Low Carbon Systems Assignment Sample

• Subject Name : Engineering

Low Carbon Energy Supply Plan

1. Introduction to Need for the Low Carbon Energy Supply

The changes in climate and extreme weather conditions remain an ongoing challenge for Australia. Infrastructure assets are susceptible to the impacts of changing weather patterns and the disruptive impacts of extreme weather often result in large-scale expenditure by the Australian Government, state and territory governments on disaster relief, recovery assistance and infrastructure restoration (Yusaf, 2011).

2. Reducing the Use of Carbon Energy

Significance

When it comes to a limited supply of power, then energy efficiency is everything. The affect of using an overloaded power supply can lead to a ruined day to an outright disaster (Ausrtralia Academy of science, 2009). In this scenario, we have to rely on out appliances used which have to be friendly with the environment.

We have to trust our mode of energy generation and to know that any appliances can work within our set standards and limits.

What will Australia look like in 2040? The answer depends on how we make informed decisions today. Australia has always ranked high in the rankings of Organisation Economic and Cooperation Development’ s (OECD) better life index. Thus, by maintaining the current standards will help us to make the future of Australia happy (Cohen, 2019). It will also help to make it healthy in all the forms, and to be competitive in the advanced global economy.

3. About the Demographics: Australia

Regional Development

There are different opportunities and challenges faced by the Australian due to its diverse regions. The Australian population as a whole is ageing. This shall directly have a greater impact in regional Australia. There is not only rise in the proportion of people aged 65 and over increasing faster in regions but the basic problem is that this increase in ageing populations will be more difficult to support in regional Australia.

It is projected that in the coming decades, regional Australia will continue to experience a number of challenges relating to its demographic and industry structure.

However, there are many opportunities that lie in improving the energy efficiency and thus improving the state of Australia in the near future (Cohen, 2019).

Fostering innovation and embracing opportunities based on energy efficient products and low carbon energy supply will provide productivity gains by fewer emissions of carbon and this will allow Australia to continue to prosper in the years up to 2040 and beyond.

4. Electricity Generation

The main source of electricity generation in Australia is coal-fired power stations.

This also contribute to Australia one third of net greenhouse gas emissions. Many important changes in the coal-fired energy sector is required to reduce emissions to a great extent.

There is no denial that coal will remain the world’s main feedstock for electrical energy into the coming future. The prospects of enhancing the efficiency of energy production from coal, and also the reduction of CO2 emissions, are seen in this report.

The options are to introduce ‘clean coal’ technologies. This includes geosequestration of CO2. Alison, there is an option to substitute coal-fired power stations with renewable energy such as solar, wind, biomass, wave and geothermal (Kenway & Lam, 2016). Moreover, transfer to lower emission feedstock, for example, brown to black coal or black coal to brown can produce only a relatively moderate reduction in emissions.

Importance of Coal

Coal is used to fuel ‘base load’ power stations. These power stations run continuously. Also, they provide reliable continuous power outputs. Generally, renewables are not trusted and they are considered as being unsuited for providing base load power. This is because of their intermittency.

For the generation of continuous and reliable electrical power, like for the renewables like biomass, the technology is already available. Also, the current power capacity is small. There is a requirement of further more development in the renewables sector before any significant level of substitution of coal-fired power can take place (Beath, 2012). Research and development into solar thermal, photovoltaic, ocean and geothermal energy indicates very promising prospects for reliable and continuous power from renewables within the next two to four decades.

Key Aspects

A solution to supplanting coal and gas-powered generation would be the development of storage media. This should be able to capture intermittent energy and supply controlled output to match the required demand. The technologies that are promising are at the demonstration level. There is a need for better integration of power inputs from more variable input sources and reduction of transmission losses from the more remote renewable sites, especially geothermal (Saddler et al., 2007). For this purpose, the distribution of renewable resources should be more decentralized compared to fossil fuels which will require reconfiguration of the national electricity grid.

At the broader level, it is observed that he cost of electricity from renewables is very much higher than for coal and gas (World Nuclear, 2019). But, it is also seen that this differential vanishes when the costs of carbon capture and sequestration are added in the price of coal and gas-based generation.

Base load Power

This is defined as the quantity or amount of electricity which is used in a continuous manner, which means, 24 hours a day for all year round. This is to power the continuous industrial processes, and essential services such as traffic lights, hospitals etc. In other words, base load represents the minimum continuous level of demand in a grid system. This requires supply sources which are highly reliable without any risk of output dropping below the base load level. Also, the demand for electricity is very fluctuating, basically during the day and from season to season (Morim et al., 2014).Periods of demand which are above baseload, they are designated as intermediate and peak load.

5. Coming 2040

Perspective

Australia is committing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 26 to 28 per cent on 2005 levels by 2030 (Cohen, 2019). Also, the other countries are adopting new targets to reduce the greenhouse gas emission levels further. There is a desperate need in the adoption of more energy efficient transport and cleaner forms of fuel. It is expected to increase these energy efficiency products and technologies over the coming decades.

Emissions and Energy in Transport Sector

Transport energy use and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are closely linked. This is due to the fact that carbon-intensive fossil fuels are the main fuel used across the transport sector.

Australia is the world’s 13th largest emitter of overall greenhouse gas emissions, producing 1.3 per cent of global emissions (Zabel, 2009). In 2013–14, domestic transport accounted for around 17 per cent of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions, with approximately 60 per cent of this attributable to light vehicles. From 2013–14 to 2029–40, transport emissions are projected to increase by 25 per cent (Haddad et al., 2019). Passenger vehicles will remain the largest contributor, but emissions from civil aviation, light and heavy commercial road vehicles and rail are expected to grow at a faster rate.

Similarly, strong global growth is also projected for transport emissions. For instance, CO2 emissions from maritime transport in 2050 are projected to be between 50 and 250 per cent higher than current levels. This indicates that by 2050 international shipping emissions could represent between six and 14 per cent of total global emissions (ACIL Alien Consulting, 2018).

Australia currently has the eighth highest national transport emissions in the OECD and trends indicate this is likely to continue. The average emissions intensity for new passenger vehicles in Australia in 2014 was 43 per cent higher than the European Union average due to differences in the transport task, consumer preferences and policy settings (Energy Networks Australia, 2019).

Noxious emissions (such as oxides of nitrogen and particulates) from road vehicles will continue to have an impact on air quality and public health in Australian cities. While air quality in our cities is good by international standards, noxious emissions from road vehicles will continue to remain a concern for regulators.

Reduction in the emissions

International developments, such as a shift to gasoline direct injection technology, the alleged use of ‘defeat devices’ by the Volkswagen Group and recent findings by the United Kingdom and Germany of a significant difference in ‘tested’ and ‘on-road’ emission levels for diesel vehicles more generally, suggests that further changes to noxious emission standards (to reduce emission limits and improve the integrity of the testing regime) will be necessary to minimise any adverse health impacts from changes in the vehicle fleet.

In the road transport sector, emissions can be reduced through changes to vehicle design such as greater use of light-weight materials and improvements to transmissions and engine management systems (Lam et al., 2008). There are also technologies that can provide real-time feedback to encourage more efficient driving practices.

It will be important to harmonise Australian and international vehicle emission standards to ensure Australia can take advantage of the latest technologies to reduce emissions. There is yet to be international agreement on a standardised approach to measuring CO2 emissions from heavy vehicles at a whole vehicle level due to the wider range of heavy vehicle configurations (Parliament of India, 2010). This may limit the potential to reduce heavy vehicle greenhouse gas emissions by direct regulation. However, further regulatory reforms to encourage the uptake of more efficient and higher productivity vehicles (through performance based standards) will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the heavy vehicle fleet.

Solution for The Renewable Energy Technologies

There are cases when renewable energy technologies are suitable to produce continuous and reliable power. The suitable renewables are: biomass, wave power and geothermal hot fractured rock. The biomass is considered to be relatively cheaper and could contribute to 10 per cent total load by 2040 (World Energy Council, 2016).

Wave power is demonstrated but there are no full scale commercial installations at this particular point. This has also low cost. Moreover, it avoids land-based environmental issues. In this by-product desalination is a bonus.

On the other hand, geothermal hot fractured rock has a very high potential to generate large amounts of electricity that also at a very low cost. But there is a limitation of this which is drilling. This needs to be overcome (Falk & Settle, 2011).

Other renewables with higher intermittency can also contribute to the power mix. Here, this total contribution above about 20 per cent is unlikely without development of suitable large-capacity power storage systems or improved grid design and management (IRENA, 2019).

Other renewables include: wind, solar thermal concentration, photovoltaic and tidal energy.

Coming to wind energy, the technology is very well established. Also, the upscaling in this sector is helping to bring down the costs (Kenway et al., 2008).

Solar thermal concentration is at an early development stage. But there is a high possibility that solar thermal concentration has long term potential but it requires large land area. Also, the coat of this is moderate.

Photovoltaics have very high capital cost. Also, it has small scale of installations. There is a chance that it can be suitable for large scale installations with the help of research and development. This is ideal for off-grid installations (Farjana et al., 2018). If there is policy and financial support given to this sector, then there could be continued development and uptake due to the quick response.

There is no denial that tidal energy has considerable potential. But the problem lies in the owing to the remoteness of suitable areas. Also, because of the environmental impacts, development is not expected in the coming future.

6. Conclusion on Low Carbon Energy Supply

The dollar cost of energy derived from renewable resources would be more than we have been used to. Good amount of investment shall be needed by the government and industry on research and development. Also, there should be construction of the appropriate distribution infrastructure (Ren & Chen, 2018). Costs may also accrue in relation to restructuring of the electrical energy sector. Offsetting these costs will be the dividends that accrue to Australia through decreased environmental impact that should meet national and international targets for greenhouse gas reductions, and maintaining a defensible position in international negotiations.

If there is a suitable policy framework that is in place, then there seems to be no technical or financial impediment to renewables which will be providing about 50 per cent of all Australian electricity demand by 2040 (IRENA, 2019). In the long run, the current research and development shows that a low-carbon electricity sector is attainable. This attainment is possible with the help of total substitution of coal, with gas filling the role of change agent.

7. References for Low Carbon Energy Supply

ACIL Alien Consulting. (2018). Opportunity for Australia from Hydrogen exports. Retrieved from https://arena.gov.au/assets/2018/08/opportunities-for-australia-from-hydrogen-exports.pdf

Ausrtralia Academy of science. (2009). Australia’s renewable energy future. Retrieved from https://www.science.org.au/files/userfiles/support/reports-and-plans/2015/renewable-energy-future.pdf

Beath, A. C. (2012). Industrial energy usage in Australia and the potential for implementation of solar thermal heat and power. Energy, 43(1), 261-272.

Cohen,A. (2019).What will our 2040 Energy Future look like?. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/arielcohen/2019/07/02/what-will-our-2040-energy-future-look-like/#a5e9d8a4433f

Energy Networks Australia. (2017). Electricity Network Transformation Roadmap: Final Report. Retrieved from https://www.energynetworks.com.au/resources/reports/electricity-network-transformation-roadmap-final-report/

Falk, J., & Settle, D. (2011). Australia: approaching an energy crossroads. Energy Policy, 39(11), 6804-6813.

Farjana, S. H., Huda, N., Mahmud, M. P., & Saidur, R. (2018). Solar industrial process heating systems in operation–current SHIP plants and future prospects in Australia. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 91, 409-419.

Haddad, S., Pignatta, G., Paolini, R., Synnefa, A., & Santamouris, M. (2019, September). An extensive study on the relationship between energy use, indoor thermal comfort, and health in social housing: the case of the New South Wales, Australia. In IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering (Vol. 609, No. 4, p. 042067). IOP Publishing. IRENA. (2019).Hydrogen: A renewable energy perspective. Retrieved from https://irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publication/2019/Sep/IRENA_Hydrogen_2019.pdf

Kenway, S. J., & Lam, K. L. (2016). Quantifying and managing urban water-related energy use systemically: case study lessons from Australia. International Journal of Water Resources Development, 32(3), 379-397.

Kenway, S. J., Priestley, A., Cook, S., Seo, S., Inman, M., Gregory, A., & Hall, M. (2008). Energy use in the provision and consumption of urban water in Australia and New Zealand. Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA): Sydney, Australia.

Lam, K. L., Kenway, S. J., Lane, J. L., Islam, K. N., & de Berc, R. B. (2019). Energy intensity and embodied energy flow in Australia: An input-output analysis. Journal of cleaner production, 226, 357-368.

Morim, J., Cartwright, N., Etemad-Shahidi, A., Strauss, D., & Hemer, M. (2014). A review of wave energy estimates for nearshore shelf waters off Australia. International Journal of Marine Energy, 7, 57-70.

Parliament of India. (2010). Australia’s future population. Retrieved from https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/BriefingBook43p/futurepopulation

Ren, Z., & Chen, D. (2018). Modelling study of the impact of thermal comfort criteria on housing energy use in Australia. Applied energy, 210, 152-166.

Saddler, H., Diesendorf, M., & Denniss, R. (2007). Clean energy scenarios for Australia. Energy Policy, 35(2), 1245-1256.

World Energy Council. (2016). World Energy Resources. Retrieved from https://www.worldenergy.org/assets/images/imported/2016/10/World-Energy-Resources-Full-report-2016.10.03.pdf World Nuclear. (2019). Renewable energy and electricity. Retrieved from https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/energy-and-the-environment/renewable-energy-and-electricity.aspx

Yusaf, T., Goh, S., & Borserio, J. A. (2011). Potential of renewable energy alternatives in Australia. Renewable and sustainable energy reviews, 15(5), 2214-2221.

Zabel,G. (2009). Peak people: the interrelationship between population growth and energy resources. Retrieved from https://www.resilience.org/stories/2009-04-20/peak-people-interrelationship-between-population-growth-and-energy-resources/

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