Chuyên mục: Năng lượng – Energy

Nuclear waste storage sites in rock salt may be more vulnerable than previously thought

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Date: November 26, 2015

Source:University of Texas at Austin

Summary:Research shows that rock salt, used by Germany and the United States as a subsurface container for radioactive waste, might not be as impermeable as thought.

Research from The University of Texas at Austin shows that rock salt, used by Germany and the United States as a subsurface container for radioactive waste, might not be as impermeable as thought or as capable of isolating nuclear waste from groundwater in the event that a capsule or storage vessel failed.

sciencedaily – A team of researchers from the university has used field testing and 3-D micro-CT imaging of laboratory experiments to show that rock salt can become permeable. Their findings, published in the Nov. 27 issue of Science, has implications for oil and gas operations, and, most notably, nuclear waste storage. The team includes researchers from the university’s Cockrell School of Engineering and Jackson School of Geosciences.

“What this new information tells us is that the potential for permeability is there and should be a consideration when deciding where and how to store nuclear waste,” said Maša Prodanovic, assistant professor in the Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering. “If it’s an existing nuclear waste storage site, you may want to re-evaluate it with this new information.”

Salt generally blocks fluid flow at shallow depth, a feature that allows oil reservoirs to form. But scientists have long suspected that salt becomes permeable at greater depth. Jackson School professor James E. Gardner confirmed this theory through laboratory experiments with synthetic rock salt. Tiếp tục đọc “Nuclear waste storage sites in rock salt may be more vulnerable than previously thought” →

Obama’s nuclear play

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Allen Greenberg | Nov 29, 2015

Here’s a nice bit of irony:

Energybiz – James Hansen, the scientist who was first to raise the alarm about climate change, fueling calls to shut down coal-fired power plants, will later this week urge the expansion of nuclear power.

In other words, depending on how things work out, utilities that were forced to close down or convert their coal-powered operations because of Hansen’s work, could soon find themselves thanking him for encouraging policymakers and regulators to approve plans to build new nuclear plants.

Hansen will issue his call in Paris, during the two-week climate conference that kicks off Monday. The conference is expected to draw some 20,000 attendees, including President Obama and 120 or so other world leaders.

Also read: First U.S. small modular reactor inches ahead

The hope of the climate talks is to keep global temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels. Few, however, expect the conference to deliver anything meaningful. That’s because the pledges being made to cut greenhouse gas emissions are voluntary and are unlikely to be enough to stave off environmental catastrophe. Tiếp tục đọc “Obama’s nuclear play” →

How clean is clean coal?

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16 November 2015Articles and blogs
Ilmi Granoff and Sam Pickard

Ilmi Granoff

Ilmi Granoff

ODI – The coal industry argues that more efficient and less polluting ‘advanced coal’ will help reduce carbon emissions and other pollution. What we can’t forget, ahead of next week’s World Coal Association meeting and OECD talks on coal policy, is that there are cheaper and cleaner options.

Burning coal generates about 40% of fossil fuel emissions. Current G7 and Chinese plants, alongside a dramatic expansion of coal power planned in the developing world, stand to blow our carbon budget.

To address this threat, the coal industry proposes replacing the most polluting coal technologies with advanced ‘high-efficiency, low emissions’ coal technologies. It claims that this will reduce emissions enough to keep global mean temperature under two degrees while taking advantage of coal as a cheap energy source.

Some also advocate that ‘climate finance’ should cover the price mark-up from conventional to advanced coal. For this to make sense, advanced coal would either need to be cleaner or cheaper than the alternatives – it is neither.

Advanced coal pollutes far more than alternatives Tiếp tục đọc “How clean is clean coal?” →

World Energy Outlook 2015

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 WEO-2015 cover
Order online here
WEO-2015 Table of Contents
WEO-2015 Acknowledgements
Introduction and ScopeExecutive SummaryArabic | Chinese | English | French | German | Italian | Japanese | Korean | Polish | Russian  | Spanish | ‌Turkish

Press Release
Presentation to the Press
Factsheets

The precipitous fall in oil prices, continued geopolitical instability and the ongoing climate negotiations are witness to the dynamic nature of energy markets. In a time of so much uncertainty, understanding the implications of the shifting energy landscape for economic and environmental goals and for energy security is vital. The World Energy Outlook 2015 (WEO-2015) presents updated projections for the evolution of the global energy system to 2040, based on the latest data and market developments, as well as detailed insights on the prospects for fossil fuels, renewables, the power sector and energy efficiency and analysis on trends in CO2 emissions and fossil-fuel and renewable energy subsidies.

In addition, the WEO-2015 is informed by in-depth analysis on several topical issues:

— A lower oil price future? The decline in oil prices and changed market conditions have prompted a broad debate over how and when the oil market will re-balance. This analysis examines the implications for markets, policies, investment, the fuel mix and emissions if oil prices stay lower for longer. Tiếp tục đọc “World Energy Outlook 2015” →

MOOC: Powering Agriculture—Sustainable Energy for Food

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poweringag.org – We are happy to announce that the global initiative “Powering Agriculture: An Energy Grand Challenge for Development” (PAEGC) is launching a free Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) in cooperation with TH Köln – University of Applied Sciences. The 8-week course, which will run from Feb. 1 – Mar. 27, 2016, introduces challenges and solutions for sustainable energy use in the agriculture and food industry.

Background

Around one third of the energy used worldwide goes into the production and processing of food from field to table. Given the current energy system mix, the agrifood industry sector is however heavily dependent on fossil fuel inputs for production, transport, processing and distribution, and contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. With a continuously growing world population the need for food and for energy to produce it is increasing. At the same time millions of farmers and processors in developing countries and emerging economies lack access to clean energy technologies for irrigation, drying, cooling, storage and other processes.

How can these needs be met sustainably?

We have to produce more food with less energy, make energy use more efficient, and introduce and upscale more clean energy technologies.

About the Course

This MOOC will introduce participants to the Energy-Agriculture Nexus and introduces approaches for sustainably providing energy throughout all stages of agricultural value chains. Challenges but also solutions will be analyzed, concrete technologies will be examined focusing on their utility to promote access to clean energy. Participants will further be familiarized with relevant external influences such as market conditions, politics, and financing schemes of “powering agricultural” projects. Learning materials, developed by well-known experts, will be available as texts as well as videos on a week-by-week basis and are accompanied by assignments that will require the application of the newly learned skills. Tiếp tục đọc “MOOC: Powering Agriculture—Sustainable Energy for Food” →

China Burns Much More Coal Than Reported, Complicating Climate Talks

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

By NOV. 3, 2015

See Video

nytimes – BEIJING — China, the world’s leading emitter of greenhouse gases from coal, has been burning up to 17 percent more coal a year than the government previously disclosed, according to newly released data. The finding could complicate the already difficult efforts to limit global warming.

Even for a country of China’s size, the scale of the correction is immense. The sharp upward revision in official figures means that China has released much more carbon dioxide — almost a billion more tons a year according to initial calculations — than previously estimated.

The increase alone is greater than the whole German economy emits annually from fossil fuels.

Officials from around the world will have to come to grips with the new figures when they gather in Paris this month to negotiate an international framework for curtailing greenhouse-gas pollution. The data also pose a challenge for scientists who are trying to reduce China’s smog, which often bathes whole regions in acrid, unhealthy haze.

Tiếp tục đọc “China Burns Much More Coal Than Reported, Complicating Climate Talks” →

Top 5 Developments Enabling Shift to 100 Percent Renewable Energy

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

Renewableenergyworld – A growing number of companies, cities, states and countries are aiming for, and achieving, a goal of obtaining power from 50 percent, 75 percent or even 100 percent renewable energy, thanks, in part, to a set of major developments that are enabling the resource shift, according to a new report from Clean Edge.

Commissioned by SolarCity, the report Getting to 100 discusses what is driving the transition to increasing levels of renewable energy consumption and identifies the successes and challenges of both governments and companies in targeting, and/or achieving, 100 percent renewable energy goals.

According to the report, these five developments are supporting the trend toward higher penetrations of renewable energy:

  • A resilient grid
  • A rise in net zero buildings and smart connected devices
  • Energy storage availability and affordability
  • Proliferation of utility-scale renewables
  • Cost-effective status of distributed solar across geographies

Distributed Solar Becomes Cost-Effective Across Geographies

The proliferation of ever-cheaper distributed solar generation – residential, commercial and community – is a key driver toward the 100 percent renewable energy goal, according to the report.

“The cost curves are undeniable,” the report said. “The plummeting prices of solar panels have been well-documented, but the industry has recently been attacking balance-of-system costs and so-called soft costs (such as marketing, customer acquisition, permitting, and installation) as well.” Tiếp tục đọc “Top 5 Developments Enabling Shift to 100 Percent Renewable Energy” →

What Will the U.S. Energy Industry Look Like Over the Next Five Years?

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

Experts discuss shale’s impact on prices, where OPEC is headed, and other topics

The U.S. shale-oil boom and OPEC’s actions will factor into energy prices and renewables.
The U.S. shale-oil boom and OPEC’s actions will factor into energy prices and renewables. Photo: Lucy Nicholson/Reuters
By Lynn Cook

Nov. 15, 2015 10:01 p.m. ET

 

23 COMMENTS

WSJ – Low fuel prices and new climate policies are rapidly transforming the American energy sector, while escalating wars in the Middle East and a nuclear deal with Iran are clouding the global oil picture.

To get a sense of what the energy future may hold, The Wall Street Journal reached out to three experts in energy and geopolitics: Amy Myers Jaffe, executive director of energy and sustainability at the University of California, Davis; Sarah Emerson, principal at ESAI Energy and president of Energy Security Analysis Inc.; and Meghan O’Sullivan, the Jeane Kirkpatrick professor of the practice of international affairs and director of the Geopolitics of Energy Project at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Here are edited excerpts.

One-year outlook

WSJ: What will the U.S. energy industry look like a year from now if low oil and gas prices persist? Tiếp tục đọc “What Will the U.S. Energy Industry Look Like Over the Next Five Years?” →

Leading powers to double renewable energy supply by 2030

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này
solar re jpn
At present, only one-fifth of global demand for electric power is covered by renewable sources. Image: Shutterstock
IPS Friday 13 November 2015
 Eco-business – Eight of the world’s leading economies will double their renewable energy supply by 2030 if they live up to their pledges to contribute to curbing global warming, which will be included in the new climate treaty.
A study published this month by the World Resources Institute (WRI) analysed the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) of the 10 largest greenhouse gas emitters to determine how much they will clean up their energy mix in the next 15 years.

Implications of Sustained Low Oil Prices

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Download PDF file of “Implications of Sustained Low Oil Prices”

Harmonizing the Benefits of Distributed Energy Resources for the Benefit of the Grid

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We need to set the right framework for DER integration, argues Stephanie Wang.

by Stephanie Wang, November 13, 2015
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greentechmedia – California is rethinking how to incentivize consumers to manage their energy use. In September, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) said it would seek to create an integration framework to make choosing and integrating distributed energy resources easier for consumers.

The CPUC found that “harmonization” of consumer benefits and “system” (grid and societal) benefits is necessary for integrating more distributed energy resources (DERs). How can we harmonize these benefits with simple, scalable solutions that work for consumers and communities?
Equalize or align benefits

Let’s start with a fundamental question on the definition of harmonization. Does that mean equalization of benefits — ensuring that benefits to consumers and the system are roughly equal? Tiếp tục đọc “Harmonizing the Benefits of Distributed Energy Resources for the Benefit of the Grid” →

How Thailand’s Solar Power Visionary Built an Industry with a Boost from IFC

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

Image

Courtesy of Solar Power Company Group
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • One of the winners of this year’s UN Momentum for Change awards has been transforming Thailand’s renewable energy capacity with utility-scale solar farms.
  • To get finance flowing for what was then a new industry in the country, she worked with the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Clean Technology Fund to access blended finance.
  • The project is increasing clean energy capacity while helping drive economic growth in one of Thailand’s most impoverished regions.

Worldbank – Thailand’s solar power market was at a standstill in 2008, with solar energy accounting for less than 2 MW of installed capacity. Technology costs were falling, though, and the government was starting incentives for renewable energy developers. Wandee Khunchornyakong, a retired solar panel manufacturing executive, saw potential. Tiếp tục đọc “How Thailand’s Solar Power Visionary Built an Industry with a Boost from IFC” →

Renewables: Asean’s new energy frontier?

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

Renewable energy is rapidly becoming a mainstream source of power in Southeast Asia, accounting for more than 15 per cent of electricity generation in the region. This number will grow over the next decade and beyond, driven by climate change, energy security and economics.

Asean solar SIEW
Renewable energy can play a significant role in helping Southeast Asia address its energy security issue by ensuring a steady, sustainable stream of power, experts at an industry event said. Image: Shutterstock
Future Ready Singapore

Thursday 5 November 2015

ecobusiness – Demand for energy in Southeast Asia is set to rise a staggering 80 per cent by 2040, driven by a population boom, economic expansion and increasing urbanisation, predicts the International Energy Agency (IEA) in a report released earlier this month (Oct).
At the same time, governments of the ten-country Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) bloc need to provide access to the 120 million people in the region still lacking round-the-clock electricity while capping carbon emissions that will worsen climate change. Tiếp tục đọc “Renewables: Asean’s new energy frontier?” →

The UK-China Civilian Nuclear Agreement

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này
Photo courtesy of Michael Lowell from https://www.flickr.com/photos/pookieevans/849683393/in/photolist-abyFoE-abvK2R-7pSuwy-df7tX6-7T7vtd-e3ghoR-5j74ft-5j7492-5j74mF-7V4Eta-58furn-5E1hm-33bn7z-o2HeXv-9a1bGf-7YgbNu-3gTpf-aDepcL-2i5RgF-rgW7pq-ryoHvF-7CjyDW-
By Jane Nakano, Michelle Melton Oct 23, 2015

This week, Xi Jinping made his first visit to the United Kingdom as the president of the People’s Republic of China. Both governments hope that the visit will inaugurate a “golden era” of trade relations. President Xi’s visit highlights the budding cooperation between the two countries in the area of civilian nuclear energy. Among the roughly £30 billion in deals inked between the two countries was a Chinese commitment to partially fund the first nuclear plant to be built in the United Kingdom since 1995 and the first new nuclear plant in the European Union since the 2011 Fukushima accident. The announcement during Xi’s visit of an agreement to allow substantial Chinese participation in the UK civil nuclear program signifies a new era for China’s nuclear export program and perhaps for the global nuclear industry. It also provides fodder for ongoing debates about the costs and benefits of using nuclear power to address climate change and the national security implications of allowing foreign investment in critical infrastructure. We outline the scope of nuclear cooperation, explain the key factors driving the deal, and discuss the potential implications for the global nuclear industry. Tiếp tục đọc “The UK-China Civilian Nuclear Agreement” →

Myanmar’s Path to Electrification: The Role of Distributed Energy Systems

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

By Rachel Posner Ross

Power lines in Labutta, Myanmar. Source: AX's flickr photostream, used under a creative commons license.

Power lines in Labutta, Myanmar. Source: AX’s flickr photostream, used under a creative commons license.

CSIS – With Myanmar’s historic elections around the corner, the international community has focused its attention on this former military regime’s transformation toward democracy. But in every political scenario following the November 2015 elections, Myanmar has immense needs for investments to mitigate problems with energy access, capacity, and reliability that hinder the country’s prospects for economic development. Today, Myanmar has one of the lowest electrification rates in Asia. The recent census documented only 32 percent of households use electricity as the main energy source for lighting and 69 percent still use firewood as the primary energy source for cooking. The communities and businesses already connected to the national grid experience frequent power outages due to inadequate supplies and degraded infrastructure. As Myanmar’s rural population seeks tangible improvements to their quality of life, electrification represents an opportunity for the government to bring near-term legitimacy to the political and economic reform agenda. Tiếp tục đọc “Myanmar’s Path to Electrification: The Role of Distributed Energy Systems” →