What % of Energy Needs to Be Carbon-Free to Stabilize at 450 ppm?

[TheMathNoob]

Homework Statement

Today, globally, only 2% of our energy comes from carbon-free energy sources. If we continue economic and population growth in a business-as-usual scenario, what % of our energy needs to come from carbon-free sources if we want to stabilize our atmosphere at 450 ppm? [Use your answer from Q4, to calculate the %].
Answer from Q4= 14.7 tetrawatts are required to stabilize at 450ppm in 2050

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution

I really think that I have to find the amount of energy that carbon-free sources have in average.
I am using this model http://forecast.uchicago.edu/kaya.html

 

[billy_joule]

Answer from Q4= 14.7 tetrawatts are required to stabilize at 450ppm in 2050

What is Q4?

 

[TheMathNoob]

What is Q4?

sorry question 4. Question 4 asked me to find the required energy to stabilize the atmosphere at 450ppm in 2050. I did that with the model of the link in the description.

 

[billy_joule]

sorry question 4. Question 4 asked me to find the required energy to stabilize the atmosphere at 450ppm in 2050. I did that with the model of the link in the description.

It doesn't require energy to stabilize atmospheric C content (and your answer isn't energy either..)
Can you post the question word for word? It's hard to offer assistance without the full story.

 

[TheMathNoob]

It doesn't require energy to stabilize atmospheric C content (and your answer isn't energy either..)
Can you post the question word for word? It's hard to offer assistance without the full story.

That's the whole question. I calculated the 14.7 tetrawatts by using the model in the description of the problem. If you set the model in the mode carbon-free energy needed , you will realize that in 2050, 14.7 tetrawatts of energy are required to stabilize the atmosphere at 450ppm.

 

[billy_joule]

That's the whole question. I calculated the 14.7 tetrawatts by using the model in the description of the problem. If you set the model in the mode carbon-free energy needed , you will realize that in 2050, 14.7 tetrawatts of energy are required to stabilize the atmosphere at 450ppm.

14.7 Terawatts of power.
The problem would be more accurately stated as something like:
'To maintain projected global power consumption and also stabilize C at 450ppm how much carbon free power must be produced in 2050?'

Anyway, I get 7.144 Terawatts, which may be because we are using different growth rates, I left them at the default, all zero.

Back to your original question; To find what percent of C free power is of total power; You know C free power already and the total power can be found on the (mislabelled) total energy production graph.

 

[TheMathNoob]

14.7 Terawatts of power.
The problem would be more accurately stated as something like:
'To maintain projected global power consumption and also stabilize C at 450ppm how much carbon free power must be produced in 2050?'

Anyway, I get 7.144 Terawatts, which may be because we are using different growth rates, I left them at the default, all zero.

Back to your original question; To find what percent of C free power is of total power; You know C free power already and the total power can be found on the (mislabelled) total energy production graph.

Thanks!