Toward a Sustainable Global Energy Supply Infrastructure : Net Energy Balance and Density Considerations

This paper complements previous work on the economics of different energy resources by examining the growth potential of alternative electricity supply infrastructures as constrained by innate physical limits. Coal-fired generation meets the criteria of longevity (abundance of energy source) and scalability (effective capability to expand to the multi-terawatt level) which are critical for a sustainable energy supply chain, but it carries a very heavy carbon footprint. Renewables and nuclear power meet both the longevity and climate friendliness criteria. However, they vary in terms of their ability to deliver net energy at a scale needed for meeting a huge global energy demand. The low density of renewable resources for electricity generation and the current intermittency of many renewables limit their ability to achieve high rates of growth. And a significant global increase in nuclear power deployment could engender serious risks related to proliferation, safety, and waste disposal. Unlike renewable sources of energy, nuclear power is an unforgiving technology because human lapses and errors can have ecological and social impacts that are catastrophic and irreversible. The transition to a low carbon economy is likely to prove much more challenging than some optimists have claimed.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Kessides, Ioannis N., Wade, David C.
Language:	English
Published:	2011-01-01
Subjects:	AIR, ALTERNATIVE ENERGY, ALTERNATIVE FUELS, ALTERNATIVE TECHNOLOGIES, ALTITUDE, ANTHROPOGENIC GREENHOUSE, ANTHROPOGENIC GREENHOUSE WARMING, ATMOSPHERE, ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE, AVAILABILITY, CALCULATION, CAPACITY FACTOR, CAPACITY FACTORS, CARBON, CARBON CAPTURE, CARBON DIOXIDE, CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS, CARBON ECONOMY, CARBON EMISSION, CARBON FOOTPRINT, CARBON INTENSITY, CARBON SUPPLY, CLEAN COAL, CLEAN COAL TECHNOLOGIES, CLIMATE, CLIMATE CHANGE, CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY, CLIMATE POLICY, CLOUD COVER, CO, CO2, COAL, COAL RESERVES, COAL TECHNOLOGIES, COMBUSTION, CONVENTIONAL FOSSIL FUELS, CONVENTIONAL FUELS, CONVENTIONAL OIL, CONVERGENCE, CONVERSION PROCESS, COST OF ENERGY, ELECTRICITY, ELECTRICITY GENERATION, ELECTRICITY GENERATION CAPACITY, ELECTRICITY GENERATION TECHNOLOGIES, ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION, ELECTRICITY SUPPLY, EMISSION, EMISSIONS FROM COAL, END USE, END USER, ENERGY ANALYSIS, ENERGY CARRIER, ENERGY CARRIERS, ENERGY CONSUMPTION, ENERGY COSTS, ENERGY ECONOMICS, ENERGY EXTRACTION, ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE, ENERGY INPUT, ENERGY INVESTMENTS, ENERGY MARKETS, ENERGY MIX, ENERGY OUTLOOK, ENERGY OUTPUT, ENERGY PERFORMANCE, ENERGY POLICY, ENERGY PROBLEM, ENERGY PRODUCTION, ENERGY REQUIREMENTS, ENERGY RESOURCES, ENERGY SOURCE, ENERGY SOURCES, ENERGY SYSTEMS, ENERGY USE, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT, ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS, EVAPORATION, EXCESS CAPACITY, FOSSIL, FOSSIL FUEL, FOSSIL FUEL POLLUTANTS, FOSSIL FUEL RESOURCES, FOSSIL FUELS, FOSSIL-FUEL, FUEL, FUEL EXTRACTION, FUEL USE, GAS PLANTS, GAS RESERVES, GAS TURBINE, GASES, GENERATING CAPACITY, GENERATION, GENERATION SYSTEMS, GHG, GLOBAL ELECTRICITY GENERATION, GLOBAL ENERGY DEMAND, GLOBAL ENERGY MIX, GLOBAL ENERGY SUPPLY, GOLD, GREENHOUSE, GREENHOUSE GAS, GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS, GREENHOUSE GAS MITIGATION, GROWTH IN ENERGY DEMAND, HEAT, HEAVY METALS, HIGH ENERGY DENSITY, HIGHER ENERGY DENSITY, HOT WATER, HYDROELECTRIC ENERGY, HYDROELECTRIC POWER, HYDROPOWER, INSOLATION, INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY, IRON, KINETIC ENERGY, LARGE WIND FARMS, LIQUID FUELS, LIVING STANDARDS, LNG, LOAD FACTOR, LOW-CARBON, MERCURY, MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES, NATIONAL ENERGY DEMAND, NATURAL GAS, NET ENERGY BALANCE, NEW PLANT, NEW PLANTS, NITROGEN, NITROGEN OXIDES, NUCLEAR ENERGY, NUCLEAR PLANTS, NUCLEAR POWER, NUCLEAR POWER PLANT, NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS, NUCLEAR POWER STATIONS, NUCLEAR REACTORS, NUCLEAR SAFETY, OIL, OIL EQUIVALENT, OIL GAS COAL, OIL SANDS, PARTICULATE, PARTICULATE MATTER, PETROLEUM, PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS, PHOTOVOLTAICS, PHYSICS, PLANT PERFORMANCE, POLLUTANTS, POWER GENERATION, POWER GENERATION CAPACITY, POWER PLANTS, POWER PRODUCTION, POWER RATING, POWER STATION, POWER SYSTEMS, PRECIPITATION, PRICE VOLATILITY, PRIMARY ENERGY, PRIMARY ENERGY DEMAND, PRIMARY ENERGY SOURCE, RAIN, RAINFALL, RAINWATER, RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY, RENEWABLE ENERGY, RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES, RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEM, RENEWABLE GENERATION, RENEWABLE RESOURCES, RENEWABLE SOURCES, RENEWABLE SOURCES OF ENERGY, RENEWABLE TECHNOLOGIES, SILICON, SINK, SOLAR ENERGY, SOLAR ENERGY CONVERSION, SOLAR PANELS, SOLAR POWER, SOLAR RADIATION, SOLAR RESOURCE, SOLAR RESOURCES, SOURCE OF ENERGY, SULFUR, SULFUR DIOXIDE, SUNLIGHT, SUNSHINE, SURPLUS ENERGY, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, SUSTAINABLE ENERGY, THERMODYNAMICS, TRANSPORT SECTOR, URANIUM, URANIUM RESOURCES, WASTE, WASTE DISPOSAL, WIND, WIND ENERGY, WIND FARM, WIND FARMS, WIND PENETRATION, WIND POWER, WIND POWER SYSTEMS, WIND SPEED, WIND TURBINE, WIND TURBINES, WINDMILL, WINDMILLS, WORLD ENERGY, WORLD ENERGY COUNCIL, WORLD ENERGY MARKETS, WORLD ENERGY OUTLOOK,
Online Access:	http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20110118143248 https://hdl.handle.net/10986/3311
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