The Industrial Green Game Implications for Environmental Design and Management (1997) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
Energetics Concepts Drawn from Electricity Production and Consumption
Energetics Concepts Drawn from Electricity Production and Consumption
Pages 73-90
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 73... ...
, and the hydrogen energy economy.2 Second, industrial ecology is illustrated through use of the electricity sector of the United Kingdom: England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Some European countries have followed different paths in the evolution of their electricity generation, paths that in some cases could be considered more in keeping with the industrial ecology concept, particularly in the extent to which they already use significant amounts of combined heat and power (usually called cogeneration in North America)
|
From page 74... ...
The use of the term industrial ecology can be misleading unless it is understood as embracing "industrial society" in all its dimensions. With electricity generation, in particular, there may be significant possibilities in linking industrial production to use and by consumers.
|
From page 75... ...
The second consideration is that the original extraction or harvesting of the energy source, to usable form conversion, supply to consumers, and end use usually all have significant environmental consequences. Table 2 shows contributions to national air emissions from energy use and electricity production in the United Kingdom.
|
From page 76... ...
TABLE 2 Emissions Originating from Energy Use and Electricity Production, Percentage by Substance, United Kingdom, 1992a Substance From Energy Use From Electricity Generation Sulfur dioxide 99 71 Nitrogen oxides 97 26 Carbon monoxide 97 1 Black smokeb 88 5 Methane 37 -- Volatile organic compounds 34 -- Carbon dioxide 97 33 a This table lists only certain emissions to air. There are also aspects such as the waste from coal and uranium mining, spills and leakages from oil and gas production, thermal and other water discharges from electricity generation, visual intrusion and the proportion of human-originating radioactive dosage arising from the civilian nuclear electric (and coal-burning)
|
From page 77... ...
. Air conditioning is mainly confined to the commercial sector, where its rapid penetration has been a key factor in the sector's increasing electricity consumption.
|
From page 78... ...
Lack of Information A potential home owner often has inadequate information for reaching a rational decision when balancing first costs and operating costs of energy-using equipment and energy-conservation activities. In the United Kingdom, the National Home Energy Rating Scheme provides a measure, on a scale of 0 to 10, of the energy efficiency of domestic dwellings.
|
From page 79... ...
Some commentators have suggested that energy efficiency ratings should be made compulsory and that ratings should accompany the legal documents proving ownership. Another option would be for mortgage providers to make a rating a requirement for a loan, although they have no incentive to concern themselves with the energy efficiency of mortgaged properties.
|
From page 80... ...
In the United Kingdom, particularly in the residential sector, space heating is dominated by a competing energy source: direct use of natural gas. Thus, electricity companies might be able to increase market share while, through involvement in energy conservation schemes, contributing to an overall reduction in energy consumption.
|
From page 81... ...
This fuel change has happened very rapidly, largely because nonmarket constraints have been removed, particularly an archaic European Community regulation that prevented the use of gas for electricity generation. Utilities' responses to environmental requirements have also been a driving force.
|
From page 82... ...
A nonenvironmental consideration created by switching to gas is the question of future availability of gas supplies, which has commercial and possibly national strategic ramifications. Availability is also relevant to the question of timing regarding the development of new, environmentally acceptable, generation technologies to replace gas when it eventually becomes uneconomic.
|
From page 83... ...
REJECT HEAT INTO PRODUCTS Although it may be desirable from an industrial ecology perspective to minimize reject-heat streams by converting as much of the original energy as possible into electricity, a back-up strategy is to convert the heat into a useful application. Combined Heat and Power and Combined Heat and Power with District Heating In combined heat and power (CHP)
|
From page 84... ...
The older CHP and CHP/DH schemes tend to be fired by coal or fuel oil but, as in conventional electricity generation, new schemes are increasingly favoring natural-gas fuel. There is a growing interest in CHP, particularly CHP/DH, in distributedenergy production systems, leading to discussion of whether there might be a reversal of the concentration of generating capacity into fewer, higher wattage facilities over the past 100 years.
|
From page 85... ...
. If the overall amount of reject heat from electricity generation declines as a result of applying industrial ecology, a better match between availability and demand may reusult.
|
From page 86... ...
Demonstration projects help to allay such concerns (Energy Efficiency Office, 1993)
|
From page 87... ...
For energy use in the developed areas of any country (regardless of whether the country is considered developed or developing) , the vision should • focus around the needs of customers, often as an aggregation of services that customers require rather than a product, and link society and technol ogy; • recognize both the contribution that energy makes to society and the need for increased energy productivity; • recognize the diversity of means of providing energy, including the pur poseful direct use of the energy of the sun and other renewable sources, with increased emphasis on distributed production to meet local needs; • recognize the necessity of bringing the power of the market to bear through environmentally honest pricing; • include concepts of spatial planning for industry, commerce, and homes; • consider integrated energy use and the cascading of energy from high grade to low-grade uses; and • include new partnerships between private and public enterprises to achieve all these aims.
|
From page 88... ...
In Scotland and Northern Ireland, the electricity utilities (two in Scotland, one in Northern Ireland) handle generation, transmission, and distribution, except that in Scotland there is also a separate state-owned nuclear generating company that sells power to the other two utilities.
|
From page 89... ...
cComprising East Midlands Electricity, NORWEB, Eastern Electricity, SEEBOARD, London Electricity, SWALEC, MANWEB, SWEB, MEB, Southern Electricity, Northern Electricity, Yorkshire Electricity. dComprising National Power, Nuclear Electric, PowerGen, Scottish Power, Scottish Hydro-Electric.
|
From page 90... ...
3. The reasons for this divergence in practice are complex and include the widespread occurrence of municipal provision of electricity generation in continental Europe, which, coupled with a housing function, has encouraged the pursuit of combined heat and power and district heating in several European countries.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.