To further realize the task that lays in the front of us, Table 1 shows the current contribution of various energy sources to the primary energy production in the world. Thus we have to nearly double the effort. This is more than one new plant per week, mostly burning coal, in just one country in the world.īut existing systems will also need to be replaced, first of all because of aging, but most importantly to convert them into much more environmentally friendly systems. China alone constructed about 60 GW of additional electric power generation from fossil sources past year. Is this possible? In fact, it is already happening in just one country in the world. In practice, this would mean having to build at least one large power plant every week or in the worst case more than one every day, somewhere in the world! ![]() If we believe these numbers, this would be equivalent to an increase of minimum 2.5 TWyr and maximum 20 TWyr in 50 years time or an increase of minimum 50 GW and maximum about 400 GW installed power per year. This is between 1.2 and 2.2 times the current energy consumption. Thus, in 50 years, we expect the world to consume yearly an amount of primary energy equal to (2.5-3) kW x (8-12.5) billion people x 1 year = 20-37.5 TWyr. With about 7.2 billion people on Earth in 2015 and a primary power consumption per capita (world average) of about 2.5 kW, the total amount of energy currently consumed is about 2.5 kW x 7.2 billion people x 1 year is 17.5 TWyr.Īn estimate of what might be needed in the future can be found with the following two assumptions: (i) primary power consumption per capita (world average) remains the same or increases further to about 3 kW (note that this is about half of what is already used in Europe and one-fourth of what is currently used in the United States), and (ii) world population will stabilize at a number between 8 and 12.5 billion people (minimum and maximum predictions by the United Nation ). To start the discussion, let us look at the energy consumption in the world now and in the future. This paper is intended to document the energy problem and to discuss possible solutions for the future and to highlight the role of fusion energy to contribute to a 'decarbonized' energy system. Technology development times and realistic potentials of the various options need to be taken into account. However, such decisions, if not prepared correctly, could have unwanted negative effects. The Heads of State at the G7 conference in May 2015 prepared for the first time bold statements, declaring their intention to decarbonize the world energy production. The human being could well be one of the species suffering from the destruction of our habitat in the near or far future.Īlarming Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports claim an increase in the temperature of a few degrees in the coming decades because of the continuous release of CO2 and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Many animal species are becoming extinct at a very fast rate, such that some media start to speak of a new 'mass extinction'. Worrying phenomena such as extreme droughts and rainfall, tremendous tropical storms and melting of glaciers and ice at the poles are becoming regular news items. Partner in the Trilateral Euregio Cluster (TEC), RenaissancelBrussels, Belgium, Tel.: +32 2 44 14 119, Fax: +32 2 735 24 21, E-mail: 12 July 2015 Accepted: 19 April 2016Ĭlimate and energy are getting an ever increasing attention in recent years. Plasma Physics Laboratory, Royal Military Academy, The status of magnetic fusion is summarized and the next steps in fusion research, ITER and DEMO, briefly presented. The principles of magnetic and inertial confinement are outlined, and the two main options for magnetic confinement, tokamak and stellarator, are explained. The possible role and large potential for fusion to contribute to a solution in the future as a safe, nearly inexhaustible and environmentally compatible energy source is discussed. Their contributions, ~2% for sun and wind, ~6% for hydro and ~5% for fission, will need to be enormously increased in a relatively short time, to meet the targets set by policy makers. There are at the moment only two options that can contribute to a solution: renewable energy (sun, wind, hydro, etc.) or nuclear fission. The colossal task of 'decarbonizing' the current energy system, with ~85% of the primary energy produced from fossil sources is discussed. ![]() An overview of the energy problem in the world is presented. Nuclear fusion and its large potential for the future world energy supplyĪbstract.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |