Global energy production and use: The total flow of energy through electricity p

Question

Global energy production and use:

The total flow of energy through electricity production (“Electricity”) is indicated to be 172.3 EJ/year. You can confirm this is equal to all the sources of energy contributing to electricity production (e.g., “solar and other”, “wind”, “geothermal”, “biomass”, …, “coal”, etc.), though the numbers don’t precisely equal one another due to round-off error. Similarly, the flow of energy coming out of the electrical generation process also equals 172.3 EJ/yr, except for another small difference due to round-off error. The “combined heat and power” is energy that would otherwise be lost, but is instead captured to power industrial processes and also (mostly) to heat buildings.

1) ANSWER ALL OF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS BASED ON THE INFORMATION IN THE FIGURE ON THE PREVIOUS PAGE

a. What is the largest stock / reservoir of energy available on Earth, according to the figure? (2)

b. Assuming the reservoir numbers in the figure are accurate and that the numbers for the flows are both accurate and remain constant, how many years of coal supply are available? (4)

c. How many years of natural gas supply are available? (4)

d. How many years of oil supply are available? (4)

e. Including the energy savings represented by combined heat and power applications, how thermally efficient is the global production of electricity (efficiency + inefficiency = 1 by definition; inefficiency = “losses” in the figure)? (5)

Combined Heat and Power Losses ranium resource (U235 once through cycle) Solar and other Wind Geothermal Biomass 0.7 158.8 0.8 0.7 0.9 74 0.7 Uranium resource (U235 plus U238 fertility) 220 000 E rici 0. 172.3 49.5 36.1 26.1 28.4 Coal resource 100 000 EJ Hydro 21.4 10.1 Buildings 0.6 0.5 29.929.9 Coal 79 116.5 20.9 CO2 emissions 10 600 Mt/yr Industry 105.1 Hydrogen Gas 36.6 Gas resource 13 500 E 95.3 24.5 SynFuels 23.6 0.6 CO2 emissions 5300 Mt/yr Conventional oil resource 10 000 E Transport Oil 20.9 27.9 165 77.9 10 200 Mt/yr

Explanation / Answer

->Answer.

a) The largest stock / reservoir of energy available on Earth is that of Uranium resource (220000EJ).

b) The total coal supply is eastimated at 100000EJ and if 116.5EJ of coal is used per year then the coal supply should last for 858.369 years.

c) Natural gas supply would be available for 141.657 years

d) Oil supply would be available for 60.606 years

e) If the global production of electricity is 172.3EJ/yr and the losses are 158.8 then the efficiency is around 92%.

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