Energy Case Studies

Energy Case Studies

1. The Three Gorges Dam

   • Millions of new jobs as wells as $65 billion in industrial activity
   • Stores flood waters of a 100 year event
   • Reduction in death toll: 140,000 to 355 in lower Yantze valley
   • 10,000 tonnes can travel between Shanghai and Chonqing
   • Better infrastructure
   • HEP so reduces NO by 370000 tonnes, CO2 by 100 million tonnes and SO2
   • 565,000 tourists during spring holidays
   • Produces 18200MW of hydroelectricity
   • 1.3 million people have been displaced
   • 30000 acres lost due to no natural fertiliser
   • 13 cities, 140 towns and 1,350 towns have been submerged, causing a slowly disappearing culture
   • Inadequate compensation as the land was inferior and conditions squalid
   • Loss of culture
   • 47 endangered fish species and possible extinction of the Yangtze river dolphin
   • A reduction in O2 levels due to sewage which also puts pressure on the dam
   • 150 landslides were caused, adding to structural damage
   • Sediment transport has decreased by 50%
   • Costs of up to $88 billion although claims it was only $25 billion
   • Loss of coal metal ores
   • Reservoirs are too slow moving to flush out pollutants

2. The Tar Sands

   • Increased employment opportunities- earn around a $1,000 a day
   • $10,000 dividend to go towards improvement of infrastructure
   • Growth of small businesses and boom towns like Fort McMurray
   • Local and global employment
   • Large supply of oil
   • High demand
   • 200 years of reserves
   • 90 different companies
   • 1.3 million barrels produced a day
   • Second largest oil producer
   • High unusual cancer deaths in Fort Chipewyan
   • Under Government control
   • Visual pollution
   • Land loss since 1963
   • Water plloution
   • Inappropriate social facilities
   • High production costs, a 1:2 ratio
   • Long time to be profitable
   • Loss of hunting ground
   • Lake Athabasca has fish that couldn't be eaten
   • Largest emitter of CO2
   • Disruption to caribou migration
   • Open cast mining
   • Disruption to the lives of the Gwitchin tribe in Alberta, Canada
     • Can't keep traditional way of life

3. Sweden (MEDC)

   • 8th highest GDP per capita
   • 5th highest HDI
   • Energy is used for:
     • Industry- 37.3%
     • Transport- 25.4%
     • Residental- 21.3%
     • Commercial services- 13.6%
     • Other- 2.4%
   • Relies heavily on nuclear, renewables and imported oil
   • Need to keep carbon emmissons low
   • Energy Mix
     • Nuclear- 38%
     • Oil- 29%
     • HEP- 26%
     • Coal- 5%
     • Gas- 2%
   • Limited resource base
   • Virtually no fossil fuels
   • Nuclear reactors supply almost half of the energy

4. India (LEDC)

   • 126th per capita
   • 136th HDI
   • Rural population with dependence on agriculture
   • Energy use:
     • Industry- 25.3%
     • Transport- 9.6%
     • Residental- 61.0%
     • Public services- 1.4%
     • Other- 2.7%
   • Coal is the primary fuel
   • Energy Mix
     • Coal- 34,1%
     • Oil- 22.2%
     • Gas- 4.1%
     • Combustible renewables and waste- 37.4%
     • Hydro- 1.3%
     • Nuclear- 0.8%
     • Geothermal/Solar/Wind- 0.1%
   • Oil and gas reserves are mostly offshore
   • Growth potential
   • Use of fuel wood has outstripped regenerative capabilities

5. California

   • 36.5 million residents
   • Used to have a heavy dependence on fossil fuels
   • Green agenda:
     • Reduce energy consumption
     • Increase the efficient use of energy
     • Expand renewable resources
     • Cut green house gas emissions
   • Has 26 million motor vehicles emitting over 40 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year
   • Car manufacturers have to use cleaner technologies to cut gas emissions
     • Reduce emissions by 25% for cars and light trucks and 18% for heavy trucks
   • No petroleum fuels such as LNG, electric and hydrogas
   • Companies have been assigned money costs to GHG emissions
     • $8 per tonne increasing at 5% per year
     • Makes investing in fossil fuels less attractive
   • Companies cannot sign long term contracts with coal powered stations
   • 12% of electricity comes from geothermal, wind, solar power, biomass and small HEP schemes
     • 19% comes from large HEP schemes
   • Tectonically active region so 25 geothermal resource enrgy
     • 5% of energy
   • 14000 wind turbines providing 1800 MW which is 1.5% of the state's energy
   • Solar power is 1% of the energy mix with 0.5 million households using solar water heaters.
     • 9 solar power station in the Mojave desert
     • 360 days of sunshine a year
   • Biomass contributes 550 MW as they have 28 small plants

6. Sustainability

   • Can not afford to import fossil fuels
   • High deforestation due to using biofuels
   • Botswana
     • Solar cookers
       • Reflective dish to use the heat from the sun to cook the food
     • Less deforestation
     • No CO2 emissions
     • Renewable source
     • Solar energy is used for communications
   • Micro-hydro converts kinetic energy on a smaller scale than HEP
     • Increased electricity by 40%
     • Produces less than 300kw
     • Is cleaner and greener
     • Doesn't alter migration patterns
     • Footprint limited to turbine only
     • Other examples are Lesotho and Democratic Republic of Congo
   • In Durbin methane gas is extracted from decomposing rubbbish
     • An abundance of methane
     • Reduces methane gas emissions
   • Carbon trading means using big companies to finance more sustainable projects
   • In Malawi Mbaul-stoves are used
     • Makes fuel wood last for longer
     • Not as much fuel wood is needed
   • Namibia
     • A grid system allows different projects to be connected together
     • Reduces the need for fossil fuels
     • They can support each other so demand can be met

7. Renewables

   • Solar Power: Seville, Spain
     • 6,000 homes powered
     • Solar tower uses 28 panels to track the position of the sun and reflect the light at the tower and reciever
     • Harmless to the environment as no CO2 emissions
     • More jobs
     • Has potential to meet at least some of the demand
     • Will be sustainable in the future
     • Dust reduces efficency by 10%
       • Need cleaning often
     • 3x more expensive than a conventional power station
     • Unreliable
       • Cannot meet the demand at night
     • Takes up a lot of space
   • Geothermal Energy: Iceland
     • Cheap and efficient heating
     • The water can help businesses
     • Health benefits
     • Positive multiplyer effect
     • 90% of home are heated this way
     • Reduces GHG emissions
     • Expensive infrastructure
     • High sulphur content
     • Visual pollution
   • Wind Energy: Denmark
     • No longer dependent on oil
     • Non-polluting
     • Easy-ish to use
     • $5,000 saved on heating bills
     • Investment opportunities
     • Cleaner environment
     • Set up cost is expensive
     • Noise and visual pollution