Toward a Sustainable Global Energy Supply Infrastructure : Net Energy Balance and Density Considerations

Kessides, Ioannis N.; Wade, David C.

dc.creator	Kessides, Ioannis N.
dc.creator	Wade, David C.
dc.date	2012-03-19T18:00:03Z
dc.date	2012-03-19T18:00:03Z
dc.date	2011-01-01
dc.date.accessioned	2023-02-17T20:54:12Z
dc.date.available	2023-02-17T20:54:12Z
dc.identifier	http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20110118143248
dc.identifier	http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3311
dc.identifier.uri	http://localhost:8080/xmlui/handle/CUHPOERS/244198
dc.description	This paper complements previous work on the economics of different energy resources by examining the growth potential of alternative electricity supply infrastructures as constrained by innate physical limits. Coal-fired generation meets the criteria of longevity (abundance of energy source) and scalability (effective capability to expand to the multi-terawatt level) which are critical for a sustainable energy supply chain, but it carries a very heavy carbon footprint. Renewables and nuclear power meet both the longevity and climate friendliness criteria. However, they vary in terms of their ability to deliver net energy at a scale needed for meeting a huge global energy demand. The low density of renewable resources for electricity generation and the current intermittency of many renewables limit their ability to achieve high rates of growth. And a significant global increase in nuclear power deployment could engender serious risks related to proliferation, safety, and waste disposal. Unlike renewable sources of energy, nuclear power is an unforgiving technology because human lapses and errors can have ecological and social impacts that are catastrophic and irreversible. The transition to a low carbon economy is likely to prove much more challenging than some optimists have claimed.
dc.language	English
dc.relation	Policy Research working paper ; no. WPS 5539
dc.rights	CC BY 3.0 IGO
dc.rights	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/
dc.rights	World Bank
dc.subject	AIR
dc.subject	ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
dc.subject	ALTERNATIVE FUELS
dc.subject	ALTERNATIVE TECHNOLOGIES
dc.subject	ALTITUDE
dc.subject	ANTHROPOGENIC GREENHOUSE
dc.subject	ANTHROPOGENIC GREENHOUSE WARMING
dc.subject	ATMOSPHERE
dc.subject	ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE
dc.subject	AVAILABILITY
dc.subject	CALCULATION
dc.subject	CAPACITY FACTOR
dc.subject	CAPACITY FACTORS
dc.subject	CARBON
dc.subject	CARBON CAPTURE
dc.subject	CARBON DIOXIDE
dc.subject	CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS
dc.subject	CARBON ECONOMY
dc.subject	CARBON EMISSION
dc.subject	CARBON FOOTPRINT
dc.subject	CARBON INTENSITY
dc.subject	CARBON SUPPLY
dc.subject	CLEAN COAL
dc.subject	CLEAN COAL TECHNOLOGIES
dc.subject	CLIMATE
dc.subject	CLIMATE CHANGE
dc.subject	CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY
dc.subject	CLIMATE POLICY
dc.subject	CLOUD COVER
dc.subject	CO
dc.subject	CO2
dc.subject	COAL
dc.subject	COAL RESERVES
dc.subject	COAL TECHNOLOGIES
dc.subject	COMBUSTION
dc.subject	CONVENTIONAL FOSSIL FUELS
dc.subject	CONVENTIONAL FUELS
dc.subject	CONVENTIONAL OIL
dc.subject	CONVERGENCE
dc.subject	CONVERSION PROCESS
dc.subject	COST OF ENERGY
dc.subject	ELECTRICITY
dc.subject	ELECTRICITY GENERATION
dc.subject	ELECTRICITY GENERATION CAPACITY
dc.subject	ELECTRICITY GENERATION TECHNOLOGIES
dc.subject	ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION
dc.subject	ELECTRICITY SUPPLY
dc.subject	EMISSION
dc.subject	EMISSIONS FROM COAL
dc.subject	END USE
dc.subject	END USER
dc.subject	ENERGY ANALYSIS
dc.subject	ENERGY CARRIER
dc.subject	ENERGY CARRIERS
dc.subject	ENERGY CONSUMPTION
dc.subject	ENERGY COSTS
dc.subject	ENERGY ECONOMICS
dc.subject	ENERGY EXTRACTION
dc.subject	ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE
dc.subject	ENERGY INPUT
dc.subject	ENERGY INVESTMENTS
dc.subject	ENERGY MARKETS
dc.subject	ENERGY MIX
dc.subject	ENERGY OUTLOOK
dc.subject	ENERGY OUTPUT
dc.subject	ENERGY PERFORMANCE
dc.subject	ENERGY POLICY
dc.subject	ENERGY PROBLEM
dc.subject	ENERGY PRODUCTION
dc.subject	ENERGY REQUIREMENTS
dc.subject	ENERGY RESOURCES
dc.subject	ENERGY SOURCE
dc.subject	ENERGY SOURCES
dc.subject	ENERGY SYSTEMS
dc.subject	ENERGY USE
dc.subject	ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
dc.subject	ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
dc.subject	EVAPORATION
dc.subject	EXCESS CAPACITY
dc.subject	FOSSIL
dc.subject	FOSSIL FUEL
dc.subject	FOSSIL FUEL POLLUTANTS
dc.subject	FOSSIL FUEL RESOURCES
dc.subject	FOSSIL FUELS
dc.subject	FOSSIL-FUEL
dc.subject	FUEL
dc.subject	FUEL EXTRACTION
dc.subject	FUEL USE
dc.subject	GAS PLANTS
dc.subject	GAS RESERVES
dc.subject	GAS TURBINE
dc.subject	GASES
dc.subject	GENERATING CAPACITY
dc.subject	GENERATION
dc.subject	GENERATION SYSTEMS
dc.subject	GHG
dc.subject	GLOBAL ELECTRICITY GENERATION
dc.subject	GLOBAL ENERGY DEMAND
dc.subject	GLOBAL ENERGY MIX
dc.subject	GLOBAL ENERGY SUPPLY
dc.subject	GOLD
dc.subject	GREENHOUSE
dc.subject	GREENHOUSE GAS
dc.subject	GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
dc.subject	GREENHOUSE GAS MITIGATION
dc.subject	GROWTH IN ENERGY DEMAND
dc.subject	HEAT
dc.subject	HEAVY METALS
dc.subject	HIGH ENERGY DENSITY
dc.subject	HIGHER ENERGY DENSITY
dc.subject	HOT WATER
dc.subject	HYDROELECTRIC ENERGY
dc.subject	HYDROELECTRIC POWER
dc.subject	HYDROPOWER
dc.subject	INSOLATION
dc.subject	INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY
dc.subject	IRON
dc.subject	KINETIC ENERGY
dc.subject	LARGE WIND FARMS
dc.subject	LIQUID FUELS
dc.subject	LIVING STANDARDS
dc.subject	LNG
dc.subject	LOAD FACTOR
dc.subject	LOW-CARBON
dc.subject	MERCURY
dc.subject	MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES
dc.subject	NATIONAL ENERGY DEMAND
dc.subject	NATURAL GAS
dc.subject	NET ENERGY BALANCE
dc.subject	NEW PLANT
dc.subject	NEW PLANTS
dc.subject	NITROGEN
dc.subject	NITROGEN OXIDES
dc.subject	NUCLEAR ENERGY
dc.subject	NUCLEAR PLANTS
dc.subject	NUCLEAR POWER
dc.subject	NUCLEAR POWER PLANT
dc.subject	NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
dc.subject	NUCLEAR POWER STATIONS
dc.subject	NUCLEAR REACTORS
dc.subject	NUCLEAR SAFETY
dc.subject	OIL
dc.subject	OIL EQUIVALENT
dc.subject	OIL GAS COAL
dc.subject	OIL SANDS
dc.subject	PARTICULATE
dc.subject	PARTICULATE MATTER
dc.subject	PETROLEUM
dc.subject	PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
dc.subject	PHOTOVOLTAICS
dc.subject	PHYSICS
dc.subject	PLANT PERFORMANCE
dc.subject	POLLUTANTS
dc.subject	POWER GENERATION
dc.subject	POWER GENERATION CAPACITY
dc.subject	POWER PLANTS
dc.subject	POWER PRODUCTION
dc.subject	POWER RATING
dc.subject	POWER STATION
dc.subject	POWER SYSTEMS
dc.subject	PRECIPITATION
dc.subject	PRICE VOLATILITY
dc.subject	PRIMARY ENERGY
dc.subject	PRIMARY ENERGY DEMAND
dc.subject	PRIMARY ENERGY SOURCE
dc.subject	RAIN
dc.subject	RAINFALL
dc.subject	RAINWATER
dc.subject	RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY
dc.subject	RENEWABLE ENERGY
dc.subject	RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
dc.subject	RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEM
dc.subject	RENEWABLE GENERATION
dc.subject	RENEWABLE RESOURCES
dc.subject	RENEWABLE SOURCES
dc.subject	RENEWABLE SOURCES OF ENERGY
dc.subject	RENEWABLE TECHNOLOGIES
dc.subject	SILICON
dc.subject	SINK
dc.subject	SOLAR ENERGY
dc.subject	SOLAR ENERGY CONVERSION
dc.subject	SOLAR PANELS
dc.subject	SOLAR POWER
dc.subject	SOLAR RADIATION
dc.subject	SOLAR RESOURCE
dc.subject	SOLAR RESOURCES
dc.subject	SOURCE OF ENERGY
dc.subject	SULFUR
dc.subject	SULFUR DIOXIDE
dc.subject	SUNLIGHT
dc.subject	SUNSHINE
dc.subject	SURPLUS ENERGY
dc.subject	SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
dc.subject	SUSTAINABLE ENERGY
dc.subject	THERMODYNAMICS
dc.subject	TRANSPORT SECTOR
dc.subject	URANIUM
dc.subject	URANIUM RESOURCES
dc.subject	WASTE
dc.subject	WASTE DISPOSAL
dc.subject	WIND
dc.subject	WIND ENERGY
dc.subject	WIND FARM
dc.subject	WIND FARMS
dc.subject	WIND PENETRATION
dc.subject	WIND POWER
dc.subject	WIND POWER SYSTEMS
dc.subject	WIND SPEED
dc.subject	WIND TURBINE
dc.subject	WIND TURBINES
dc.subject	WINDMILL
dc.subject	WINDMILLS
dc.subject	WORLD ENERGY
dc.subject	WORLD ENERGY COUNCIL
dc.subject	WORLD ENERGY MARKETS
dc.subject	WORLD ENERGY OUTLOOK
dc.title	Toward a Sustainable Global Energy Supply Infrastructure : Net Energy Balance and Density Considerations
dc.type	Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper
dc.coverage	The World Region
dc.coverage	The World Region