Sir Arthur Eddington’s general address on subatomic energy at the 1930 World Power Conference in Berlin stirred the imagination of every scientist and engineer present. The challenge was clear: find a practical means of accessing, controlling, and using the enormous energy locked in the atom as predicted by Einstein’s remarkable mass–energy relation, E=mc2. On December 2, 1942, Enrico Fermi transformed Eddington’s visionary challenge into reality by producing the world’s first controlled, self-sustaining nuclear reactor, Chicago Pile 1. Six decades later, nuclear energy now produces 16% of the world’s electrical power. (more…)

In Europe, modern renewable energy sources technologies were explored thoroughly for the first time after the oil embargo/ price crisis of 1973. Notably, market introduction of renewable energy technology started in about 1985, but the renewable energy sources industry has become vital only during the past decade. Accordingly, relevant statistical renewable energy sources data have been systematically compiled only over the past decade, although reliable and consistent statistical renewable energy sources data, collected since 1989, exist for all 15 countries of the European Union and for Western Europe (defined here as the EU-15 plus Switzerland, Norway, and Iceland). (more…)

The energy efficiencies of various fuel production pathways from well to pump. The efficiencies shown are defined as the energy in a given fuel (available at pumps in vehicle refueling stations) divided by total energy inputs during all Well-to-Pump activities, including the energy content of the fuel. One way to interpret the Well-to-Pump efficiencies in the figure is as the difference between 100% and the energy efficiencies, which roughly represent energy losses during Well-to-Pump stages for making a given fuel available at the pump. As stated in Section 3, Well-to-Pump activities include biomass feedstock production; feedstock transportation and storage; fuel production; and fuel transportation, storage, and distribution. (more…)

The continuous availability and affordability of energy and, in particular, electricity supply is an indispensable condition for the working of a well-functioning modern society. This is especially true for advanced industrial or post-industrial societies, where electricity generation provides the services essential for production, communication and exchange. Unsurprisingly, governments of OECD countries are thus concerned with understanding the factors influencing the security of energy and electricity supplies and seek to develop policy frameworks and strategies to enhance them. (more…)

Energy exists in many forms. Some of energy forms are simple to use and identify as energy. But other forms of energy can not be seen until the energy released. Some forms of energy like light and sound, they carry energy from one place to another. There are also vibrating objects that carry the kinetic energy that makes the sound. The energy passes through the wave where the wave was originated. The higher the wave, it gives more energy. Light is also one form of energy. A light beam or light ray brings out energy from where there was light. This energy is often referred to as radiation energy. (more…)

The energy that people use every day comes from many different sources. The resources are divided into two main groups: renewable energy and nonrenewable energy. Renewable energy sources are those that can be used again and again. Renewable energy resources have unlimited supply. (more…)

Nuclear energy has some distinct advantages in strengthening the external dimension of energy supply security. These include:

• Nuclear power plants produce electricity domestically. Their capital and labor inputs are also provided domestically. With more than 90% of its inputs in terms of value sourced domestically, it can be considered a largely domestic source of energy and electricity.

• Of course, a majority of OECD countries import part or all of their requirements of uranium plutonium. (more…)

Electric and gas utilities’ Research & Development activities deal nearly exclusively with energy conversion, distribution, and energy usage (at least to the extent that these firms still focus on these core businesses). Although detailed data on utility Research & Development are not collected systematically, it seems that Energy R&D spending by many utilities has declined during the past decade or so. For example, a 1996 survey by the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) found that the combined Research & Development spending of the 112 largest operating utilities in the United States dropped from $708 million in 1993 to $476 million in 1996. (more…)

Geopolitical risk refers almost always to primary energy carriers (oil, gas, coal, uranium or renewable energy) since their location depends on the vagaries of geology and climate. Production and energy consumption are thus often physically far apart and take place in countries and regions with different histories, cultures and values. Apart from oil & gas exploration and production, all other steps of the energy chain such as refinement or enrichment, energy conversion and distribution can be moved physically closer to the final customer or are, like consumption, directly under the latter’s control. (more…)

The solar technology is not only in the flat solar collector or photovoltaic panel. I follow the process ID and proof of this is the prototype plant to produce solar electricity. (more…)