Academic literature on the topic 'Global electricity current'

With the development of civilization and the growth of the world’s population, the need for electricity also increases. Today, the main electricity sources are nuclear power plants (NPPs) and hydroelectric power plants (HPPs) that run on hydrocarbon fuels such as coal, peat, gas, and fuel oil. But these generating electricity methods have serious drawbacks, for example, the depletion of hydrocarbon natural resources, which leads to their shortage and rise in price. Nuclear and hydroelectric power plants cannot fully cover the need for electricity. In addition, the tragic events in the history of nuclear energy, e.g., the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the nuclear power plant disaster in the city of Fukushima, etc., show great risks associated with the operation of nuclear power plants. Thus, solar energy engineering is the most efficient type of alternative, safe energy in the foreseeable future of mankind. This review is an effort to highlight the major progress and future challenges of using renewable energy sources.

The scientific article provides an analysis of data on the dynamics of changes in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere, its relationship with an increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s surface and further measures related to the decarbonization of industry. When analyzing theoretical materials, it was revealed that the concentration of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere increased from 270 to 419 parts per million (ppm), which ultimately led to an increase in temperature on the planet by 1.1°C over the past 150 years. If the current rate of growth in the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is maintained, the increase in the average global temperature may exceed 4°C, which will have catastrophic consequences. In terms of CO2 emissions, China ranks first in the world (28,8% of the total global emissions), followed by the United States (14,5%). Next are the European Union (9,7%), India (7,3%), Russia (4.5%) and Japan (3,3%), etc. To keep the average temperature rise within 1.5°C, the share of renewable energy sources in electricity generation should increase in 2050 to at least 70-85 percent. At the same time, the share of natural gas, provided that technologies for capturing and storing CO2 are used, will decrease to 8% (from 3 to 11% according to different scenarios), while the share of coal will decrease to almost 0% (0-2%)

This paper analyzes the prospects for developing solar power generation systems and the economic feasibility of further industry development. The state of global solar energy, its expansion potential, and Ukraine's position in the total statistics are examined. The rate of increase in the introduction of alternative types of energy has been determined. Statistical data on the number of commissioned power plants and the electricity they produced were analyzed. Solar energy is one of the most promising and powerful renewable energy sources. As a result of the analysis, it was concluded that Ukraine is gradually taking essential steps to expand the use of solar energy, developing a regulatory and legislative basis for the service, implementation, optimization, and stimulation of households to implement and build solar power plants. The relevance and expediency of the use of solar energy in connection with the constant growth of the cost of electricity and the future forecast of the increase of public investments in the industry at the global level are characterized. According to the analysis of statistical data and forthcoming plans for solar energy development, high rates of its growth in Ukraine have been determined. The consequences the war has on the solar energy industry are described. It is explained that, due to the war, half of the renewable energy objects are under threat of complete or partial destruction, in particular, 47% of solar power plants are located in regions where active fighting continues. The general trend of post-war development will be an increase in the share of solar energy in the overall energy balance. This will be facilitated by eliminating financial and legislative restrictions on the development of renewable energy, expanding opportunities for the export of electricity from renewable energy sources, and considering the green course, which is focused on clean energy. Keywords: alternative energy, renewable energy sources, solar power plants, electric energy

One of the global problems in the world is greenhouse gas emission. There are several reasons for this problem, one of which is electricity. This article provides a brief summary of the current state of electricity waste and analyzes the impact of electricity waste on greenhouse gas emissions, as well as ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the point of view of electricity generation. The situation of greenhouse gas emission in the territory of Uzbekistan and how much of it corresponds to the share of electricity losses is shown.

Green hydrogen from wind and solar electricity is necessary to decarbonize certain sectors of our economy that are inaccessible by renewable electricity, and it has the potential to reduce more than 30% of the global carbon emission. For low temperature membraned electrolyzers, polymer electrolytes play a critical role in controlling their cost, performance, and durability, and consequently their economic viability. In this presentation, I will focus on our work on anion exchange membrane electrolyzers. More specifically I will highlight the progress we have made in developing one of the most stable membranes and the corresponding electrolyzers. Current status and future challenges will be presented.

Data security of present-day power systems, such as the electricity market, has spurred global interest in both industry and academia. The electricity market can either be regulated (state-controlled entrance, policies, and pricing) or deregulated (open for competitors). While the security threats in a deregulated electricity market are commonly known and have been investigated for years, those in a regulated market still have scope for extensive research. Our current work focuses on exploring the data security of the regulated electricity market, and the regulated New Zealand Electricity Market (NZEM) has been considered for this research. Although the chances of cyberattacks on state-controlled regulated electricity market are relatively less, different layers of the current SCADA systems do pose some threats. In this context, we propose a decentralized Ethereum Blockchain-based end-to-end security prototype for a regulated electricity market such as the NZEM. This prototype aims to enhance data security between the different layers of the current SCADA systems. The detailed operation process and features of this prototype are presented in this work. The proposed prototype has prospects of offering improved data security solutions for the regulated electricity market.

We have been observing large fluctuations and price increases in electricity markets in recent years. The COVID-19 pandemic, rising energy costs, political instability and increasing demand for electricity have been the factors intensifying the problems. This causes uncertainty related to maintaining energy security. Energy security is an element of the national security system. In this context, the question arises whether Polish energy companies are able to adapt to the growing demand for electricity while meeting the growing environmental requirements. Moreover, it remains to be seen how the current energy crisis will affect the financial condition of energy companies in Poland and whether companies from the energy sector will benefit from this crisis. Another issue is the impact of the current crisis on the sense of energy security of consumers. There are many factors affecting energy security. This study focuses on economic and financial factors. The article aims to assess the energy security of consumers from the perspective of the stability of energy prices and the financial condition of companies from the energy industry in Poland in the context of the global energy crisis.

Access to electricity (the proportion of the population with access to electricity) is a key indica for of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7), which aims to provide affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy services for all. Accurate and timely global data on access to electricity in all countries is important for the achievement of SDG7. Current survey-based access to electricity datasets suffers from short time spans, slow updates, high acquisition costs, and a lack of location data. Accordingly, a new method for identifying the electrification status of built-up areas based on the remote sensing of nighttime light is proposed in this study. More specifically, the method overlays global built-up area data with night-time light remote sensing data to determine whether built-up areas are electrified based on a threshold night-time light value. By using our approach, electrified and unelectrified built-up areas were extracted at 500 m resolution on a global scale for the years 2014 and 2020. The acquired results show a significant reduction in an unelectrified built-up area between 2014 and 2020, from 51,301.14 km2 to 22,192.52 km2, or from 3.05% to 1.32% of the total built-up area. Compared to 2014, 117 countries or territories had improved access to electricity, and 18 increased their proportion of unelectrified built-up area by >0.1%. The identification accuracy was evaluated by using a random sample of 10,106 points. The accuracies in 2014 and 2020 were 97.29% and 98.9%, respectively, with an average of 98.1%. The outcomes of this method are in high agreement with the spatial distribution of access to electricity data reported by the World Bank. This study is the first to investigate the global electrification of built-up areas by using remote sensing. It makes an important supplement to global data on access to electricity, which can aid in the achievement of SDG7.

This study, firstly, provides an up-to-date global review of the potential, technologies, prototypes, installed capacities, and projects related to ocean renewable energy including wave, tidal, and thermal, and salinity gradient sources. Secondly, as a case study, we present a preliminary assessment of the wave, ocean current, and thermal gradient sources along the Brazilian coastline. The global status of the technological maturity of the projects, their different stages of development, and the current global installed capacity for different sources indicate the most promising technologies considering the trend of global interest. In Brazil, despite the extensive coastline and the fact that almost 82% of the Brazilian electricity matrix is renewable, ocean renewable energy resources are still unexplored. The results, using oceanographic fields produced by numerical models, show the significant potential of ocean thermal and wave energy sources in the northern and southern regions of the Brazilian coast, which could contribute as complementary supply sources in the national electricity matrix.

An interconnection of electric power networks enables decarbonization of the electricity system by harnessing and sharing large amounts of renewable energy. The highest potential renewable energy areas are often far from load centers, integrated through long-distance transmission interconnections. The transmission interconnection mitigates the variability of renewable energy sources by importing and exporting electricity between neighbouring regions. This paper presents an overview of regional and global energy consumption trends by use of fuel. A large power grid interconnection, including renewable energy and its integration into the utility grid, and globally existing large power grid interconnections are also presented. The technologies used for power grid interconnections include HVAC, HVDC (including LCC, VSC comprising of MMC-VSC, HVDC light), VFT, and newly proposed FASAL are discussed with their potential projects. Future trends of grid interconnection, including clean energy initiatives and developments, UHV AC and DC transmission systems, and smart grid developments, are presented in detail. A review of regional and global initiatives in the context of a sustainable future by implementing electric energy interconnections is presented. It presents the associated challenges and benefits of globally interconnected power grids and intercontinental interconnectors. Finally, in this paper, research directions in clean and sustainable energy, smart grid, UHV transmission systems that facilitate the global future grid interconnection goal are addressed.

Global warming and climate change coincide in their main causes, the massive emission of greenhouse gases, which retain heat in the atmosphere and on the earth's surface through the so-called greenhouse effect. The generation of electricity by means of fossil fuels is an important emitter of greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4, N2O), and halogenated compounds containing F, Cl, and Br. With the purpose of contributing to the construction of viable solutions to the current energy situation of the country and in the foundation of a sustainable future, the use of solar energy for the generation of electricity by means of solar panels represents an option. The purpose of this study is to describe and control the solar cell protection material Ethylene-Vinyl-Acetate (EVA), as a contribution to the Quality Assurance of solar panels, since the function of this material is essential for the protection of solar cells, which are a vital part of the solar panel. The tests performed were: Gel content, adhesion test, and durability tests. The results obtained were within specification according to IEC 61215. From this work it is concluded that it is important to continue testing the whole process and components of the solar panels in order to guarantee the useful life of the finished product, as well as to contribute to sustainable development.

Over the next fifty years, most new wealth will be accumulated in cities; this includes physical infrastructure (road, rail, electricity, telecommunications and sanitation), productive capital (houses, offices and factories) and knowledge capital (skills, knowhow and ideas). The development of cities will also determine humanity’s ability to preserve natural capital. Consequently, urbanization deserves urgent attention from policymakers, academics and businesses worldwide. The current global urbanization project is peaking and within a century it will be all but over. The richest and fastest growing cities are those which increasingly specialize in knowledge-based sectors, facilitating the flow of knowledge across people, institutions and enterprises. Well-governed, connected, clean and uncongested cities are likely to attract productive capital, talent and creativity. But the consequences of bad governance and inaction over planning can stymie performance and erode human welfare for decades or centuries.

Organic electronics is a platform for very low cost and high performance optoelectronic and electronic devices that cover large areas, are lightweight, and can be both flexible and conformable to irregularly shaped surfaces such as foldable smart phones. Organics are at the core of the global organic light emitting device (OLED) display industry, and also having use in efficient lighting sources, solar cells, and thin film transistors useful in medical and a range of other sensing, memory and logic applications. This book introduces the theoretical foundations and practical realization of devices in organic electronics. It is a product of both one and two semester courses that have been taught over a period of more than two decades. The target audiences are students at all levels of graduate studies, highly motivated senior undergraduates, and practicing engineers and scientists. The book is divided into two sections. Part I, Foundations, lays down the fundamental principles of the field of organic electronics. It is assumed that the reader has an elementary knowledge of quantum mechanics, and electricity and magnetism. Background knowledge of organic chemistry is not required. Part II, Applications, focuses on organic electronic devices. It begins with a discussion of organic thin film deposition and patterning, followed by chapters on organic light emitters, detectors, and thin film transistors. The last chapter describes several devices and phenomena that are not covered in the previous chapters, since they lie outside of the current mainstream of the field, but are nevertheless important.

Before this book was published in 1992, conceptual frameworks for brain function were based on the behavior of single neurons, applied globally. This book developed a different conceptual framework, based on large populations of neurons. This was done by showing that patterns of activities among the units in trained artificial neural network models had properties that resembled those recorded from populations of neurons recorded one at a time. It is one of the first books to bring together computational concepts and behavioral data within a neurobiological framework. Aimed at a broad audience of neuroscientists, computer scientists, cognitive scientists, and philosophers, the book is written for both expert and novice. This anniversary edition offers a new preface by the authors that puts the book in the context of current research. This approach influenced a generation of researchers in the field of neuroscience. Even today, when neuroscientists can routinely record from hundreds of neurons using optics rather than electricity, and the 2013 White House BRAIN initiative heralded a new era in innovative neurotechnologies, the main message of this book is still relevant.

For technical reasons, the amount of electricity fed to the electrical grid must always remain at the same level of the demand requested by theconsumers to prevent blackouts and damage to the network. This leads to situations where production is greater than consumption and vice versa. This is where storage system technologies and interconnection to the network play a key role in balancing these disadvantages. Untilrecently, the utility of energy storage systems was focused on improving the efficiency of conventional generation systems, such as the use of pumped hydroelectricity to supplement the supply to the network in periods of extra demand or for plant start-ups. This type of storage technology is today the most reliable and in many ways the only one economically available. However, its use it is limited to specific cases that meet strict characteristics. Currently globally, the approach to storage technologies of energy, is to help improve the overall sustainability of large quantities of renewable energies, coming from intermittent sources such like the sun, the sea or the wind

AbstractThis article analyses the contribution of sugar-cane bioelectricity to the distribution and diversification of power generation in Brazil. A transition is currently underway towards an energy mix characterized by natural gas and new renewable energy sources, mainly wind and solar. Energy security and industrial development priorities have created political and economic challenges for bioelectricity governance. However, meta-discourses of energy transition and bioeconomy are giving rise to selection pressures that are promoting institutional changes towards an expansion of the ethanol market. By using the multi-level perspective of transitions, this paper concludes that, given the technology in use for bioelectricity production, the critical financial state of the sugar-cane industry and the current priorities of the electricity marketing model, sugar-cane bioelectricity, which has a key role to play in the energy matrix, remains uncompetitive and dependent on specific public policies to support its expansion.

AbstractNuclear power is an important component of the global response to climate change. Nuclear power provides continuous electricity and can overcome the intermittency of the renewable energy sources dependent on wind and sun. Assurance of nuclear safety is essential for further expanding nuclear power as a part of the global response to climate change. The commitment to safety must be a universal priority, as the prospects for nuclear power everywhere would be adversely influenced by the public outcry following a serious nuclear event anywhere. The importance of the global nuclear safety regime was revealed by the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi NPP. The accident reinforced that in addition to the need to have a competent national nuclear safety system in place, it is ultimately important to have an international system that ensures that the relevant national institutions diligently and effectively fulfil their roles. This chapter examines the current global nuclear safety regime and suggests improvements, including through safety inspection, greater transparency measures, increased harmonization of standards, and others.

Due to the continuous resources’ reduction and cost increase of conventional fossil fuel along with the global trend to decrease the greenhouse effect, clean energy production from renewable sources has been given a global great concern. Among renewable energy sources, wind energy conversion systems have received a worldwide notable attention. It is expected that more than 10% of the global electricity demand will to be generated by wind energy conversion systems by the year 2020. During their early implementation stage, wind turbines were to be disconnected during abnormal and fault conditions within the electricity grid it is connected to. Owing to the fact that current wind installations supply a significant portion of the load demand, disconnecting windfarms may lead to business interruption and discontinuity of power supply to the end user. As such, transmission line operators have developed strict grid codes that wind turbine generator must meet to maintain its connection to support the grid during various fault conditions. To comply with these codes, flexible AC transmission systems have been widely used with current wind energy conversion systems to modulate reactive and/or active power at the point of common coupling of the wind turbine generator and the grid. This book presents the applications of various flexible ac transmission system devices to wind energy conversion systems. Devices such as unified power flow controllers, superconducting magnetic energy storage and static synchronous compensator are covered in this book. Topologies, control systems along with case studies of the aforementioned devices are presented and discussed. This book will be useful for postgraduate research students, upper-division electrical engineering students and practicing engineers.

AbstractChina’s power sector has contributed to more than 45 per cent of China’s total historical carbon emissions. The economic turnaround experienced in China since 1978 has increased incomes and the national gross domestic product, in part through actively embracing consumerism. Environmental exploitation and widespread pollution of air, soil and water have accompanied the development process. This chapter qualitatively explores China’s current development path by presenting a social science analysis of electricity consumption and energy services. The analysis will not encompass the whole energy sector but looks mainly at the services that electricity provides domestically in an urban Chinese context. Seeing needs and demand as socially constructed and developed over time through a variety of influences, the chapter analyses and assesses the services provided by electricity. The working hypothesis of this chapter is that we need to change from efficiency thinking to sufficiency thinking, i.e., the possibility of having enough of something for a particular purpose, and the onus should still be on the affluent population of the world. Nevertheless, China organises its economy according to market-based and government-guided principles and acts as a growth engine for global capitalist endeavours. To make headway, the chapter discusses two points: First, is energy growth in China mainly about developing basic services and infrastructures? Second, is it ethical or practical to argue for restrictions on energy growth in China?

AbstractThe lack of affordable, clean, and reliable energy in Africa’s rural areas forces people to resort to poor quality energy source, which is detrimental to the people’s health and prevents the economic development of communities. Moreover, access to safe water and food security are concerns closely linked to health issues and children malnourishment. Recent climate change due to global warming has worsened the already critical situation.Electricity is well known to be an enabler of development as it allows the use of modern devices thus enabling the development of not only income-generating activities but also water pumping and food processing and conservation that can promote socioeconomic growth. However, all of this is difficult to achieve due to the lack of investors, local skills, awareness by the community, and often also government regulations.All the above mentioned barriers to the uptake of electricity in rural Kenya could be solved by the coordinated effort of government, private sector, and academia, also referred to as Triple Helix, in which each entity may partially take the other’s role. This chapter discretizes the above and shows how a specific county (Marsabit) has benefited from this triple intervention. Existing government policies and actions and programs led by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and international agencies are reviewed, highlighting the current interconnection and gaps in promoting integrated actions toward climate change adaptation and energy access.

Bulk power system based on fossil fuels becomes less reliable and stable in economic terms, technically more labor-consuming and harmful environmental impact. These problems have led many countries to find ways to supply the electricity from a green and sustainable energy source. The electricity derived from renewable energy sources such as hydro, solar, wind, biomass and geothermal refers to as green and sustainable energy. Geothermal energy is not only utilized for electric power generation, but it is also exploited to generate environmentally friendly heat energy. As of the end of 2018, geothermal global cumulative installed capacity exceeded 13 GW, generated an energy of about 630 peta joule (PJ). This chapter presents the geothermal energy resource in terms of the types of power plants, principle of the electricity generation and current world status of geothermal resource utilization. The issues such as advantages and disadvantages of geothermal energy economically and environmentally and means to overcome shortcomings are also considered. The main barriers for the development of geothermal industry include high resource and exploration risk, overall high development cost particularly drilling, and inadequate financing and grant support. The global averaged cost of electricity for the geothermal facility is nearly 0.072 USD/kWh as compared to 0.056 for onshore wind and 0.047 USD/kWh for hydropower. However, the technology is rather competitive to other renewables such as concentrating solar power (0.185 USD/kWh) and offshore wind (0.127 USD/kWh). Meanwhile, further research and development is critically needed to eliminate the non-condensable gases (NCGs) associated with the geothermal power generation.

This chapter traces the history of attempts and achievements in regulating the use of nuclear energy and material, focusing on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. Ever since its invention, the nuclear weapon has occupied a special place in the global security order, both militarily and politically, due to its extraordinary destructive power. This picture is further complicated by the fact that nuclear material has both military and civilian uses. Civilian use of nuclear material includes generating electricity through nuclear reactors. Nuclear material also has medical, agricultural, and other peaceful applications, such as its use in the treatment of cancer. The chapter assesses in detail such treaties as the Partial Test Ban Treaty, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. It also looks at the current challenges involving the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Iran.

This chapter attempts to study the view of Turkish consumers towards various types of renewable energy production methods and to assess whether consumers will pay premium prices for different types of renewable sources. The chapter makes use of an online survey for data collection. 927 responses were collected in total during 2015. 92% of the respondents state that they believe in global warming. The results indicate that one-fourth of the consumers are not willing to pay anything extra if electricity is obtained from renewable sources. However, almost half thinks that they could pay 5% to 10% more. In terms of the importance placed by the consumers on different means of electricity generation by renewable sources, the highest importance is placed on solar energy, followed by wind, biomass, and hydroelectric. Policy makers in the public and private sectors can consider these results when making changes to the current energy generation and distribution infrastructure.

This chapter attempts to study the view of Turkish consumers towards various types of renewable energy production methods and to assess whether consumers will pay premium prices for different types of renewable sources. The chapter makes use of an online survey for data collection. 927 responses were collected in total during 2015. 92% of the respondents state that they believe in global warming. The results indicate that one-fourth of the consumers are not willing to pay anything extra if electricity is obtained from renewable sources. However, almost half thinks that they could pay 5% to 10% more. In terms of the importance placed by the consumers on different means of electricity generation by renewable sources, the highest importance is placed on solar energy, followed by wind, biomass, and hydroelectric. Policy makers in the public and private sectors can consider these results when making changes to the current energy generation and distribution infrastructure.

This paper is based on data compiled in the course of developing, for InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB), a WTE Guidebook for managers and policymakers in the Latin America and Caribbean region. As part of this work, a list was compiled of nearly all plants in the world that thermally treat nearly 200 million tons of municipal solid wastes (MSW) and produce electricity and heat. An estimated 200 WTE facilities were built, during the first decade of the 21st century, mostly in Europe and Asia. The great majority of these plants use the grate combustion of as-received MSW and produce electricity. The dominance of the grate combustion technology is apparently due to simplicity of operation, high plant availability (>90%), and facility for training personnel at existing plants. Novel gasification processes have been implemented mostly in Japan but a compilation of all Japanese WTE facilities showed that 84% of Japan’s MSW is treated in grate combustion plants. Several small-scale WTE plants (<5 tons/hour) are operating in Europe and Japan and are based both on grate combustion and in implementing WTE projects. This paper is based on the sections of the WTE Guidebook that discuss the current use of WTE technology around the world. Since the beginning of history, humans have generated solid wastes and disposed them in makeshift waste dumps or set them on fire. After the industrial revolution, near the end of the 18th century, the amount of goods used and then discarded by people increased so much that it was necessary for cities to provide landfills and incinerators for disposing wastes. The management of urban, or municipal, solid wastes (MSW) became problematic since the middle of the 20th century when the consumption of goods, and the corresponding generation of MSW, increased by an order of magnitude. In response, the most advanced countries developed various means and technologies for dealing with solid wastes. These range from reducing wastes by designing products and packaging, to gasification technologies. Lists of several European plants are presented that co-combust medical wastes (average of 1.8% of the total feedstock) and wastewater plant residue (average of 2% of the feedstock).

Promotion of the utilization of natural energy is urgent as a countermeasure to global warming. There are several kinds of energy resources in the ocean: waves, thermal differences, tidal levels and tidal currents. A feasibility study on tidal current power generation in Kanmon Strait, Japan is introduced in this report. A variable mesh version of the Marine Environmental Committee ocean model is used to reproduce the tidal current and to learn the distribution of tidal kinetic energy. Based on the simulation results, the optimal location for installation of a power plant is determined. The electric power created by a propeller type generator with a 10m diameter is also calculated as the average annual consumption of a household and availability of the power generation by the tidal current in Kanmon Strait is discussed.

Electrical power is a resource humans heavily rely on, and it has become a basic human need. Today, the major sources of electricity generation are fossil fuels, renewable energy, and nuclear power. This paper concentrates on electricity generated through nuclear power and compares it to the other electricity generation technologies. The objective behind this paper is to discover the impact that nuclear power has on the total electricity generated in Canada, and in addition on a global scale. The paper presents the current role that nuclear power plays in the global electricity generation, and also the expansions that need to be made in the nuclear power industry to fulfill the future electrical power demands. A number of projections have been made based on the current rate of nuclear reactors being put into operation, which is approximately 4 reactors per year, and current term of reactor operation, which is 45 years. These projections were made for the nuclear power in the world. A major outcome of this analysis projects that between 2030 and 2035, the number of operating nuclear reactors in the world can drop by 50%. If this dangerous trend is not addressed, we can lose a viable, and reliable source of energy. The datasets that were analyzed during the process were taken from multiple open literature sources such as journals, reports, and online databases. The paper presents a comparison between nuclear power and other energy sources, and the positive impact nuclear power can have on the world if needed advancements were made in building new nuclear power plants.

Abstract Geothermal energy development is of critical importance to meet the global challenge of energy transition. This work demonstrates that existing oil and gas industry tools can be used to evaluate the potential of geothermal energy production from mature oilfields using the heat contained in the produced fluids. This can contribute to a decarbonation strategy and be profitable since most of the costs (drilling, pumps…) are already supported by oil production operations. The only additional costs consist in surface facilities to convert thermal energy into electricity. The aim of the study is to evaluate the potential of a mature oil field to generate electricity and predict the evolution of energy potential with time considering the current development plan for the field. This plan was designed to maximize oil production in the field and did not consider possible electricity cogeneration from geothermal energy. The study was conducted in a sector of a mature oilfield including 15 producers currently producing about 10,000 barrels of liquid per day and with a 97% water-cut. A workflow was created to estimate the potential of electricity generation considering current and forecast liquid production rates, the nature of the secondary working fluid used in the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) and the minimum ejection temperature limits, defined by the operator, to avoid difficulties in surface separation processes. This paper describes the surface process used for thermal energy to electricity conversion, and presents the workflow used to estimate electricity generated from simulation results considering uncertainty tied to some fluids and rocks parameters.

Many power plants in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) region require a large amount of water for system cooling. To improve the understanding of potential risks of electricity generation curtailment due to drought, an assessment of water availability and its potential impacts on generation during drought was performed. For this impact analysis, we identified three drought scenarios based on historical drought records and projected climate data from the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory global climate model, for greenhouse gas emission scenario A2 defined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The three drought scenarios are (1) 2011 drought conditions (the worst drought in history), with the current level of water use; (2) a single-year drought (2022) projected for the period of 2020–2030, with the assumed projected water use level for 2030; and (3) a multiple-year drought constructed with climate data for 1950–1957 and water demand projected for 2030. The projected drought scenario in 2022 and the historical droughts in 2011 and 1950–1957 represent two different precipitation patterns in the Texas-Gulf river basin. The hydrologic model constructed for the Texas-Gulf river basin covers most of the ERCOT region. The model incorporates climate and water use data that correspond to three drought scenarios, respectively, to estimate evapotranspiration, water yield from watersheds, stream flow and water storage in reservoirs. Using criteria based on observed (< 50% storage) and predicted (< 55% storage) reservoir data, we identified 15 low-storage reservoirs in 2011, 10 in 2022, and 20 in 1956 (the last year of the multiple-year drought). The power plants that are supported by these reservoirs would be potentially at risk of being derated for thermoelectric cooling because of a lack of water supply. These power plants are located mainly in watersheds near and between Houston and Austin, as well as surrounding Dallas.

In December 2007 the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) took place in Bali. It was based on the IPCC report no. 4 presented in Barcelona on November 2007. The messages are briefly: • Warming of the climate system is unequivocal; • Global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions due to human activities have grown since pre-industrial times; • Continued GHG emissions at or above current rates would cause further warming and induce many changes in the global climate system during the 21st century that would very likely be larger than those observed during the 20th century; • Key mitigation technologies in the waste sector: Landfill Gas (LFG) methane recovery; waste incineration with energy recovery; composting of organic waste; controlled waste water treatment; recycling and waste minimisation; biocovers and biofilters to optimise methane oxidation. The above by the IPCC proposed mitigation technologies for the waste sector can be categorized regarding specific waste treatment scenarios and their efficiency expressed in kg CO2 equivalent emitted per ton of waste. • Landfill w/o LFG recovery 1850 kg CO2-eq; • Landfill with LFG recovery 250–775 kg CO2-eq; • Energy-from-Waste plant −1000..−100 kg CO2-eq. With a population of little over 300 million people and a per capita municipal waste generation rate of 760 kg/person.year, the total waste generated in the USA is about 230 million Mg/year (OECD). With the treatment scenarios discussed above, the following can be stated: • If all wastes were landfilled waste disposal would correspond to 425 million tons of CO2 equivalents. • If all wastes were incinerated in Energy-from-Waste (EfW) plants, the emissions could be reduced by about 500 million tons of CO2 equivalents (about 9% of today’s US CO2 output) and make the waste management sector a GHG emissions sink. • The total electricity generated from EfW plants could be as high as 15,000 MW replacing about 50 standard 300 MW power plant units. To an average US 4 person household about 3 t/year of municipal solid wastes can be allocated, corresponding to an annual difference between landfilling without LFG recovery and EfW treatment of about 6.9 Mg CO2-eq /year. If this household wanted to achieve the same reduction of CO2 equivalent emissions by other means than having these wastes burnt in a modern EfW plant, they have the following options: • Remove one automobile from use (EPA: 6.0 Mg CO2-eq /year); • Cut household electricity consumption by 80% (EIA: 7.8 Mg CO2-eq /year). The European parliament commission has proposed to reduce CO2 emissions in Europe to 20–30% below 1990 levels. In comparison with Europe, annual GHG emissions (CO2-eq/person year) in the U.S. today are on a level about double that of the Europe. In order to achieve a similar reduction in the U.S., significant efforts have to be done on all energy fronts. Energy-from-Waste (EfW) is one of them, which at the same time solves a space and pollution problem and does not leave these issues to future generations.

It is broadly accepted that current energy systems should become more sustainable in both a global and local context. However, setting common goals and shared objectives and determining the appropriate means by which to get there is the subject of heavy debate. Therefore, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the German Association of Engineers (VDI) initiated a joint project aimed at providing a young engineers’ perspective to the global energy conversation. The young engineer project teams set a common goal of assembling a completely sustainable energy system for the U.S. and Germany by 2050. This includes not only the electricity market, but the overall energy system. Based on the current global energy paradigm, a completely sustainable energy system seems very ambitious. However, multiple analyses show that this path is possible and would in the medium to long run not only be desirable, but also competitive in the market. This future ‘energy puzzle’ consists of many important pieces, and the overall picture must be shaped by an overarching strategy of sustainability. Besides the many detailed pieces, four main critical issues must be addressed by engineers, politicians and everybody else alike. These challenges are: i) Rational use of energy: This uncomfortable topic is rather unappealing to communicate, but is a key issue to reduce energy demand and to meet the potentials of renewable energy carriers. ii) Balancing of electricity demand and generation: This is a challenge to the electricity markets and infrastructures that are currently designed for base-load, mainly fossil power plants. The overall mix of renewable energy generation, storage technologies, grid infrastructure, and power electronics will decide how efficient and reliable a future energy system will be. iii) Cost efficiency and competitiveness: It is a prerequisite for industrialized countries to stay competitive and to establish RE in the market. Developing economic technologies while at the same time establishing a strong RE market is the secret of success. iv) Acceptance of the system and its consequences: The best energy strategy cannot be realized without broad public acceptance for it. Therefore, the understanding of the energy technologies and an objective discussion must be promoted — without old fashioned emotionalizing of certain risks. The paper will present details on the four mentioned aspects, compare the situations between the U.S. and Germany, and propose solutions for appropriate political frame conditions to achieve a sustainable energy system.

The industrial sector is the largest consumer of produced electric energy worldwide. Electric motor systems account for about 70 percent of the total industrial electricity demand and possess a great cost and energy saving potential. The paper provides an overview of global and regional efforts to create awareness for potential cost drivers in the industry. Various software and excel-based tools for a preliminary estimation of the energy consumption of electric motor systems are available in the market, but a holistic approach is missing. Therefore a framework and a systematic process for the estimation of potential energy savings in motor systems running on alternating current are illustrated in this paper. Moreover a new software tool is discussed, that allows a holistic view on all motor systems within a company without cost-intensive measurements or the use of external consultants.

1. Macroeconomic Summary In December, headline inflation (13.1%) and the average of the core inflation measures (10.3%) continued to trend upward, posting higher rates than those estimated by the Central Bank's technical staff and surpassing the market average. Inflation expectations for all terms exceeded the 3.0% target. In that month, every major group in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) registered higher-than-estimated increases, and the diffusion indicators continued to show generalized price hikes. Accumulated exchange rate pressures on prices, indexation to high inflation rates, and several food supply shocks would explain, in part, the acceleration in inflation. All of this is in a context of significant surplus demand, a tight labor market, and inflation expectations at different terms that exceed the 3.0% target. Compared to the October edition of the Monetary Policy Report, the forecast path for headline and core inflation (excluding food and regulated items: EFR) increased (Graphs 1.1 and 1.2), reflecting heightened accumulated exchange rate pressures, price indexation to a higher inflation rate (CPI and the producer price index: PPI), and the rise in labor costs attributed to a larger-than-estimated adjustment in the minimum wage. Nevertheless, headline inflation is expected to begin to ease by early 2023, although from a higher level than had been estimated in October. This would be supported initially by the slowdown forecast for the food CPI due to a high base of comparison, the end anticipated for the shocks that have affected the prices of these products, and the estimated improvement in external and domestic supply in this sector. In turn, the deterioration in real household income because of high inflation and the end of the effects of pent-up demand, plus tighter external and domestic financial conditions would contribute to diluting surplus demand in 2023 and reducing inflation. By the end of 2023, both headline and core (EFR) inflation would reach 8.7% and would be 3.5% and 3.8%, respectively, by December 2024. These forecasts are subject to a great deal of uncertainty, especially concerning the future behavior of international financial conditions, the evolution of the exchange rate, the pace of adjustment in domestic demand, the extent of indexation of nominal contracts, and the decisions taken regarding the domestic price of fuel and electricity. In the third quarter, economic activity surprised again on the upside and the growth projection for 2022 rose to 8.0% (previously 7.9%). However, it declined to 0.2% for 2023 (previously 0.5%). With this, surplus demand continues to be significant and is still expected to weaken during the current year. Annual economic growth in the third quarter (7.1 % SCA)1 was higher than estimated in October (6.4 % SCA), given stronger domestic demand specifically because of higher-than-expected investment. Private consumption fell from the high level witnessed a quarter earlier and net exports registered a more negative contribution than anticipated. For the fourth quarter, economic activity indicators suggest that gross domestic product (GDP) would have remained high and at a level similar to that observed in the third quarter, with an annual variation of 4.1%. Domestic demand would have slowed in annual terms, although at levels that would have remained above those for output, mainly because of considerable private consumption. Investment would have declined slightly to a value like the average observed in 2019. The real trade deficit would have decreased due to a drop in imports that was more pronounced than the estimated decline in exports. On the forecast horizon, consumption is expected to decline from current elevated levels, partly because of tighter domestic financial conditions and a deterioration in real income due to high inflation. Investment would also weaken and return to levels below those seen before the pandemic. In real terms, the trade deficit would narrow due to a lower momentum projection for domestic demand and higher cumulative real depreciation. In sum, economic growth for all of 2022, 2023, and 2024 would stand at 8.0%, 0.2% and 1.0%, respectively (Graph 1.3). Surplus demand remains high (as measured by the output gap) and is expected to decline in 2023 and could turn negative in 2024 (Graph 1.4). Although the macroeconomic forecast includes a marked slowdown in the economy, an even greater adjustment in domestic absorption cannot be ruled out due to the cumulative effects of tighter external and domestic financial conditions, among other reasons. These estimates continue to be subject to a high degree of uncertainty, which is associated with factors such as global political tensions, changes in international interest rates and their effects on external demand, global risk aversion, the effects of the approved tax reform, the possible impact of reforms announced for this year (pension, health, and labor reforms, among others), and future measures regarding hydrocarbon production. In 2022, the current account deficit would have been high (6.3 % of GDP), but it would be corrected significantly in 2023 (to 3.9 % of GDP) given the expected slowdown in domestic demand. Despite favorable terms of trade, the high external imbalance that would occur during 2022 would be largely due to domestic demand growth, cost pressures associated with high freight rates, higher external debt service payments, and good performance in terms of the profits of foreign companies.2 By 2023, the adjustment in domestic demand would be reflected in a smaller current account deficit especially due to fewer imports, a global moderation in prices and cost pressures, and a reduction in profits remitted abroad by companies with foreign direct investment (FDI) focused on the local market. Despite this anticipated correction in the external imbalance, its level as a percentage of GDP would remain high in the context of tight financial conditions. In the world's main economies, inflation forecasts and expectations point to a reduction by 2023, but at levels that still exceed their central banks' targets. The path anticipated for the Federal Reserve (Fed) interest rate increased and the forecast for global growth continues to be moderate. In the fourth quarter of 2022, logistics costs and international prices for some foods, oil and energy declined from elevated levels, bringing downward pressure to bear on global inflation. Meanwhile, the higher cost of financing, the loss of real income due to high levels of global inflation, and the persistence of the war in Ukraine, among other factors, have contributed to the reduction in global economic growth forecasts. In the United States, inflation turned out to be lower than estimated and the members of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) reduced the growth forecast for 2023. Nevertheless, the actual level of inflation in that country, its forecasts, and expectations exceed the target. Also, the labor market remains tight, and fiscal policy is still expansionary. In this environment, the Fed raised the expected path for policy interest rates and, with this, the market average estimates higher levels for 2023 than those forecast in October. In the region's emerging economies, country risk premia declined during the quarter and the currencies of those countries appreciated against the US dollar. Considering all the above, for the current year, the Central Bank's technical staff increased the path estimated for the Fed's interest rate, reduced the forecast for growth in the country's external demand, lowered the expected path of oil prices, and kept the country’s risk premium assumption high, but at somewhat lower levels than those anticipated in the previous Monetary Policy Report. Moreover, accumulated inflationary pressures originating from the behavior of the exchange rate would continue to be important. External financial conditions facing the economy have improved recently and could be associated with a more favorable international context for the Colombian economy. So far this year, there has been a reduction in long-term bond interest rates in the markets of developed countries and an increase in the prices of risky assets, such as stocks. This would be associated with a faster-than-expected reduction in inflation in the United States and Europe, which would allow for a less restrictive course for monetary policy in those regions. In this context, the risks of a global recession have been reduced and the global appetite for risk has increased. Consequently, the risk premium continues to decline, the Colombian peso has appreciated significantly, and TES interest rates have decreased. Should this trend consolidate, exchange rate inflationary pressures could be less than what was incorporated into the macroeconomic forecast. Uncertainty about external forecasts and their impact on the country remains high, given the unpredictable course of the war in Ukraine, geopolitical tensions, local uncertainty, and the extensive financing needs of the Colombian government and the economy. High inflation with forecasts and expectations above 3.0%, coupled with surplus demand and a tight labor market are compatible with a contractionary stance on monetary policy that is conducive to the macroeconomic adjustment needed to mitigate the risk of de-anchoring inflation expectations and to ensure that inflation converges to the target. Compared to the forecasts in the October edition of the Monetary Policy Report, domestic demand has been more dynamic, with a higher observed level of output exceeding the productive capacity of the economy. In this context of surplus demand, headline and core inflation continued to trend upward and posted surprising increases. Observed and expected international interest rates increased, the country’s risk premia lessened (but remains at high levels), and accumulated exchange rate pressures are still significant. The technical staff's inflation forecast for 2023 increased and inflation expectations remain well above 3.0%. All in all, the risk of inflation expectations becoming unanchored persists, which would accentuate the generalized indexation process and push inflation even further away from the target. This macroeconomic context requires consolidating a contractionary monetary policy stance that aims to meet the inflation target within the forecast horizon and bring the economy's output to levels closer to its potential. 1.2 Monetary Policy Decision At its meetings in December 2022 and January 2023, Banco de la República’s Board of Directors (BDBR) agreed to continue the process of normalizing monetary policy. In December, the BDBR decided by a majority vote to increase the monetary policy interest rate by 100 basis points (bps) and in its January meeting by 75 bps, bringing it to 12.75% (Graph 1.5). 1/ Seasonally and calendar adjusted. 2/ In the current account aggregate, the pressures for a higher external deficit come from those companies with FDI that are focused on the domestic market. In contrast, profits in the mining and energy sectors are more than offset by the external revenue they generate through exports. Box 1 - Electricity Rates: Recent Developments and Indexation. Author: Édgar Caicedo García, Pablo Montealegre Moreno and Álex Fernando Pérez Libreros Box 2 - Indicators of Household Indebtedness. Author: Camilo Gómez y Juan Sebastián Mariño

1.1 Macroeconomic summary In September, headline inflation (11.4% annually) and the average of core inflation indicators (8.6% annually) continued on a rising trend, and higher increases than expected were recorded. Forecasts increased again, and inflation expectations remained above 3%. Inflationary surprises in the third quarter were significant and widespread, and they are the result of several shocks. On the one hand, international cost and price shocks, which have mainly affected goods and foods, continue to exert upwards pressure on national inflation. In addition to these external supply shocks, domestic supply shocks have also affected foods. On the other hand, the strong recovery of aggregate demand, especially for private consumption and for machinery and equipment, as well as a higher accumulated depreciation of the Colombian peso and its pass-through to domestic prices also explain the rise in inflation. Indexation also contributes, both through the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and through the Producer Price Index (PPI), which continues to have a significant impact on electricity prices and, to a lesser degree, on other public utilities and rent. In comparison with July’s report, the new forecast trajectory for headline and core inflation (excluding food and regulated items) is higher in the forecast horizon, mainly due to exchange rate pressures, higher excess demand, and indexation at higher inflation rates, but it maintains a trend of convergence towards the target. In the case of food, a good domestic supply of perishable foods and some moderation in international processed food prices are still expected. However, the technical staff estimates higher pressures on this group’s prices from labor costs, raw material prices, and exchange rates. In terms of the CPI for regulated items, the new forecast supposes reductions in electricity prices at the end of the year, but the effects of indexation at higher inflation rates and the expected rises in fuel prices would continue to push this CPI group. Therefore, the new projection suggests that, in December, inflation would reach 11.3% and would decrease throughout 2023 and 2024, closing the year at 7.1% and 3.5%, respectively. These forecasts have a high level of uncertainty, due especially to the future behavior of international financial conditions, external price and cost shocks, the persistence of depreciation of the Colombian peso, the pace of adjustment of domestic demand, the indexation degree of nominal contracts, and the decisions that would be made regarding domestic fuel and electricity prices. Economic activity continues to surprise on the upside, and the projection of growth for 2022 rose from 6.9% to 7.9% but lowered for 2023 from 1.1% to 0.5%. Thus, excess demand is higher than estimated in the previous report, and it would diminish in 2023. Economic growth in the second quarterwas higher than estimated in July due to stronger domestic demand, mainly because of private consumption. Economic activity indicators for the third quarter suggest that the GDP would stay at a high level, above its potential, with an annual change of 6.4%, and 0.6% higher than observed in the second quarter. Nevertheless, these numbers reflect deceleration in its quarterly and annual growth. Domestic demand would show similar behavior, with a high value, higher than that of output. This can be explained partly by the strong behavior of private consumption and investment in machinery and equipment. In the third quarter, investment in construction would have continued with mediocre performance, which would still place it at levels lower than those observed before the pandemic. The trade deficit would have widened due to high imports with a stronger trend than that for exports. It is expected that, in the forecast horizon, consumption would decrease from its current high levels, partly as a consequence of tighter domestic financial conditions, lower repressed demand, higher exchange rate pressures on imported goods prices, and the deterioration of actual income due to the rise in inflation. Investment would continue to lag behind, without reaching the levels observed before the pandemic, in a context of high financing costs and high uncertainty. A lower projected behavior in domestic demand and the high levels of prices for oil and other basic goods that the country exports would be reflected in a reduction in the trade deficit. Due to all of this, economic growth for all of 2022, 2023, and 2024 would be 7.9%, 0.5%, and 1.3%, respectively. Expected excess demand (measured via the output gap) is estimated to be higher than contemplated in the previous report; it would diminish in 2023 and could turn negative in 2024. These estimates remain subject to a high degree of uncertainty related to global political tension, a rise in international interest rates, and the effects of this rise on demand and financial conditions abroad. In the domestic context, the evolution of fiscal policy as well as future measures regarding economic policy and their possible effects on macroeconomic imbalances in the country, among others, are factors that generate uncertainty and affect risk premia, the exchange rate, investment, and the country’s economic activity. Interest rates at several of the world’s main central banks continue to rise, some at a pace higher than expected by the market. This is in response to the high levels of inflation and their inflation expectations, which continue to exceed the targets. Thus, global growth projections are still being moderated, risk premia have risen, and the dollar continues to gain strength against other main currencies. International pressures on global inflation have heightened. In the United States, core inflation has not receded, pressured by the behavior of the CPI for services and a tight labor market. Consequently, the U.S. Federal Reserve continued to increase the policy interest rate at a strong pace. This rate is expected to now reach higher levels than projected in the previous quarter. Other developed and emerging economies have also increased their policy interest rates. Thus, international financial conditions have tightened significantly, which reflects in a widespread strengthening of the dollar, increases in worldwide risk premia, and the devaluation of risky assets. Recently, these effects have been stronger in Colombia than in the majority of its peers in the region. Considering all of the aforementioned, the technical staff of the bank increased its assumption regarding the U.S. Federal Reserve’s interest rate, reduced the country’s external demand growth forecast, and raised the projected trajectory for the risk premium. The latter remains elevated at higher levels than its historical average, within a context of high local uncertainty and of extensive financing needs from the foreign sector and the public sector. All of this results in higher inflationary pressures associated to the depreciation of the Colombian peso. The uncertainty regarding external forecasts and its impact on the country remain elevated, given the unforeseeable evolution of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, of geopolitical tensions, and of the tightening of external financial conditions, among others. A macroeconomic context of high inflation, inflation expectations and forecasts above 3%, and a positive output gap suggests the need for contractionary monetary policy, compatible with the macroeconomic adjustment necessary to eliminate excess demand, mitigate the risk of unanchoring in inflation expectations, and guarantee convergence of inflation at the target. In comparison with the July report forecasts, domestic demand has been more dynamic, with a higher observed output level that surpasses the economy’s productive capacity. Headline and core inflation have registered surprising rises, associated with the effects of domestic and external price shocks that were more persistent than anticipated, with excess demand and indexation processes in some CPI groups. The country’s risk premium and the observed and expected international interest rates increased. As a consequence of this, inflationary pressures from the exchange rate rose, and in this report, the probability of the neutral real interest rate being higher than estimated increased. In general, inflation expectations for all terms and the bank’s technical staff inflation forecast for 2023 increased again and continue to stray from 3%. All of the aforementioned elevated the risk of unanchoring inflation expectations and could heighten widespread indexation processes that push inflation away from the target for a longer time. In this context, it is necessary to consolidate a contractionary monetary policy that tends towards convergence of inflation at the target in the forecast horizon and towards the reduction of excess demand in order to guarantee a sustainable output level trajectory. 1.2 Monetary policy decision In its September and October of 2022 meetings, Banco de la República’s Board of Directors (BDBR) decided to continue adjusting its monetary policy. In September, the BDBR decided by a majority vote to raise the monetary policy interest rate by 100 basis points (bps), and in its October meeting, unanimously, by 100bps. Therefore, the rate is at 11.0%. Boxes 1 Food inflation: a comparison with other countries