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Energy Source Comparison

Energy Source Comparison. Sama Bilbao y Leon & Michael J. Stuart Dominion. 2007 4-DAY STW “SCIENCE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY & RADIATION”. Key Concepts. Sustainability Meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs Life cycle analysis

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Energy Source Comparison

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  1. Energy Source Comparison Sama Bilbao y Leon & Michael J. Stuart Dominion 2007 4-DAY STW “SCIENCE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY & RADIATION”

  2. Key Concepts • Sustainability • Meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs • Life cycle analysis • It analyses the environmental performance of products and services through all phases of their life cycle: • extracting and processing raw materials • manufacturing • transportation and distribution • use, re-use, maintenance • recycling, and final disposal

  3. Key Concepts • Baseload power – minimum required continuous system electrical output. • Must be available and online 24/7! • Very little fluctuation • Peaking Power – standby power supply that can be rapidly placed online/offline as demand rises and falls. • Need only be available during peak hours • High fluctuation • Can be brought online/offline quickly

  4. PEAKING BASELOAD

  5. Key Concepts • Capacity • The amount of electricity that an energy source can provide at 100% of its rated output. • Capacity Factor • The percent of actual electricity produced vs. rated capacity

  6. Key Concepts Renewable Energy Uses a source of energy that can be replenished in a reasonably short time. Clean Energy Does not create waste in the process of generating energy

  7. Key Concepts Climate Change IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (2007) confirms it Are human activities the cause of climate change? History Rio de Janeiro, 1992 U.N. Earth Summit Kyoto, 1997, Industrialized countries agree to reduce combined greenhouse gas emissions by at least 5% compared to 1990 levels by the period 2008-2012 February 16, 2005, Kyoto Protocol enters into force US and Australia only developed countries not to ratify Developing Countries (such as China and India) do not have Kyoto Commitments in the first commitment period

  8. Key Concepts Mechanisms to Control Climate Change Reduction of emissions intensity Carbon Tax Cap and Trade Markets Carbon Sequestration

  9. Evaluating Energy SourcesThe Three E’s • Any energy source must be meet the “Three E’s” to be viable. • Economics • Environment • Energy Supply • What happens when youremove one of the legs?

  10. Evaluating Energy SourcesThe Three E’s • Economics • Capital Cost • Fuel Cost • Actual Cost of the Fuel • Stability of the price of the fuel • Maintenance Cost • Infrastructure Cost

  11. Evaluating Energy SourcesThe Three E’s • Environment • Land Use • Gas Emissions • GHG • NOx, SOx, Hg, etc • particulate • Solid Waste • Other Waste products • Other impacts • Noise pollution • Visual or Cosmetic Impacts • Social Impacts

  12. Evaluating Energy SourcesThe Three E’s • Energy Supply • Availability of the resource • Availability of Fuel • Availability of Sites • Availability of Raw Materials • Political Stability • Technology for use of the resource • Maturity • Construction Time • Reliability • Capacity Factors

  13. EEE Comparison

  14. Coal

  15. Coal: Pros • Economics • Low cost fuel • Moderate O&M • Environment • “Clean coal” technology is possible • Energy Supply • Readily available • Mature Technology • Domestic Fuel • >70% Capacity Factor

  16. Coal: Cons • Economics • High initial cost • High cost for “clean coal” (scrubbers, sequestration, carbon tax) • Environment • Emissions (SOx, NOx, CO2, Mercury) • Solid waste • Substantial mining impacts • Energy Supply • Long construction time • Public opposition

  17. Natural Gas

  18. Natural Gas: Pros • Economics • Lower capital costs • Environment • Lower emissions than coal • Energy Supply • Mature Technology • Short construction time • Very reliable – Could run 24/7 • Very good for load following and peaking

  19. Natural Gas: Cons • Economics • High fuel cost • Large fluctuations in theprice of natural gas • Environment • Large GHG Emissions • Energy Supply • Scarcity of fuel in the long term • Political instability associated to natural gas deposits • Natural gas is a valuable natural resource for other applications

  20. Oil

  21. Oil: Pros • Economics • Moderate cost to build • Moderate O&M • Environment • Mantra: “It’s better than coal.” • Energy Supply • Mature Technology • Great for load followingand peaking capacity

  22. Oil: Cons • Economics • High fuel cost • High cost for low emissions (scrubbers, sequestration, carbon tax) • Environment • Emissions (SOx, NOx, CO2, CO) • Energy Supply • Politically unstable fuel supply

  23. Hydroelectric Power

  24. Hydroelectric Power: Pros • Economics • Very low operating costs • Environment • Renewable resource • Low emissions • No other waste streams • Energy Supply • Mature technology • High reliability • High capacity factors seasonally

  25. Hydroelectric Power: Cons • Economics • High capital cost • Environment • Large land use • Social impact: displacement of populations • Environmental impact: displacement of fauna and flora • Energy Supply • Limited available locations • Weather and season dependent • Can’t turn it on and off • Large construction times

  26. Wind Power

  27. Wind: Pros • Economics • Zero cost fuel • Moderate O&M • Environment • Zero emissions • Energy Supply

  28. Wind: Cons • Economics • High material cost per KW • High infrastructure cost to connect to grid due to distributed generation • Require backup power supplies or storage mechanisms for when wind isn’t blowing • Environment • High land usage • Migratory bird impact • Noise pollution • Energy Supply • Limited suitable locations • Public opposition • Very low capacity factors (<20%)

  29. Solar Energy

  30. Solar: Pros • Economics • Low fuel cost (free!) • Environment • Renewable • Non emitting • Energy Supply

  31. Solar: Cons • Economics • High capital costs • High maintenance costs • Needs backup capacity installed if connected to the grid • Environment • Large land use • Highly toxic waste in the manufacturing and disposal of solar panels • Visual impact on natural settings • Energy Supply • Intermittent availability of fuel • Limited suitable locations • Very raw material intensive • Not a fully mature technology • Very low capacity factors (10-20%)

  32. Nuclear Fission

  33. Nuclear Fission: Pros • Economics • Low operating costs • Environment • Efficient land use • Non emitting • Small amount of contained “waste” • Promotes economic development in the area as it required highly skilled workforce • Energy Supply • Uranium is abundant and exists in politically stable nations • The supply becomes almost endless (renewable!?) if breeder reactors and reprocessing are brought online • Mature Technology that has continuously improved in the last 20 years • Reliable – 24/7 • Capacity factors above 90%

  34. Nuclear Fission: Cons • Economics • High Capital Costs • Environment • Nuclear waste perception problem • Non-proliferation • Energy Supply • Long construction times • Requires regulatory maturity and political stability to develop

  35. Biofuels/Biomass

  36. Biofuels/Biomass: Pros • Economics • Very little data • Environment • Carbon neutral • Energy Supply • Fuel can be domesticallyproduced – to an extent

  37. Biofuels/Biomass: Cons • Economics • Potentially high cost for food crops • Environment • Large land usage • Energy supply • Limited by production of crops and competition with food supply

  38. Geothermal Energy

  39. Geothermal: Pros • Economics • Low operating cost • Environment • Very low emissions • Energy Supply • Almost a renewable resource • Drilling and steam cycle technologies are mature • Reliable 24/7 • High capacity factors

  40. Geothermal: Cons • Economics • Moderate capital costs • Environment • Alter seismic activity in the area • Needs to be carefully managed not to exhaut the source • Energy Supply • Limited to suitable locations

  41. Nuclear Fusion

  42. Nuclear Fusion: Pros • Economics • Low operating cost • Environment • No emissions • Very small amount of contained low level waste • Energy Supply • Reliable 24/7 • High capacity factors

  43. Nuclear Fusion: Cons • Economics • Very large capital costs • Environment • Still there are many unknowns • Energy Supply • Need to produce the fuel • Technology very much in development

  44. Non-Energy Sources • Hydrogen • Conservation

  45. Hydrogen • Economics • Not very • Takes 2.5X the energy output as input • Environment • Depends on energy source used to generate it • Explosive • Energy Supply • No delivery infrastructure • Low energy density

  46. Conservation • Trying to meet our future energy demands through conservation is like trying to meet our future world hunger demands by dieting. • Population is expanding and higher technology will require more electricity – not less. • Conservation is a personal choice. • We should continue to invest research and effort towards breakthroughs in efficiency.

  47. Key Concepts • No energy source is perfect. They all have their pros and cons. • Any nation should strive to have a balanced energy mix • Policymakers, people and media should develop an unbiased method to determine which energy sources should be used where • Energy sources that may not work at a national level may be perfect for a given household

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