Geol 3000 Conservation of Natural Resources Energy Conservation

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Geol 3000Conservation of Natural
ResourcesEnergyConservation
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Demand-Side Management

• Conservation in the energy business is known as
  Demand-Side Management (DSM)
• On average, US studies in the mid-1990s showed
  that generating a Kwh of energy would cost around
  7 cents whereas saving one through DSM would cost
  around 2-4 cents.
• To realize the significant social benefits that
  DSM would create, PUCs required monopolistic
  energy suppliers to implement conservation
  programs, allowing them to charge higher rates
  per unit sold so as to recover costs and maintain
  profit margins.

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Conservation strategies

• A. Arrange/modify the environment so less
  delivered energy (therms or Kwh) is required in
  the first place.
• B. Use more energy-efficient devices to do the
  required work.
• C. Change energy using behavior to eliminate
  wasteful and unnecessary usage.
• Adopt a combination of the above to achieve
  combined savings (ABC)

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ABC Example - Refrigeration

• Homeowners can minimize refrigerator energy use
  by
• A. Siting the refrigerator away from a heat
  source in a cooler space.
• B. Purchasing a newer model refrigerator with a
  more efficient heat exchanger system, etc. (post
  golden-carrot technology).
• C. Refraining from standing in front of the open
  refrigerator door for 10 mins thinking what to
  have for dinner!

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You design a conservation plan with three
complimentary elements

• Using the example of heating a family home,
  identify three complimentary elements by which
  energy use can be conserved..
• A
• B
• C

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Conservation and efficiency

• Many experts like to distinguish between
  conservation (anything that decreases demand) and
  energy efficiency (efforts specifically designed
  to increase the usable output per unit of
  energy).
• At the broadest level, electricity conservation
  is important since it is generally the least fuel
  efficient form.
• The average American electric power company has
  an energy efficiency of around 30 (they lose 5
  units for every 2 delivered).

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Electricity conservation

• Conservation can occur at a variety of stages
• using water or solar power rather than fossil
  fuels for generation.
• reducing the need to keep thermal power stations
  for peak production (load shape mgmt.)
• practicing cogeneration to recover waste heat.
• minimising the need to transport electricity long
  distances.
• improving the efficiency of transportation grids.
• improving the efficiency of electrical devices.
• substituting alternative fuels at the point of
  use.

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US Energy Sectors

• 37 of US energy use is in the industrial sector
• 27 of US energy use is for transportation
• 20 of US energy use is in the residential sector
• 16 of US energy use is in the commercial sector
• Tremendous gains are still to be made in
  lighting, heating and cooling efficiency and
  particularly in transportation.
• For transportation, the dual issues of miles per
  gallon and gallons per passenger mile are
  important.

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Energy conservation and recycling

• When industrial users use recycled materials for
  production, energy use is reduced considerably.
• Recycling steel from scrap rather than using iron
  ore uses 14 of the energy.
• Recycling aluminum from old cans uses only 5 of
  the energy compared to using bauxite.