Report

Air quality impact of measures under the Apeldoorn Energy and Climate programme

CE Delft was commissioned by the municipality of Apeldoorn to review whether the latter’s current energy policy has an impact on local air quality and, if so, what that impact is. In addition, Apeldoorn wanted to know whether the restructuring of the North Canal industrial area and construction of biomass-fired generation capacity are of influence on air quality.

Most of the measures assessed relate to energy conservation and the use of renewable energy sources, both of which have a favourable impact on nitrogen oxide emissions and thus on ambient NO2 concentrations. This holds on both a local and national scale. The resultant decrease in NO2 levels will not be particularly great, however, because the main sources of NO2 are traffic and industry. These measures have no effect on airborne particulates. Burning wood (alone or with other fuels), particularly in wood stoves and open fireplaces, will lead to an increase in particulate emissions and related pollutants like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Increased use of wood stoves and open fireplaces will therefore have an adverse impact on air quality and public health.

Restructuring of the North Canal industrial estate will likewise impact negatively on air quality because of increased road traffic. Given the large size of the area, though, no major problems are to be anticipated. An analysis of the air quality impact of construction and operation of biomass-fired generation capacity shows that although air quality will be affected by the scheduled power plant, limits will not be exceeded.

Because of the positive impact of energy conservation and use of renewable energy, it is recommended to continue down this road, but with the proviso that using biomass or wood as a renewable energy source may have negative air quality impacts, thereby necessitating additional emission abatement measures.

When it comes to further restructuring of industrial estates, serious efforts will have to made each time to address the resultant increase in traffic volumes. This can be achieved by building sufficient access roads and ensuring good public transport right from the start of the project.

Authors