Renewable Energy Integration The Only Real Sensible Approach

Renewable Energy Integration The Only Real Sensible Approach optimize resources at the regional level

Overarching Concerns Current and future sources of energy n What’s best in terms of most efficient combination of capital cost, land use, ecological footprint, material use and jobs created Distributed Generation and how to achieve it How to improve the Grid to better incorporate renewables Local Energy Storage is critical need new storage technologies

And if we require continued Fossil Fuel usage as transport fuel then Alternatives to conventional Crude Oil must be used These alternatives will do incredible environmental damage due to the great inefficiency involved in extracting a barrel of oil. And of course, Coal remains the choice for producing the bulk of electricity

Tar Sands http: //www. protectowire. com/applications/profiles/electric_shovels. htm http: //www. aapg. org/explorer/2005/05 may/dinning. cfm

Oil Shale http: //nandotimes. nandomedia. com/ips_rich_content/896 -shale_rock. jpg http: //geosurvey. state. co. us/Default. aspx? tabid=104

Typical Coal-Fired Power Plant Category Power Plant 100 W Light Bulb Power 500 MW 100 W Energy / year 3. 5 billion k. Wh 876 k. Wh Coal / year 1. 43 million tons 714 lbs Sulfur Dioxide / year 10, 000 Tons Nitrogen Oxides / year 10, 200 Tons Carbon Dioxide / year 3, 700, 000 Tons 5 pounds 5. 1 pounds 1, 852 pounds

CO 2 Mitigation Options http: //www. netl. doe. gov

Carbon Sequestration Options http: //www. whitehouse. gov/omb/budget/fy 2006/energy. html

Ocean Sequestration http: //www. lbl. gov/Science-Articles/Archive/sea-carb-bish. html

Nuclear Energy Consumption – a green alternative to fossil emission? – but timescale to build and license new facility is 12 -15 years (US)! – Global Growth Scenarios are uncertain

Future Electricity Demand: Nukes make up 12%: Fossils 74% 4 TW Net in 2030 = about 8 TW produced

Wind Energy

US Wind Energy Generation Good Trajectory but still only 2. 4% of US Nameplate Capacity

> 200 MW Wind farms

Recent Capacity Enhancements 2006 5 MW 600’ 2000 850 k. W 265’ 2003 1. 8 MW 350’

Costs Nosedive Wind’s Success 38 cents/k. Wh 3. 5 -5. 0 cents/k. Wh Levelized cost at good wind sites in nominal dollars, not including tax credit

Solar Energy Solar Centre at Baglan Energy Park in South Wales http: //www. c-a-b. org. uk/projects/tech 1. htm

Large Scale Solar – Land Use Issues http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Solar_panel

US Installed Solar PV Approximately 15 times less than wind!

Wimpy wimpy

But proposed CSP is better

But main growth is wind

Oceanic Energy

“Mighty Whale” Design – Japan The prototype dimensions were chosen to be 50 m (Length) X 30 m (Breadth) X 12 m (Depth). The design called for it to float at even keel at a draft of 8 m. The overall rated power capacity was set at 110 k. W. http: //www. jamstec. go. jp/jamstec/MTD/Whale/

Ocean Wave Conversion System http: //www. sara. com/energy/WEC. html

Geothermal Energy Plant Geothermal energy plant in Iceland http: //www. wateryear 2003. org/en/

Methods of Heat Extraction http: //www. geothermal. ch/eng/vision. html

Global Geothermal Sites http: //www. deutsches-museum. de/ausstell/dauer/umwelt/img/geothe. jpg

Methane Landfill emissions could produce electricity Boyle, Renewable Energy, Oxford University Press (2004)

Hydrogen Economy Schematic

Transporting Hydrogen

One Transition Plan UNITED NATIONS INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR HYDROGEN ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES http: //www. unido-ichet. org/ICHET-transition. php

Distributed Generation as the New Power Grid

Vehicle to Grid is part of Smart Grid Technology as well

Centralized vs. Distributed Generation http: //www. nfcrc. uci. edu/fcresources/FCexplained/stationary. htm

Central Power Generation (today) Remote, Large, Expensive Long Distance Delivery Fossil Fuel Plants n Waste Heat n Environment Unfriendly (Co 2) n Health Unfriendly (Nox, So 2, Pm 10, Hg) Nuclear Plants n Waste Disposal Hydroelectric Plants n Flooding Unreliable (2000 -2003) n 110 Grid Failures n Cost $80 -123 B. /Yr n Adds 29 -45% To Electric Bill http: //www. pharmaciaretirees. com/distributed_generation. htm

Distributed Generation Located next to user Capacity kw –Mw in renewables Economic benefits n “Waste” heat used n Lowers fossil fuel use n Low investment n Power failure losses eliminated n Environmental/ health costs reduced n Grid costs – peak/capital n Lower electric bills Flexibility of location Cogeneration n Combined heat & power (CHP) Micropower http: //www. pharmaciaretirees. com/distributed_generation. htm

Sources of DG Solar – photovoltaic and thermal Wind Turbines Hydroelectric (large scale and micro) Geothermal Oceanic Nuclear Fossil Fuels n Combined Heat & Power (CHP) http: //www. pharmaciaretirees. com/distributed_generation. htm

Microturbines Low to moderate initial capital cost Fuel flexibility, n burn either gaseous (natural gas, propane, biogases, oil-field flared gas) or liquid fuels (diesel, kerosene) Heat released from burning the fuel also providing heating and cooling needs (CHP Extremely low air emissions n NOx, CO, and SOx Continuous operating even during brownout or blackout A cutaway of a microturbine; 30 and 60 kilowatt units have just one moving part – a shaft that turns at 96, 000 rpm.

Microturbine Systems http: //www. wapa. gov/es/pubs/esb/2001/01 Jun/microturbine. htm http: //www. cleanenergyresourceteams. org/microturbines. html

Micro-Hydro http: //www. itdg. org/? id=micro_hydro_expertise http: //www. greenhouse. gov. au/yourhome/technical/fs 46. htm

Summary n Solutions Exist both on small scale and very large scale n We do not really have an energy crisis – we do have an energy by fossil fuel crisis n Transition requires leadership and courage and commitment – a true test of humanity as a global entity. n OTEC, Wind, Small Scale Solar, Snakes, Dragons, Hydrogen Production represents solution space

Summary 2 n We must approach an equivalent fuel economy of 50 mpg for any technology n We must enable the smart grid to truly manage electricty use better n Conservation and reduced consumption remain our best hope to have a future

Summary 3 n Post WW II conspicuous consumption and consumer capitalism has clearly burst n We may be evolving globally away from conspicuous consumption and towards necessary consumption n Further evolution takes one to sustainability n But what is the timescale to evolve from necessary consumption to sustainability?