SOLAR ENERGY

DIRECT SOLAR HEATING FOCUSSED AND UNFOCUSSED PHOTOVOLTAICS VISIBLE AND INFRA RED

THE SUN
80% H2, 20% He, at 1,000,000K 4H He + 2 neutrinos + gamma radiation Gamma rays, x-rays, visible radn etc Loses mass at 4 million tonnes per second Takes 8 mins to reach Earth (150 million km) Power level about 1.3kW per m2 above Earth

SOLAR ENERGY
PHOTOVOLTAICS

NUCLEAR FUSION
www.jet.efda.org STRIP ELECTRONS FROM LIGHT ATOMS COMPRESS NUCLEI TOGETHER USING MAGNETIC FIELD EXTRACT POWER USING WATER STEAM TURBINE GENERATES ELECRICITY

NUCLEAR FISSION
SEE WWW.DTI.GOV.UK/ENERGY/NUCLEAR/TEC HNOLOGY/REACTORS.SHTML WATER COOLED OR GAS COOLED NEED TO SLOW DOWN NEUTRONS USING MODERATOR THERMAL NEUTRONS FISSION PRODUCTS ARE RADIOACTIVE

MAGNOX REACTOR

AGR ADVANCED GAS COOLED REACTOR

PRESSURISED WATER REACTOR

CONSERVATION
BEST THING WE CAN DO HUGE SCOPE NOT GLAMOROUS NIFES ENERGY EFFICIENCY OFFICE ECA, CARBON TRUST,DTI, ETC

POSSIBLE PROJECTS
LIQUID ICE EXTRUDED ICE ICE FOR AIR COOLING

ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

* Energy sources of various kinds heat and power human development * Unwanted side effects acid rain / global warming * Need for sustainable development sustainable energy strategy (renewables, nuclear power, and energy efficiency) * Conflict with energy market liberalisation

THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPERATIVE

GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS GLOBAL WARMINGCLIMATE CHANGE POLLUTANT EMISSIONS FROM THE ENERGY SECTOR Global warming: greenhouse gases - carbon dioxide (CO2): around 95% from the energy sector (in UK) - nitrous oxides (NOx) - water vapour (H2O)

Global/regional cooling - dust particulates; condensation nuclei - sulphate aerosols

Regional acid rain precursors: - nitrous oxides (NOx) - sulphur dioxide (SO2)

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Balancing economic and social development with environmental protection Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs [Brundtland Report (1987)] Sustainable Development versus 'Sustainability' Process or journey destination
After JONATHAN PORRITT (2000)

'THE NATURAL STEP'

4 'SYSTEM CONDITIONS' FOR ACHIEVING SUSTAINABILITY Condition 1: Finite materials (including fossil fuels) should not be extracted at a faster rate than they can be re-deposited in the Earth's crust Condition 2: Artificial materials (including plastics) should not be produced at a faster rate than they can be broken down by natural processes

Condition 3: The biodiversity of ecosystems should be maintained, whilst renewable sources should only be consumed at a slower rate than they can be naturally replenished
Condition 4: Basic human needs must be met in an equitable and efficient manner

FOSSIL FUEL DEPLETION

OIL: OPEC (Middle East) dominated, 20-40 year life

NATURAL GAS: CIS (Russian) dominated, 40-70 year life

COAL: Widely distributed, 80-240 year life * Prices/lifetime/global distribution (insecurity)

SUSTAINABLE ENERGY SYSTEMS

STRATEGIC ENERGY OPTIONS FOR THE UK [HOUSE OF COMMONS ENVIRONMENTAL AUDIT COMMITTEE (1999)]

end-use energy efficiency renewables combined heat and power (chp) (low carbon) fossil fuels nuclear power

ROYAL COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (2000)

reduce CO2 emissions by some 60% from 1997 levels by 2050

UK GOVERNMENT'S ENERGY REVIEW AND WHITE PAPER (2001-2003)

meeting the challenge of global warming, while ensuring secure, diverse and reliable energy supplies at competitive prices

IMPROVING ENERGY PRODUCTIVITY

IDENTIFYING PROCESS IMPROVEMENT POTENTIAL (a role for thermodynamics) ENERGY ANALYSIS: CONSERVATION EXERGY ANALYSIS: ENERGY (OR HEAT) CASCADING "DEMATERIALISATION" OR "FACTOR X" IMPROVEMENTS FACTOR FOUR: VON WEIZSACKER & LOVINS (1997) FACTOR TEN: UK FORESIGHT PROGRAMME (2000)

ELECTRICITY GENERATION : IMPROVING EFFICIENCY AND/OR POLLUTANT EMISSIONS

* MODERN PLANT: Recuperative combined cycle gas turbines (CCGT), 60% and relatively low pollutant emissions

COMBINED HEAT AND POWER (CHP) OR CO-GENERATION PLANT, 80%

NUCLEAR POWER: Share declining as plant are decommissioned (as in the case of Hinkley Point A) to as little as 3% by 2020

ELECTRICITY GENERATION : IMPROVING EFFICIENCY AND/OR POLLUTANT EMISSIONS (Ctd)

* RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES: target of 10% share by 2010. Examples energy crops/biomass; a possible prime use of agricultural land onshore and offshore wind turbine arrays (farms) small-scale hydropower and in-current turbines

grid-connected photovoltaic solar energy systems

tidal power (such as the Severn Barrage Scheme)

TRANSPORT ENERGY OPTIONS

* NEW TECHNOLOGIES: The Foresight Vehicle Alternative powertrains medium-term: electric and hybrid vehicles, compressed natural gas longer-term: fuel cells, eventually hydrogen * INTEGRATED TRANSPORT PLANS (shift to public transport, cycling and walking) Liveable cities: Clear Zones Better rural access Green commuter plans

TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE ENERGY STRATEGY

* STRATEGIC ELEMENTS: all the English regions need to make a proportional contribution in the following key areas
ENERGY CONSERVATION (in the home and by industry) RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES INTEGRATED TRANSPORT PLANNING

* BARRIERS TO ACTION
THE LIMITED POWERS OF LOCAL /REGIONAL AUTHORITIES THE CENTRALISED ELECTRICITY SYSTEM (central power stations feeding the national grid) CONSUMER/ELECTORATE RESISTANCE (e.g. transport fuel price protests)

ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT ANALYSIS * Resources used and wastes produced by a defined population are converted to a common basis: the area of productive land and aquatic ecosystems sequestered (in hectares) from whatever source in global terms. Consumption patterns in most western lifestyles, such as those in Europe and North America, result in footprints which are far greater than the amount of geographically available land. Overshoot factors for cities 20 for Bath, 125 for London, 16 for Santiago de Chile, 200 for Vancouver Sources: Doughty & Hammond (2000), Wackernagel & Rees (1996)

A LONGER-TERM ENERGY FUTURE: POST 2050

ELECTRICITY, H2 AND DME AS THE DOMINANT ENERGY CARRIERS * ELECTRICITY generated via direct or primary sources : hydro-electric schemes, renewables and, possibly, nuclear very clean (and high quality or exergy) carrier that might, in principle, satisfy all energy needs but requires storage to meet demand peaks

A LONGER-TERM ENERGY FUTURE ctd

* HYDROGEN (H2)

conventionally produced via the steam reforming of natural gas or other fossil fuels : need for carbon sequestration in geological reservoirs electrolytic hydrogen : much more costly

large city-gate plants producing electricity as a co-product H2 fuel cell vehicles

H2 in fuel cells for building micro-CHP

A LONGER-TERM ENERGY FUTURE ctd

* DIMETHYL ETHER (DME)
derived from biomass near-zero CO2 emissions (a superclean carbon-based fluid fuel) must be stored at modest pressure (in LPG-type canisters) ideal cooking fuel

good energy carrier for combustion-ignition engines; with zero soot formation
use in fuel cells for stationary or mobile applications

Source: Adapted from Jose Goldenberg et al (2001); winners of the 2000 Volvo Environment prize

CONCLUSIONS 1: ENGINEERING SUSTAINABILITY

Sara Parkin and Jonathan Porritt believe that thermodynamic principles or laws may act as a guide for engineers in the quest for environmental sustainability The 'natural step' system conditions imply a rapid changeover to renewable energy technologies, and conservation of nonrenewable sources (fossil fuels and uranium)

Timescale for achieving sustainability: 2050-2100, or longer [Parkin (2000)]

CONCLUSIONS 2: ENERGY AND SUSTAINABILITY

* Implications for Energy Policy

- Conserve depleting fuel resources - Greenhouse gas mitigation strategies

Energy efficiency (low energy and low carbon strategy) Renewable energy technologies (near zero carbon / diffuse and often intermittent source) Carbon sequestration (low carbon strategy) Nuclear power (declining output over the next decade due to decommissioning / uncompetitive in the liberalised energy market / long-term waste storage issue)

CONCLUSIONS 3: THE WIDER HORIZON

Sustainable development must be viewed in a global context The task facing the nearly 80% of the world population that live in developing countries is daunting, but environmental problems will feed back to industrial countries Environmental sustainability would be aided by the transfer of best practice, or "leapfrog", energy technologies from the richer to poorer regions

DONT TAKE ANYTHING BUT PHOTOGRAPHS, DONT LEAVE ANYTHING BUT FOOTPRINTS

Signpost, Sinharaja Rainforest Reserve, Sri Lanka