Electricity Generation

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The following four tables are from “Basic Energy and CO2 Data” by S F Bush.

The following three tables are from “The Fossil Fuel Economy”.


The following four tables are from “Basic Energy and CO2 Data”.

Table 3: Electricity Generation by type of fuel

Type of Input Fuel

Mtoe

Output Electricity

Mtoe (GWh)

Efficiency

Carbon Sources:

Coal

28.6

Oil

1.4

Gas

26.9

Total carbon sources

56.9

 

23.6 (287,900)

41%*

Non-Carbon:

 

 

Nuclear

19.0**

 

7.6 (92,700

40%

Others

1.1**

 

0.4 (7,000)

40%

Total non carbon

20.1

 

8.0 (99,700)

40%

 

 

 

Total electricity

77.0

 

31.6 (387,600)

Total End-user energy consumption (Table 2)

 

 

160 (1952 TWh)


* Includes the effect of a small amount of combined heat and power (CHP) stations

** These figures are imputed steam cycle efficiencies to enable carbon and non-carbon to be added up at million tonnes of oil equivalent.

Table 6: Typical Energy Flux Densities

 

Type of Energy

W/m2

1

Sun’s rays at north European surface averaged over 4 middle hours of the day

200

2

Wind passing through blades of a windmill at 10 m/sec

600

3

120 HP engine in medium-sized saloon car

400,000

4

Steam passing through blades of a steam turbine in electrical power station

200 Million

Table 7: Energy Densities for various fuels

Fuel

MJ/m3

KJ/kg

Coal (anthracite)

36,000

26,000

Natural gas at 10 bar (methane)

372

52,300

Gasoline/kerosene

31,000

44,200

Hydrogen at 10 bar

107

118,700

Uranium fuel (enriched to 2% U235)

26,300 Million

1,650 Million

Wind at 10 m/s

60 x 10-6

Table 11: Solar radiation

Outer atmosphere radiation flux

1.4 kw/m2

Allowing for night times and UK cloud cover in our latitude, radiation received in winter months

200 w/m2

For average house heating in winter months (16 KW) thus need (at 50% efficiency)

160 m2

solar panels

For electricity generation by photovoltaic conversion (current efficiency under 10%)

20 w/m2

To provide peak electrical demand in average house (8 KW)

400 m2

Solar panels

The following three tables are from “The Fossil Fuel Economy” by S F Bush.

Table 4: International Comparisons of Electricity Generation & CO2 emissions 2004

Country

Installed Electricity generation capacity GWatts

Electricity delivered % by fuel source

Electricity delivered per capita kWh p.a.

CO2 emissions[1] per capita tonnes p.a.

Nuclear

Fossil

Other (mainly hydro)
Britain

67

22

75

3

6420

11.1

Germany

115

19

77

4

6850

9.7

France

117

74

11

15

7900

6.1

Switzerland

16

35

4

61

8380

5.7

Note

It is no accident that the countries with the highest electricity usage per person have:

(a) the least dependence on fossil fuels for electricity generation.

(b) the lowest CO2 emissions per head of population.


[1] Data from the Statesman’s Year book 2005 extracted from the World Bank Atlas 2003.


Table 5

whatnuc1

Table 6

whatwind

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