Members issue - Series 6, Issue 15
The week of October 3, 2022
HOW THINGS WORK
The week of October 3, 2022
HOW THINGS WORK
For most of us, the technical aspects of the energy sector are complex. Other aspects of the sector may be somewhat ominous as energy issues become global and existential: the danger of greenhouse gases; the unreliability of energy supply; the ongoing threats of geopolitical conflict. Complicating these issues is needless debate about what is and is not "the truth." Unfortunately, the all-too-common response is to give up in hopeless frustration.
Many energy issues are treated as if they are political or moral, but some are fundamentally scientific and technical. Indeed, much of the energy sector is governed by a few fundamental physical (and engineering) principles. When these basic principles are better understood, the choices and challenges become clearer.
This issue of Energy Today reviews a few of the facts that often cause confusion and conflict.
Many energy issues are treated as if they are political or moral, but some are fundamentally scientific and technical. Indeed, much of the energy sector is governed by a few fundamental physical (and engineering) principles. When these basic principles are better understood, the choices and challenges become clearer.
This issue of Energy Today reviews a few of the facts that often cause confusion and conflict.
Recommended Articles
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Petroleum refineries are large-scale industrial complexes that produce saleable petroleum products from crude oil. Each refinery operates differently, but virtually all refineries share three basic processes for separating crude oil into various products:
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A fuel cell uses the chemical energy of hydrogen or other fuels to cleanly and efficiently produce electricity. If hydrogen is the fuel, the only products are electricity, water, and heat. Fuel cells are unique in terms of the variety of their potential applications; they can use a wide range of fuels and feedstocks and can provide power for systems as large as a utility power station and as small as a laptop computer.
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What is a carbon footprint?
According to Mike Berners-Lee, a professor at Lancaster University and author of The Carbon Footprint of Everything, it is “the sum total of all the greenhouse gas emissions that had to take place in order for a product to be produced or for an activity to take place.” |
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A heat pump is a device that can heat a building by transferring thermal energy from the outside using the refrigeration cycle. Many heat pumps can also operate in the opposite direction, cooling the building by removing heat from the enclosed space and rejecting it outside.
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Electricity, by its very nature, cannot be stored – at least not economically in any appreciable quantities (beyond what you find in a battery).
What this means is electricity must be generated and provided at the very moment it is needed. The transmission system, which delivers electricity to you at the astonishing speed of 186,000 miles per hour (almost the speed of light) is what makes this possible. |
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FOR AES MEMBERS ONLY
Power-To-X
Power-To-X
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P2X, P2Y, PtG, PtL… These cryptic acronyms stand for energy conversion processes that can store surplus power from renewable sources.
But whether they will actually reduce emissions depends on many different factors. |
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Did you miss the energy news you needed to know last week? Energy Matters, volume 8.19 (the week of September 26, 2022) |
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Be sure to join the American Energy Society
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