Xpost from GD: Providing all Global Energy with Wind, Water, and Solar Power

[kristopher]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x112801

Do not believe the claims of the nuclear industry that nuclear power is a necessary or desirable part of the solution to climate change and energy security concerns. This paper is a detailed description of what energy analysts specializing in noncarbon sources of power are looking at in our energy future.

Providing all Global Energy with Wind, Water, and Solar Power,
Part I: Technologies, Energy Resources, Quantities and Areas of Infrastructure, and Materials

Mark Z. Jacobson 1* and Mark A. Delucchi2
1 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California
94305-4020, USA; [e-mail]
2 Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California at Davis, Davis, California 95616
USA; [e-mail]
*Corresponding author


Energy Policy, in Press
Submitted September 1, 2010; Revised November 11, 2010; Accepted November 22, 2010


Abstract
Climate change, pollution, and energy insecurity are among the greatest problems of our time. Addressing them requires major changes in our energy infrastructure. Here, we analyze the feasibility of providing worldwide energy for all purposes (electric power, transportation, heating/cooling) from wind, water, and sunlight (WWS).

In Part I, we discuss WWS energy system characteristics, current and future energy demand, availability of WWS resources, numbers of WWS devices, and area and material requirements.

In Part II, we address variability, economics, and policy of WWS energy.

We estimate that ~3,800,000 5-MW wind turbines, ~49,000 300-MW concentrated solar plants, ~40,000 solar PV power plants, ~1.7 billion 3-kW rooftop PV systems, ~5350 100-MW geothermal power plants, ~270 new 1300-MW hydroelectric power plants, ~720,000 0.75-MW wave devices, and ~490,000 1-MW tidal turbines can power a 2030 WWS world converted to electricity and electrolytic hydrogen for all purposes. The additional land footprint and spacing needed are ~0.41% and ~0.59% of world land area, respectively. We suggest producing all new energy with WWS by 2030 and replacing pre-existing energy by 2050. Barriers to the plan are primarily social and political, not technological or economic. The energy cost in a WWS world should be similar to that today.

Download at: http://www.stanford.edu/group/efmh/jacobson/Articles/I/WWSEnergyPolicyPtI.pdf

Providing all Global Energy with Wind, Water, and Solar Power,
Part II: Reliability, System and Transmission Costs, and Policies

Mark A. Delucchi1* and Mark Z. Jacobson2
1 Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California at Davis, Davis, California 95616
USA; [e-mail] ; [phone]
2 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California
94305-4020, USA;
*Corresponding author

Energy Policy, in Press
Sumbitted September 2, 2010; Revised November 20, 2010; Accepted November 22, 2010

Abstract
This is Part II of two papers evaluating the feasibility of providing all energy for all purposes (electric power, transportation, heating/cooling), everywhere in the world, from wind, water, and the sun (WWS).

In Part I, we described the prominent renewable energy plans that have been proposed and discussed the characteristics of WWS energy systems, the global demand for and availability of WWS energy, quantities and areas required for WWS infrastructure, and supplies of critical materials.

Here, we discuss methods of addressing the variability of WWS energy to ensure that power supply reliably matches demand (including interconnecting geographically-dispersed resources, using hydroelectricity, using demand-response management, storing electric power on site, over-sizing peak generation capacity and producing hydrogen with the excess, storing electric power in vehicle batteries, and forecasting weather to project energy supplies), the economics of WWS generation and transmission, the economics of WWS use in transportation, and policy measures needed to enhance the viability of a WWS system. We find that the cost of energy in a 100% WWS will be similar to the cost today. We conclude that barriers to a 100% conversion to WWS power worldwide are primarily social and political, not technological or even economic.

Download at: http://www.stanford.edu/group/efmh/jacobson/Articles/I/WWSEnergyPolicyPtII.pdf