Oil's tipping point has passed

Murray, James; King, David A.

doi:10.1038/481433a

Cited by 321 publications

(189 citation statements)

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“…On the one hand, it is mandatory to balance the energy demand between developed Countries and the majority of the world population, on the other side the environmental impact of the extensive use of fossil fuels must be strongly reduced. Recent analyses have also shown that the tipping point of oil production is very close or could have already passed [1]. In this scenario nuclear energy may play an important role in the future as a part of the global energy mix.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measurement of the neutron-induced fission cross-section of 241Am at the time-of-flight facility n_TOF

et al. 2013

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Abstract. The neutron-induced fission cross-section of 241 Am has been measured relative to the standard fission cross-section of 235 U between 0.5 and 20 MeV. The experiment was performed at the CERN n TOF facility. Fission fragments were detected by a fast ionization chamber by discriminating against the α-particles from the high radioactivity of the samples. The high instantaneous neutron flux and the low background of the n TOF facility enabled us to obtain uncertainties of ≈ 5%. With the present results it was possible to resolve discrepancies between previous data sets and to confirm current evaluations, thus providing important information for design studies of future reactors with improved fuel burn-up.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measurement of the neutron-induced fission cross-section of 241Am at the time-of-flight facility n_TOF

et al. 2013

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“…What are we waiting for? 1 Projects like the SU+RE House illustrate how linking project demand to on-site production can create results that at least move the carbon meter in the right direction. At the same time, these integrated renewable energy systems have the potential for powerful resilience, customisable for the climate speci cs of any project.…”

Section: Belowmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, to estimate real-world effects, two corrections were made to projected production: (1) climate data was adjusted to simulate lower solar insolation from increased storm frequency due to climate change; and (2) the inef ciency of the coalpowered grid was taken into effect. Even with these adjustments, the project still places about 3,000 kilowatt hours of truly surplus energy onto the grid annually, year by year moving it closer to carbon neutrality through its service life.…”

Section: Su+re Energy: Resilience Through Decentralisationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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SU+RE Power: Energy Independence and the Sustainable Resilient Sun

Snell¹,

Carpenter²

2018

Architectural Design

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The use of solar power is the central requirement of the Solar Decathlon house design competition. Guest‐ Editor Clarke Snell and SU+RE House student team member Alex Carpenter here describe why this is so crucial, and how the Stevens Institute entry fulfilled and exceeded this part of the brief. Its arrays of photovoltaic panels – conceived to resist the elements, and subdivided to ensure a constant supply even in the event of partial damage – provide more energy than the house requires. The surplus can be fed back into the grid, or diverted to an outdoor energy hub for use by neighbours if the grid fails.

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“…There is rising evidence pointing to the proximity of a peak in global oil supply (Mearns 2011, Murray and King 2012, Chapman 2013, García-Olivares and Turiel 2013 and other authors forecast that the peak of fossil fuel production may occur within a few decades (Leggett and Ball 2012, García-Olivares and Ballabrera-Poy 2014, Pleßmann et al 2014. This is a significant risk to energy and human security and makes it urgent to find viable substitutes for fossil fuels.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Energy for a sustainable post-carbon society

Garciá‐Olivares¹

2016

Sci. Mar.

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Summary:A feasible way to avoid the risk of energy decline and to combat climate change is to build a worldwide, 100% renewable energy mix. Renewable energy can be scaled up to the range of 12 electric terawatts (TWe) if 10% of continental shelves are exploited with floating turbines to depths as low as 225 m, 5% of continents with ground turbines, and 5% of the main deserts with concentrating solar power (CSP) farms. However, a globally electrified economy cannot grow much above 12 TWe without approaching the limit of terrestrial copper reserves. New photovoltaic silicon panels do not use silver metallization pastes and could contribute up to 1 TW of decentralized residential power. Hydroelectricity has a potential of 1 TW but a fraction of this would have to be sacrificed for energy storage purposes. Hydro, CSP, wave energy and grid integration at continental scales may be sufficient to fit supply to demand, avoiding intermittency. The renewable energy mix would have an energy return on energy invested about 18, which is 25% lower than the estimated present one. That should be sufficient to sustain an industrialized economy provided that the substitution of electricity for fossil fuels is done intelligently.Keywords: 100% renewable energy; renewable potential; EROEI; material limits; post-carbon economy. Energía para una sociedad post-carbono sostenibleResumen: Una forma posible de evitar el riesgo de declive energético y luchar contra el cambio climático sería construir un sistema energético global 100% renovable. Un sistema de energía renovable (ER) se podría escalar hasta el rango de 12 terawatios de electricidad (TWe) si el 10% de las plataformas continentales fueran explotadas con molinos flotantes hasta profundidades de unos 225 m, 5% de los continentes con turbinas terrestres, y el 5% de los principales desiertos fueran utilizados para estaciones de concentración solar (CSP). Sin embargo, una economía electrificada a nivel mundial no puede crecer muy por encima de 12 TWE sin acercarse al límite de las reservas globales de cobre. Los paneles fotovoltaicos (PV) de silicio más recientes no utilizan metalizaciones de plata y podrían contribuir con hasta 1 TW de energía residencial descentralizada. La hidroelectricidad tiene un potencial de 1 TW aunque una fracción de ello tendría que ser sacrificado con fines de almacenamiento de energía. Hidroelectricidad, CSP, energía de las olas y redes integradas de escala continental pueden ser suficientes para ajustar la oferta a la demanda, evitando la intermitencia. El nuevo mix eléctrico tendría una Tasa de Retorno Energético (TRE) de alrededor de 18, un 25% menos que la TRE actual estimada. Eso debería ser suficiente para sostener una economía industrializada, siempre que la sustitución de los combustibles fósiles por electricidad se haga de forma inteligente.Palabras clave: Mix 100% renovable; potencial renovable; TRE; límites materiales; economía post-carbono.

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Oil's tipping point has passed

Cited by 321 publications

References 3 publications

Measurement of the neutron-induced fission cross-section of 241Am at the time-of-flight facility n_TOF

Measurement of the neutron-induced fission cross-section of 241Am at the time-of-flight facility n_TOF

SU+RE Power: Energy Independence and the Sustainable Resilient Sun

Energy for a sustainable post-carbon society

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