Energy Issues and Environment Lecture Notes (PDF)

Energy Issues and Environment For 1st grade EE students Course Code: MUR235 Prof. Dr. Magdi M. El-Saadawi E-mail : [email protected] 10/26/2024 1  Contents Chapter 1...

Energy Issues and Environment For 1st grade EE students Course Code: MUR235 Prof. Dr. Magdi M. El-Saadawi E-mail : [email protected] 10/26/2024 1  Contents Chapter 1 Overview of Energy Resources Chapter 2 Environmental Impacts of Electric Industry Chapter 3 Renewables Energy Resources Chapter 4 Domestic and International Energy Policies 2 10/26/2024  Chapter 2 Environmental Impacts of Electric Industry 10/26/2024 3  Chapter 2: Contents 2.1. Importance of Electrical Energy 2.2. Features of Electrical Energy 2.3. Sources of Generation of Electrical Energy 2.4. Structure of Electric Power System 2.5. Generating Stations 2.6. Problems Associated with Electrical Generation 2.7. Challenges for the Electric Industry 2.8. Environmental impacts of the Electric Industry 2.8.1. Pollution Linked to Thermal Power Stations 2.8.2. Water Usage Linked to Electricity Production 2.8.3. Environmental Impacts of Renewable Energy 2.9. Climate Change 2.9.1 What is Climate Change? 2.9.2 Evidence for Climate Change 2.9.3 Causes for Climate Change 2.9.4 Impacts of Climate Change 10/26/2024 4 2.8. Environmental impacts of Electric industry Electric power systems consist of generation plants of different energy sources, transmission networks, and distribution lines as described in item 2.4. Each of these components can have environmental impacts at multiple stages of their development and use including – in their construction, – during the generation of electricity, – in their decommissioning ‫إيقاف تشغيلها‬ – in their disposal.‫ التخلص منها‬. 10/26/2024 5 2.8. Environmental impacts of Electric industry The impacts of electric power systems can be categorized into operational and construction impacts. – Operational impacts include; fuel sourcing, global atmospheric, localized pollution, and water usage – Construction impacts include; manufacturing, installation, decommissioning, and disposal. This section looks exclusively at the operational environmental impact of electricity generation. In the following we will discuss three of these impacts 2.8.1. Pollution Linked to Thermal Power Stations 2.8.2.Water Usage Linked to Electricity Production 2.8.3. Environmental Impacts of Renewable Energy 10/26/2024 6 2.8.1. Pollution Linked to Thermal Power Stations Thermal power stations uses fossil fuels. These plants include steam plants and gas turbine plants A. Importance of fossil fuels Nowadays, most electricity generations are done by burning fossil fuels (oil, gas and coal). The world's supply of low-cost fossil fuels is large as shown in the following slide but unfortunately, in a short time fossil fuels will be exhausted ‫يستنزف‬ Fossil fuels are very important not only as energy sources but also for the manufacture of plastics and many other petrochemical industries. 10/26/2024 7 10/26/2024 8 2.8.1. Pollution Linked to Thermal Power Stations B. Bad Impacts of burning fossil fuels – Burning fossil fuel results in carbon dioxide emission, which is then released into the atmosphere. – Emitting CO2 into the atmosphere increases global warming – Depending on the particular fossil fuel and the method of burning, other emissions may be produced such as Ozone, sulfur dioxide, NO2, and other gases that contribute to smog and acid rain. ‫الضباب الدخاني واألمطار الحمضية‬ 10/26/2024 9 2.8.1. Pollution Linked to Thermal Power Stations C. Treatment Methods In the past, plant owners addressed ‫ عالجوا‬this problem by building very tall flue-gas stacks ‫مداخن‬, to decrease the pollutants in the atmosphere. While this helps reduce local impacts, it does not help at all with global issues. Nowadays, modern steam plants contain advanced filters to decrease the amount of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere. Carbon capture is another example of a technology that prevents CO2 from going into the atmosphere The efficiency of some of the thermal power stations can be improved by co-generation (combined heat and power) methods. By combining electric power production and heating, less fuel is consumed as the produced waste heat can be10/26/2024 used for heating nearby buildings. 10 2.8.2. Water Usage Linked to Electricity Production i. Water usage impacts Water usage is one of the most obvious environmental impacts of electricity generation. The power sectors in developed countries withdraw ‫ يسحب‬more water than any other sector The amount of water usage is often of great concern for electricity-generating systems as populations increase and droughts become a concern..‫أصبح الجفاف مصدر قلق‬ 10/26/2024 11 2.8.2. Water Usage Linked to Electricity Production ii. Water Usage in different power stsions Steam power stations and nuclear power stations use water for producing steam and hence for generating electricity. Although most of this steam is condensed to water and are used again for generating electricity, but there is always part of the water lost as losses during that cycle. On other hand, thermal power stations (steam, gas turbine, nuclear, geothermal, and biomass) use water as a fluid for cooling the rotating parts of the many equipment. Other energy sources such as wind and solar use water for cleaning equipment, while hydroelectricity has water usage from evaporation from the reservoirs. ‫التبخر من الخزانات‬ General numbers for water consumption of different power 10/26/2024 12 sources are shown in the following table. 2.8.2. Water Usage Linked to Electricity Production 10/26/2024 13 2.8.2. Water Usage Linked to Electricity Production iii. Problem Handling The amount of water needed relative to power station output can be reduced by using more efficient boilers that require less cooling water relative to output. Thermal cycle plants near the ocean have the option of using seawater. This will not deplete ‫ يستنزف‬the water available for other uses. 10/26/2024 14 2.8.3. Environmental Impacts of Renewable Energy In General electricity from renewable energy sources produces between 90-99% less greenhouse gases compared with coal-fired plants and causes 70-90% less pollution. Nevertheless, all forms of electricity generation have their impacts. To achieve a low-carbon future, we need to understand the effects of different renewable energy resources. In the following we will discuss the environmental impacts of hydroelectric power plants. The environmental impacts of wind, solar, biomass and other renewable power plants will be discussed in Chapter 3 10/26/2024 15  Environmental Impacts of Hydropower Plants Hydropower is non-polluting, but does have some environmental impacts: 1. Hydropower facilities can affect land use, homes, and natural habitats ‫ البيئة الطبيعية‬in the dam area. Reservoirs may cover people’s homes, important natural areas, agricultural land, and archaeological sites ‫المواقع األثرية‬ 2. Hydroelectricity can disrupt wildlife habitats. Hydroelectric power plants can cause a loss or modification of fish habitat, and lead to the entrapment of fish and the restriction of their passages. 10/26/2024 ‫تؤثر على حياة األحياء المائيه‬ 16 Environmental Impacts of Hydropower Plants 3. Hydroelectricity can cause changes in reservoir and stream water quality. Operating a hydroelectric power plant may alter the water temperature and the river’s flow. These changes may harm native plants and animals in the river and on land..‫تغيير طبيعة جريان النهر تضر بالنباتات والحيوانات المحلية في النهر وعلى اليابسة‬ 4. The reservoirs of the dams can contribute significantly to greenhouse gases. The organic material trapped in the reservoirs, such as dead plants, breaks down and releases gases like carbon dioxide and methane into the reservoir water. ‫ مثل النباتات الميتة يطلق غازات مثل ثاني أكسيد‬، ‫تحلل المواد العضوية المحتجزة في الخزانات‬ 10/26/2024 17.‫الكربون والميثان في مياه الخزان‬  2.9. CLIMATE CHANGE 10/26/2024 18 2.9.1 What is Climate Change? Climate change describes a change in the average conditions such as temperature and rainfall in a region over a long period of time. Global climate change refers to the average long-term changes over the entire Earth. These include warming temperatures and changes in rains. The effects of Earth’s warming include: – Rising sea levels – Shrinking mountain glaciers. ‫تقلص األنهار الجليدية الجبلية‬ – Ice melting at a faster rate than usual in Greenland, Antarctica, and the Arctic ‫القارة القطبية الجنوبية والقطب الشمالي‬ – Changes in flower and plant blooming times.‫أوقات تفتح األزهار والنباتات‬ 10/26/2024 19 2.9.2 Evidence for Climate Change ‫الدليل على تغير المناخ‬ Earth’s climate has constantly been changing even long before humans came into the picture. However, scientists have observed unusual changes recently. Scientific information taken from natural sources (such as ice cores, rocks, and tree rings) and from modern equipment (like satellites and instruments) all show the signs of a changing climate. From global temperature rise to melting ice sheets, the evidence of a warming planet abounds. For example, Earth’s average temperature has been increasing much more quickly than they would expect over the past 150 years. 10/26/2024 20 2.9.2 Evidence for Climate Change The following figure explains the changes in annual global mean temperatures from 1850 to 2023. Global air temperatures near Earth's surface have gone up (about 2°F) in the past 100 years. In fact, the past five years have been the warmest five years in centuries. It is observe that 2023 was the warmest year on Earth since 1850. The global annual average for 2023 in our dataset was estimated as 1.54 ± 0.06 °C (2.77 ± 0.11 °F) above the average during the period 1850 to 1900, which is frequently used a reference. As the Earth's climate continues to warm, it is expected that the intensity and amount of rainfall will increase in some places, and drought and heatwaves will increase in others 10/26/2024 21 ‫يزداد الجفاف وموجات الحرارة‬ 2.9.2 Evidence for Climate Change 10/26/2024 22 2.9.2 Evidence for Climate Change The following map shows how local temperatures in 2023 have increased relative to the average temperature in 1951- 1980. 10/26/2024 23 2.9.3 Causes for Climate Change ‫أسباب تغير المناخ‬ Climate is influenced by a multitude of factors that operate at timescales ranging from hours to hundreds of millions of years. – Many of the causes of climate change are external to the Earth’s system. – Others are part of the Earth system but external to the atmosphere. The most important causes are: A. Solar variability B. Volcanic activity C. Greenhouse gases D. Human activities 10/26/2024 24  A. Solar Variability Solar variability refers to the changes in the levels of solar radiation. The luminosity, or brightness, of the Sun, has been increasing steadily since its formation..‫يتزايد لمعان أو سطوع الشمس باطراد منذ تكوينها‬ So, it is likely to affect climate on time scales of minutes to millions of years. It is important to take into account the long-term solar variations while dealing with this problem of solar- climate connection. 10/26/2024 25  B. Volcanic Activity Volcanic activity can influence climate in a number of ways at different timescales: Volcanic eruptions ‫ االنفجارات‬can release large quantities of sulfur dioxide and other aerosols into the atmosphere, reducing atmospheric transparency ‫ شفافية‬and thus the amount of solar radiation reaching Earth’s surface. Variations in carbon dioxide released by volcanoes over millions of years can alter the chemistry of the atmosphere. ‫تغير كيمياء الغالف الجوي‬ Such changeability in carbon dioxide concentrations probably accounts for much of the climatic variation that has taken place over millions of years. 10/26/2024 26  B. Volcanic Activity 10/26/2024 27  C. Greenhouse gases Greenhouse gases are those gases that have the property of absorbing infrared radiation emitted from the Earth’s surface and reradiating it back to the Earth’s surface, thus contributing to the phenomenon known as the greenhouse effect. Carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapor are the most important greenhouse gases, and they have a profound effect ‫ تأثيرعميق‬on the energy of the Earth system despite making up only a fraction of all atmospheric gases. The increased concentrations of greenhouse gases have driven substantial climate changes at a wide range of 10/26/2024 28 timescales  C. Greenhouse gases The increased concentrations of greenhouse gases have driven substantial climate changes at a wide range of timescales..‫أدت التركيزات المتزايدة للغازات الدفيئة إلى تغيرات مناخية كبيرة على نطاق واسع من النطاقات الزمنية‬ Human activities especially : fossil-fuel combustion since the industrial revolution are responsible for steady increases in atmospheric concentrations of various greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).. 10/26/2024 29  D. Human activities The climatic impacts of human activities include: 1. Carbon dioxide emission via fossil-fuel combustion. 2. The release of other greenhouse gases, like methane (from rice cultivation, livestock, landfills, and other sources) and chlorofluorocarbons (from industrial sources). ‫ ومصادر‬،‫ ومقالب القمامة‬،‫ والماشية‬،‫ مثل الميثان (من زراعة األرز‬، ‫انبعاث غازات الدفيئة األخرى‬.)‫أخرى) ومركبات الكلوروفلوروكربون (من المصادر الصناعية‬ 3. The diversion of vegetation by clearing forests and clearing agricultural land to build cities increases carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. ‫الحد من الغطاء النباتي عن طريق إزالة الغابات وتطهير األراضي الزراعية للبناء‬ 10/26/2024 30 2.9.4 Impacts of Climate Change Higher temperatures causes many types of disasters ‫كوارث‬: – storms, ‫العواصف‬ – heatwaves, ‫موجات الحر‬ – floods, ‫الفيضانات‬ – droughts. ‫الجفاف‬ Dirtier air....‫تلوث الهواء‬ Higher wildlife extinction rates....‫ارتفاع معدالت انقراض الحياة الفطرية‬ Higher sea levels.‫ارتفاع منسوب مياه البحر‬ 10/26/2024 31