Electricity powers modern society and is essential for economic growth and social development. However, power plant emissions can have severe negative impacts on the environment and public health. Analyzing and mapping power plant emissions can help identify areas with high levels of pollution and provide insights into the distribution of emissions across different regions. This information can be used to remind the public how severe the situation is and help develop strategies to reduce emissions and mitigate the negative impacts of power generation on the environment and human health.
Dataset
The Global Power Plant Database is an open database containing information about power plants around the world. It comprises around 35,000 power plants from 167 countries and includes both thermal plants and renewables. Also, the database is continuously updated as new data becomes available. I chose this database for my project and started to compare variables and clean the data. For this project, the specific ‘estimated_generation_gwh_2017’ variable from the database was selected to generate a world map comparing various regions in QGIS, an open-source geographic information system, since it was the most extensive, covering most countries globally.
For the base world map, I downloaded the 10m cultural vectors dataset from the Natural Earth website, which provided detailed and accurate geographic information for all countries and regions. It also created a more appealing and concise graphic style than the online map provided by QGIS which I used at the beginning of the project.
Visualizations and Findings
I visualized the primary fuels and the emissions of power plants (2017) in different countries. It showed that Asia had the highest number of power plants with high emissions, particularly in China and India. Europe also had a significant number of high-emission power plants, particularly in Germany and the UK. The United States had a moderate number of high-emission power plants, mainly in the east and central regions. In contrast, some areas, such as sub-Saharan Africa and South America, had relatively low numbers of high-emission power plants. These findings highlight the need for continued efforts to reduce emissions from power plants, particularly in regions with high concentrations of these facilities.
Reflection
When I used QGIS, I found one of the advantages is that it provides a wide range of tools, functions and plugins for geospatial data processing and analysis, allowing users to create complex maps with ease. However, as a beginner, I did meet various difficulties mainly with its interface and functionalities. It took me some time to figure out how to style different layers and how to use the printed layout. And I still don’t know how to join two layers correctly now. I believe there is still plenty of room for improvement in my QGIS skills to create better maps.
For the further exploration of this research topic, I think more specific analysis could be conducted. For example, rather than creating a global map, the visualization could concentrate on individual countries and examine their specific situations, which would provide a more detailed understanding of emission levels in each country. It’s also interesting to compare the emissions of power plants in different regions, considering different emissions regulations and policies. There are many avenues for deeper analysis and understanding in this field.
Reference
Natural Earth (n.d.). 10m Cultural Vectors. Retrieved April 11, 2023, from https://www.naturalearthdata.com/downloads/10m-cultural-vectors/
WRI, & GPPD. (2018). Global Power Plant Database. Retrieved April 11, 2023, from https://datasets.wri.org/dataset/globalpowerplantdatabase