Sustainable Resource Technology NOTE 7

(Principles in Sustainable Energy Technologies)

Joonhong Park
Yonsei CEE Department
2015. 11. 18.

Energy Conversion Efficiencies

Chemical
Energy
(fossil
fuels etc.)

70-95 %

100 %

Thermal
Energy
(heat)

20-40 %

85-95 %
Mechanical
energy

Electrical
energy
90-95 %

Cogeneration/CHP
Chemical
Energy
(fossil
fuels etc.)

Recovery of Waste
Heat (Combined
Heat and Power)
70-95 %

100 %

Thermal
Energy
(heat)

20-40 %

85-95 %
Mechanical
energy

Electrical
energy
90-95 %

Solar Power
Solar Power

100 %

Thermal
Energy
(heat)

Recovery of Waste
Heat (Combined
Heat and Power)

20-40 %

85-95 %
Mechanical
energy

Electrical
energy
90-95 %

Solar Power Systems

Low temperature
High temperature
- Dish collectors
- Stirling engines
- Power towers
- Trough collectors

Sun-induced Heat
Recovery of Waste
Heat (Combined
Heat and Power)

Sun-induced Heat

100 %

Thermal
Energy
(heat)

20-40 %

85-95 %
Mechanical
energy

Electrical
energy
90-95 %

Operational principle of an ocean

thermal energy converter
(pilot scale)
Electric power generator

Ammonia
Vapor
Warm
Water
(25oC)

Turbine
Condenser

Evaporator

Cold
Water
(5oC)

Ammonia
Liquid

Pump

Photovoltaics (Solar Light)

Sun
light
Turning sunlight into
Electricity with high efficiency
at low cost using common
materials.

Photovoltaics
90-95 %
Thermal
Energy
(heat)
100 %

(n-p junction in a solar cell)

85-95 %
Mechanical
energy

Electrical
energy
90-95 %

Wind power

100 %

Thermal
Energy
(heat)

Wind power

85-95 %
Mechanical
energy

Electrical
energy
90-95 %

Horizontal axis wind turbine: rotor diameter, machine rating,

rotational speed & number of blades, the generator
Environmental impacts: electromagnetic interference, ecological impact, noise

Wave power

100 %

Thermal
Energy
(heat)

Wave power

85-95 %
Mechanical
energy

Electrical
energy
90-95 %

Global energy densities: New Zealand (100), South Africa (70),

North east France (70), Korea-Japan ( 15)
Power is a function of wave height (h)
Onshore devices, Offshore devices (Salter Duck, Pelamis)

Tidal and small-scale hydropower

100 %

Thermal
Energy
(heat)

Tidal and small-scale

hydropower

85-95 %
Mechanical
energy

Electrical
energy
90-95 %

Tidal stream
Small-scale hydropower

Biomass
C-fixation
Chemical
Energy
(Biomass)

Recovery of Waste
Heat (Combined
Heat and Power)

CO2
70-95 %
Oxidation

100 %

Thermal
Energy
(heat)

20-40 %

85-95 %
Mechanical
energy

Electrical
energy
90-95 %

Geothermal

Geothermal

100 %

Thermal
Energy
(heat)

Recovery of Waste
Heat (Combined
Heat and Power)

20-40 %

85-95 %
Mechanical
energy

Electrical
energy
90-95 %
Environmental impact?

Fast Breeder & Fusion

Nuclear
Energy
Recovery of Waste
Heat (Combined
Heat and Power)

Fast Breeder
Fusion

70-95 %

100 %

Thermal
Energy
(heat)

20-40 %

85-95 %
Mechanical
energy

Electrical
energy
90-95 %

Fast Breeder (Fission)

100 fissions

292 neutrons produced

39
lost

32 by Pu
121 by 238U

84 in Pu
13 in 238 U
3 in 235 U

A variety of thermal reactors

Type

Thermal
Power
(MW)

Coolant

Moderator

Core
Volume
(m3)

Vol. PD
(MW/
m3)

Fuel
Rating
(MW/
tonne)

Exit
Coolant
Temp
(oC)

Magnox

2251875

CO2

Graphite

4492166

0.50.87

2.23.15

400

AGR

1500

CO2

Graphite

550

2.5

11.2

650

CANDU

3425

D2O

D2O

280

12.2

26.4

293

PWR

3800

H2O

H2O

40

95

38.8

332

BWR

3800

H2O

H2O

75

51

24.6

290

RBMK

3140

H2O

Graphite

765

4.1

15.4

Fast
Breeder

1000

Liquid
Na

None

1.5

400

150

Fusion
Nuclear
Energy
Recovery of Waste
Heat (Combined
Heat and Power)

Fusion

100 %

70-95 %
Thermal
Energy
(heat)

20-40 %

85-95 %
Mechanical
energy

Electrical
energy
90-95 %

Potential uses of Fusion technology

NUCLEAR

KINETIC

Fast
Fission

Fusion

Wind

SOLAR

Geothermal
(radioactivity)

Thermal
Fission

Wave
Mechanical

THERMAL

Electricity

Heat

ELECTRICAL

Hydro

Tidal

Geothermal
(original accretion)
Biomass

Fossil
Fuels

GRAVITATIONAL
Hydrogen

CHEMICAL

Batteries

Fuel Cells
Chemical
Energy

Fuel Cells
90-95 %
Thermal
Energy
(heat)
100 %

85-95 %
Mechanical
energy

Electrical
energy
90-95 %

The current uses of unsustainable energy technologies. How

about the potential uses of sustainable energy technologies?

Sustainability
General Definition: meeting the needs of the present generation without
compromising the ability of future generation to meet their own needs.
Dont do these: exhausting a natural resource, leaving large costs for future
generations or doing irreversible harm to the planet.
An energy technology is considered sustainable if:
1. It contributes little to manmade climate change.
2. It is capable of providing power for many generations w/o
significant reduction in the size of the resource, and
3. It does not leave a burden to future generation.
It is very difficult to say if an energy technology is truly sustainable or not.

21

The major energy transformations, fuels and groupings

NUCLEAR

KINETIC

Fast
Fission

Fusion

Wind

SOLAR

Geothermal
(radioactivity)

Thermal
Fission

Wave
Mechanical

THERMAL

Electricity

Heat

ELECTRICAL

Hydro

Tidal

Geothermal
(original accretion)
Biomass

Fossil
Fuels

GRAVITATIONAL
Hydrogen

CHEMICAL

Batteries

Unsustainables vs. Sustainables

Unsustainable : Fossil fuels, Large-scale
hydropower, Thermal unclear reactors
Sustainable : Solar, Wind, Wave, Tidal, Smallscale
Hydropower, Biomass, Geothermal, Fast
nuclear reactors, Nuclear fusion
Do you accept the classification?
What are your rationales for it?
23

Capability to provide energy for many generations

Warming

Halocarbons

Aerosols

N2O
CH4

1
CO2

Tropospheric
ozone

Fossil
Fuel
Burning
(Black C)

Mineral
Dust

Solar

0
Stratospheric
ozone

-1
Cooling

Radiative Force (Wm-2 )

Radiative Forcing &

Global Temperature Change

Fossil Biomass
Fuel Burning
Sulfate
Burning
(Organic C)

Land use
(albedo)

-2
High

Very Low
Level of Scientific Understanding

The final change in global mean temperature: dT = * dF

is the proportionality constant; dF is the change in radiative forcing
(see equations at p. 115

25

Other Concerns
General Pollution
Acid Rains
Injuries and fatalities
Land use
Energy paybacks
External costs and sustainability

General Pollution Concerns

Source

Potential causes for concern

Oil

Global climate change, air pollution by vehicles, acid rain, oil spills, oil rig accidents

Natural gas

Global climate change, methane leakage from pipes, methane explosions, gas rig
accidents

Coal

Global climate change, acid rain, environmental spoliation by open-cast pollution,

mining accidents, health effects on miners

Nuclear power

Radioactivity, misuse of fissile and other radioactive material by terrorists,

proliferation of nuclear weapons, land pollution by mine tailings, health effects on
uranium miners

Biomass

Effect on landscape and biodiversity, groundwater pollution due to fertilizers, use of

scarce water, competition with food producing

Hydroelectricity

Displacement of populations, effect on rivers and groundwater, dams (visual

intrusion and risk of accident), seismic effects, downstream effects on agriculture,
methane emissions from submergend biomass

Wind power

Visual intrusion in landscapes, noise, bird strikes, interference with

telecommunications

Tidal power

Visual intrusion and destruction of wildlife habitat, reduced dispersal of effluents

(these concerns apply manly to tidal barrages, not tidal current turbines)

Geothermal energy

Release of polluting gases (SO2, H2S, etc), grounwater pollution by chemicals

including heavy metals, seismic effects

Solar energy

Sequestration of large land areas (in the case of centralized plant), use of toxic
materials in manufacture of some PV cells, visual intrusion in rural and urban
environments

Global loading from various pollutants

and human disruption
Insult

Natural
Baseline
(tonnes/
year)

Human
Disruption
Index

Commercial
Energy
Supply

Traditional
Energy
Supply

Agriculture

Manufacturing,
other

Lead emission to air

12,000

18

0.41

negligible

negligible

0.59

Oil addition to oceans

200,000

10

0.44

negligible

negligible

0.56

Cadmium to air

1,400

5.4

0.13

0.05

0.12

0.70

Sulphur to air

31 mil

2.7

0.85

0.005

0.01

0.13

Methane flow to air

160 mil

2.3

0.18

0.05

0.65

0.12

Nitrogen fixation

140 mil

1.5

0.30

0.02

0.67

0.01

Mercury emission to air

2,500

1.4

0.20

0.01

0.02

0.77

N2O flows to air

33 mil

0.5

0.12

0.08

0.80

negligible

Particulate to air

3,100 mil

0.12

0.35

0.10

0.40

0.15

Non-methane hydrocarbon
to air

1 billion

0.12

0.35

0.05

0.40

0.30

Carbon dioxide to air

150
billion

0.05

0.75

0.03

0.15

0.07

Acid Rain: Carbonate system

Acid Rain: SOx and NOx

SO2(g) + H2O H2SO3

2SO2(g) + O2 2SO3 (g)
SO3(g) + H2O H2SO4
2NO2 (g) + H2O HNO2 + HNO3

Strong vs Weak Acids

31

SO2 and NOx Emissions of Energy Technologies

Technology

SO2 t/TWh

NO2 t/TWh

Hydro with reservoir

150

Diesel (0.25% S)

1285

310-12,000

Heavy oil (1.5% S) without

scrubbing

8013

1,300-2,000

Hydro run-of-river

120

Coal (1%S) w/o scrubbing

5274

700-5,000

Coal with SO2 scrubbing

104

690-5,000

Nuclear

150

Natural gas

314

77-1,500

Fuel cell

470

Biomass plantation

26

1,100-2,500

Sawmill waste

26

69-1,900

Wind power

69

77-130

PV

24

150

Land use
Technology

Km2 per TWh

(min. approx.)

Km2 per TWh

(max. approx.)

Hydro with reservoir

200

Hydro run-of-river

Coal

10

Nuclear

0.5

Biomass plantation

533

2200

Wind power

25

115

PV

30

45

Sawmill waste

Energy Payback
Technology

Energy output/
Energy input

Hydro with reservoir

205

Hydro run-of-river

206

Coal(1%S) without SO2 scrubbing

Coal (2%) with SO2 scrubbing

Nuclear

16

Natural gas

Fuel cell

Biomass plantation

Sawmill waste

27

Wind power

80

PV

External cost (Externalities)

Externality: the cost for pollutant etc. that the technology creates.

Summarized List of Factors to be considered

when examining sustainability
Potential sustainable energy sources
Global change (especially GHG emissions)
General Pollution (water, soil/groundwater, ocean, air, wastes)
Acid Rains
Injuries and fatalities
Land use
Energy paybacks
Strategy to Feasible Estimation:
Energy paybacks vs. External costs vs. Sustainability
(It may be difficult to estimate internal cost of a future technology)

Discussion: hydro-electro-power with a reservoir

vs. with a run-off-river
Potential sustainable energy sources
Global change (especially GHG emissions)
General Pollution (water, soil/groundwater, ocean, air, wastes)
Acid Rains
Injuries and fatalities
Land use
Energy paybacks
Energy paybacks vs. External costs vs. Sustainability