{"title":"Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis","authors":"P. Meier","doi":"10.1093/OSO/9780190098391.003.0013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/OSO/9780190098391.003.0013","url":null,"abstract":"The Fischer-Tropsch synthesis is a catalytic polymerization reaction that can be used to make transportation fuels, primarily gasoline and diesel. The process was invented in 1925 and used commercially by Nazi Germany in World War II as well as South Africa, starting in the 1950s. Initially, the fuel of choice to start the process was coal, but recently there has been increased interest in natural gas and biomass. The interest in natural gas is of most interest, as it provides an option for taking stranded natural gas and converting it into a liquid. This avoids the need for pipeline or liquefied natural gas (LNG) transport, which may be difficult to implement due to both geography and geopolitical reasons. The levelized cost of producing gasoline and diesel through this process is competitive with refining, but new commercial implementation has been hindered by the high capital cost of building the plant.","PeriodicalId":244002,"journal":{"name":"The Changing Energy Mix","volume":"43 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130110723","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Natural Gas","authors":"P. Meier","doi":"10.32388/jgjl9k","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32388/jgjl9k","url":null,"abstract":"Natural gas, which is primarily methane, is used in the electric power industry, various industrial applications, residential heating, and, to a small extent, as a transportation fuel. In terms of electricity generation for the United States, natural gas is responsible for about 35%, a large growth from only 15% twenty years earlier. In 2015 natural gas overtook coal and is now the primary energy for producing electricity. It is a relatively clean burning energy type and, compared to coal and petroleum crude oil, it contains small amounts of sulfur and nitrogen and no heavy metals such as selenium, mercury, and cadmium. To support the use of natural gas to generate electricity, the United States has about 1,800 plants with close to 6,000 generators and 1.6 million miles of pipelines.","PeriodicalId":244002,"journal":{"name":"The Changing Energy Mix","volume":"36 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124340984","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Conclusions","authors":"P. Meier","doi":"10.1093/oso/9780190098391.003.0015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190098391.003.0015","url":null,"abstract":"This concluding chapter summarizes some of the information presented for the twelve different energy technologies examined in the book. The first section explores current trends in energy and some of the driving forces affecting these trends. The second section examines the electric vehicle, the bridge that can connect the electric sector with the transportation sector. The third section examines the potential for reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the United States by the use of renewable fuels. Following this, a summary of proven and potential reserves is presented for both nonrenewable and renewable energy types. Finally, a summary is presented for the land and energy footprint of each technology.","PeriodicalId":244002,"journal":{"name":"The Changing Energy Mix","volume":"44 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121513983","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Wind Energy","authors":"P. Meier","doi":"10.1093/OSO/9780190098391.003.0007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/OSO/9780190098391.003.0007","url":null,"abstract":"A wind farm is a collection of wind turbines, sufficiently spaced to avoid wind interference between turbines. Onshore and offshore are the two basic types of wind farms. The cost of building an offshore farm is greater because of the need for turbines that withstand high wind and corrosive conditions of the sea, plus the expense of installing underwater transmission cables to shore. For an onshore wind farm, the land area for the farm is large, but the direct impact area is relatively small. The direct impact area includes the turbine pads, roads, substations, and transmission equipment, and only makes up about 2% of the total wind farm area. Since the direct impact area is small compared to the total wind farm area, agriculture and ranching can coexist with the wind farm. Wind is a very fast growing renewable energy technology. In the ten years since 2009, the worldwide capacity for wind power increased 276% while US capacity increased 175%.","PeriodicalId":244002,"journal":{"name":"The Changing Energy Mix","volume":"104 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122550135","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}