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Overview of alternative energy sources

This article provides a comprehensive overview of alternative energy sources, defining key concepts such as electric capacity versus electric generation. It delves into the distinction between proven reserves and resources, and explains the capacity factor. The piece presents important data, including global and U.S. annual CO2 emissions, the current price of electricity in the Southeastern U.S., and average household electricity usage. It also touches on the potential of nuclear energy, carbon sequestration, and renewable energy in reducing carbon footprints.

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Overview of alternative energy sources

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  1. Overview of alternative energy sources • Some definitions: • electric capacity vs. electric generation • “proven reserves” vs. “resources” • capacity factor • Some numbers: • global CO2 annual emissions (in Gigatonnes) • US annual CO2 emissions • price of electricity in Southeastern US • average US household electricity use

  2. Overview of alternative energy sources • Some definitions: • electric capacity vs. electric generation: the sum of all installed electricity-generating • infrastructure (what is available) vs. actual electric generation (what was actually used) • 2) “proven reserves” vs. “resources”: known, identified sources of energy vs. • projected based on distribution of geological features on Earth • 3) capacity factor: the ratio of actual energy delivered per unit time vs. the maximum • potential energy delivered per unit time • Some numbers: • global CO2 annual emissions (in Gigatonnes): 28 • US annual CO2 emissions: 5.7 • current price of electricity in Southeastern US: ~5 cents/kWhr • average US household electricity use: ~1000 kWhr/month

  3. Power Units: The Terawatt Challenge 103 106 109 1012 1 W 1 kW 1 MW 1 GW 1 TW Power from Nate Lewis, Caltech

  4. Global Energy Consumption, 2001 Gas Hydro Renew Total: 13.2 TW U.S.: 3.2 TW (96 Quads) from Nate Lewis, Caltech

  5. Energy Reserves and Resources Rsv=Reserves Res=Resources Reserves/(1998 Consumption/yr) Resource Base/(1998 Consumption/yr) Oil 40-78 51-151 Gas 68-176 207-590 Coal 224 2160 from Nate Lewis, Caltech

  6. Sources of C-free power1. Nuclear Energy2. Carbon Sequestration3. Renewables

  7. US = 19% nuclear France = 80% Germany, Japan, Finland >25%

  8. Nuclear (fission and fusion) • 10 TW = 10,000 new 1 GW reactors • i.e., a new reactor every other day for the next 50 years • 2.3 million tonnes proven reserves; 1 TW-hr requires 22 tonnes of U • Hence at 10 TW, terrestrial resource base provides 10 years of energy • More energy in CH4 than in 235U • Would need to mine U from seawater (700 x terrestrial resource base) • At $5/W, requires $50 Trillion (2006 GWP = $65 trillion) from Nate Lewis, Caltech

  9. Carbon Sequestration from Nate Lewis, Caltech

  10. CO2 Burial: Saline Reservoirs 130 Gt total U.S. sequestration potential US emissions ~6 Gt/yr • Near sources (power plants, refineries, coal fields) • Distribute only H2 or electricity • Must not leak • At 2 Gt/yr sequestration rate, surface of U.S. would rise 5 cm by 2100 DOE Vision & Goal: 1 Gt storage by 2025, 4 Gt by 2050 from Nate Lewis, Caltech

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