations.
There are 2 types of switchyards, inner switchyards and outer switchyards. But most of the leakage takes place through circuit breakers in the outer switch yards.

The metro for which we conducted the survey had a 750 MW peak load


Circuit breaker rating (in KV) number of circuit breakers

400 25
245 50
145 100
66 200



There is on an average 10kg of SF6 gas in each circuit breaker.

Approximately 1 % (i.e. 100 grams) of the gas of each circuit breaker gets released in the atmosphere every year.

But 5% of all the circuit breakers get damaged every year during operation and maintenance which leads to expulsion of whole amount of gas from the container


Therefore according to data about 225 kgs of sf6 gas is liberated into the atmosphere every year.


An alternative technology to conventional sf6 circuit breaker technology is the GIS (gas insulated switchgear) technology

ABB launched the first gas insulated switchgear (GIS) in 1965. Since then, ABB has delivered more than 11,000 GIS bays to more than 70 countries worldwide. Apart from the benefit of nearly zero SF6 emission, another plus is the compactness of GIS (about 90 % smaller than the conventional circuit breakers).But the only reason for its non implementation is its higher cost (about 2 times greater than the circuit breakers). But this cost can be recovered through the carbon points (each carbon point is worth 10 Euros) which can be earned as an incentive for the efforts towards the reduction in the SF6 emissions in the atmosphere.

By reducing the amount of SF6 emitted, industries can earn vital credits which can be then be used for upgradation of their current machines (like the circuit breakers which emit the harmful SF6 gases) as well as for other development activities.

Ps : ok if you have read it till here.. then you should see the link also :P (

http://www.panalinkinfotech.com/demo/jwala/pdf/Report_JWALA_2004-2005.pdf