Energy and Transportation Challenges for the Chemical Sciences in the 21st Century (2003) / Chapter Skim
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5. R&D Challenges in the Chemical Sciences to Enable widespread Utilization of Renewable Energy
5. R&D Challenges in the Chemical Sciences to Enable widespread Utilization of Renewable Energy
Pages 33-39
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From page 33... ...
To answer these questions, it is useful to review the present primary power mix how much energy is consumed, from what sources, future constraints imposed by sustainability, and the theoretical and practical energy potential of various renewables. Once these issues have been addressed, it is possible to identify the challenges for the chemical sciences to economically exploit renewables on a scale commensurate with our energy needs.
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From page 34... ...
This compares with a cost per kilowatt-hour for wind of 3 to 5 cents, and for solar approximately 22 cents. However, it must be noted that electricity derived from nuclear power is quite competitive with fossil fuels, with a cost of 2.3 cents per kilowatt-hour.2 3 Proven reserves of oil, natural gas, and coal tend to underscore that fossil fuels will remain an abundant inexpensive resource base for the foreseeable future.
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From page 35... ...
This can only be accomplished if there are significant contributions from carbon-neutral power. Based on projected carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel usage, it is estimated that even with increased use of fossil fuels over the coming century, these fuels will not be enough to meet the expected 28 TW of power demanded by 2050.
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From page 36... ...
Globally, it is theoretically possible to obtain 50 TW of power from wind stations on land, but with practical land usage about 4 percent of all the land that has enough wind to make power generation economically feasible the potential amount of power that can be derived is approximately 2 TW. The offshore potential for wind power generation is larger, but there is the significant requirement of being close to an electrical grid to make it practical.
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From page 37... ...
Theoretically there is 1.2 x 105 TW of solar energy potential. However, if solar cells are assumed to be 10 percent efficient, realistic land estimates lead to a practical value of 600 TW of available incident solar power, leading to 60 TW of generated power with 10 percent conversion efficiency.
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From page 38... ...
SUMMARY To meet the increased demands for primary power in the 21st century, normal economic driving forces appear to indicate that the demand for 28 TW of power without unacceptable environmental consequences could result from a combination of wind, solar, biomass, and nuclear power. However, sources such as wind and solar require new technologies to effectively store and transport power with little loss.
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From page 39... ...
These technologies present significant challenges for the chemical sciences. For solar power, inexpensive conversion systems must be developed that include effective energy storage.
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