Dictionary of energy Cleveland, Cutler J; Morris, Christopher G
2005, 2014, 2009-08-24, 2014-10-22, c2006
eBook, Book
The Dictionary of Energy, Second Edition is a comprehensive and authoritative reference on all aspects of energy and its role in society. Edited by Cutler J. Cleveland and Christopher Morris, the ...editors of Handbook of Energy, Volumes 1 and 2, this authoritative resource comes at a time when the topic of energy prices, resources and environmental impacts are at the forefront of news stories and political discussions. The Second Edition of Dictionary of Energy contains over 10, 000 terms, across 40 key subject areas in energy (e.g. solar, oil & gas, economics, models, policy, basic concepts, sustainable development, systems, renewable/alternative energy, water, etc), with additional window essays on key issues, such as Biomass, Ecological Footprint, Exergy, Fuel Cell, and Hybrid Vehicles. Dictionary of Energy, Second Edition is a valuable reference for undergraduate and graduate students, academics, and research scientists who study energy, as well as business corporations, professional firms, government agencies, foundations, and other groups whose activities relate to energy. * Comprises over 10, 000 terms and definitions covering 40 scientific disciplines and topics * Window essays on subjects such as life cycle assessment, methane, and tragedy of the commons written by leading scientists in the field * Definitions are accompanied by photos and illustrations * Over 2, 200 new or revised terms * Seventy-five percent of photos and illustrations either revised or new for this edition
•Emissions form Boston’s residential and commercial solid waste streams were estimated.•EPA’s WARM model was modified to forecast emissions using dynamic GHG factors.•Greener displaced electricity ...reduces the GHG benefit associated with Waste-to-Energy facilities.•Zero waste strategies reduce emissions primarily via the diversion of plastic waste.•Data and modeling limitations include waste generation data and reliable emissions factors.
In 2018 and 2019 the City of Boston (Massachusetts, USA) conducted zero waste and carbon neutral planning efforts. Here we present the results of an accompanying analysis of the impacts of zero waste strategies on greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions associated with waste treatment. Emissions analysis in the waste sector is complicated by the contribution of significant indirect impacts that can exhibit temporal and spatial heterogeneity. For example, lifecycle GHG analysis of waste-to-energy combustion grants credits for the emissions avoided due to electricity generated from organic waste (biogenic carbon) that displaces electricity generation that could be carbon-emitting. As electricity grids decarbonize, this credit approaches zero. Long-term emissions planning needs to account for such dynamics to realistically assess the GHG mitigation potential associated with alternative waste management strategies. Here, we seek to capture these dynamics in a forward-looking analysis of waste sector emissions under a zero-waste strategy for the City of Boston. Using publicly available data sets such as EPA’s Waste Reduction Model (WARM), we show that the implementation of zero waste strategies reduces the combustion of plastics and biomass in waste-to-energy (WtE) combustion facilities and associated GHG emissions. While WtE has been considered less-carbon intensive than other forms of waste treatment and fossil-based electricity generation, our analysis shows that more renewables will eventually eliminate the perceived GHG benefits associated with waste-to-energy combustion. While our approach provides policymakers with an understanding of the impacts of decisions in a dynamic context, we also identify common knowledge gaps in conducting forward-looking waste-GHG assessments.
Economic and social factors compel large-scale changes in energy systems. An ongoing transition in the United States is driven by environmental concerns, changing patterns of energy end-use, ...constraints on petroleum supply. Analysis of prior transitions shows that energy intensity in the U.S. from 1820 to 2010 features a declining trend when traditional energy is included, in contrast to the "inverted U-curve" seen when only commercial energy is considered. This analysis quantifies use of human and animal muscle power, wind and water power, biomass, harvested ice, fossil fuels, and nuclear power, with some consumption series extending back to 1780. The analysis reaffirms the importance of innovation in energy conversion technologies in energy transitions. An increase in energy intensity in the early 20th century is explained by diminishing returns to pre-electric manufacturing systems, which produced a transformation in manufacturing. In comparison to similar studies for other countries, the U.S. has generally higher energy intensity.
This analysis reviews and synthesizes the literature on the net energy return for electric power generation by wind turbines. Energy return on investment (EROI) is the ratio of energy delivered to ...energy costs. We examine 119 wind turbines from 50 different analyses, ranging in publication date from 1977 to 2007. We extend on previous work by including additional and more recent analyses, distinguishing between important assumptions about system boundaries and methodological approaches, and viewing the EROI as function of power rating. Our survey shows an average EROI for all studies (operational and conceptual) of 25.2 (
n
=
114; std. dev
=
22.3). The average EROI for just the operational studies is 19.8 (
n
=
60; std. dev
=
13.7). This places wind in a favorable position relative to fossil fuels, nuclear, and solar power generation technologies in terms of EROI.
One technique for evaluating the costs of energy systems is net energy analysis, which compares the quantity of energy delivered to society by an energy system to the energy used directly and ...indirectly in the delivery process, a quantity called the energy return on investment (EROI). Such an investigation involves aggregating different energy flows. A variety of methods have been proposed, but none has received universal acceptance. This paper shows that the method of aggregation has crucial effects on the results of the analysis. It is argued that economic approaches such as the index or marginal product method are superior because they account for differences in quality among fuels. The thermal equivalent and quality-corrected EROI for petroleum extraction in the US show the same general pattern: a rise to a maximum in the early 1970s, a sharp decline throughout the 1970s, a recovery in the 1980s, and then another modest decline in the 1990s. However, the quality-corrected EROI is consistently much lower than the thermal equivalent EROI, and it declines faster and to a greater extent than the thermal-equivalent EROI. The results indicate that quality corrections have important effects on the results of energy analyses. The overall decline in the EROI for petroleum extraction in the US suggests that depletion has raised the energy costs of extraction. This is generally consistent with the overall pattern of oil extraction, i.e. both extraction and the EROI for extraction show a decline since the early 1970s.
Dictionary of Energy Cutler J. Cleveland, Cutler J. Cleveland, Christopher G. Morris / Cutler J. Cleveland, Cutler J. Cleveland, Christopher G. Morris
2005
eBook
At a time when the topic of energy prices, resources and environmental impacts are at the forefront of news stories and political discussions, we are pleased to announce the publication of the ...exciting new Dictionary of Energy. This authoritative resource, called "an essential reference for energy researchers" by Mark Jaccard, Director of the Energy and Materials Research Group at Simon Fraser University, covers all aspects of energy and its role in society. * Over 8, 000 definitions spanning 40 scientific disciplines* More than 100 'window essays' written by experts, and covering topics of particular scientific, historical or social significance* Over 150 photos and illustrations Co-edited by Cutler J. Cleveland, the Editor-in-Chief of the widely-acclaimed Encyclopedia of Energy, and Christopher Morris, the Editor of the award- winning Academic Press Dictionary of Science and Technology. In a single volume this unique work provides a comprehensive and organized body of knowledge on what is certain to become an increasingly vital area of scientific study in the 21st century.• Contains over 8, 000 clear and concise definitions on virtually every topic in energy, organised in 40 key subject areas • Includes more than 100 mini-essays on subjects of particularly topical interest • Compiled with expert input and advice from a board of outstanding scientists and leaders in the energy field
Climate change affects consumer expenditures by altering the consumption of and price for electricity. Previous analyses focus solely on the former, which implicitly assumes that climate-induced ...changes in consumption do not affect price. But this assumption is untenable because a shift in demand alters quantity and price at equilibrium. Here we present the first empirical estimates for the effect of climate change on electricity prices. Translated through the merit order dispatch of existing capacity for generating electricity, climate-induced changes in daily and monthly patterns of electricity consumption cause non-linear changes in electricity prices. A 2°C increase in global mean temperature increases the prices for and consumption of electricity in Massachusetts USA, such that the average household’s annual expenditures on electricity increase by about 12%. Commercial customers incur a 9% increase. These increases are caused largely by higher prices for electricity, whose impacts on expenditures are 1.3 and 3.6 fold larger than changes in residential and commercial consumption, respectively. This suggests that previous empirical studies understate the effects of climate change on electricity expenditures and that policy may be needed to ensure that the market generates investments in peaking capacity to satisfy climate-driven changes in summer-time consumption.
•Climate change increases summer peak of load curve in US state of Massachusetts.•Climate change increases electricity prices more than consumption.•Previous studies understate the effect of climate change on electricity expenditures.•Adaptation that reduces electricity demand may reduce the price effect.•Adaptation may raise prices by increasing capacity but lowering utilization rate.
Brazilian free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) form enormous summer breeding colonies, mostly in caves and under bridges, in south-central Texas and northern Mexico. Their prey includes several ...species of adult insects whose larvae are known to be important agricultural pests, including the corn earworm or cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa zea). We estimate the bats' value as pest control for cotton production in an eight-county region in south-central Texas. Our calculations show an annual value of $741 000 per year, with a range of $121000-$1 725 000, compared to a $4.6-$6.4 million per year annual cotton harvest.
Oil and gas are the main sources of energy in the United States. Part of their appeal is the high Energy Return on Energy Investment (EROI) when procuring them. We assessed data from the United ...States Bureau of the Census of Mineral Industries, the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the Oil and Gas Journal for the years 1919–2007 and from oil analyst Jean Laherrere to derive EROI for both finding and producing oil and gas. We found two general patterns in the relation of energy gains compared to energy costs: a gradual secular decrease in EROI and an inverse relation to drilling effort. EROI for finding oil and gas decreased exponentially from 1200:1 in 1919 to 5:1 in 2007. The EROI for production of the oil and gas industry was about 20:1 from 1919 to 1972, declined to about 8:1 in 1982 when peak drilling occurred, recovered to about 17:1 from 1986–2002 and declined sharply to about 11:1 in the mid to late 2000s. The slowly declining secular trend has been partly masked by changing effort: the lower the intensity of drilling, the higher the EROI compared to the secular trend. Fuel consumption within the oil and gas industry grew continuously from 1919 through the early 1980s, declined in the mid-1990s, and has increased recently, not surprisingly linked to the increased cost of finding and extracting oil.
The two methods of processing synthetic crude from organic marlstone in demonstration or small-scale commercial status in the U.S. are in situ extraction and surface retorting. The considerable ...uncertainty surrounding the technological characterization, resource characterization, and choice of the system boundary for oil shale operations indicate that oil shale is only a minor net energy producer if one includes internal energy (energy in the shale that is used during the process) as an energy cost. The energy return on investment (EROI) for either of these methods is roughly 1.5:1 for the final fuel product. The inclusions or omission of internal energy is a critical question. If only external energy (energy diverted from the economy to produce the fuel) is considered, EROI appears to be much higher. In comparison, fuels produced from conventional petroleum show overall EROI of approximately 4.5:1. “At the wellhead” EROI is approximately 2:1 for shale oil (again, considering internal energy) and 20:1 for petroleum. The low EROI for oil shale leads to a significant release of greenhouse gases. The large quantities of energy needed to process oil shale, combined with the thermochemistry of the retorting process, produce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions. Oil shale unambiguously emits more greenhouse gases than conventional liquid fuels from crude oil feedstocks by a factor of 1.2 to 1.75. Much of the discussion regarding the EROI for oil shale should be regarded as preliminary or speculative due to the very small number of operating facilities that can be assessed.
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