Energy Biz - July/August 2008 - (Page 74) » Technology FronTier New Approaches to Energy tHe Beauty oF pumped Storage By pHilippe JouBert global warMing is a faCt. the world’s scientists and politicians have recognized it as the biggest issue of the 21st century, and man-made greenhouse gases such as CO2 have been pinpointed as the main factor responsible. There will be almost a doubling of worldwide installed power generation capacity by 2030. Already accounting for 41 percent of the world’s total emissions, the sector must find ways to drastically reduce its carbon footprint. But how can we cut down on CO2? By asking people to use less energy? That is extremely difficult for developed and developing markets. Investing in clean power is the only way to counterbalance the imminent explosion in energy capacity. We can do this in three ways: First, by choosing the optimum fuel mix and increasing our share of carbon-free fuels. Second, by increasing efficiency. Third, because coal, oil and gas will continue to play an important role in the power sector in years to come, we must concentrate on reducing CO2 emissions from coal. Let’s look at the fuel mix. The first obvious CO2-free option is nuclear, widely recognized as a carbon-free, efficient alternative for meeting the increasing demand for energy in the United States. Although the supply chain remains overstretched, and other tough challenges remain, the world can add another 200 gigawatts of nuclear power to the existing 400 gigawatts by the year 2030. The next obvious choice? Renewable energy. This market is bound to show strong development following the European Union’s call for a 20 percent share of renewables in overall energy consumption by 2020. Hydro, the world’s oldest and largest renewable fuel source, is likely to increase around 80 percent by 2030 — that’s up 700 gigawatts from 850 gigawatts currently — driven by the potential to increase the world’s number of hydro sites by two thirds. The downside? Water scarcity and the transport of energy. and largest hYDro, ThE worlD’S rENEwAblE FUEl SoUrCE, IS lIKElY To INCrEASE AroUND 80 pErCENT bY 2030 oldest philippe Joubert Photo CoUrtESy oF aLStom PoWEr Wind energy provides the lion’s share of the world’s non-hydro related renewables. Renewable energy, not including hydro, is expected to increase its share of worldwide energy capacity from 2 percent to 9 percent by 2030. That’s an additional 600 gigawatts or more. With a worldwide installed capacity today of over 100 gigawatts, wind has quickly become part of the mainstream. Capacity is increasing by 20 gigawatts per year; turbines are getting larger, with 3–3.5 megawatts set to become standard for onshore. Between 2006 and 2007 total annual installations jumped 32 percent. That’s rapid progress. The competitive advantages of wind are many: zero CO2 emissions, increasing cost competitiveness, predictable costs, and no reliance on water. The drawbacks: We cannot control the wind, and output, although it can 74 E n E rgyB i z July/August 2008
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