CHAPTER 16 NONRENEWABLE ENERGY

THE ONLY ENERGY THAT COUNTS IS NET ENERGY THE USABLE AMOUNT OF HIGH QUALITY ENERGY AVAILABLE FROM A GIVEN QUANTITY OF AN ENERGY RESOURCE THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF USEFUL ENERGY AVAILABLE FROM AN ENERGY RESOURCE MINUS THE ENERGY NEEDED TO MAKE IT AVAILABLE TO CONSUMERS

HOW IS NET ENERGY CALCULATED? ESTIMATING THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF ENERGY AVAILABLE FROM THE RESOURCE OVER ITS PROJECTED LIFETIME AND SUBTRACTING THE ESTIMATED AMOUNT OF ENERGY USED, AUTOMATICALLY WASTED AND UNNECESSARILY WASTED IN LOCATING, EXTRACTING, PROCESSING AND TRANSPORTING THE USEFUL ENERGY TO CONSUMERS

EXAMPLE 9 UNITS OF ENERGY REQUIRED TO PRODUCE 10 UNITS OF ENERGY BY GROWING AND PROCESSING CORN TO PRODUCE ETHANOL FOR CARS NET USEFUL ENERGY = 1 UNIT OF ENERGY EXPRESS AS: RATIO OF ENERGY PRODUCED TO THE ENERGY USED TO PRODUCE IT 10/9 OR 1.1

EXAMPLE AS THE RATIO INCREASES, NET ENERGY YIELD ALSO RISES IF RATIO IS LESS THAN 1, NET ENERGY LOSS OCCURS HOW DO VARIOUS ENERGY SOURCES COMPARE?

COMPARISON OF NET ENERGY RATIOS FOR HEATING PASSIVE SOLAR - 5.8 NATURAL GAS – 4.9 OIL – 4.5 ACTIVE SOLAR – 1.9 ELECTRIC HEATING (COAL FIRED PLANT) .4 ELECTRIC HEATING (NUCLEAR PLANT) .4

COMPARISON OF NET ENERGY RATIOS FOR TRANSPORTATION NATURAL GAS – 4.9 GASOLINE – 4.1 ETHANOL – 1.9 COAL LIQUEFICATION – 1.4 OIL SHALE – 1.2

LOW OR NEGATIVE NET ENERGY RESOURCE YIELDS ANY ENERGY RESOURCE WITH A LOW OR NEGATIVE NET ENERGY YIELD CANNOT COMPETE IN THE OPEN MARKETPLACE WITH OTHER ENERGY ALTERNATIVES WITH HIGHER NET ENERGY YIELDS UNLESS IT IS SUBSIDIZED BY THE GOVERNMENT OR SOME OTHER OUTSIDE SOURCE OF FUNDING.

WHY DOES NUCLEAR ENERGY HAVE A LOW NET ENERGY YIELD? LARGE AMOUNTS OF ENERGY NEEDED FOR: EXTRACT/PROCESS URANIUM ORE CONVERT ORE TO NUCLEAR FUEL SAFELY STORE RADIOACTIVE WASTES FOR THOUSANDS OF YEAR DISMANTLE NUCLEAR PLANT AFTER 40-60 YEARS SAFELY STORE RADIOACTIVE PLANT PARTS FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS

HOW TO IMPROVE NET ENERGY YIELDS USE ENERGY RESOURCES WITH NET ENERGY YIELDS THAT ARE AS HIGH AS POSSIBLE REDUCE UNNECCESSARY WASTE APPROXIMATELY 41% OF ALL COMMERCIAL ENERGY IN THE U.S. IS WASTED DUE TO SECOND LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS

OIL MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND 33% OF WORLD’S COMMERCIAL ENERGY 40% OF UNITED STATES COMMERCIAL ENERGY THE LIFEBLOOD OF ECONOMIES & MODERN LIFESTYLE 2009 – WORLD USED 31BB OF OIL (42 GAL/BARREL); LAID END-TO-END, 31BB = 21 MILLION MILES (TO THE MOON & BACK 44 TIMES)

HOW MUCH CONVENTIONAL OIL REMAINS? CONVENTIONAL OIL DEPOSITS (PETROLEUM) WILL BE 80% DEPLETED BETWEEN 2050 AND 2100 OPEC (13 COUNTRIES) PRODUCES 39% OF WORLD’S OIL SAUDI ARABIA HAS 20% OF WORLD’S PROVEN OIL RESERVES;

HOW MUCH OIL REMAINS? OTHER LARGE, PROVEN CONVENTIONAL OIL RESERVES ARE: IRAN IRAQ KUWAIT UNITED ARAB EMIRATES VENEZUELA RUSSIA

IF SUPPLYING THE WORLD ALONE, CONVENTIONAL RESERVES WOULD LAST SAUDI ARABIA - 7 YEARS ALASKA’S NORTH SLOPE – 6 MONTHS ANWR – 1-5 MONTHS BAKKEN OIL FORMATION – 3 MONTHS (BASED ON GLOBAL OIL CONSUMPTION GROWING AT 2% PER YEAR)

HOW ARE THE OIL FIELDS HOLDING UP? SINCE 1984, PRODUCTION OF COVENTIONAL CRUDE OIL FROM EXISTING PROVEN RESERVES HAS EXCEEDED NEW OIL DISCOVERIES SINCE 2005, GLOBAL CONVENTIONAL OIL PRODUCTION HAS GENERALLY LEVELED OFF OF THE WORLD’S 64 MAJOR OIL FIELDS, 54 ARE IN DECLINE

OIL VARIETIES PETROLEUM (CRUDE OIL) – BLACK, GOOEY LIQUID, 100’S OF DIFFERENT COMBUSTIBLE HYDROCARBONS ALSO KNOWN AS CONVENTIONAL OIL, LIGHT CRUDE OIL OR SWEET CRUDE OIL MAKES UP ABOUT 30% OF WORLD’S ESTIMATED OIL SUPPLY

OIL VARIETIES THE OTHER 70% OF OIL SUPPLY IS UNCONVENTIONAL HEAVY OIL WHICH HAS THE CONSISTENCY OF MOLASSES LOW NET ENERGY YIELD COMES FROM: OIL WELLS (THICK OIL LEFT BEHIND) TAR SANDS DEPOSITS OIL SHALE ROCK

ADVANTAGES OF USING CRUDE OIL AMPLE SUPPLY FOR SEVERAL DECADES HIGH NET ENERGY YIELD LOW LAND DISRUPTION EFFICIENT DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

DISADVANTAGES OF USING CRUDE OIL WATER POLLUTION FROM OIL SPILLS AND LEAKS ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS NOT INCLUDED IN MARKET PRICE RELEASES CO2 AND OTHER AIR POLLUTANTS WHEN BURNED VULNERABLE TO INTERNATIONAL SUPPLY INTERRUPTIONS