Engineering a Low Carbon Energy Future
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Professor Nigel Brandon OBE FREng Director Energy Futures Lab RCUK Energy Senior Research Fellow www.imperial.ac.uk/energyfutureslab Engineering a Low Carbon Energy Future
Transcript of Engineering a Low Carbon Energy Future
Professor Nigel Brandon OBE FREng
Director Energy Futures Lab
RCUK Energy Senior Research Fellow
www.imperial.ac.uk/energyfutureslab
Engineering a Low Carbon Energy Future
Introduction to Imperial College London
Our Founding Charter in
1907…to give the highest
specialised instruction and to
provide the fullest equipment
for the most advanced training
and research in various
branches of science
especially in its application to
industry
– 3,300 academic and research staff
– 3,100 support staff
– 2,000 honorary staff
– 1,000 academic visitors and visiting
researchers
• 13,000 students: – 8,300 undergraduates
– 2,200 taught postgraduates
– 2,500 research postgraduates
• PG students (masters and doctoral): – 36% of total student population
– 46% UK
– 24% Europe (outside UK)
– 30% overseas (outside Europe)
Introduction
• Global Energy Drivers and Trends.
• Energy in the UK.
• Energy Futures Lab at Imperial College London
• Engineering Options
•Transport sector
• Domestic sector
• Conclusions.
Global Energy Drivers: 1 – Population Growth
2005
(million)
2030
(million)
Canada 32.268 38.880
France 60.496 66.269
Germany 82.689 79.090
Italy 58.093 57.385
Japan 128.085 117.794
Russia 143.202 124.121
United Kingdom 59.668 65.895
United States 298.313 364.427
Brazil 186.405 233.884
China 1,315.844 1,438.394
India 1,103.371 1,489.653
Mexico 107.029 269.211
South Africa 47.432 52.958
World Total 6,464.750 8,246.665
World Population prospects: the 2006 revision. UN Dept. Economics and Social Affairs
Global Energy Drivers: 2 – Energy Security
• Increasing reliance on imported oil and gas.
• Shift in power from energy consumers to energy
producers.
• Link between energy, water and food.
• 400 million people in India have no access to
electricity.
Source: UK Energy Sector Indicators. 2008. DECC.
UK Energy Trade and consumption
Global Energy Drivers: 3 – Urbanisation
Po
pu
lati
on
(b
illi
on
)
Source: ARUP
Energy consumption per capita
World Energy Outlook 2007: China and India Insights. International Energy Agency
toe
pe
r ca
pita
Global energy demand continues to rise
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
16,000
18,000
1971 2002 2010 2020 2030
mil
lio
n t
on
nes o
il e
qu
ivale
nt
Coal Oil Gas Nuclear Hydro Biomass and Waste Other renewables
IEA World Energy Outlook
World energy use is expected to grow 50% from 2005 to 2030
Major investment in new energy infrastructure
$22 Trillion of investment in energy infrastructure is needed out to 2030 to meet demand.
Cumulative Investment in Energy
Infrastructure 2006-2030
World Energy Outlook 2007: China and India Insights. International Energy Agency
The UK Energy Challenge
The UK faces two long term energy challenges:
• Tackling climate change by reducing carbon dioxide
emissions both within the UK and abroad.
• Ensuring secure, clean and affordable energy as the
UK becomes increasingly dependent on imported fuel.
The UK is seeking to develop a diverse low carbon
energy mix including renewables, nuclear power and
carbon capture and storage, and to promote energy
efficiency and demand reduction.
www.berr.gov.uk/energy
The UK Energy Challenge
• One third of UK electrical generating capacity needs
to be replaced in the next 20 years.
• The UK is seeking to reduce its CO2 emissions by
80% by 2050 – it is expected that this will require
complete decarbonisation of the electricity sector.
• In the April 2009 budget the UK Govt. committed to
legally binding targets to reduce CO2 emissions to 34%
below 1990 targets by 2020.
• In January 2008, energy companies were invited to
bring forward plans to build and operate new nuclear
power stations.
• The UK has committed to EU targets to deliver 15% of
its energy from renewable sources by 2020.
UK: Share of fuels contributing to primary energy supply
Source: UK Energy Sector Indicators. 2008. DECC.
2007 UK CO2 emissions were 544Mt
Heat: 39% UK CO2
Power: 33% UK CO2
Transport: 28% UK CO2
UK: Energy consumption by sector
Source: UK Energy Sector Indicators. 2008. DECC.
Energy Futures Lab: an institute of Imperial College London
•Established in 2005 to promote and stimulate multi-disciplinary research, education and
translation in energy at Imperial College London.
•Imperial has around 600 researchers undertaking energy research, plus dedicated energy
Masters programmes.
•A flagship „Global Challenge‟ institute of Imperial College London with the remit to:
• Build strategic energy research programmes with partners - £67M of industry funding has
been invested in energy research through EFL to date, £60M from industry.
• Support and widen participation in energy research across the College.
• Develop energy professionals of the future.
• Engage with business and policy makers.
• Offer an award-winning Outreach programme with the Outreach Lab.
Research networks
Carbon capture
& storage
Energy businessEnergy systemsElectric &
hybrid vehicles
Transport
Fuel cells
Future fuels
Smart networks
Nuclear fissionGreen aviationOil and gas
Energy policy
Nuclear fusion
Solar
Energy Futures
Lab
Bioenergy
18 research networks to enable internal cross-departmental communication and provide
external focal point
Marine
renewables
Energy efficiency
Energy storage
Smart Networks
Smart Networks
Integratedheat strategy
Communications TransportSystems &
policy
Smart grids
Appliances ManufacturingAnd servicesefficiency
GasUtilisation &networks
VehiclesConsumerbehaviour
Businessstrategy
Control and power electronics
Energy storage
Systems
Battery
control
Hydrogen &
fuel cells
New chemistry
& materials
Battery failure
analysis
IntegrationCharging
Redox flow
batteries
UK: Energy consumption by transport type
Source: UK Energy Sector Indicators. 2008. DECC.
Low Carbon Transport Options
• Reduce demand.
• Increase efficiency of current technology.
• Bio-derived fuels.
• Hydrogen fuel cell Electric Vehicles.
• Battery Electric Vehicles.
UK: Average new car CO2 emissions
and Car use per person
Source: Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency; Department for Transport: and Carbon pathways
analysis July 2008.
57% of car journeys are < 5 miles and account for 20% of CO2 emissions
43% of CO2 emissions arise from trips of 5 to 25 miles
7% of journeys are > 25 miles and account for 38% of CO2 emissions
Non freight transport contributes MtCO2 pa (70%); freight transport 40 MtCO2 pa (30%)
Biofuels
• Biofuels from waste products, and second generation biofuels
from ligno-cellulose rich energy crops, do have the potential to
make a positive environmental impact.
• The UK is very unlikely to achieve high levels of fuel security by
growing bio-fuels on its own land, though we could make more
use of waste.
• Sustainability in this area needs to be addressed at a global
level as there is likely to be international trade in these
commodities.
• Biofuels need to be combined with other developments. such
as hybrid and fuel cell vehicles.
Sustainable biofuels: prospects and challenges. Royal Society. Jan 2008
Why do we need Fuel Cell EVs and Battery EVs?
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EU passenger car tailpipe CO2 trajectories David Howey, Robin North, and Ricardo Martinez-Botas. Road transport technology and climate change mitigation. Technical report, Grantham
Institute for Climate Change, Imperial College London, 2010.
Fuel cell - battery electric vehicles
Petrol Hydrogen Electricity (2008)
CO2 emissions / gCO2 MJ-1
77.6 76.9 150
Fuel consumption / MJ mile-1
2.93 1.46 0.73
Emissions / gCO2 mile-1
227 112 110
Emissions / gCO2 km-1
142 70 68
G J Offer, M Contestabile, D A Howey, R Clague, N P
Brandon, “Techno-economic and behavioural analysis of
battery electric, hydrogen fuel cell and hybrid vehicles in a
future sustainable road transport system for the UK”,
Energy Policy, 39 (2011) 1939-1950.
Nuclear Energy Non-Fossil Energy (Solar. Water. Wind) Fossil Energy
Routes to Hydrogen Production
Heat
Mechanical Energy
Electricity
Electrolysis
Thermolysis
Biophotolysis
Fermentation
Biomass
Chemical Conversion
Carbon dioxide Hydrogen
adapted and modified from J.A.Turner. Science 285. 687(1999)
Photoelectrolysis
Solar Routes to Hydrogen – high cost
H2O 2e- + 2H+ + 1/2O2
Solar Routes to Hydrogen – low cost?
Green Alga capable of H2 production Photo-electrodes capable of
H2 production
Scale-up of Photo Reactors
• Design, construction and system integration of larger scale photoreactors for solar hydrogen production and
utilization.
• Roof design for distributed systems or large area facilities.
Carbon Intensity of Electricity Options
Low Carbon Transport Options
• Electric vehicles powered by low carbon electricity
attractive for urban travel.
• Gasoline (and in time biofuel/hydrogen) battery
hybrids are attractive for longer journeys.
• Precious hydrocarbons should be saved and used
only for very long journeys (e.g. long haul freight) or air
transport.
•Integration will be needed between electricity
generation, distribution and demand side management.
Source: Derived from BREHOMES. taken from the Domestic Energy Fact File.
Building Research Establishment
UK: Domestic energy consumption
UK: Ownership of central heating
Source: GfK Home Audit from the Domestic Energy Fact File. Building Research Establishment.
Fuel
Fuel
Cell Fuel
Heat
Electrical
50%
40%
Energy
100%
Power station
60% losses
Transmission
5% losses
Delivered
35%
Fuel Cell
10% losses Delivered
90%
Energy
100%
Conventional
Micro-CHP
Fuel Cell Boilers for the Home (micro-CHP)
Ceres Power SOFC micro-CHP unit • Spun out from Imperial in 2001 after 10 years basic materials research.
• Developed in collaboration with British Gas (with natural gas fuel) and Calor Gas (with LPG fuel). Prototype unit now on test in 5 UK homes.
• Reduces the energy bill of a customer by around 25% and saves around 1.5 tonnes of CO2 pa.
• In addition, under the new UK feed in tariff (FIT), a household installing a SOFC mCHP product will receive, for a period of ten years, a generation payment of 10p/kWh for all electricity generated plus an additional export payment of 3p/kWh for any electricity that is not consumed in the home and is fed back into the grid.
Current status of Ceres mCHP units
• Five units on trial in UK homes in collaboration with British Gas.
• Issues have been reported from the field trials associated with fuel cell stack
degradation, ingestion of debris from insulation into the air sub-system, boiler
ignition and stack interconnect corrosion. On July 28th Ceres issued a
statement that significant progress has been made in addressing these.
Conclusions
•Huge challenges face us in terms of both the impact and security of our
energy supplies.
•Innovative science and engineering lies at the heart of tackling these
challenges, along with an understanding of behaviours and attitudes,
supported by new business models and relationships.
•We need to carefully manage our resources, implementing technologies to
reduce demand and emissions, whilst we develop transformational
technologies that make us less dependent on current carbon based fuels
and/or allow us to use current fuels with minimum environmental impact.
•Partnerships between research institutions, industry and Government are
key to enabling the development and deployment of these transformational
technologies.
•Training and motivating the next generation of technicians, scientists and
engineers to tackle these challenges is essential.
