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15: Sustainable Energy- The Essential Basis of Green Systems

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    “If enough energy is available by means that are sustainable and that do not end up ruining theenvironment, virtually all sustainability needs may be met.”

    • 15.1: Sustainability and Energy
      This page discusses sustainability issues focused on energy availability and environmental impact. It highlights the need for abundant energy to manage resources effectively while criticizing unsustainable current energy use patterns. Though coal can provide energy for centuries, reliance on fossil fuels poses global warming risks.
    • 15.2: What is Energy?
      This page explains energy as the capacity for work through various forms such as kinetic, potential, and chemical energy. It highlights examples like sunlight storage in flywheels and hydroelectric power from reservoirs. The page discusses energy measurement in joules and kilojoules, and power in watts, while emphasizing the first law of thermodynamics on energy conservation. Efficient energy use is important for practices like green chemistry, material recycling, and sustainability.
    • 15.3: Radiant Energy from the Sun
      This page explains that the sun is Earth's main energy source, offering a solar flux of 1,340 watts per square meter. Its disappearance would lead to Earth's rapid freezing. The sun generates energy via nuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium, which produces significant energy and positrons, while losing mass and contributing to its immense power.
    • 15.4: Sources of Energy Used in the Anthrosphere
      This page outlines the evolution of energy sources from reliance on solar energy through biomass, wind, and water until 1800 to the rise of coal with the steam engine. By 1900, coal was the dominant source, with petroleum and natural gas becoming significant for transportation and other uses, respectively. The 20th century introduced hydroelectric and nuclear energy, while renewable resources like geothermal, solar, and wind gained importance.
    • 15.5: Conversions Between Forms of Energy
      This page discusses the conversion of energy sources to usable forms, highlighting the inefficiencies in this process. Nuclear energy requires enrichment for electricity generation, while combustion processes often yield less than 100% efficiency. The Carnot equation exemplifies possible efficiencies. Internal combustion engines achieve about 37% efficiency, whereas fuel cells can convert chemical energy to electricity with potentially higher overall efficiencies.
    • 15.6: Green Technology for Energy Conversion
      This page discusses the importance of green technologies in enhancing energy conversion efficiency across systems like heat engines and combined power cycles. Innovations such as elevated combustion temperatures and computerized designs have significantly contributed to this efficiency. It highlights the use of gas turbines in combined power cycles and the repurposing of waste heat.
    • 15.7: Energy Conservation
      This page discusses energy conservation in industrialized nations, highlighting energy waste from automobile-dependent economies. It notes a 5% decrease in U.S. energy use in 2009 due to efficiency improvements and economic downturn. The text emphasizes potential energy efficiency in households and transportation, particularly the advantages of public transportation over private vehicles.
    • 15.8: Depletable Fossil Fuels
      This page discusses the primary energy sources of liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons, highlighting their drawbacks such as depletion and greenhouse gas emissions. Enhanced oil recovery and hydraulic fracturing enhance extraction efficiency. Coal is a significant electricity source but presents pollution risks. While coal conversion offers historical significance and potential as a petroleum substitute, it raises environmental concerns.
    • 15.9: Carbon Sequestration for Fossil Fuel Utilization
      This page discusses sustainable utilization of fossil fuels through carbon sequestration, capturing CO2 emissions via methods like underground storage and coal gasification. Examples include Norway's Sleipner project and North Dakota's Great Plains Synfuels Plant. Furthermore, it highlights CO2's potential in synthesizing hydrocarbon fuels when paired with hydrogen from renewable sources, promoting industrial ecology and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
    • 15.10: Nuclear Energy
      This page discusses nuclear energy production through fission of heavy nuclei like uranium-235 and plutonium-239, highlighting its energy generation and challenges such as nuclear waste management. It notes the potential of nuclear fusion, despite its practical unavailability, and emphasizes nuclear power's role in reducing carbon emissions, acknowledging past accidents but positioning it as a viable energy option.
    • 15.11: Renewable Energy Sources - Solar Energy
      This page discusses renewable energy, emphasizing solar energy's non-polluting and abundant nature. It highlights solar power collection methods like heating and photovoltaic cells, which have improved in efficiency and cost. However, challenges such as dependence on sunlight and atmospheric variability exist. Energy storage options, including hydrogen gas generated from solar electricity, are suggested as solutions to enhance solar power utilization.
    • 15.12: Energy from Wind and Water
      This page discusses renewable energy sources from moving fluids, highlighting wind and hydroelectric power. It notes wind energy's rapid growth as a viable alternative to traditional energy, particularly in Europe and the U.S. While hydroelectric power has expanded with improved technologies, it poses environmental risks.
    • 15.13: Biomass Energy
      This page discusses biomass as a key renewable energy source for transportation, derived from photosynthesis. Despite low efficiency, it plays a crucial role in energy for developing regions, with sources like agricultural residues and algae. Algae, particularly promising for biodiesel, can yield significantly more oil than traditional crops, and can be grown on non-arable land, mitigating food competition.
    • 15.14: Geothermal Energy
      This page discusses geothermal energy, a power generation method harnessed since 1904, primarily from subterranean steam and hot water. While it aims to protect surface water through reinjection, the use of hot dry rocks presents challenges like induced seismicity. An experimental method involving supercritical carbon dioxide aims to enhance energy extraction efficiency from hot rocks.
    • 15.15: Hydrogen for Energy Storage and Utilization
      This page discusses hydrogen gas (H2) as a clean energy storage option that produces only water when burned and can be generated via water electrolysis using renewable electricity. However, its low energy density, storage, and transport challenges limit its use as vehicle fuel. Currently, hydrogen production mainly relies on natural gas reforming, which emits CO2. While electrolysis is cleaner, it is less efficient than battery-powered vehicles.
    • Literature Cited and Supplementary References
      This page provides references on energy technology, covering fuel cells, hybrid systems, biomass, renewables, and nuclear power. It includes government reports, academic publications, and books from 2004 to 2010, highlighting discussions on energy efficiency, sustainability, and future technologies. Key themes are biomass exploration, solar energy advancements, and the economic impacts of transitioning to alternative energy sources.
    • Questions and Problems
      This page explores key aspects of energy, including transformations, sources, efficiency, and environmental impacts. It discusses topics such as fireflies' glowing tails, thermodynamics, various energy sources like solar and nuclear, their greenhouse gas implications, biomass production, pollution, and advancements in energy technology. The aim is to promote intellectual inquiry and encourage the use of online resources for comprehensive understanding.

    This page titled 15: Sustainable Energy- The Essential Basis of Green Systems is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Stanley E. Manahan.