mark diesen dorf renewable energy

8/16/2019 Mark Diesen Dorf Renewable Energy

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Greenhouse Solutions with SustainableEnergy

Dr Mark Diesendorf

Institute of Environmental Studies

University of New South Wales

[email protected]

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Global Warming is Accelerating

Melting of Arctic ice reduces reflection of sunlight and amplifies warming

Melting of permafrost releases methane and CO2 which amplify warming

Global warming increases water vapour in atmosphere which amplifies

warming

Global warming warms soils which release more CO2 which amplifieswarming

Global warming increases prevalence and intensity of wild fires whichrelease CO2 which amplifies warming


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Targets Needed for Long- and Short-Term

Long-term: 80% reduction compared with 1990 level by 2050

Short-term: 30% reduction compared with 1990 level by2020

Therefore, strong policies and actions needed nownow toimplement especially those technologies that can reduce

emissions beforebefore 2020

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Australian Government finally acknowledges

that there is a problem


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Federal Government’s Main ‘Solution’:

Coal Power with Capture & Burial of CO2

May not be commerciallyavailable for 20 years, ifever

Risks of escape of buriedgas

Will cost more than windpower and bioenergyfromcrop residues

• Necessary and cheaper at NWShelf gas fields

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Federal Govt’s Back-up ‘Solution’: Nuclear Power

Proliferation of nuclear weapons

Superb terrorist target

Rare but devastating accidents

Still no long-term dump for high-levelnuclear wastes

More expensive than wind power andsome bioelectricity

Chernobyl

Still has all the old problems:


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Is Nuclear Power part of the Greenhouse

Solution?

Too slow to build, so it’s not a short-term solution

Emits increasing amounts of CO2 as uranium ore gradedecreases, so it’s not a long-term solution

Therefore, based on existing technologies, nuclear power isa dead-end alley, a diversion from genuine action.

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It’s not a choice between coal and nuclear!

X X‘Clean’coal could not make a significantcontribution before 2025

Nuclear could not make asignificant contribution before 2022Both are dirty and dangerous technologies


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Sustainable Energy Future for Australia

based energy efficiency, renewable energy and

natural gas (the cleanest fossil fuel) during the

transition

The Genuine Solution

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Albany, WA Albany, WA

Christie Walk, AdelaideChristie Walk, Adelaide

Rocky Point,Rocky Point, QldQld

SUSTAINABLESUSTAINABLE

ENERGYENERGY

Energy efficiency

Wind

Biomass

Solar, Geothermal

STE

PV


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Energy Efficiency: Residential, Commercial, Industrial

Cheapest and Fastest Technologies

Solar efficient design in new buildings & retrofits

Insulation of buildings

Efficient heating & cooling

Efficient appliances, equipment & lighting

Solar hot water with efficient shower heads &taps

Christie Walk, Adelaide City

e.g. Residential

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Electricity GenerationExample of a Cleaner Electricity Mix for 2040 based

on Commercially Available Technologies

Efficient energy use to reduce demand. Then:

Natural gas: 30%

Bioenergy from crop residues & oil mallee: 30%

Wind power: 20%

Coal: (78% now) 8%

Hydro: (8% now) 8%

Solar electricity (conservative estimate) 4%

Would achieve 80% reduction in COWould achieve 80% reduction in CO22 emissions from electricityemissions from electricity


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Cleaner Energy Mix: Direct Local Jobs per Unit of

Electricity Generated

3.5–5Wind power with 80% Australiancontent

Approx. 3.5

(mostly rural)

Bio-electricity with 50% Australian

content

2–3Wind power with 50% Australiancontent

1Coal electricity + coal mining

Relative number of job-yearsper kWh in Australia

Source of electricity

Principal source: MacGill, Watt & Passey(2002)

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Energy SupplyBiomass residues could supply 30% electricity without competing with food

Burning sawmill & sugar cane residues at Rocky Point, Qld

• Fuels include wheat stubble,sugar cane residues &plantation forest residues.

• Residues & organic wastescheapest & fastest, butresource limited.

• Price depends on distance thatfuel is transported

• Generates base-load power


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Energy Supply

Albany wind farm, W.A.

• 20% of electricity achieved inDenmark, 25% planned for 2010

• Changes to transmission networkare needed

• Large-scale dispersed wind + gasturbines can substitute for coal ingrid = base-load

Wind could generate 20% of Australia’s electricity in 2040

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Gas as a Transitional Fuel

Combined cycle power stations: 30% of electricity by 2040

Cogeneration of electricity and heat, especially in industrial &

commercial sectorsBack-up for solar hot water, solar space heating & solarthermal electricity

Back-up for wind power with peak-load gas turbines

Post-2050, gas gradually replaced by solar (both PV andSTE) and biofuels produced sustainably


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Additional Base-Load Under Development

• Solar thermal electricity with

thermal storage in water, rock

bed or thermo-chemical

system

• Will be commercially available

before ‘clean coal’ & ‘new

generation’ nuclear power

stations

• Hot rock geothermal power

(not yet operating)

• Both are base-load

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Matching Demand and Supply

Hydro & gas

Coal & gas

Coal

Gas, biomass, wind,solar thermal +storage, geothermal,energy efficiency

Hydro, gas,

biomass

Solar PV, gas

Conventional Renewable

‘Base-load’ is artificial construct to justify inflexibility of coal & nuclear.


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What we can do in response to delays by

governments, Federal & State

Individual family & business actions are necessary. They set precedentsand have limited educational value.

Individual & family actions are not sufficient. Governments make thelaws, collect taxation revenue and make infrastructure decisions.

A social movement is essential for changing Government andOpposition policies and for changing business practices and products.

In USA and Australia, social movements are growing. They involvelocal governments, some businesses, environmental NGOs, churches,trade unions and concerned citizens.

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Key Govt Policies Needed

Ratify Kyoto Protocol & support stronger targets post-2012–Federal

Mandatory Renewable Energy Target (MRET): increase target & extend timeperiod –Fed and/or States

Ban all new conventional coal-fired power stations – States

Introduce general carbon pricing, either by carbon tax or emission permits

with cap & trade – preferablyFederal; otherwise group of States

R & D funding for expensive renewableswith huge potential: solar electricity& bioenergyfrom dedicated crops –Fed & States

Fund urban public transport and intercity rail equally with roads - Fed &States

Fund a more geographically distributed transmission system – Fed & States


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Emissions Trading: Requirements for anEffective Scheme

Broad scope: covers production & import of all fossil fuels

Tight cap on emissions: --> price of at least $35/tonne CO2

Auctioned permits allow clean technologies to compete withdirty

Permits must be temporary licences, not property rights

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Additional Key State Govt Policies Needed

Extend BASIX-type schemes to improve energy efficiency inexisting residential & commercial buildings

Energy ratings & MEPS for all appliances & equipment

Foster solar hot water, space heating, electricity & clothes drying

Urban & regional planning to ensure locations of major travel destinationsare supplied by public transport, preferably rail

Improve urban public transport, especially heavy & light rail, and integratewith urban planning

Stop building major roads; limit parking places in urban centres &subcentres


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Stern Review of Macro-Economic Models

Cost of business-as-usual will be huge: 5–20% of annualglobal GDP by 2050

Costs equivalent to a world war or a major economicdepression

Costs of greenhouse response will be small: about 1% ofannual global GDP by 2050

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Micro-Economics of Sustainable Energy Mix

Sustainable energy = Energyefficiency + Renewable energy

Efficient energy use saves money and pays for most of the

additional costs of renewable energyExisting subsidies to production & use of oil can be transferredto public transport.

Any shortfall can be obtained from carbon pricing, either acarbon tax or auctioned permits.

Sustainable energy is least-cost & fastest greenhouse solution.


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Summary

Human-induced climate change appears to be accelerating; therefore bigreductions are needed beforebefore 2020

Coal with CO2 burial may not be ready for 20 years or more

Nuclear power is too slow to be a short-term solution and will become asignificant CO2-emitter in the long-term

Efficient energy use, some types of renewable energy and gas (asatransitional fuel) are ready now and together can achieve big GHG reductionsbeforebefore 2020.

Federal Government is attempting to delay strong action (especially carbonpricing) for 15–20 years until its preferred technologies maymay be ready

Individual action is necessary, but not sufficient.

We need a social movement to generate the political will in governments andOppositions.

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Further Reading

Diesendorf M (2007) Greenhouse Solutions withSustainable Energy, UNSW Press

mark diesen dorf renewable energy

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