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(this issue). Providing all global energy with wind, water, and solar power, part II: reliability, system and transmission costs, and policies. Energy Policy,
, 1016
"... a b s t r a c t Climate change, pollution, and energy insecurity are among the greatest problems of our time. Addressing them requires major changes in our energy infrastructure. Here, we analyze the feasibility of providing worldwide energy for all purposes (electric power, transportation, heating ..."
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a b s t r a c t Climate change, pollution, and energy insecurity are among the greatest problems of our time. Addressing them requires major changes in our energy infrastructure. Here, we analyze the feasibility of providing worldwide energy for all purposes (electric power, transportation, heating/cooling, etc.) from wind, water, and sunlight (WWS). In Part I, we discuss WWS energy system characteristics, current and future energy demand, availability of WWS resources, numbers of WWS devices, and area and material requirements. In Part II, we address variability, economics, and policy of WWS energy. We estimate that $ 3,800,000 5 MW wind turbines, $ 49,000 300 MW concentrated solar plants, $ 40,000 300 MW solar PV power plants, $ 1.7 billion 3 kW rooftop PV systems, $ 5350 100 MW geothermal power plants, $ 270 new 1300 MW hydroelectric power plants, $ 720,000 0.75 MW wave devices, and $ 490,000 1 MW tidal turbines can power a 2030 WWS world that uses electricity and electrolytic hydrogen for all purposes. Such a WWS infrastructure reduces world power demand by 30% and requires only $ 0.41% and $ 0.59% more of the world's land for footprint and spacing, respectively. We suggest producing all new energy with WWS by 2030 and replacing the pre-existing energy by 2050. Barriers to the plan are primarily social and political, not technological or economic. The energy cost in a WWS world should be similar to that today.
Vehicle electrification: Status and issues
- Proceedings of the IEEE
, 2011
"... Abstract—Concern for the environment and energy security is changing the way we think about energy. Grid-enabled passenger vehicles, like electric vehicles (EV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) can help address environmental and energy issues. Automakers have recognized that electric driv ..."
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Abstract—Concern for the environment and energy security is changing the way we think about energy. Grid-enabled passenger vehicles, like electric vehicles (EV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) can help address environmental and energy issues. Automakers have recognized that electric drive vehicles are critical to the future of the industry. However, some challenges exist to greater adoption: the perception of cost, EV range, access to charging, potential impacts to the grid, and lack of public awareness about the availability and practicality of these vehicles. Although the current initial price for EV’s is higher, their operating costs are lower. Policies that reduce the total cost of ownership of EVs and PHEVs, compared to conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, will lead to faster market penetration. Greater access to charging infrastructure will also accelerate public adoption. Smart grid technology will optimize the vehicle integration with the grid, allowing intelligent and efficient use of energy. By coordinating efforts and using a systems perspective, the advantages of EVs and PHEVs can be achieved using the least resources. This paper analyzes these factors, their rate of acceleration and how they may synergistically align for the electrification of vehicles. Index Terms — Road vehicle electric propulsion, batteries, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, climate change. I.
Towards real energy economics: Energy policy driven by life-cycle carbon emission
- Energ. Pol. 2010
"... Alternative energy technologies (AETs) have emerged as a solution to the challenge of simultaneously meeting rising electricity demand while reducing carbon emissions. However, as all AETs are responsible for some greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during their construction, carbon emission “Ponzi Schem ..."
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Alternative energy technologies (AETs) have emerged as a solution to the challenge of simultaneously meeting rising electricity demand while reducing carbon emissions. However, as all AETs are responsible for some greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during their construction, carbon emission “Ponzi Schemes ” are currently possible, wherein an AET industry expands so quickly that the GHG emissions prevented by a given technology are negated to fabricate the next wave of AET deployment. In an era where there are physical constraints to the GHG emissions the climate can sustain in the short term this may be unacceptable. To provide quantitative solutions to this problem, this paper introduces the concept of dynamic carbon life-cycle analyses, which generate carbon neutral growth rates. These conceptual tools become increasingly important as the world transitions to a low-carbon economy by reducing fossil fuel combustion. In choosing this method of evaluation it was possible to focus uniquely on reducing carbon emissions to the recommended levels by outlining the most carbon-effective approach to climate change mitigation. The results of using dynamic life-cycle analysis provide policy makers with standardized information that will drive the optimization of electricity generation for effective climate change mitigation.
Optimization of Energy and Water Consumption in Corn–based Ethanol
- Progress in Energy and Combustion Science
, 2010
"... In this paper we study the simultaneous energy and water consumption in corn–based ethanol plants. The goal is to reduce the freshwater consumption and waste water discharge. We consider the corn-based ethanol plant reported in Karuppiah et al. (2008). First, we review the major alternatives in the ..."
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In this paper we study the simultaneous energy and water consumption in corn–based ethanol plants. The goal is to reduce the freshwater consumption and waste water discharge. We consider the corn-based ethanol plant reported in Karuppiah et al. (2008). First, we review the major alternatives in the optimization of energy consumption and its impact in water consumption. Next, for each of the alternatives we synthesize an integrated process water network. This requires closing the loops for process and cooling water and steam and implementing the proper treatments for the water streams. We show that minimizing energy consumption leads to process water networks with minimum water consumption. As a result, freshwater use is reduced to 1.17 gal water /gal ethanol, revealing that it is possible to achieve levels of freshwater consumption that are significantly lower than the ones in current industrial operation and waste water is no longer discharged.
Is nuclear power globally scalable
- Proceedings of the IEEE 99.10 (2011
"... While robust debate over climate science and remaining oilreserves exist, what is universally agreed is that the era ofBeasy [ oil is on the decline. It cannot be denied that theglobal rate of discovery of new large oil fields has been in decline since the 1960s [1] and that discoveries are not repl ..."
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While robust debate over climate science and remaining oilreserves exist, what is universally agreed is that the era ofBeasy [ oil is on the decline. It cannot be denied that theglobal rate of discovery of new large oil fields has been in decline since the 1960s [1] and that discoveries are not replacing oil produced [2]. These facts together with increasing world population, increasing economic activity, and our increasing reliance on an energy-intensive economy lead to price volatility. What matters is not an argument over the absolute amount of remaining fuel reserves, but the mismatch between growth in supply and demand driving price volatility to levels where unprecedented economic instability and civil unrest may become the immediate dangers. The time to act and to begin averting such a crisis is now. Given the awesome power density delivered by nuclear stations, it is a valid question to ask if nuclear power can be massively scaled in order to meet our global energy needs. We shall explore the consequences of a future where nuclear power is the main1 energy source. Currently, the total global
GM: 125th anniversary review: fuel alcohol: current production and future challenges
- J Inst Brew
"... J. Inst. Brew. 117(1), 3–22, 2011 Global research and industrial development of liquid transportation biofuels are moving at a rapid pace. This is mainly due to the significant roles played by biofuels in decarbonising our future energy needs, since they act to mitigate the deleterious impacts of gr ..."
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J. Inst. Brew. 117(1), 3–22, 2011 Global research and industrial development of liquid transportation biofuels are moving at a rapid pace. This is mainly due to the significant roles played by biofuels in decarbonising our future energy needs, since they act to mitigate the deleterious impacts of greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere that are contributors of climate change. Governmental obligations and international directives that mandate the blending of biofuels in petrol and diesel are also acting as great stimuli to this expanding industrial sector. Currently, the predominant liquid biofuel is bioethanol (fuel alcohol) and its worldwide production is dominated by maize-based and sugar cane-based processes in North and South America, respectively. In Europe, fuel alcohol production employs primarily wheat and sugar beet. Potable distilled
Article Investigating the Effect of Large Wind Farms on Energy in the Atmosphere
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Energy Efficiency Analysis: Biomass-to-Wheel Efficiency Related with Biofuels Production, Fuel Distribution, and Powertrain Systems
"... Background: Energy efficiency analysis for different biomass-utilization scenarios would help make more informed decisions for developing future biomass-based transportation systems. Diverse biofuels produced from biomass include cellulosic ethanol, butanol, fatty acid ethyl esters, methane, hydroge ..."
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Background: Energy efficiency analysis for different biomass-utilization scenarios would help make more informed decisions for developing future biomass-based transportation systems. Diverse biofuels produced from biomass include cellulosic ethanol, butanol, fatty acid ethyl esters, methane, hydrogen, methanol, dimethyether, Fischer-Tropsch diesel, and bioelectricity; the respective powertrain systems include internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles based on gasoline or diesel ICEs, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, sugar fuel cell vehicles (SFCV), and battery electric vehicles (BEV). Methodology/Principal Findings: We conducted a simple, straightforward, and transparent biomass-to-wheel (BTW) analysis including three separate conversion elements-- biomass-to-fuel conversion, fuel transport and distribution, and respective powertrain systems. BTW efficiency is a ratio of the kinetic energy of an automobile’s wheels to the chemical energy of delivered biomass just before entering biorefineries. Up to 13 scenarios were analyzed and compared to a base line case – corn ethanol/ICE. This analysis suggests that BEV, whose electricity is generated from stationary fuel cells, and SFCV, based on a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle with an on-board sugar-to-hydrogen bioreformer, would have the highest BTW efficiencies, nearly four times that of ethanol-ICE. Significance: In the long term, a small fraction of the annual US biomass (e.g., 7.1%, or 700 million tons of biomass) would
The Estimated Global Ocean Wind Power Potential from QuikSCAT Observations, Accounting for Turbine Characteristics and Siting
, 2009
"... For the first time, global ocean usable wind power is evaluated for modern offshore turbine characteristics including hub height, usable portion of the wind speed distribution and siting depth. Mean wind power increases by 30%, 69 % and 73 % within the tropics and northern and southern hemisphere ex ..."
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For the first time, global ocean usable wind power is evaluated for modern offshore turbine characteristics including hub height, usable portion of the wind speed distribution and siting depth. Mean wind power increases by 30%, 69 % and 73 % within the tropics and northern and southern hemisphere extratropics, respectively, between hub heights of 10 m and 100 m. A turbine with a cut-out speed of 25 m s−1 (30 m s−1) within the northern hemisphere storm track harvests between 55 % (82%) and 85% (> 98%) of available power. Within this region, a 2–3m s−1 change in cut-out speed can result in a 5–7 % change in usable power. 80 m wind power accumulates at a rate of 20–45 GW km2 m−2 per meter depth increase from the shore to the shelf break. Beyond the shelf break, wind power accumulates at a slower rate (< 12 GW km2 m−2 m−1). The combined impact of all three characteristics on available wind power is assessed for three technology tiers: existing, planned, and future innovations. Usable percent of 80 m available global ocean wind power ranges from 0.40 % for existing to 2.73 % for future envisioned turbine specifications. Offshore wind power production is estimated using typical turbine characteristics including rotor diameter, rated power and siting density. Global offshore wind power is as much as 37 TW (50 % of onshore) and is maximized for the smallest and least powerful of the three turbine specifications evaluated. 1 1
Screening Environmental Risk Assessment of Grease and Oil Emissions from Off-Shore
, 2012
"... Abstract This report constitutes a generic environmental risk assessment of emissions of grease and oil from off-shore wind power plants. In this context, risk is defined as an exposure of a stressor high enough to cause adverse effects on a certain endpoint. The stressors considered are alkanes, p ..."
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Abstract This report constitutes a generic environmental risk assessment of emissions of grease and oil from off-shore wind power plants. In this context, risk is defined as an exposure of a stressor high enough to cause adverse effects on a certain endpoint. The stressors considered are alkanes, phosphate isodecyl/phenyl compounds and zinc alkyl dithiophosphate. The endpoints considered are the aquatic organisms fish, Daphnia magna, algae and aquatic bacteria. A screening risk assessment method is applied, assuming one-time releases of lubricant and gear oil. Although this should be seen as an early screening study, it indicates that the stressors included constitute risks to aquatic organisms given the setup of this study. A one-by-one parameter sensitivity analysis is performed to investigate the impact of different emissions, evaporation and biodegradation on the results. Even with low emissions, high evaporation and high biodegradation, the results show that the organisms living close to the wind power plant are subject to risk. The implications of these results if taken into account that some offshore wind power plants may not occur one-by-one but rather be part of parks containing tens of plants together are discussed. Recommendations to reduce the risk are given. A technical risk reduction measure is to use less toxic, biodegradable lubricants. An organizational risk reduction measure is to increase maintenance and thereby reducing the likelihood of emissions occurring. 6
