Generating Electricity in the Future
One of the major difficulties in using electricity instead of fossils is that most electricity is produced using coal and natural gas. In the United States for example . 70 % of all electricity is generated by coal and natural gas-fired power plants of consequently society will not only need to generate greater amounts of electrical power but also produce progressively less of it with fossil fuels. considering the vast amount of energy we consume accomplishing this goal will be difficult. the solution is to make use of existing technology to ramp up electrical production on a massive scale and from as many non-carbon sources as possible. At the same time we should reduce electrical consumption through the expanded use of solar heating and geothermal heat. Equally important would be conservation and increased efficiency measures. Note that clean coal technology and carbon sequestration ( Chapter 16 ) many make it feasible to continue generating electricity but it is not yet known whether the new technology will work on a large scale.
One of the common objections regarding the use of non-carbon and renewable of generating electricity is that higher costs will harm the economy . From Table 14.1 one can see that coal and natural gas are generally the most economical means of producing electricity. However if one includes the environmental costs associated with fossil fuels (e.g. pollution and global warming ) these fuels become economically less attractive .Proposed taxes and so-called cap-and-trade systems (Chapter 16 ) are designed to address the environmental impacts of fossil fuels and to make alternative sources more cost competitive. Also note in Table 14.1 that nuclear power is relatively expensive compared to coal and natural gas. As described earlier the higher cost of nuclear power is one of the primary reasons U.S. utility companies stopped building new plants after 1990.
Another key aspect of electrical power is whether a particular energy source used to generate electricity is available continuously or intermittently. Because electricity cannot be stored in large quantities utility companies are forced to generate enough electricity to meet whatever the demand is twenty-four hours a day seven days a week. As illustrated in Figure 14.31 electrical demand itself fluctuates reaching a peak in the afternoon and then dropping to a minimum called base lose. This base load always occurs at night when human activity is at its lowest . Power
FLGURE 14.31 Electrical demand and production fluctuates on a daily cycle which is related to human and industrial activity. Demand goes up during the day as human activity increases then falls to a minimum or base level at night. Utility companies must provide a steady amount of power to meet base load requirements yet maintain enough excess capacity to ensure that peak demand can be throughout the year.
plants therefore must continuously produce enough power to meet base load demand and yet still have enough additional capacity to meet peak demand each and every day. Electric utility companies generally prefer stored forms of energy particularly fossil and nuclear power because they make it adjust production to meet the constantly changing demand. In contrast intermittent forms of energy such ad solar and wind do not same flexibility in adjusting electrical production to meet demand. Tidal power is highly reliable but it is not continuous due to the cyclic nature of tides. Hydro and geothermal energy are storms of energy that can produce electricity continuously but suitable sites are geographically limited thus are not available everywhere. Finally there is ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) which can generate electricity in a continuous manner. The problem is that OTEC is restricted t o tropical waters and large-scale commercial production has yet to occur.
Ultimately there are two basic issues that need to be resolved for the United States to replace fuels s its primary of generating electricity. The first is that United States must finally open its disposal site for high-level radioactive waste from nuclear power plants ( Chapter 15 ).The waste disposal issue must be addressed before nuclear which has a proven record of providing large amounts power can be expanded significantly. The other is that intermittent forms of energy need to be integrated into the electrical grid ( collection of transmission lines ) in such a way that utility companies still meet daily peak demand . One solution would be to feed electrical power from solar wind and tidal sources into the intermittently then use the flexibility of nuclear power plants to ensure that peak demand would always be met. Another option would be for power companies to product excess electricity at night from wind and tidal and then use it to product hydrogen. The hydrogen could later be used in fuel cells to generate electricity and help meet peak demand or to fill intermittent gaps in production due to cloudy skies or decreased winds . The hydrogen could also be sold to filling stations to power care that run on hydrogen fuel cells.
Some energy experts believe that in the future electricity will not be supplied solely from relatively small number of large centralized power plants as is the case today . As illustrated in Figure 14.32 what is envisioned instead is a more decentralized system in which electricity is produced from numerous sources distributed across the grid . Such a distributed system will likely include nuclear power plants to ensure that to electrical is met during periods when various intermittent sources are not providing power. Although more complicated this system is feasible because solar wind and tidal resources are usually intermittent at different times. For example wind and tidal can still be generating power at night at when solar is not available whereas solar can provide energy during the day to help fill gaps in wind
FIGURE 14.32 Homes and businesses receive power from an electric grid system consisting of interconnected transmission lines. Most grids today receive power from a few centralized power plants but as electrical l production from alternative sources increases grids will become more decentralized. Eventually rooftop photovoltaic panels (photo inset) will allow individual homes to feed excess electricity back into grid creating a more distributed system of power generation. Excess electricity cold also be used to product hydrogen for hydrogen for filling care that run on hydrogen fuel cells.
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One of the major difficulties in using electricity instead of fossils is that most electricity is produced using coal and natural gas. In the United States for example . 70 % of all electricity is generated by coal and natural gas-fired power plants of consequently society will not only need to generate greater amounts of electrical power but also produce progressively less of it with fossil fuels. considering the vast amount of energy we consume accomplishing this goal will be difficult. the solution is to make use of existing technology to ramp up electrical production on a massive scale and from as many non-carbon sources as possible. At the same time we should reduce electrical consumption through the expanded use of solar heating and geothermal heat. Equally important would be conservation and increased efficiency measures. Note that clean coal technology and carbon sequestration ( Chapter 16 ) many make it feasible to continue generating electricity but it is not yet known whether the new technology will work on a large scale.
One of the common objections regarding the use of non-carbon and renewable of generating electricity is that higher costs will harm the economy . From Table 14.1 one can see that coal and natural gas are generally the most economical means of producing electricity. However if one includes the environmental costs associated with fossil fuels (e.g. pollution and global warming ) these fuels become economically less attractive .Proposed taxes and so-called cap-and-trade systems (Chapter 16 ) are designed to address the environmental impacts of fossil fuels and to make alternative sources more cost competitive. Also note in Table 14.1 that nuclear power is relatively expensive compared to coal and natural gas. As described earlier the higher cost of nuclear power is one of the primary reasons U.S. utility companies stopped building new plants after 1990.
Another key aspect of electrical power is whether a particular energy source used to generate electricity is available continuously or intermittently. Because electricity cannot be stored in large quantities utility companies are forced to generate enough electricity to meet whatever the demand is twenty-four hours a day seven days a week. As illustrated in Figure 14.31 electrical demand itself fluctuates reaching a peak in the afternoon and then dropping to a minimum called base lose. This base load always occurs at night when human activity is at its lowest . Power
FLGURE 14.31 Electrical demand and production fluctuates on a daily cycle which is related to human and industrial activity. Demand goes up during the day as human activity increases then falls to a minimum or base level at night. Utility companies must provide a steady amount of power to meet base load requirements yet maintain enough excess capacity to ensure that peak demand can be throughout the year.
plants therefore must continuously produce enough power to meet base load demand and yet still have enough additional capacity to meet peak demand each and every day. Electric utility companies generally prefer stored forms of energy particularly fossil and nuclear power because they make it adjust production to meet the constantly changing demand. In contrast intermittent forms of energy such ad solar and wind do not same flexibility in adjusting electrical production to meet demand. Tidal power is highly reliable but it is not continuous due to the cyclic nature of tides. Hydro and geothermal energy are storms of energy that can produce electricity continuously but suitable sites are geographically limited thus are not available everywhere. Finally there is ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) which can generate electricity in a continuous manner. The problem is that OTEC is restricted t o tropical waters and large-scale commercial production has yet to occur.
Ultimately there are two basic issues that need to be resolved for the United States to replace fuels s its primary of generating electricity. The first is that United States must finally open its disposal site for high-level radioactive waste from nuclear power plants ( Chapter 15 ).The waste disposal issue must be addressed before nuclear which has a proven record of providing large amounts power can be expanded significantly. The other is that intermittent forms of energy need to be integrated into the electrical grid ( collection of transmission lines ) in such a way that utility companies still meet daily peak demand . One solution would be to feed electrical power from solar wind and tidal sources into the intermittently then use the flexibility of nuclear power plants to ensure that peak demand would always be met. Another option would be for power companies to product excess electricity at night from wind and tidal and then use it to product hydrogen. The hydrogen could later be used in fuel cells to generate electricity and help meet peak demand or to fill intermittent gaps in production due to cloudy skies or decreased winds . The hydrogen could also be sold to filling stations to power care that run on hydrogen fuel cells.
Some energy experts believe that in the future electricity will not be supplied solely from relatively small number of large centralized power plants as is the case today . As illustrated in Figure 14.32 what is envisioned instead is a more decentralized system in which electricity is produced from numerous sources distributed across the grid . Such a distributed system will likely include nuclear power plants to ensure that to electrical is met during periods when various intermittent sources are not providing power. Although more complicated this system is feasible because solar wind and tidal resources are usually intermittent at different times. For example wind and tidal can still be generating power at night at when solar is not available whereas solar can provide energy during the day to help fill gaps in wind
FIGURE 14.32 Homes and businesses receive power from an electric grid system consisting of interconnected transmission lines. Most grids today receive power from a few centralized power plants but as electrical l production from alternative sources increases grids will become more decentralized. Eventually rooftop photovoltaic panels (photo inset) will allow individual homes to feed excess electricity back into grid creating a more distributed system of power generation. Excess electricity cold also be used to product hydrogen for hydrogen for filling care that run on hydrogen fuel cells.
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