Primary Energy Use and Clean Coal Technology

clean coal technology
Transportation is another sector that has increased its relative share of primary energy use. This sector has serious concerns as it is a significant source of CO2 emissions and other airborne pollutants, and it is almost totally based on oil as its energy source. An important aspect of future changes in transportation depends on what happens to the available oil resources, production and prices. At present, 95% of all energy for transportation comes from oil. (more…)

UK Energy Demand: The United Kingdom Trends in Energy

uk energy demand
The long-term prospects for the U.K. economy are inevitably uncertain, and the most recent Department of Energy long-term projection puts forward three scenarios for the next 30 years with GDP growth rates of roughly 2.5, 1.5 and 0.5% p.a. The highest value corresponds to slightly less than the 1948 - 72 average, the central value is close to the long-run average over the last 80 years, and the lowest figure is similar to the performance during the current recession since 1973. (more…)

Nuclear Generating Capacity In The United Kingdom

nuclear united kingdom
Following the recent completion of three nuclear power plants, there is now some 9.6 GW of nuclear capacity in the United Kingdom. The nuclear share of electrical output, which has stood at around 13% for many years, should rise to around 20% when this capacity is in full operation. A further two reactors are currently under construction which will increase the British nuclear capacity to more than 12 GW by the late 1980s, which could bring the nuclear share of electrical output to around 25%. (more…)

Oil Prices Inflation Since the Early 1970s

Oil Prices Inflation
In the post-World War II period, until the beginning of the 1970s, oil price fluctuations were very small. From 1949 to 1970, average annual fluctuations of oil prices in U.S. dollars, as measured by the absolute value of year-to-year price changes, were of the order of 1%. Therefore, the real price (i.e., inflation adjusted) slightly declined throughout this period. This so-called Golden Age peak oil impacts period was characterized by a remarkable price stability and very strong gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the main industrialized economies. The stability of oil prices was an important element behind the low inflation and strong economic growth. (more…)

Federal Excise Taxes to Motor Fuels: Gasoline, Diesel, Aviation Jet Fuel

Federal Excise Taxes
Federal Excise Taxes placed on specific energy sources tend to reduce energy demand for these energy sources in both the short and the long run. The federal government imposes excise taxes on almost all petroleum products (including petroleum additives) and coal (see Table 1). The federal government also imposes federal excise taxes on many transportation uses of methanol, ethanol, natural gas, and propane and imposes a fee on electricity produced from nuclear power plants and nuclear power electricity. (more…)

Peak Electricity Demand Impact and Reducing Power Needs During Peak Periods

Peak Electricity Demand
Power generation and distribution networks are built with spare capacity to meet peak periods of energy consumption is usually a time when demand for heating and / or cooling is particularly acute accommodate. Normally, peak electricity demand in some cases last just a few hours every year. And while the networks have always had to cope with peaks in recent years, the electricity consumption during peak hours has increased dramatically in the afternoon. (more…)

Cryogenics Freezing: Helium, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Carbon Monoxide, Oxygen, Methane, and Krypton

The term cryogenics derives from the Greek kryos, for icy cold. The upper limit that characterizes the cryogenic region of the temperature scale is subjective. If the delimitation criterion takes into consideration practical reasons, then this upper limit can be established at a higher than usually declared value (120 K) in order to include natural gas fuel liquefaction. The cryogenics region of the temperature scale 0–120 K can be divided into sub regions according to the criteria of the cryogenic method and refrigerant (known as crycoolers) as follows: (more…)

Solar Water Heating for Swimming Pools

Solar water heating for swimming pool rank as the most successful but least heralded commercial solar application. The use of solar energy for pool heating and the equipment and needs of pool owners make a perfect match. The storage unit for the solar heated water already exists—the swimming pool. The pump needed to push water through the solar collectors must be purchased irrespective of the technology used to heat the water. The pool owner merely has to purchase the solar collectors. Since those using the pool generally want the temperature of the pool to be no higher than 801F (271C), the solar collectors do not require a costly glass cover or expensive metal sheeting and piping. (more…)

Nuclear Proliferation and Environmental Impact

Geographers researching the development of nuclear power have shifted emphasis from commercialization, cost, risk, public acceptance, and power plant siting in the 1950s through the early 1980s to reactor decommissioning and radioactive waste disposal since then. With nuclear power development on hold in most countries, attention has also been given to nuclear weapons facilities and weapons proliferation in an increasingly dangerous world. (more…)

Advanced Electric Grids for Efficient Energy Transmission

Advanced technology global electrical grids may be more promising for renewables energy. With current transmission lines, even if costs per kilowatt-hour of PV arrays and turbines declined drastically and production rates were increased to millions per year like mass-produced automobiles, the grids of the United States and the world could not handle the load management demands. Power must flow where needed, when needed. Existing grids are hub-andspoke networks designed for central power plants tens to hundreds of kilometers from users. These need to be re-engineered into ‘‘smart grids’’––a global Internet and superhighway system for electricity. (more…)

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