{"id":5246,"date":"2020-07-24T22:30:12","date_gmt":"2020-07-24T20:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onload.reinhausen.com\/de\/?p=5246"},"modified":"2023-10-17T15:59:17","modified_gmt":"2023-10-17T13:59:17","slug":"the-changing-face-of-power-grids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onload.reinhausen.com\/en\/07-2020\/the-changing-face-of-power-grids\/","title":{"rendered":"The Changing Face of Power Grids"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

E<\/span>ver since indus\u00adtri\u00adal\u00adiza\u00adtion began, CO2 emis\u00adsions from burn\u00ading fos\u00adsil fuels have been steadi\u00adly on the rise. The grow\u00ading con\u00adcen\u00adtra\u00adtion of car\u00adbon diox\u00adide in the atmos\u00adphere is con\u00adsid\u00adered the main cause of cli\u00admate change, and experts agree that replac\u00ading fos\u00adsil fuels with ener\u00adgy sources that are free from CO2 emis\u00adsions is an essen\u00adtial step toward slow\u00ading this trend.<\/p>\n

World\u00adwide, around 80 per\u00adcent of our ener\u00adgy needs are still met by fos\u00adsil fuels\u2014which means that only around 20 per\u00adcent are being met by their CO2-neu\u00adtral coun\u00adter\u00adparts such as hydropow\u00ader, nuclear pow\u00ader, nat\u00adur\u00adal fuels (bio\u00admass, wood, waste), and oth\u00ader renew\u00adable sources such as wind pow\u00ader and solar pow\u00ader. In an attempt to slow the accel\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion of cli\u00admate chan\u00adge, many coun\u00adtries have re\u00adsolved to replace fos\u00adsil fuels with renew\u00adable sources of ener\u00adgy.
\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Our total energy needs<\/h3>\n

World\u00adwide, around 80 per\u00adcent of our total ener\u00adgy needs are still met by fos\u00adsil fuels\u2014which means that only 20 per\u00adcent are met by CO2-neu\u00adtral sources. But this pic\u00adture is set to change.<\/p>\n

<\/h5>\n
2 % Other renewable energy sources<\/h5>\n
<\/h5>\n
2 % Hydropower<\/h5>\n
<\/h5>\n
5 % Nuclear power<\/h5>\n
<\/h5>\n
10 % Biofuel<\/h5>\n
<\/h5>\n
22 % Natural gas<\/h5>\n
<\/h5>\n
27% Coal<\/h5>\n
<\/h5>\n
32% Crude oil<\/h5>\n
\n<\/h5><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

Down With Emissions<\/h2>\n

The most straight\u00adfor\u00adward way of shift\u00ading to alter\u00adna\u00adtive forms of ener\u00adgy is to start har\u00adness\u00ading the pow\u00ader of the sun and wind, both of which are in plen\u00adti\u00adful sup\u00adply and sur\u00adpass the glob\u00adal demand for pri\u00adma\u00adry energy\u2014which is cur\u00adrent\u00adly around 170,000 ter\u00adawatt-hours (TWh) annually\u2014sev\u00aderal times over. At least the\u00ado\u00adret\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly, there\u00adfore, a world of emis\u00ad\u00adsion-free ener\u00adgy would be more than pie-in-the-sky think\u00ading.<\/p>\n

Con\u00adversely, we need to con\u00adsid\u00ader whether this solu\u00adtion would result in a future where huge quan\u00adti\u00adties of pri\u00adma\u00adry ener\u00adgy were being trans\u00adport\u00aded through grids in the form of elec\u00adtri\u00adcal energy\u2014some\u00adthing that would sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant\u00adly add to the 27,000 TWh that our grids car\u00adry today. This sce\u00adnario there\u00adfore leaves us with some big ques\u00adtions to answer: How much ener\u00adgy do we actu\u00adal\u00adly need to sub\u00adstitute? How is demand for pow\u00ader like\u00adly to devel\u00adop in the future? And what kind of im\u00adpact would grids feel if they were re\u00adquired to trans\u00adport sig\u00adnificantly more pow\u00ader?<\/p>\n

Useful Energy is the Key<\/h2>\n

The good news is that the bulk of pri\u00adma\u00adry ener\u00adgy is lost dur\u00ading pow\u00ader gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion and nev\u00ader actu\u00adal\u00adly reach\u00ades grids. This is because both conventio\u00adnal and nuclear pow\u00ader plants are essen\u00adtial\u00adly noth\u00ading more than ther\u00admal machines that con\u00advert heat into mechan\u00adi\u00adcal ener\u00adgy, which itself is then con\u00advert\u00aded into elec\u00adtri\u00adcal pow\u00ader. They can only per\u00adform this process by incur\u00adring huge losses\u2014in most cas\u00ades, these plants oper\u00adate at effi\u00adcien\u00adcy lev\u00adels of only around 40 per\u00adcent.<\/p>\n

The only kinds of plants that deliv\u00ader much bet\u00adter results are gas-fired ones. As a result, grids actu\u00adal\u00adly trans\u00adport a com\u00adpar\u00ada\u00adtive\u00adly low amount of pri\u00adma\u00adry ener\u00adgy for use. This is known as use\u00adful ener\u00adgy. The effi\u00adcien\u00adcy at which solar and wind pow\u00ader plants oper\u00adate is less impor\u00adtant, as gen\u00ader\u00adat\u00ading pow\u00ader using these resources does not incur any pri\u00adma\u00adry ener\u00adgy costs. Only the invest\u00adment and ongo\u00ading costs over the life\u00adtime of these plants need to be con\u00adsid\u00adered in decid\u00ading whether they present an eco\u00adnom\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly and envi\u00adron\u00admen\u00adtal\u00adly sound choice.<\/p>\n

Goodbye to Coal and Oil<\/h2>\n

Around three quar\u00adters of coal pro\u00adduction goes into pro\u00advid\u00ading a pri\u00adma\u00adry ener\u00adgy source for gen\u00ader\u00adat\u00ading pow\u00ader. In a sce\u00adnario where coal were to be sub\u00adsti\u00adtut\u00aded with solar and wind pow\u00ader plants, only the pro\u00adpor\u00adtion of use\u00adful ener\u00adgy would need to be replaced\u2014that is, the elec\u00adtric\u00adi\u00adty gen\u00ader\u00adat\u00aded from heat.<\/p>\n

The same effect can be observed in the use of min\u00ader\u00adal oil in com\u00adbus\u00adtion engines, which are on a much small\u00ader scale com\u00adpared to pow\u00ader plants and oper\u00adate at effi\u00adcien\u00adcy lev\u00adels below 30 per\u00adcent. In this case too, only the pro\u00adpor\u00adtion of use\u00adful ener\u00adgy (30 per\u00adcent) would need to be replaced with renew\u00adable ener\u00adgy sources in a sce\u00adnario where elec\u00adtric vehi\u00adcles were used instead. Giv\u00aden that min\u00ader\u00adal oil accounts for 40 per\u00adcent of pri\u00adma\u00adry ener\u00adgy con\u00adsump\u00adtion for trans\u00adport, a total of only about nine per\u00adcent of elec\u00adtri\u00adcal ener\u00adgy for elec\u00adtri\u00adcal\u00adly pow\u00adered vehi\u00adcles would be need\u00aded. This amount of ener\u00adgy would also need to be trans\u00adport\u00aded through elec\u00adtric\u00adi\u00adty grids in the event of a com\u00adplete switchover to elec\u00adtric dri\u00adve for\u00admats.<\/p>\n

By 2040, glob\u00adal ener\u00adgy demand will be one and a half times what it is today.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Ther\u00admal pow\u00ader plants and com\u00adbus\u00adtion engines rep\u00adre\u00adsent the largest con\u00adsumers of coal and min\u00ader\u00adal oil, but oth\u00aders include heat\u00ading sys\u00adtems (which use both) and indus\u00adtri\u00adal appli\u00adca\u00adtions such as steel and cement pro\u00adduc\u00adtion (which relies on coal). How\u00adev\u00ader, there are also sub\u00adsti\u00adtu\u00adtion options avail\u00adable for the tech\u00adnol\u00ado\u00adgy used in these cas\u00ades. In heat\u00ading sys\u00adtems, for exam\u00adple, require\u00adments for fos\u00adsil fuels as a source of pri\u00adma\u00adry ener\u00adgy could be reduced mal pow\u00ader plants, since gas tur\u00adbines can be oper\u00adat\u00aded at sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant\u00adly high\u00ader tem\u00adper\u00ada\u00adtures, with steam tur\u00adbines run\u00adning down\u00adstream of them. Anoth\u00ader advan\u00adtage of this tech\u00adnol\u00ado\u00adgy is that gas-fired pow\u00ader plants offer the most flex\u00adi\u00adble man\u00adage\u00adment meth\u00adods out of all the options avail\u00adable.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Growing Demand<\/h2>\n

Around 17 per\u00adcent of the cur\u00adrent glob\u00adal demand for ener\u00adgy is met in the form of elec\u00adtric\u00adi\u00adty flow\u00ading through our grids. Approx\u00adi\u00admate\u00adly 37 per\u00adcent of this is already free from emis\u00adsions. With a view to the future, grid plan\u00adners will need to account for not only a range of sce\u00adnar\u00adios in which con\u00adven\u00adtion\u00adal ener\u00adgy sources would be replaced by oth\u00ader sources, but also those in which demand would grow.<\/p>\n

Quite sim\u00adply, the world\u2019s appetite for ener\u00adgy is fierce and many emerg\u00ading and devel\u00adop\u00ading coun\u00adtries are furi\u00adous\u00adly try\u00ading to play catch-up. Around 650 mil\u00adlion peo\u00adple world\u00adwide still have no access to elec\u00adtric\u00adi\u00adty, so experts believe that by 2040 ener\u00adgy demand will be one and a half times what it is today. Based on this assump\u00adtion, the Inter\u00adna\u00adtion\u00adal Ener\u00adgy Agency (IEA) has devel\u00adoped two pos\u00adsi\u00adble future sce\u00adnar\u00adios.<\/p>\n

Elec\u00adtric\u00adi\u00adty gen\u00aderation from oil, mean\u00adwhile, would vir\u00adtu\u00adal\u00adly dis\u00adap\u00adpear and there would be an 80 per\u00adcent reduc\u00adtion in gen\u00aderation from coal.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

All in all, cur\u00adrent plan\u00adning fig\u00adures envis\u00adage the emis\u00adsion-free pro\u00adpor\u00adtion of elec\u00adtri\u00adcal ener\u00adgy gen\u00aderation grow\u00ading to between 52 and 79 per\u00adcent by 2040, with elec\u00adtric\u00adi\u00adty gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion ris\u00ading by one and a half times in total. Mea\u00adsured against today\u2019s installed base, this would result in ener\u00adgy from nuclear pow\u00ader grow\u00ading by 0 to 33 per\u00adcent, from hydropow\u00ader by 50 to 75 per\u00adcent, from wind by 400 to 700 per\u00adcent, from solar plants by 400 to 700 per\u00adcent, and from oth\u00ader renew\u00adable sources by 100 to 200 per\u00adcent.<\/p>\n

Elec\u00adtric\u00adi\u00adty gen\u00aderation from oil, mean\u00adwhile, would vir\u00adtu\u00adal\u00adly dis\u00adap\u00adpear and there would be an 80 per\u00adcent reduc\u00adtion in gen\u00aderation from coal. As things stand, the amount of ener\u00adgy gen\u00ader\u00adat\u00aded from gas is set to remain sta\u00adble or grow by up to 50 per\u00adcent, depend\u00ading on how things devel\u00adop. Gas is the most envi\u00adron\u00admen\u00adtal\u00adly sound fos\u00adsil-based ener\u00adgy source, and the plants that are fired by it also have the poten\u00adtial to use gas pro\u00adduced using regen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtive meth\u00adods, allow\u00ading them to pro\u00advide a stor\u00adage or buffer func\u00adtion<\/p>\n

\n

Two electrical energy scenarios<\/h3>\n

Around 17 per\u00adcent of the cur\u00adrent glob\u00adal demand for ener\u00adgy is met in the form of elec\u00adtric\u00adi\u00adty flow\u00ading through our grids. Approx\u00adi\u00admate\u00adly 37 per\u00adcent of this is already free from emis\u00adsions. With a view to the future, grid plan\u00adners will need to account for sce\u00adnar\u00adios in which con\u00adven\u00adtion\u00adal ener\u00adgy sources would be replaced and demand would grow. Experts believe that ener\u00adgy demand is set to grow by as much as 50 per\u00adcent by 2040. For this rea\u00adson, the Inter\u00adna\u00adtion\u00adal Ener\u00adgy Agency (IEA) has devel\u00adoped two pos\u00adsi\u00adble future sce\u00adnar\u00adios.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To slow down cli\u00admate change, most coun\u00adtries want to say good\u00adbye to fos\u00adsil fuels. At the same time, how\u00adev\u00ader, the demand for elec\u00adtri\u00adcal ener\u00adgy is increas\u00ading. What does this mean for our grids?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":5503,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-07-2020"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onload.reinhausen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5246","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onload.reinhausen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onload.reinhausen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onload.reinhausen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onload.reinhausen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5246"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/onload.reinhausen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5246\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10887,"href":"https:\/\/onload.reinhausen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5246\/revisions\/10887"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onload.reinhausen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5503"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onload.reinhausen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onload.reinhausen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onload.reinhausen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}