Understanding the Global Energy Crisis Eugene D
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Purdue University Purdue e-Pubs Purdue University Press e-books Purdue University Press Spring 3-15-2014 Understanding the Global Energy Crisis Eugene D. Coyle Military Technological College, Sultanate of Oman, [email protected] Richard A. Simmons Purdue University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/purduepress_ebooks Recommended Citation Coyle, Eugene D. and Simmons, Richard A., Understanding the Global Energy Crisis (2014). Purdue University Press. (Knowledge Unlatched Open Access Edition.) This document has been made available through Purdue e-Pubs, a service of the Purdue University Libraries. Please contact [email protected] for additional information. Understanding the Global Energy Crisis Purdue Studies in Public Policy Understanding the Global Energy Crisis EDITED BY EUGENE D. COYLE AND RICHARD A. SIMMONS Published on behalf of the Global Policy Research Institute by Purdue University Press West Lafayette, Indiana Th is book is licensed under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/. Understanding the global energy crisis / edited by Eugene D. Coyle and Richard A. Simmons. pages cm. -- (Purdue studies in public policy) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-55753-661-7 (pbk. : alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-1-61249-309-1 (epdf) -- ISBN 978-1- 61249-310-7 (epub) 1. Energy consumption. 2. Energy policy. 3. Energy development. 4. Renewable energy sources. I. Coyle, Eugene D. HD9502.A2U495 2014 333.79--dc23 An electronic version of this book is freely available, thanks to the support of libraries workingKnowledge with Knowledge Unlatched. Unlatched KU is a collaborative initiative designed to make high quality books Open Access for the public good. Th e Open Access ISBN for this book is 978-1-55753-701-0. More information about the initiative and links to the Open Access version can be found at www.knowledgeunlatched.org. To our wives, Lucy Dendy Coyle and Michelle Simmons, for their abiding encouragement and inspiration Table of Contents Foreword xi Preface xiii Introduction 1 PART 1: THE GLOBAL ENerGY CRISIS IN CONTEXT Chapter 1: Reflections on Energy, Greenhouse Gases, and Carbonaceous Fuels 11 1.1. Introduction: Man’s Quest for Energy 12 1.2. Earth’s Atmosphere and Greenhouse Gases 13 Chapter 2: Global Energy Policy Perspectives 27 2.1. Introduction: Energy Demand and Expected Growth 28 2.2. United States Energy and Climate Policy 34 2.3. Energy and Climate Policy in the European Union 42 2.4. China Energy and Climate Change Policy 50 2.5. Russia Energy and Climate Change Policy 52 2.6. Brazil Energy and Climate Change Policy 54 2.7. India Energy and Climate Change Policy 58 Chapter 3: Social Engagement by the Engineer 73 3.1. Introduction 74 3.2. Social Systems 75 3.3. Common Authentic Values and Principles 78 PART 2: ENerGY CONVersION TecHNOLOGY Chapter 4: Harnessing Nature: Wind, Hydro, Wave, Tidal, and Geothermal Energy 91 4.1. Introduction 91 4.2. Wind Energy 92 4.3. Hydroelectric Energy 99 4.4. Wave and Tidal Energy 102 4.5. Geothermal Energy 114 4.6. Impact of Renewable Technologies on Electricity Grid Developments 117 vii viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 5: Solar Power and the Enabling Role of Nanotechnology 125 5.1. Introduction 125 5.2. Solar Power Overview 126 5.3. Nanotechnology 128 5.4. Solar Photovoltaics 132 5.5. Thermoelectrics 135 5.6. Nanotechnology in Other Energy Applications 140 Chapter 6: Biofuel Prospects in an Uncertain World 151 6.1. Biofuels History 152 6.2. First Generation Biofuels 153 6.3. Second Generation Biofuels 155 6.4. Conclusions: Major Challenges and Opportunities 162 Chapter 7: A Future Role for Nuclear Energy? 167 7.1. Introduction: Essentials of Nuclear Energy 168 7.2. History of Nuclear Engineering 171 7.3. Current Status of Nuclear Energy 171 7.4. Nuclear Energy Safety 175 7.5. Nuclear Accidents and Impacts 177 7.6. Challenges in Nuclear Waste Management 180 7.7. Future Role for Nuclear Power 182 7.8. Social Engagement 185 7.9. Future for Nuclear Fusion 188 PART 3: ENerGY DISTRIBUTION AND Use Chapter 8: Taking Emerging Renewable Technologies to Market 193 8.1 Introduction 194 8.2 Economic Factors 194 8.3 Political Factors 196 8.4 Social Factors 199 8.5 Maintainability Factors 202 8.6 Economics of Energy 202 8.7 Some Challenges for Emerging Wave Energy Technologies 204 8.8 Conclusion 209 Chapter 9: Transportation and Energy 215 9.1 Transportation Energy Overview 216 9.2 Electric and Hybrid Vehicles 225 9.3 Aviation Fuels and Regulation 239 Chapter 10: Policy Challenges for the Built Environment: The Dilemma of the Existing Building Stock 255 10.1 Introduction 255 10.2 Energy Conserving Building Retrofit Technologies 257 TABLE OF CONTENTS ix 10.3 Complexity of Energy Efficiency Retrofit Strategies 261 10.4 Policy Challenges to Energy Efficiency Retrofit Success 266 10.5 Building Energy Reduction Programs Recently Employed in the US and EU 272 10.6 Recommendations and Opportunities for Future Solutions 276 Epilogue: Reflections on Our Path Forward 283 Index 291 Foreword I believe that this book will be regarded as a classic in describing the emerging global energy crises and alternate approaches for addressing them. It will not only serve sev- eral purposes in the technology and policy worlds but will also appeal to a broader audience. As the authors intended, it is an excellent technical source book for engineers and technologists. It provides a comprehensive review of the history of energy conver- sion and use; current and emerging technologies to achieve energy sustainability in a highly stressed planet; and contemporary international efforts to find solutions to the complex issues involved. Accordingly, it is also a must read for all young individuals of social consciousness, who see themselves as inheritors of grand challenge world issues and have a keen desire to contribute to their solution. The book is organized such that each chapter begins with an abstract of the sub- ject matter and ends with a summary of key points. The language is aimed at a Pop- ular Science level of technical exposition and is relatively jargon-free considering the wide spectrum of technologies presented. Each chapter includes an extensive list of references to assist the reader in finding sources and additional details of the refer- enced content. However, the most important aspect of the book, which is relatively unique, is the way the subject matter is organized. Energy sustainability is presented as a complex issue (or a wicked problem) that is interrelated with other complex issues, such as envi- ronmental sustainability, economic sustainability, and in the case of biomass-derived fuels, water and soil sustainability. For such problems there exists not a single solution but a multiplicity of solutions, which must then be judged by equally complex interrela- tionships among technical, social, and economic factors. These in turn vary regionally throughout the world based on different histories, cultures, social norms, etc. The book carefully addresses these complexities for each energy policy topic presented. The editors have carefully selected expert authors to explain the technical, social, and economic factors for each topic and present alternative approaches to a solution. The book intentionally avoids advocacy and attempts to be an honest broker to the readers so that they can draw their own conclusions based on the relative advantages and disadvantages presented. xi xii FOREWORD I am exceedingly proud that this book originated in Professor Coyle’s Fulbright Fellowship at Purdue University’s Global Policy Research Institute. I also applaud the members of the faculty at Purdue and at the Dublin Institute of Technology who con- tributed to it, exemplifying a successful trans-Atlantic partnership. This product is a glowing example of the vision of the GPRI to engage more faculty and students at Pur- due and elsewhere to conduct research and careful analysis of grand challenge global issues to inform the nation’s policy and decision makers. Arden L. Bement, Jr. Biographical Sketch Arden Bement, Jr. retired from his position as the founding Director of the Global Policy Research Institute at Purdue University in 2013. Prior to that position, he was the Di- rector of the National Science Foundation from 2004 to 2010. He served as a member of the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO and as the vice-chair of the Commission’s Natural Sciences and Engineering Committee. He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. [preface] Preface This book brings together experts in energy policy, social science, power systems, so- lar energy, agronomy, renewable energy technologies, nuclear engineering, transpor- tation, and the built environment from both sides of the Atlantic to explore the future of energy production and consumption from technological, political, and sociological perspectives. The volume is not intended to serve as complete in-depth coverage of all energy sector technologies, nor to cover energy policy comprehensively for all world re- gions. It is, however, hoped that the topics selected and questions addressed will encour- age further engagement and debate among not only students, but anyone with interest in energy sustainability, climate change, and related challenges. These issues are multi-dimensional and complex in nature; “wicked problems” with no easy answers. The book explores issues such as financial outlay and tariff support, the readiness of emerging technologies such as wave and tidal energy converters, the degree of wind energy that may be accommodated on national networks, the extent to which solar energy may be deployed, challenges and uncertainties in the production of advanced biofuels, concerns about natural gas extraction via hydraulic fracture (hy- drofracking), and whether nuclear energy should become more widely used or taken out of the generation mix.