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Renewable Energy Sources: Dragica Vasileska
Renewable Energy Sources: Dragica Vasileska
Sources
composed by
Dragica Vasileska
In the last 100 years, the Earth
warmed up by ~1° C
Temperature stabilization:
a few centuries
CO2 stabilization:
100 to 300 years
CO2 emissions
Today 1,000 years
100 years
Chu
500
400
300
200
100
0
1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 1999 2005 2010 2015 2020
World production of oil and gas is
predicted to peak within 10 - 40 years
2010
Energy conservation and
efficiency can buy time
(a factor of ~2)
but the fundamental problem remains
Electrical generation
Numbers = how long it would last if all energy came from one source
Conventional reactors 3 15
Breeder reactors 115 750
Fusion 106 to 109
Numbers = proportion of current U.S. energy needs that could be supplied for an
indefinite period.
20
Cost, ¢/kW-hr
15
Cost
10
6-7 ¢
6-8 ¢ 5-7 ¢
1-4 ¢ 2.3-5.0 ¢
5
0
Coal Gas Oil Wind Nuclear Solar
Europe
8
$/GJ
Brazil
6
4
2
0
Coal Oil Biomass Elect
www.undp.org/seed/eap/activities/wea
Courtesy Nate Lewis
Potential Sources of Energy when
Fossil Fuels Run Out
Magnetic Plasma
Nuclear Confinement,
Fusion Inertial Fusion
Waste &
Nuclear Proliferation
Nuclear
Fission 10 TW = 10,000 new 1
GW reactors: i.e., a new
reactor every other day for
the next 50 years
Solar, Wind and Water
CO O2 H2
2 e
e
Sugar
sc M sc M
H2 O
H2 O
O2
Photosynthesis Semiconductor/ Photovoltaic and
liquid junctions electricity to
chemical
Energy gained in corn
ethanol production
Total CO2 emissions
From Summary of Renewable Fuel
Options (NCEP)
“Unlike corn ethanol, cellulosic ethanol has
potential to achieve near-zero net carbon
emissions.
2. Anywhere – build
offshore dam
Highest tides in the
world = Bay of Fundy
16 meters = 48+ feet!
Tidal power anywhere
Problems:
1. Corrosion
2. Navigation
3. Appearance
4. Amount of energy available
is low
5. Best tides are near poles –
away from people.
Wind Power in More Details
Banning Pass
Wind Power Generation
Best wind location = Aleutian Islands,
why no wind development there?
Best U.S. localities
Midwest, mountains
And coastal areas.
Netherlands =
coastal
development
England = off shore
Wind energy problems