Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of main contributors
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- List of abbreviations
- 1 Scope of the book
- 2 Why hydrogen?
- 3 Non-renewable energy resources: fossil fuels – supply and future availability
- 4 Non-renewable energy resources: nuclear fuels
- 5 Assessment of the potentials for renewable energy sources
- 6 Carbon capture and storage
- 7 Energy-chain analysis of hydrogen and its competing alternative fuels for transport
- 8 Hydrogen today
- 9 Fundamental properties of hydrogen
- 10 Hydrogen production
- 11 Hydrogen storage
- 12 Hydrogen distribution
- 13 Key role of fuel cells
- 14 Hydrogen-infrastructure build-up in Europe
- 15 Building a hydrogen infrastructure in the USA
- 16 Hydrogen and the electricity sector
- 17 Hydrogen corridors
- 18 Macroeconomic impacts of hydrogen
- 19 Sustainable transport visions: the role of hydrogen and fuel-cell vehicle technologies
- 20 Energy-efficient solutions needed – paving the way for hydrogen
- 21 The future of hydrogen – opportunities and challenges
- Further reading
- Index
- References
5 - Assessment of the potentials for renewable energy sources
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 January 2010
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of main contributors
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- List of abbreviations
- 1 Scope of the book
- 2 Why hydrogen?
- 3 Non-renewable energy resources: fossil fuels – supply and future availability
- 4 Non-renewable energy resources: nuclear fuels
- 5 Assessment of the potentials for renewable energy sources
- 6 Carbon capture and storage
- 7 Energy-chain analysis of hydrogen and its competing alternative fuels for transport
- 8 Hydrogen today
- 9 Fundamental properties of hydrogen
- 10 Hydrogen production
- 11 Hydrogen storage
- 12 Hydrogen distribution
- 13 Key role of fuel cells
- 14 Hydrogen-infrastructure build-up in Europe
- 15 Building a hydrogen infrastructure in the USA
- 16 Hydrogen and the electricity sector
- 17 Hydrogen corridors
- 18 Macroeconomic impacts of hydrogen
- 19 Sustainable transport visions: the role of hydrogen and fuel-cell vehicle technologies
- 20 Energy-efficient solutions needed – paving the way for hydrogen
- 21 The future of hydrogen – opportunities and challenges
- Further reading
- Index
- References
Summary
In this chapter, an assessment of the global and European potentials of renewable energy sources is given. With respect to hydrogen as a promising future energy carrier, a clear focus is put on electricity generation from renewable energy sources (RES), serving as a sustainable solution for producing hydrogen based on electrolysis (see also Chapter 16). Biomass gasification and solar-thermal technology provide further options to produce hydrogen using RES. In the following, first, different categories of renewable energy potentials are defined, followed by a general overview of the potentials on a global level and a more detailed picture of the European potentials of renewable energy sources. Finally, the global potential for biofuels is shortly addressed.
Potential categories
The possible use of RES depends in particular on the available resources and the associated costs. In this context, the term ‘available resources’ or RES potential has to be clarified. The RES potential might be represented by the overall theoretically available resources or might take into account different aspects that restrict the theoretically available resources. Subsequently, the RES-potential categories used within this book are described.
Theoretical potential The highest potential of an energy source is the theoretical potential. To derive the theoretical potential, general physical parameters have to be taken into account, based on the determination of the energy flow resulting from a certain energy resource within the investigated region. Examples are the kinetic energy of the wind, the total energy content of the existing biomass or the amount of solar energy radiated to a defined territory during one year. The theoretical potential consists of the overall physical energy supply available and represents a theoretically upper limit for the use of RES.
[…]
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Hydrogen EconomyOpportunities and Challenges, pp. 135 - 167Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2009
References
and (2003). Offshore Wind Power Developments. Report. Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN).Google Scholar
and (2001). The Commercial Prospects for Tidal Power. Report in Association with IT Power. United Kingdom: DTI.Google Scholar
(2002). Fachtagung geothermische Stromerzeugung – eine Investition in die Zukunft, 20–21 June 2002, Landau/Pfalz, Germany: German Ministry for Environment.
(1999 to 2005). International Wind Energy Development – World Market Update. Yearly updated reports. Denmark: BTM Consult ApS.
, and (1993). Ocean energy systems. In Renewable Energy. Sources for Fuels and Electricity, ed. , , and Washington, DC: Island Press.Google Scholar
(2007). Crossing the Divide? The Future of Clean Energy. Cambridge, MA: CERA.
, and (1992). World potential of renewable energies. La Houille Blanche, 47 (1), 21–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(1999). Klimaschutz durch Nutzung erneuerbarer Energien. Germany: German Ministry for Environment.
(2004). Ökologisch optimierter Ausbau der Nutzung erneuerbarer Energien in Deutschland. Germany: German Ministry for Environment.
and (2007). Biofuels: Is the Cure Worse Than the Disease?Paris: OECD, General Secretariat. OECD Round Table on Sustainable Development SG/SD/RT(2007) 3.Google Scholar
(1999). New and Renewable Energy. Prospects in the UK for the 21st century. United Kingdom: DTI, ETSU.
(2006). How Much Bioenergy Can Europe Produce Without Harming the Environment? EEA Report No. 7/2006.
(2002). Analysis Grid. The German Enquete Commission on Sustainable Energy Policy.
(2003). Various reports, e.g., Fuel Prices in 2002/2003. www.eubionet.net.
(2004). The Share of Renewable Energy in the EU. COM(2004) 366 final. Brussels: European Commission.
(2006). Energy: Yearly Statistics. Data 2004. Eurostat.
(2003). Wind Force 12. www.ewea.org/fileadmin/ewea_documents/documents/publications/reports/wf12-2005.pdf.
, and (2000). Global Agro-ecological Zones Assessment: Methodology and Results. Interim report IR-00–064. Rome: International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations.Google Scholar
and (2001). Global bioenergy potentials through 2050. Biomass and Bioenergy, 20 (3), 151–159.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , and (2006). Agro-Ecological Zones Assessment. Interim Report RP-06–003. Luxembourg: International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA).Google Scholar
, Germanischer Lloyd and Windtest (1995). Study of the Offshore Wind Energy in the EC.Google Scholar
and (1993). Wind energy: resources, systems and regional strategies. In Renewable energy. Sources for Fuels and Electricity, ed. , , and Washington, DC: Island Press, pp. 157–212.Google Scholar
(2006). Global Wind Energy Outlook 2006. www.gwec.net/fileadmin/documents/Publications/Global_Wind_Energy_Outlook_2006.pdf.
, and (2001). Erneuerbare Strategien - Strategien zur weiteren Forcierung erneuerbarer Energieträger in Österreich unter besonderer Berücksichtigung des EU-Weissbuches für Erneuerbare Energien und der Campaign for Take-off. Vienna: Energy Economics Group, Vienna University of Technology.Google Scholar
(1981). Energy in a Finite World. IIASA, Report, Cambridge, MA: Ballinger, vol 2., p. 220.
, and (2004). Assessment of the global and regional geographical, technical and economic potential of onshore wind energy. Energy Economics, 26 (5), 889–919.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , , and (2005). Potential of biomass energy out to 2100, for four IPCC SRES land-use scenarios. Biomass and Bioenergy, 29 (4), 225–257.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(2005). Renewables Information 2005. Paris: OECD/IEA.
(2006a). World Energy Outlook 2006. Paris: OECD/IEA.
(2006b). Renewables Information 2006. Paris: OECD/IEA.
(2006c). Energy Technology Perspectives 2006. Scenarios and Strategies to 2050. Paris: OECD/IEA.
, , and (1993). A renewables-intensive global energy scenario (Appendix to Chapter 1). In Renewable Energy. Sources for Fuels and Electricity, ed. , , and Washington, DC: Island Press, pp. 1071–1142.Google Scholar
, , and (2004). The potentials of renewable energy: thematic background paper. International Conference for Renewable Energies. Bonn (January 2004).
, and (2005). The impact of global change on the hydropower potential of Europe: a model-based analysis. Energy Policy, 33 (7), 839–855.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(2001). Blue Energy for a Green Europe. Final report, EU Altener II Programme. Milano: IEFE – Universitá Commerciale L. Bocconi.Google Scholar
, , et al. (2003). European Energy and Transport – Trends to 2030. On behalf of the European Commission, DG TREN. Greece: University of Athens.Google Scholar
et al. (2006). Renewables, Global Status Report, 2006 Update. Worldwatch Institute and Tsinghua University, Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21). www.ren21.net.Google Scholar
, , and (2007). Renewable energy futures: targets, scenarios, and pathways. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 32, 205–239.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
et al. (2008). Renewables, Global Status Report, 2007. Worldwatch Institute and Tsinghua University, Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21). www.ren21.net.Google Scholar
, , , and , (eds.) (1998). Global Energy Perspectives. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
, , et al. (2003). Experience Curves: A tool for Energy Policy Assessment (EXTOOL). Final Report of the Project EXTOOL – A European Research Project Funded by the EC, DG RESEARCH. Sweden: Lund University.Google Scholar
, and (2002). Impact of Technology Developments and Cost Reductions on Renewable Energy Market Growth. Six Technology-Specific Reports Prepared Within the Project REMAC2000 – in Co-operation With the International Energy Agency. Switzerland: NET, Ltd.Google Scholar
(1993). Geothermal Energy. In Renewable Energy: Sources for Fuels and Electricity, ed. , , and Washington, DC: Island Press.Google Scholar
, , et al. (1998). The European wave energy resource. Proceedings of the 3rd European Wave Energy Conference. Patras, Greece.Google Scholar
and (2003). Specific cost development of photovoltaic and concentrated solar thermal systems depending on the global irradiation – a study performed with the simulation environment GREENIUS. The ISES Solar World Congress 2003, 14–19 June 2003 Gothenburg, Sweden. Almeria, Spain: DLR e.V.Google Scholar
, , et al. (2004). FORRES 2020 – Analysis of the Renewable Energy's Evolution up to 2020. Draft Final Report of the Project FORRES 2020–on Behalf of the European Commission, DG TREN; Co-ordinated by FhG-ISI with Contribution from EEG, Ecofys, Kema and REC. Karlsruhe, Germany.Google Scholar
and (2006). Economic Analysis of Reaching a 20% Share of Renewable Energy Sources in 2020. Karlsruhe, Germany.Google Scholar
, and (2001). Database for the Model ElGreen. Report of the European Research Project ElGreen–Funded by the European Commission, DG TREN. Vienna: Energy Economics Group (EEG), ViennaUniversity of Technology.Google Scholar
, , et al. (2006). Potentials and Cost for Renewable Electricity in Europe. A Report of the OPTRES-project: Assessment and Optimisation of Renewable Energy Support Measures in the European Electricity Market. A Research Project Supported by the European Commission, DG TREN, Intelligent Energy for Europe – Programme (Contract No. EIE/04/073/S07.38567). Vienna.Google Scholar
et al. (2004). Energy resources. In World Energy Assessment – 2004 update, Chapter 5. United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, World Energy Council.Google Scholar
et al. (2004). Learning From the Sun. Final report of the Photex project. Netherlands: ECN (Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands).Google Scholar
(1991). Renewable energy – a technical overview. Energy Policy, 19 (4), 386–391.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(1998). 1998 World Atlas and Industry Guide. International Journal on Hydropower and Dams. Surrey, UK: Aqua-Média International.
(2007). Survey of Energy Resources 2007. www.worldenergy.org/publications.
(2007). Biofuels for Transport: Global Potential and Implications for Sustainable Agriculture and Energy in the 21st Century. Earthscan Publications, Ltd.
(2007). Renewable Energy Futures. www.martinot.info/futures.htm.
, , and (2007). Renewable energy futures: targets, scenarios, and pathways. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 32 (2007), 205–239.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(2008). Clean Power from Deserts. The DESERTEC Concept for Energy, Water and Climate Security. Hamburg: The Club of Rome. www.trec-eumena.org.
(2007). Survey of Energy Resources 2007. www.worldenergy.org/publications.
(2007). Biofuels for Transport: Global Potential and Implications for Sustainable Agriculture and Energy in the 21st Century. Earthscan Publications Ltd.Google Scholar
- 2
- Cited by