ME 413: Energy and Environment

Lecture: 4

Sustainable Energy

Dr. Md. Ashiqur Rahman

Assistant Professor, ME, BUET
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ME 413: Energy and Environment

Recap
Energy use

Quality of life, economic development

Great disparity globally in levels of energy use

Prosperity, health, political power ..
Wealthy, developing, rest of the world

All affect environment in a certain way

More people and more development
energy

Higher future need of

Can this be achieved in a sustainable

manner??
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ME 413: Energy and Environment

Recap
We need a solid understanding of technological, geopolitical,
environmental, and economic impacts of energy use and abuse

Bottom-line: Energy affects all people and every aspect of

human endeavor
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ME 413: Energy and Environment

What is Sustainable Energy

Sustainability is subjective reflects human value
Now vs. Future; Individual vs. National vs. Global
interests; Time-frame for reform; economic opportunity

In the most naive way: Sustainable energy is that which

can be provided without any change to earths ecology

Sustainable Energy Technology:

If their net effect on the ecology do not significantly
degrade its capabilities to support existing species in
their current abundance and diversity.
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ME 413: Energy and Environment

What is Sustainable Energy

A Better Definition:
A dynamic harmony between the equitable availability of energyintensive goods and services to all people and preservation of
the earth for future generations.

That meets the need of the present without

compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own need

There is no easy or unique roadmap

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ME 413: Energy and Environment

What is Sustainable Energy

Green Growth:
To be sustainable development + No degradation
of natural or environmental stocks
In rich countries, may make sense to cut CO2
emissions sharply by conservation, shifts to
gas, etc.
Green growth in the developing world is much
tougher

ME 413: Energy and Environment

Future Energy Needs: Can it be Achieved in

a Sustainable Manner?

Increase efficiency of energy production

Increase efficiency of energy end-use

Reduce consumption

New renewable energy technologies

Public awareness
Use fossil-fuels in a climate-friendly way

ME 413: Energy and Environment

Why is energy use increasing?

Human efficiency is very low.

Power produced by Human at hard work: 0.1 kW

Human work efficiency: 18%
Human body is only 10% efficient in converting food to fat
and muscle tissues that can be converted to useful work

Human work efficiency: 18% 1.8%

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ME 413: Energy and Environment

Environmental and Other Hazards of

Energy Supply Technologies
Extraction
Refining
Transportation
Production
Pollution of air, water, land etc.

Waste

ME 413: Energy and Environment

Sustainability and Alternative Proposals

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ME 413: Energy and Environment

Sustainability and Alternative Proposals

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ME 413: Energy and Environment

Energy Efficiency of Automobiles

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ME 413: Energy and Environment

Mathematical Representation of Sustainability

Sustainability is difficult to measure and describe quantitatively,
as it has many subjective factors
How to quantify human life, health and welfare;
diversity etc.?

The different measurement approaches of sustainability

assume that the sustainability of a technology reflects:
How many people use that technology

The role of that technology in the economy

Some measure of the resource consumption or environmental
degradation caused by that technology
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ME 413: Energy and Environment

Mathematical Representation of Sustainability

Algorithm 01:
SI = (P) X (GDP/P) X (E/GDP)

(i)

Where
SI = Sustainability Impact
P = Population
(GDP/P) = Per capita Gross Domestic Product
(E/GDP) = Energy consumption per GDP

Suggests the outcome that

SI = E

Total energy consumption is a measure of sustainability, that is,

energy use only benefits sustainability
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ME 413: Energy and Environment

Mathematical Representation of Sustainability

Algorithm 02:
SI = (P) X (GDP/P) X (E/GDP) X (CO2 /E)

(ii)

Where
CO2/E = Amount of carbon dioxide emitted per unit of
energy used

Takes into account the adverse impacts of energy use

Suggests the outcome that

SI = CO2

Total carbon dioxide emission is a measure of sustainability

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