Renewables - Chemical Principles - Lecture Slides, Slides of Chemical Principles

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The Earth at night: ~85% alight by burning

coal, oil, natural gas

(DSMA satellite mosaic)

Stern Report (UK Government, 10/06)

Stabilizing emissions with existing technologies

What Carbon Tax would enable alternatives??

Form of Energy

Equivalent to $100/tC

Natural gas

$1.50/1000 scf

Crude oil

$12/barrel

Coal

$65/U.S. ton

Gasoline

25¢/gallon

(ethanol subsidy: 50¢/gallon)

Electricity from coal

2.2¢/kWh

(wind and nuclear subsidies: 1.8 ¢/kWh)

Electricity from natural gas

1.0¢/kWh

Today’s US energy system~ $150 Billion/yr (~1% of GDP)

$100/tonC ~current EU carbon trading

market price

Zero-Carbon Renewable Energy Sources

Hydroelectricity: Cheap but limited, establishedWind, Tidal: Roughly cost effective, also limited*Geothermal:

Limited, difficult, needs new ideas for converting low-grade heat.

Ocean Thermal: Very diffuseSolar:

Unlimited, still too expensive, but verypromising (low grade solar heat already)

Nuclear Energy?Fission:

Resource Size?Ocean water vs. BreederWaste DisposalSecurity, Proliferation IssuesCost Issues

Fusion (in 50 years??)

Unlimited SupplyTechnology hurdlesMuch smaller waste issues

Nuclear power post Chernobyl?

Wind power is now: growing ~30% per year,

cost ~5 cents per kWh (competitive).

• Wind array in Gorgonia, California

• Wind turbines on an Ohio farm

Off-shore wind farms? Cape Cod controversy

UK wind farm

• Five megawatt wind turbine (Germany)