MECE3260U Lecture 1: Energy and Environment

Course Information

• Course Title: MECE3260U: Introduction to Energy Systems
• Lecture: 1: Energy and Environment Perspectives
• Instructor: Dr. Ibrahim Dincer, Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Lecture Objectives

• Importance of energy
• Energy issues
• Environmental issues
• Smart solutions
• 3S concept
• Role of engineering
  • Life cycle assessment
  • Sustainable development
  • Industrial ecology
• Energy labeling
• Future dimensions

Global Issues

• Coronavirus Pandemic
• Energy
• Environment
• Water
• Food
• Poverty
• Immigration & Refugees
• Terrorism & War
• Disease
• Education
• Population

Major Global Issues

• These issues are interconnected
• Rich-poor gap/economic inequality
• Racial strife
• Drug trade
• Arms sales
• Growth vs environmental capacity
• Resource depletion
• Topsoil erosion
• Aquifer depletion
• Biodiversity losses
• Communication (language, technology)
• Economics (communication, transportation)
• Natural Resources (Communication, Transportation)
• Environmental health (Species loss, disease)
• Transportation (Fossil fuels, communication)
• Population (regional conflict, pollution)
• Housing (waste disposal, shelter)
• Food supply (climate change, hunger)

Sustainable Development Goals

• Depicted in a graphic
• Numerous goals related to various aspects of sustainability

Energy Importance & Future Needs

• Energy is vital for daily life and various sectors (homes, factories, transportation)
• Energy demand has drastically increased and will continue to rise.
• The question is how to meet future energy needs sustainably.

Projected Energy Consumption & Population Growth

• By 2050, worldwide energy demand is predicted to at least double
• Visualized in graphs showing population and energy consumption trends for industrialized and developing nations

Main Targets For Sustainable Energy

• Better efficiency
• Better cost effectiveness
• Better use of energy resources
• Better design, analysis and implementation,
• Better management practices
• Better strategies and policies,
• Better environment
• Better sustainability
• Better energy security

Smart Things

• Smart materials
• Smart devices
• Smart technologies
• Smart grids
• etc.

Smart Energy Solutions

• Renewable energy technologies
• Clean fuel technologies (Hydrogen, Ammonia)
• Efficient energy use
• Cleaner technologies for fossil fuels
• System integration and multigeneration
• Energy storage technologies
• Nuclear energy
• Waste to energy
• Smart energy portfolio

3S Approach

• Source (clean, abundant, cheap, available)
• System (efficiency increase, integration, multigeneration, waste recovery)
• Service (dependable, efficient, clean)

Engineering and Environment

• Environmental problems are inherent in all engineering disciplines.
• Engineering activities can significantly impact the environment.

Role of Engineers

• Engineers are primarily involved in technology development and deployment affecting the environment.
• Key aspects of engineering impact are design, analysis, development, building, material selection and energy use

Emissions from Power Plants

• Fossil fuel power plants produce emissions (carbon dioxide, nitrous oxides, etc.) and particulates (toxic ash).
• Hot water discharged can be thermal pollution

Electricity Emission Intensity

• Data charts and graphs showing emission intensity for different energy generation types (coal, gas etc)

Canada's GHG Emissions by Sector

• Data visualization of GHG emissions across various economic sectors (Electricity, Buildings, Oil & Gas, Agriculture, Waste & Others, Heavy Industry, Transportation)

World GHG Emissions Flow Chart

• A graphic showing the flow of GHG emissions (from different sectors to end-use/activities).

Effects of Global Warming

• Potential effects of global warming depicted in a graphic illustrating various impacts and their geographic distribution

July 2023 as Hottest Month Ever

• Preliminary analysis declares July 2023 as the hottest month on record.
• Data visualization of global temperature anomalies.

Covid-19 and Hydrogen Age Transition

• Covid-19 and the potential shift from carbon fuels to hydrogen as a future energy source are outlined.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

• LCA provides a comprehensive picture of how engineering decisions & product life cycles affect the environment.
• Includes all product stages from raw material extraction to disposal.
• LCA analysis aims at minimizing cost, environmental impact & maximizing product quality

Key Steps of LCA

• Goal and scope definition
• Inventory analysis
• Impact assessment
• Improvement analysis

Life Cycle Costing (LCC)

• A comparison of the costs of different lighting options (incandescents vs. compact fluorescent lights)
• Including cost of materials & energy use

Industrial Ecology (IE)

• IE: A comprehensive viewpoint of design for the environment
• IE aims at minimizing or removing the overall environmental repercussions from engineering design.
• IE includes circulating & reusing material flows, minimizing products' material usage, protecting organisms.

Sustainable Development (SD)

• Energy resources are needed for societal development but are often finite
• Sustainable development focuses on equitable resource usage without compromising future needs.

Factors Impacting Sustainable Development

• Factors impacting sustainable development including social, environmental, economic and energy-resource sustainability, with interdependencies.

Renewables → Sustainable Development

• Factors (Social benefits, environmental impacts, technical aspects, economic factors, commercialization) impacting the transition to renewables

Future Expectations

• Energy sustainability & diversification are critical
• Sustainable energy solutions supporting both short- and long-term goals
• More diversification of energy resources is needed given the current dependence.
• Conservation & efficient energy use is essential.

Energy Labeling

• Importance of standardized energy labeling across all energy systems, buildings, products.
• Provide information regarding energy consumption, production, transportation & conversion.
• Includes information on efficiency, impact, & overall category (1-10)

What to Do?

• Feeling responsible and making a difference by considering global impact, even with local actions.

This quiz explores key concepts from Lecture 1 of MECE3260U, focusing on energy and environmental perspectives. Students will examine the importance of energy, environmental issues, and innovative solutions including the 3S concept and the role of engineering in sustainable development.