Can clean energy replace fossil fuels?

[Nick tringali]

I just don't understand why there is so much discussion about solar and wind amongst society when nuclear would solve all of our issues if ran properly.

 

[anorlunda]

I just don't understand why there is so much discussion about solar and wind amongst society when nuclear would solve all of our issues if ran properly.

Many people agree with you. Many don't.

 

[Ad VanderVen]

I just don't understand why there is so much discussion about solar and wind amongst society when nuclear would solve all of our issues if ran properly.

It's all about "... if ran properly." We saddle our posterity with nuclear waste. Do you know a solution for that?

 

[Ad VanderVen]

I don't see a real solution to the energy problem, other than adjusting the combustion engine to eliminate all CO₂ emissions. This is a project of the same importance as the Manhattan project that led to the development of the atomic bomb. New President of the United States Joe Biden should start another similar project with the goal of a CO₂ clean combustion engine. Of course, there will be people who say this is impossible, arguing that splitting CO₂ into C and O₂ takes exactly the same amount of energy as combining C and O₂ into CO₂. Still, there must be a solution to this dilemma.

 

[anorlunda]

Still, there must be a solution to this dilemma.

No. Maybe but not must be.

Edit: scratch the maybe.

 

[Dale]

other than adjusting the combustion engine to eliminate all CO₂ emissions.

I think that is a bad idea to propose. We don't need to eliminate all CO2 emissions, the world can tolerate some level just fine. By setting the bar unrealistically high you risk losing political support which is essential for accomplishing something. Far better to aim for 80% reduction and get 50% than to aim for 100% and get 0% due to entrenched political opposition.

 

[Vanadium 50]

Far better to aim for 80% reduction and get 50% than to aim for 100% and get 0% due to entrenched political opposition.

True, but you are assuming that the goal is to reduce CO2 emissions. The goal may be to enact other wonderful and worthy goals and CO2 is just the motivator.

 

[russ_watters]

It's all about "... if ran properly." We saddle our posterity with nuclear waste. Do you know a solution for that?

There are several solutions to nuclear waste. Dry cask storage, for example -- and you can put them anywhere, you don't have to bury them in a mountain in Nevada. It's not a significant problem, either literally or figuratively. Like most problems related to energy, it's a political one, not a technical one (or even an economic one).

I don't see a real solution to the energy problem, other than adjusting the combustion engine to eliminate all CO2 emissions. This is a project of the same importance as the Manhattan project that led to the development of the atomic bomb. New President of the United States Joe Biden should start another similar project with the goal of a CO2 clean combustion engine. Of course, there will be people who say this is impossible, arguing that splitting CO2 into C and O2 takes exactly the same amount of energy as combining C and O2 into CO2. Still, there must be a solution to this dilemma.

That really doesn't make any sense. The chemistry is what it is. "The solution to this dilemma" is to stop burning fossil fuels in combustion engines.

Caveat: I agree with the prior posts about a 100% elimination policy goal being potentially counterproductive.

 

[BWV]

While gasoline and other transportation fuels can store a large amount of energy in a relatively small mass, most of that energy is lost to heat in an internal combustion engine (ICE). Electric motors are ~3x more efficient than ICEs, so if you can get reasonably close to the mass/energy storage with a battery (or a fuel-powered generator like in a hybrid), electric motors win.

 

[gmax137]

While gasoline and other transportation fuels can store a large amount of energy in a relatively small mass, most of that energy is lost to heat in an internal combustion engine (ICE). Electric motors are ~3x more efficient than ICEs, so if you can get reasonably close to the mass/energy storage with a battery (or a fuel-powered generator like in a hybrid), electric motors win.

Well it depends on how the electricity is being generated. But whatever the source, it is a lot of electricity.

Here's a little reality check:
US gasoline consumption = 140 billion gallon/year (google)
Gasoline heat content = 124,000 Btu/gal (google)
ICE efficiency = 25% (a guess)

So the useful energy from gasoline =
140 E9 gal/yr * 124,000 Btu/gal * 0.25 *(MW hr/3413000 Btu) = 1.27 E9 MW hr per year = 1270 TW hr/yr
or an average of 1.27 E9 MW hr / yr * (yr/ 8760 hr) = 145,160 MW

That's about a third of our current average generation (4178 TW-hr/yr per google); or adding 140 more large nuclear plants.

Maybe someone will check my arithmetic looking for errors (factors of 1000 or 32.2 are common mistakes)...

 

[BWV]

Well it depends on how the electricity is being generated. But whatever the source, it is a lot of electricity.

Here's a little reality check:
US gasoline consumption = 140 billion gallon/year (google)
Gasoline heat content = 124,000 Btu/gal (google)
ICE efficiency = 25% (a guess)

So the useful energy from gasoline =
140 E9 gal/yr * 124,000 Btu/gal * 0.25 *(MW hr/3413000 Btu) = 1.27 E9 MW hr per year = 1270 TW hr/yr
or an average of 1.27 E9 MW hr / yr * (yr/ 8760 hr) = 145,160 MW

That's about a third of our current average generation (4178 TW-hr/yr per google); or adding 140 more large nuclear plants.

Maybe someone will check my arithmetic looking for errors (factors of 1000 or 32.2 are common mistakes)...

The generation source matters with EVs, the well to wheel efficiency is higher with renewables

The total WTW (well to wheel) efficiency of gasoline ICEV ranges between 11–27 %, diesel ICEV ranges from 25 % to 37 % and CNGV ranges from 12 % to 22 %. The EV fed by a natural gas power plant shows the highest WTW efficiency which ranges from 13 % to 31 %. While the EV supplied by coal-fired and diesel power plants have approximately the same WTW efficiency ranging between 13 % to 27 % and 12 % to 25 %, respectively. If renewable energy is used, the losses will drop significantly and the overall efficiency for electric cars will be around 40–70 % depending on the source and the location of the renewable energy systems.

https://www.adlittle.de/sites/default/files/viewpoints/ADL_BEVs_vs_ICEVs_FINAL_November_292016.pdf

while US electricity consumption is around 4000TWH, total generation capacity is ~1.1TW, so at 8760 hrs /year that would unrealistically be nearly 10K twh if everything ran at full capacity 24/7 for a year - this won't happen, but electric battery recharging does take off-peak capacity, so no need for brand new generating capacity for 100% of the incremental 1270 TWH, some will come from existing capacity. Also, conversion to EVs will happen incrementally even under the most aggressive assumptionshttps://www.eia.gov/energyexplained... photovoltaic electricity generating capacity.