Renewable Energy Power for a Sustainable Future

by Boyle, Godfrey

• ISBN13: 9780198564515
• ISBN10: 0198564511
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1996-06-06
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the principal renewable energy sources: Solar thermal, tidal, photovoltaic, wind, biomass, wave, hydro, and geothermal. With the aid of 370 detailed illustrations, 50 tables of data and a wide range of case studies, it explains, for each source, the underlying physical and technological principles and examines the environmental impact and future prospects. Basic energy concepts and current energy systems are outlined, as are the key issues of economics how the energy systems of the 21st century may change in order to incorporate an increasing proportion of renewable power.

Table of Contents

Overview
Introduction	1	(8)
Style and approach	1	(1)
Summary of Chapter 1	2	(1)
A brief history of energy use	2	(2)
Technical interlude: What are energy, power, etc?	4	(5)
Present-day fuel use	9	(10)
World energy supplies	9	(2)
Energy use in Europe	11	(3)
Energy use and the potential for savings	14	(5)
The energy problems of modern societies	19	(8)
Environmental problems	19	(5)
Sustainability problems	24	(2)
Social problems	26	(1)
Renewable energy sources: a way out?	27	(14)
Origins and size of renewable energy resources	28	(4)
Renewables as the basis of a technologically sophisticated society	32	(6)
References	38	(1)
Further Reading	39	(2)
Solar Thermal Energy
Introduction	41	(1)
Case study: solar water heaters in south London	42	(2)
The nature and availability of solar radiation	44	(4)
The wavelengths of solar radiation	44	(1)
Direct and diffuse radiation	45	(1)
Availability of solar radiation	46	(1)
Tilt and orientation	47	(1)
The magic of glass	48	(4)
Transparency	49	(1)
Heat loss mechanisms	50	(2)
Low-temperature solar energy applications	52	(6)
Domestic water heating	53	(1)
Domestic space heating	54	(2)
Varieties of solar heating system	56	(2)
Active solar heating	58	(5)
History	58	(1)
Solar collectors	58	(1)
Robustness, mounting and orientation	59	(1)
Active solar space heating	60	(1)
Solar-aided district heating	61	(2)
Passive solar heating	63	(9)
History	63	(1)
Direct gain buildings as solar collectors	64	(1)
Passive solar heating versus superinsulation	64	(1)
Window energy balance	64	(3)
General passive solar heating techniques	67	(2)
Conservatories, greenhouses and atria	69	(1)
Trombe walls	70	(1)
Avoiding overshading	70	(2)
Daylighting	72	(1)
Solar thermal engines and electricity generation	73	(9)
The first solar engine age	75	(1)
The new solar age	76	(1)
Power towers	76	(2)
Parabolic trough concentrator systems	78	(1)
Parabolic dish concentrator systems	79	(1)
Solar ponds	80	(1)
Ocean thermal energy conversion	81	(1)
Economics, potential and environmental impact	82	(7)
Economics and potential	82	(1)
Domestic active solar water heating	82	(1)
Swimming pool water heating	83	(1)
Active solar space heating	83	(1)
Passive solar heating and daylighting	84	(1)
Solar thermal engines and electricity generation	85	(1)
Conclusions	85	(1)
References	86	(1)
Further Reading	86	(3)
Solar Photovoltaics
Introduction	89	(1)
Case study: Rappenecker Hof	90	(2)
Introducing photovoltaics	92	(5)
Historical background	92	(5)
PV in silicon: basic principles	97	(6)
Semiconductors and `doping'	97	(1)
The p-n junction	98	(1)
The PV effect	98	(1)
Monocrystalline silicon cells	99	(4)
Reducing the cost of crystalline PV cells	103	(3)
Silicon ribbon cells	103	(1)
Polycrystalline silicon cells	104	(1)
Polycrystalline thin film silicon cells	104	(1)
Gallium arsenide cells	105	(1)
Thin film PV	106	(3)
Amorphous silicon	106	(2)
Copper indium diselenide	108	(1)
Cadmium telluride	109	(1)
Other innovative PV technologies	109	(4)
Multi-junction PV cells	109	(1)
Concentrating PV systems	110	(1)
Fluorescent concentrators	111	(1)
Silicon spheres	111	(1)
Photo-electrochemical cells	111	(2)
Electrical characteristics of silicon PV cells and modules	113	(2)
PV systems for remote power	115	(4)
`Autonomous' roof-top PV for UK homes	116	(1)
PV systems in developing countries	117	(2)
Grid-connected PV systems	119	(7)
Grid-connected PV systems for residences	119	(1)
PV cladding for the roofs and walls of non-domestic buildings	120	(1)
Large, grid-connected PV power plants	121	(4)
Satellite solar power	125	(1)
Economics of PV energy systems	126	(3)
Cost of power from a small PV system in the UK	126	(1)
Cost of power from a grid-connected PV system in the UK	127	(1)
Reducing the costs of power from PV	128	(1)
Environmental impact and safety	129	(2)
Environmental impact and safety of PV systems	129	(1)
Environmental impact and safety of PV module production and recycling	130	(1)
Energy balance of PV systems	131	(1)
Integration of PV into future energy systems	131	(6)
References	133	(2)
Further Reading	135	(2)
Biomass
Introduction	137	(1)
Biomass	137	(1)
Biofuels	138	(1)
Summary	138	(1)
Biomass past and present	138	(2)
From wood to coal	138	(1)
Present biomass contributions	139	(1)
Case study: wood as fuel	140	(2)
Biomass as a fuel	142	(5)
What are fuels?	142	(1)
Biomass as a solar energy store	143	(1)
Conversion efficiencies	144	(2)
Estimating the resource	146	(1)
Extracting the energy	147	(7)
Direct combustion	147	(2)
Gasification	149	(1)
Pyrolysis	150	(1)
Gas turbines	150	(1)
Synthesising fuels	151	(1)
Anaerobic digestion	151	(1)
Biogas	152	(1)
Landfill gas	153	(1)
Fermentation	154	(1)
Agricultural residues	154	(6)
Wood residues	155	(1)
Temperate crop wastes	155	(2)
Animal wastes	157	(1)
Tropical crop wastes	158	(2)
Energy from refuse	160	(5)
Municipal solid waste	160	(1)
MSW combustion	160	(1)
Refuse-derived fuel (RDF)	160	(2)
Landfill gas developments	162	(1)
Anaerobic digesters for MSW	162	(1)
Commercial and industrial wastes	163	(2)
Energy crops	165	(4)
Woody crops	165	(1)
Ethanol from sugar cane	166	(1)
Maize, sorghum and miscanthus	167	(1)
Vegetable oils	168	(1)
Environmental benefits and impacts	169	(3)
Carbon dioxide	169	(1)
Other combustion products	169	(1)
Methane	170	(1)
Land use	170	(1)
Energy balances	171	(1)
Economics	172	(5)
Institutional factors	172	(1)
Biogas	173	(1)
Wood energy crops	174	(1)
Forestry wastes	174	(1)
Electricity from biomass	174	(1)
Power from surplus straw	175	(1)
Ethanol production in Brazil	176	(1)
New technologies	177	(2)
Power from gas turbines	177	(1)
Biomass fuel cells	178	(1)
Photobiological fuel production	178	(1)
Future prospects	179	(4)
The world view	179	(1)
Regional views	179	(1)
References	180	(1)
Further Reading	181	(2)
Droelectricity
Summary	183	(1)
Case study: the Galloway Hydros	184	(3)
The resource	187	(3)
Stored potential energy	187	(1)
Power, head and flow rate	188	(1)
The world resource	188	(1)
Present world capacity and output	189	(1)
A brief history of water power	190	(7)
The prime mover	190	(3)
Types of water-wheel	193	(1)
Nineteenth-century hydro technology	194	(3)
Types of hydroelectric plant	197	(2)
Low, medium and high heads	197	(1)
Estimating the power	198	(1)
The Francis turbine	199	(5)
Action of the turbine	200	(2)
Maximising the efficiency	202	(1)
Limits to the Francis turbine	203	(1)
`Propellers'	204	(1)
Impulse turbines	205	(2)
Pelton wheels	205	(2)
Turgo and cross-flow turbines	207	(1)
Specific speed and ranges of application	207	(2)
Small-scale hydroelectricity	209	(3)
World-wide developments	209	(1)
Small-scale potential in the UK	210	(2)
Environmental considerations	212	(4)
Hydrological effects	212	(2)
Dams and their effects	214	(1)
Social effects	215	(1)
Integration	216	(4)
Power stations as elements in a system	216	(1)
Pumped storage	217	(3)
Economics	220	(3)
Costs	220	(2)
Investing in hydroelectricity	222	(1)
Future prospects	223	(4)
Conventional large installations	223	(1)
Small-scale plant	224	(1)
References	225	(1)
Further Reading	226	(1)
Tidal Power
Introduction	227	(10)
The nature of the resource	230	(1)
Basic physics	231	(4)
Power generation	235	(2)
Technical factors	237	(6)
Environmental factors	243	(6)
Integration	249	(3)
Economic factors	252	(4)
Potential	256	(5)
United Kingdom	256	(2)
World	258	(3)
Conclusions	261	(6)
References	264	(1)
Further Reading	265	(2)
Wind Energy
Introduction	267	(1)
Case studies: Wood Green Animal Shelter wind turbine; Delabole, the UK's first wind farm	268	(4)
The wind	272	(4)
Energy and power in the wind	275	(1)
Wind turbines	276	(8)
History of wind energy	276	(4)
Wind turbines	280	(1)
Horizontal axis wind turbines	280	(1)
Vertical axis wind turbines	280	(4)
Aerodynamics of wind turbines	284	(8)
Aerodynamic forces	284	(1)
Aerofoils	284	(3)
Relative wind velocity	287	(1)
How do wind turbines work?	288	(1)
Horizontal axis wind turbines	288	(3)
Vertical axis wind turbines	291	(1)
Power and energy from wind turbines	292	(4)
How much power does a wind turbine produce?	292	(1)
How much energy will wind turbines produce?	292	(2)
Estimating wind speed characteristics of a site	294	(2)
Environmental impact	296	(6)
Environmental benefits of electricity generation by wind energy	296	(1)
Environmental impacts of wind turbines	296	(5)
Planning and wind energy	301	(1)
Economics	302	(2)
Cost calculation	302	(1)
Capital costs	302	(1)
Annual charge rate	303	(1)
The non-fossil fuel obligation and wind energy	303	(1)
Commercial development and wind energy potential	304	(7)
Wind energy developments	304	(2)
Small-scale wind turbines	306	(1)
Local community wind turbines	307	(1)
Wind energy potential	307	(4)
Recent developments	311	(4)
References	312	(1)
Further Reading	313	(2)
Wave Energy
Introduction	315	(1)
Recent history	315	(1)
TAPCHAN	316	(2)
The Islay shoreline gully oscillating water column	318	(2)
Physical principles of wave energy	320	(8)
Typical sea state	321	(3)
Variations in the wave power at any location	324	(1)
Wave direction	325	(1)
What happens beneath the surface?	326	(1)
Moving into shallow water	326	(1)
Refraction	327	(1)
Wave energy technology	328	(15)
Fixed devices	329	(4)
Floating devices	333	(4)
Wave energy research activity around the world	337	(6)
Resources	343	(1)
Economics	343	(1)
Environmental impact	344	(1)
Integration	345	(2)
Wave energy for isolated communities	345	(1)
Wave energy for large electricity grids	345	(2)
Future prospects	347	(2)
The DTI wave energy review	347	(2)
Conclusion	349	(4)
The current state of play	350	(1)
References	351	(2)
Further Reading
Geothermal Energy
Introduction and Summary	353	(1)
Case study: the Southampton Geothermal District Heating Scheme	354	(2)
Geothermal energy - an overview	356	(5)
The mining of geothermal heat	356	(1)
The earth as a heat engine	357	(2)
A historical perspective	359	(2)
The physics of geothermal resources	361	(11)
Primary ingredients	361	(3)
Volcano-related heat sources and fluids	364	(3)
The heat source in sedimentary basins	367	(3)
Why are there hot dry rocks?	370	(2)
Technologies for geothermal resource exploitation	372	(8)
Resources in high-pressure steam fields	372	(3)
Resources for direct use geothermal energy	375	(3)
Hot dry rock technology	378	(2)
Environmental implications	380	(3)
Economics and world potential	383	(3)
Geothermal potential in the United Kingdom	386	(7)
Sedimentary basin aquifers	386	(2)
Hot dry rocks	388	(3)
Further Reading	391	(2)
Integration
Introduction	393	(2)
Existing energy systems	395	(2)
How much renewable energy is available?	397	(3)
Are renewable energy supplies available where we want them?	400	(3)
Where do renewables fit in?	401	(1)
Regional energy studies	402	(1)
Are renewable energy supplies available when we want them?	403	(8)
Renewables as heat suppliers	403	(1)
Electricity: how the current UK system works	404	(3)
Integrating renewable electricity	407	(2)
Renewable transport fuels: the solar hydrogen economy?	409	(2)
Changing patterns of energy use	411	(4)
The United Kingdom	413	(1)
Denmark	413	(1)
France	413	(2)
Energy scenarios: Europe	415	(2)
Balancing economic options	417	(5)
Renewables and conservation	418	(1)
Balancing economic and environmental considerations	419	(3)
Promoting renewables	422	(3)
The EC carbon/energy tax	422	(1)
The UK non-fossil fuel obligation	423	(2)
Biofuels and agricultural subsidies	425	(1)
Long-term global renewable energy scenarios	425	(6)
The World Energy Council scenarios	425	(4)
The renewables-intensive global energy strategy	429	(1)
The Shell scenarios	429	(1)
The Greenpeace fossil-free energy scenario	430	(1)
Conclusion	431	(4)
References	432	(1)
Further Reading	433	(2)
APPENDIX COST AND RESOURCE ESTIMATING
A.1 Introduction	435	(1)
A.2 Costing	436	(10)
Introduction	436	(1)
The theory of discounting	437	(1)
Interest rates and discount rates	437	(1)
Inflation	438	(2)
The basic discounting formulae	440	(2)
Details of the cost calculation	442	(4)
Conclusion	446	(1)
A.3 Resource terminology	446	(3)
Describing resource size	446	(3)
A.4 Resource-cost curves	449	(2)
Variation of resource size with cost	449	(1)
Constructing resource-cost curves	450	(1)
A.5 Difficulties with comparative resource-cost estimation	451	(7)
Introduction	451	(1)
Cost estimating	451	(1)
`Real-world' complications	452	(3)
Other economic indicators	455	(2)
Sensitivity analyses	457	(1)
References	458	(1)
Further Reading	458	(1)
Acknowledgements	459	(4)
Index	463