Environmental aspects of energy utilization

The standard of living of the people of any country is considered to be proportional to the energy consumption by the people of that country. In one sense, the disparity one feels from country to country arises from the extent of accessible energy for the citizens of each country. Unfortunately, the world energy demands are mainly met by the fossil fuels today. The geographical non equi-distribution of this source and also the ability to acquire and also control the production and supply of this energy source have given rise to many issues and also the disparity in the standard of living. To illustrate the points that have been mentioned, it is necessary to analyze some data. In Table 1, the proved reserves of some of the fossil fuels are given on the basis of regions. Table 1. Data on the proved reserves of fossil Thousand fuel on region-wise Region/ OIL Million barrels (1994) North America South and Central America Europe and Eurasia So called Middle East Africa Asia pacific Total world Region/Natural gas Thousand Million barrels (2004) 89.8 61 81.5 101.2 80.3 139.2 661.7 733.9 65.0 112.2 39.2 41.1 1017.5 1188.6 Trillion cubic Trillion meters (1994) cubic meters (2004) 8.42 7.32 5.83 7.10 63.87 64.02 45.56 72.83 9.13 14.06 R/P Ratio

11.8 40.9 21.6 81.6 33.1 14.2 40.5 R/P ratio

North America South and central America Europe and Eurasia So called Middle east Africa

9.6 55.0 60.9 * 96.9

Asia pacific World Region/COAL North America South and central America Europe and Eurasia Africa and so called middle east Asia and pacific World

10.07 142.89 Million tones (2004) 254432 19893 287095 50755 296889 909064

14.21 179.53

43.9 66.7 R/P ratio 235 290 242 204 101 164

The world energy consumption pattern is also increasing as shown in the Fig.1. The energy consumption has been increasing and it will triple in a period of 50 years by 2025 as seen from Fig.1. Data on fossil fuel consumption by fuel type are given in Table 2. The fossil fuel use as energy source has many limitations. There are a number of pollutants that have been identified as coming out of the use of fossil fuels and they are serious health hazards. A simple compilation of the type of effects of the pollutants from fossil fuel sources is given in Table 3.

Region North America South & central America Europe and Eurasia So called Middle east Africa Asia Pacific World

Oil 1122.4 221.7 957.3 250.9 124.3 1090.5 3767.1

Gas 705.9 106.2 997.7 218.0 61.8 330.9 242.4

Coal 603.8 18.7 537.2 9.1 102.8 1506.6 2778.2

Nuclear energy 210.4 4.4 287.2 3.4 118.9 624.3

Hydroelectricity 141.9 132.1 184.7 4.0 19.8 152.0 634.4

Tot

278 483

296 481 312 319 102

The scene of energy resources have been visualized in terms of various parameters. Mainly the population increase and also the need to increase the standard of living are the factors forcing to see new and alternate energy options. The climate change which is threatening the existence of life is another factor forcing to consider alternate energy sources. However the energy sources to be adopted will have to meet the varying needs of different countries and at the same time enhance the security of each one against the energy crisis or energy shortage that have taken place in the past. The factors that need consideration for the search for new energy sources should include: (i) The global energy situation and demand (ii) The availability of fossil sources (iii) The efficiency of the energy sources (iv) The availability of renewable sources (v) The options for nuclear fission and fusion. Energy from Nuclear fission though can be conceived as an alternate for the production the necessary electrical energy, the current available technologies and reactors may not be able to meet this demand. A global integrated system encompassing the complete fuel cycle, water management, and fissile fuel breeding have to be evolved for this source of energy to be a viable option. The renewable energy sources are not brought into main stream energy resources though occasionally we hear the use of low quality biomass as a source in some form or the other. The carbon dioxide emission must be controlled in the vicinity of 600 to 650 ppm in the period of 2030 to 2080. The exact slope of the curve is not a matter of concern the cumulative amount of the carbon dioxide emission will be a factor to reckon with. Therefore the alternative for energy supply should include fossil fuel with carbon dioxide sequestration,

nuclear energy and renewable energies. Possibly fusion and also hydrogen based energy carrier system will evolve. However, the costs involved may even force the shift to the use of coal as an energy source in countries like India and China. The adaptation of new energy sources also faces some limitations. One is not sure of the feasibility and sustainability of such an energy source, and the learning curve also has very limited gradient making investments restrictive. Even though collaborative ventures between nations may be one option from the point of view of investment, it is not certain whether any country will be willing to deploy giga watts power not directly produced in the country of consumption. This is mainly due to the experience from energy disruptions in the past and also the small elasticity of the energy market. Countries will opt for a diversity of energy supply rather than depend on a mega scale power plants since the possibility of alternate suppliers will be more acceptable than the inter dependent supplies across countries, economy and administration There are a variety of energy resources and energy forms. These include hydro power, wind, solar, biomass and geothermal for resources and in the energy forms, light, heat, electricity, hydrogen and fuel. How this transition has to occur depends on many factors but surely the transition has to take place sooner or later. What kind of mix will be required also depends on the location and also the availability of the resources. Photovoltaic devises have been advocated as a powerful energy source, but the technology still needs high investment and also the reliability and sustainability questions have to be addressed.

Types Primary pollutants CO SO

x

NO

HC SP Pb and PbO

Secondary pollutants PAN and NO

2

3 2-

Aerosols SO
4

and NO

Others Aldehydes, olefins, nitroamines PAH Acrolein

Effects Heart disease, strokes, pneumonia, pulmonary tuberculosis, congestion of brain and lungs. Acute respiratory infection ( chronic pulmonary or cardiac disorders) Chronic respiratory infection ( chromic bronchitis, emphysema and pulmonary oedema) Lung and stomach cancer Tissue destruction of the respiratory epithelium ( deleterious effects on the lining of the nose, sinus, throat and lungs) cancer Brain damage, cumulative poisoning (absorbed in red blood cells and bone marrow. Attacks of acute asthma and allergic respiratory infections (chronic bronchitis and emphysema). Chest constriction, irritation of mucous membrane, headache, coughing and exhaustion. Asthma, infant mortality and acute respiratory infections Respiratory tract carcinoma Irritation to eyes