scholarly journals Energy efficiency of fossil and renewable fuels

2016 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Winfried Schäfer
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Co2 Emissions ◽  
Energy Supply ◽  
Energy Input ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Energy Intensity ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Energy Output ◽  
Engine Fuel ◽  
Wide Range

Assessment results of renewable energy supply in agriculture and forestry are often questionable because 1. the methodology does not describe the nature dependent conditions of agricultural production, 2. there is no standard system boundary, 3. thermodynamic laws are violated and/or ignored, 4. direct and embodied energy is mixed, 5. the mainstream life cycle analysis (LCA) takes downstream and upstream inputs arbitrarily into consideration, depending on the research objectives and the research-funding agency. Thus, the calculation results neglect a wide range of specific energy input figures of upstream and down-stream factors outside farm level resulting in non-comparable figures. The EROI describes the ratio between energy output and input. The advantage of this measure is that energy input and output of fuel supply as well as the resulting CO2 emissions are comparable. There are no standards to calculate the indirect energy input of commodities and services hidden in monetary inputs (insurances, rent for land, subsidies and fees etc.). They are usually excluded because procedures to handle them as energy input are rare. The easiest way to quantify the indirect energy is the use of the energy intensity (EI). Multiplying the price of any good or service with the energy intensity results in a rough estimation of energy embodied in the good or service. Applying the EROI and the EI to compare the efficiency of fossil and renewable energy supply released the following results: Substitution of fossil fuels by renewable ones causes always additional costs. Most known renewable energy supply techniques need more energy than fossil fuel exploitation. Polluting the environment is - for the time being – the most competitive alternative. Renewable engine fuel, produced from biomass, is not competitive with fossil fuels in terms of EROI. The energy of one ha biomass may substitute gasoline to drive a car 40 000 km with biogas. Electric power harnessed from one ha solar panels enables to drive an electric vehicle 5 000 000 km applying the same calculation method. The most efficient way to mitigate CO2 emissions is to include the entropy of agricultural products in energy policy decision making. Albeit wood has a high EROI, processing fuels from wood of low entropy makes no sense: Producing a table from a tree and burning the residues and the table at the end of its lifetime renders the same energy gain as using the tree for fuel only. The EROI of fossil fuels remains probably on high level during the next 50 to 100 years. Oil and gas will be replaced by coal, in Finland also by nuclear power, peat and wood. Although biomass is more renewable than fossil fuels, its EROI is lower and substitution will not reduce CO2 emissions. Climate change may force humankind to reduce fossil fuel consumption. The only sustainable way to achieve this is reduction of fossil fuel exploitation.

scholarly journals Economic Perspective on Discontinuing Fossil Fuel Subsidies and Moving toward a Low-Carbon Society

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1217
Author(s):  
Kyungwon Park ◽  
Yoon Lee ◽  
Joon Han
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Co2 Emissions ◽  
Computable General Equilibrium ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Computable General Equilibrium Model ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Fuel Subsidies ◽  
Fossil Fuel Subsidies

In Korea, multiple efforts, including subsidies to energy industries, have been made to increase renewable energy use and strengthen the competitiveness of renewable energy industries. Ironically, a considerable number of subsidies have also been provided for fossil fuels, drawing criticism both within Korea and overseas that these subsidies increase not only fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, but also energy market distortion. Thus, the Korean government announced a plan to discontinue some fossil fuel subsidies in 2020. Based on Korea’s policy orientation to expand renewable energy and strengthen its competitiveness, various scenarios to phase out fossil fuel subsidies and increase renewable energy subsidies can be examined. This study used the computable general equilibrium model to subdivide the energy sector and analyze the influence of changes in subsidies on the Korean economy and CO2 emissions based on three scenarios. The results show that phasing out fossil fuel subsidies causes a significant reduction in domestic CO2 emissions by −6.9 to −8.5%, depending on our scenarios. Implementing energy policy in Korea may have minimum impacts on its economy when fossil fuel subsidies transfer to renewable energy industries. The real gross domestic product could be only decreased by −0.04 to −0.14%.

Energy After COVID

2020 ◽  
Vol 119 (820) ◽  
pp. 317-322
Author(s):  
Michael T. Klare
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Electric Vehicles ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
White Collar ◽  
Peak Oil ◽  
Business Travel ◽  
Reduce Energy Consumption ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Energy Companies

By transforming patterns of travel and work around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating the transition to renewable energy and the decline of fossil fuels. Lockdowns brought car commuting and plane travel to a near halt, and the mass experiment in which white-collar employees have been working from home may permanently reduce energy consumption for business travel. Renewable energy and electric vehicles were already gaining market share before the pandemic. Under pressure from investors, major energy companies have started writing off fossil fuel reserves as stranded assets that are no longer worth the cost of extracting. These shifts may indicate that “peak oil demand” has arrived earlier than expected.

scholarly journals ANALYSIS OF THE CAUSALITY OF CO2 EMISSIONS, CONSUMPTION OF FOSSIL FUELS, ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION, AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN INDONESIA IN 1990-2019

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (02) ◽  
pp. 113
Author(s):  
Melati Intan Kurnia ◽  
Hadi Sasana ◽  
Yustirania Septiani
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Fuel Consumption ◽  
Co2 Emissions ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Electricity Consumption ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Fossil Fuel Consumption

<p><em>Increasing economic growth will spark against increased energy consumption. But on the other hand, increasing economic growth will also trigger the occurrence of natural damage and degradation of environmental quality derived from CO2 emissions. CO2 emissions are caused by oxidation process of fossil fuel energy. This research aims to know the causality relationship between CO2 emissions, fossil fuel consumption, electricity consumption, and economic growth in Indonesia, as well as long-term relationship between CO2 emissions, fossil fuel consumption, electricity consumption, to economic growth in Indonesia in 1990 – 2019. The used data is the secondary data that is in the form of data time series. The dependent variables of this study are economic growth, while independent variables are CO2 emissions, fossil fuel consumption, electricity consumption. The method that is used in this study is Vector Error Correction Model. The results showed that there was a one-way causality between economic growth and fossil fuel consumption, and between electricity consumption and CO2 emissions. The research also shows that on long-term CO2 emissions has a negative influence, while the consumption of fossil fuels and electricity has a positive effect on Indonesia's economic growth in 1990-2019.</em></p><p><strong><em>K</em></strong><strong><em>eywords</em></strong><em>: CO2, Energy Consumption, Economic Growth.</em></p>

scholarly journals The 21st Century Coal Question: China, India, Development, and Climate Change

Atmosphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 476
Author(s):  
Kevin J. Warner ◽  
Glenn A. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Population Growth ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Community Based ◽  
China And India ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Fossil Fuel Emissions

China and India are not only the two most populous nations on Earth, they are also two of the most rapidly growing economies. Historically, economic and social development have been subsidized by cheap and abundant fossil-fuels. Climate change from fossil-fuel emissions has resulted in the need to reduce fossil-fuel emissions in order to avoid catastrophic warming. If climate goals are achieved, China and India will have been the first major economies to develop via renewable energy sources. In this article, we examine the factors of projected population growth, available fossil-fuel reserves, and renewable energy installations required to develop scenarios in which both China and India may increase per capita energy consumption while remaining on trach to meet ambitious climate goals. Here, we show that China and India will have to expand their renewable energy infrastructure at unprecedented rates in order to support both population growth and development goals. In the larger scope of the literature, we recommend community-based approaches to microgrid and cookstove development in both China and India.

scholarly journals GHG Emissions and Efficiency of Energy Generation through Anaerobic Fermentation of Wetland Biomass

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (24) ◽  
pp. 6497
Author(s):  
Robert Czubaszek ◽  
Agnieszka Wysocka-Czubaszek ◽  
Piotr Banaszuk
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Analysis ◽  
Energy Supply ◽  
Energy Production ◽  
Energy Input ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Anaerobic Fermentation ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Biogas Plant ◽  
Biogas Energy ◽  
Wet Fermentation

We conducted the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of energy production from biogas for maize and three types of wetland biomass: reed Phragmites australis, sedges Carex elata, and Carex gracilis, and “grassy vegetation” of wet meadows (WM). Biogas energy produced from maize reached over 90 GJ ha−1, which was more than four times higher than that gained from wetland biomass. However, an estimation of energy efficiency (EE) calculated as a ratio of energy input to the energy produced in a biogas plant showed that the wet fermentation (WF) of maize was similar to the values obtained for dry fermentation (DF) of sedge biomass (~0.30 GJ GJ−1). The greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions released during preparation of the feedstock and operation of the biogas plant were 150 g CO2 eq. kWhel.−1 for DF of sedges and 262 g CO2 eq. kWhel.−1 for WF of Phragmites. Compared to the prevailing coal-based power generation in Central Europe, anaerobic digestion (AD) of wetland biomass could contribute to a reduction in GHG emissions by 74% to 85%. However, calculations covering the GHG emissions during the entire process “from field to field” seem to disqualify AD of conservation biomass as valid low-GHG energy supply technology. Estimated emissions ranged between 795 g CO2 eq. kWhel.−1 for DF of Phragmites and 2738 g CO2 eq. kWhel.−1 for the WM and, in most cases, exceeded those related to fossil fuel technologies.

scholarly journals The Power to Change: A Brief Survey of The Wind Power’s Technological and Societal Potential, Barriers to Use, and Ways Forward

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. p11
Author(s):  
Helen Kopnina
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Wind Energy ◽  
Wind Power ◽  
Energy Supply ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Close Relationship ◽  
The Government ◽  
Carbon Dependency

With the effects of climate change linked to the use of fossil fuels, as well as the prospect of their eventual depletion, becoming more noticeable, political establishment and society appear ready to switch towards using renewable energy. Solar power and wind power are considered to be the most significant source of global low-carbon energy supply. Wind energy continues to expand as it becomes cheaper and more technologically advanced. Yet, despite these expectations and developments, fossil fuels still comprise nine-tenths of the global commercial energy supply. In this article, the history, technology, and politics involved in the production and barriers to acceptance of wind energy will be explored. The central question is why, despite the problems associated with the use of fossil fuels, carbon dependency has not yet given way to the more ecologically benign forms of energy. Having briefly surveyed some literature on the role of political and corporate stakeholders, as well as theories relating to sociological and psychological factors responsible for the grassroots’ resistance (“not in my backyard” or NIMBYs) to renewable energy, the findings indicate that motivation for opposition to wind power varies. While the grassroots resistance is often fueled by the mistrust of the government, the governments’ reason for resisting renewable energy can be explained by their history of a close relationship with the industrial partners. This article develops an argument that understanding of various motivations for resistance at different stakeholder levels opens up space for better strategies for a successful energy transition.

scholarly journals Effect of tillage systems on energy input and energy efficiency for sugar beet and soybean under Pannonian climate conditions

2021 ◽  
Vol 67 (No. 3) ◽  
pp. 137-146
Author(s):  
Gerhard Moitzi ◽  
Reinhard W. Neugschwandtner ◽  
Hans-Peter Kaul ◽  
Helmut Wagentristl
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Sugar Beet ◽  
Fuel Consumption ◽  
Energy Input ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Energy Intensity ◽  
Conservation Tillage ◽  
Energy Output ◽  
Net Energy ◽  
Use Efficiency

Sustainable cropping systems require efficient usage of fossil energy. This study performed on a long-term field experiment in the Pannonian Basis investigated the energy efficiency of four tillage systems (mouldboard plough (MP), deep conservation tillage (CT<sub>d</sub>), shallow conservation tillage (CT<sub>s</sub>) and no-tillage (NT)) for sugar beet and soybean production, taking fuel consumption, total energy input (made up of both direct and indirect inputs), crop yield, energy output, net-energy output, energy intensity and energy use efficiency into account. The input rates of fertiliser, chemical plant protection, and seeds were set constant across years; whereas measured values of fuel consumption were used for all tillage treatments. NT required a considerably lower energy input than MP and CT<sub>d</sub> as no fuel is needed for tillage and just slightly more fuel for additional spraying of glyphosate. Anyhow, the energy efficiency parameters did not differ between tillage treatments, as theses parameters were mainly determined by energy output, which was considerably higher than the energy input. However, year effects on the energy efficiency were observed for both crops. Nitrogen fertilisation and diesel fuel consumption were identified as the most energy-intensive inputs. Consequently, the energy input for sugar beet was higher than that for soybean, which was identified as a low-input crop. But sugar beet attained a more than 4 times higher net-energy output, a 2.5 times higher energy use efficiency, and an energy intensity for yield production of less than 3 times those of soybean.  

scholarly journals ABOUT POSSIBILITY TO CLASSIFY COAL LAYERS HAZARDOUS CHARACTERISTICS BY GENETIC AND PROCESS PARAMETERS OF COALS

2020 ◽  
pp. 25-29
Author(s):  
Mykola Antoshchenko ◽  
Vadym Tarasov ◽  
Mihail Filatiev ◽  
Elvira Filatieva ◽  
Oleg Levadnyi
Keyword(s):  
Process Parameters ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Vitrinite Reflectance ◽  
Emergency Situation ◽  
Legal Environment ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Average Reflectance ◽  
Specific Electrical Resistivity

The analysis of Ukrainian legal environment has been performed for solid fossil fuels production, which has shown existing of contradictories between parameters describing the accuracy of forecast to manifest the coal layers hazardous characteristics during independent of mining and does not exclude any possibility for emergency situation to occur, independent of the preventive measures full implementation. The base to determine the coal layers hazardous characteristics are: average reflectance of vitrinite, presence of some components in organic matter (С0, О0, Н0, N0), alteration of moisture and mineral impurities content. For these classificatory parameters, their quantitative assessment is available in the whole multiplicity of coals metamorphic transformation. The specific electrical resistivity logarithm and other proxy parameters may serve as additional classificatory parameters to reveal any hazardous characteristics of anthracites after grounding their using in some ranges of metamorphism series. It has been established that the existing wide range of vitrinite reflectance alteration for anthracites specifies significant alterations in the fossil fuel structure and properties. In their process of metamorphism, these peculiarities of anthracite alterations have almost not been classificatory established by their genetic and process parameters.

scholarly journals SOSIALISASI POTENSI ENERGI TERBARUKAN ANGIN (BAYU) ANTARA UNIVERSITAS MATARAM (UNRAM) BEKERSAMA DENGAN UVERSITAS TEKNOLOGI SUMBAWA (UTS) DI PULAU SUMBAWA

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-26
Author(s):  
Made Sutha Yadnya ◽  
Teti Zubaidah ◽  
Abdullah Zainuddin ◽  
Bulkis Kanata ◽  
Paniran Paniran
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Wind Energy ◽  
Energy Policy ◽  
Energy Supply ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Supply System ◽  
Energy Supply System ◽  
National Energy Policy

National Energy Policy, is to increase energy diversification through efforts to use renewable energy such as renewable non-fossil fuels, especially wind energy until 2025. By utilizing renewable energy, the dependence on fossil fuels on the national energy supply system can decrease. Sumbawa Island has the potential for wind energy around 220 KW (assuming each location is built 10 units)

scholarly journals Efficient Methods of Market Pricing in Power Industry within the Context of System Integration of Renewable Energy Sources

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 3250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evgeny Lisin ◽  
Galina Kurdiukova ◽  
Pavel Okley ◽  
Veronika Chernova
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Energy Supply ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Market Value ◽  
Economic Incentives ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
Supply Systems ◽  
Energy Supply Systems

Currently, the majority of world economies (even those located in the sunbelt (+/− 35 degrees of latitude with good sunshine with low seasonality) uses various types of fossil fuels as the main source of energy for their economies. However, this represents a very volatile and unsustainable strategy, since according to various estimates, the fossil fuel era will inevitably end as all carbon fuels are going to be spent in the next few centuries. Unlike traditional energy, renewable energy sources (RES) are not based on energy resources, but rather rely upon natural energy flows. With regard to its unique property, there has been an active construction of power plants of renewable energy and their gradual integration into national energy supply systems in recent decades. At the same time, the existing models of electricity markets were unprepared for their wide distribution. Hence, determination of the market value of energy generated by power plants using renewable energy sources becomes a particularly significant issue. This market value has to take into account the prevention of costs from the use of fossil fuels, as well as the resulting environmental benefits. Our paper proposes methods for solving this problem, contributing to the increase of economic efficiency of investment projects for the construction of renewable energy facilities and the formation of economic incentives for their propagation in energy supply systems. The proposed methods are based on the dynamic differentiation of tariffs for consumers with renewable energy sources depending on their structure of electricity consumption. Its effectiveness is demonstrated by calculating the cost of electricity for households located in the Krasnodar region using renewable energy sources. It is shown that this approach to the formation of tariffs for consumers allows the household to receive additional savings from the efficient use of energy installations on RES and energy storage devices in terms of alignment of the energy consumption schedule. This creates a significant incentive for households to use them and contributes to increasing the effectiveness of government renewable energy support programs, including by solving the acute problem of raising electricity tariffs from the grid.

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