Energy Systems & Sustainability

Energy Systems & Sustainability

Freshman Seminar 2013Mayda M. VelascoMayda M. Velasco

Sept. 26, 2013Sept. 26, 2013

As discussed in 1st lecture…Growing Population

No More Fossil Fuel? Need For New Energy Sources

• If we continue to burn fossil fuels for energy, they will only last another few hundred years.

• This means that an energy shortfall could occur within the next fifty years.

We need to aim high

• …or might not be enough like for car emission example discussed in last lecture

Big effort, but USA CO2 emissions has grown just because of large volume

Basic Physics true for all energy sources…

Increase efficiency and number of energy sources Reduce waste

So we need to drastically change how these sources are used…

• Fossil Fuels– Oil– Coal– Natural gas

85% of our current source of energy

Oil

• Flexible fuel source with many derivatives

• Transportable

• Finite supply

• Causes air pollution

Coal

• Abundant• Burns dirty• Causes acid rain and

air pollution– Greenhouse gas

problems

Natural Gas

• Burns cleanly• Transportable• Finite supply• Dangerous to

handle

Nuclear Power (8%)

• Clean

• No CO2

• No immediate pollution

• Problems with waste disposal

• Safety concerns

Other Alternative Sources (7%)

• Water Power

• Solar Power

• Tidal Power

• Wind Power

• Geothermal Power

• Biomass

We need to take into account the whole world…

OIL producers

OIL RESERVES

•According to Oil and Gas Journal (OGJ), Venezuela had 80.0 billion barrels of proven oil reserves in 2007, the largest amount in South America.•In 2006, the country had net oil exports of 2.2 million barrels per day (bbl/d), sixth-largest in the world and the largest in the Western Hemisphere.

NATURAL GAS

•Because many of Nigeria’s fields lack the infrastructure to produce natural gas, it is flared. According to NNPC, Nigeria flares 40 percent of its annual natural gas production, while the World Bank estimates that Nigeria accounts for 12.5 percent of total flared natural gas in the world.

How fast we will continue to react depends on reserves versus

production versus consumption…

The developed countries are not approaching the problem in the same

manner…

USA & France

We need to look at each source in more detailed

And you are in charge of that…

• Coal

• Nuclear energy

• Biofuel – Other than Ethanol

• Ethanol and Natural gas

• Wind energy

• Hydroelectric and Geothermal

• Wave and Tide power

• Solar energy

• Batteries