Solar energy to meet the nation's energy needs

Solar energy, being a non-depleting clean source of energy, is shown to be capable of providing energy in all the forms in which it is used today. It can be used to generate electricity, for heating and cooling buildings, and for producing clean renewable gaseous, liquid and solid fuel. There is little question of the technical feasibility for utilizing solar energy. The chief problem is rapidly providing innovative solutions that are economically competititive with other systems

The CARD/RCA Water Sector Model

Water has become a major input into agriculture production in the United States. Irrigation in the Western United States has been important in crop production and will continue to be important. Irrigation is also becoming more important in areas of the southeast. The use and conservation of water, as well as the importance of irrigation in the conservation of soil, are areas of concern as outlined in the 1977 Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act. Therefore, it is necessary for the CARD/RCA programming models to incorporate a water sector

Intergenerational equity and conservation

The issue of integenerational equity in the use of natural resources is discussed in the context of coal mining conversion. An attempt to determine if there is a clear-cut benefit to future generations in setting minimum coal extraction efficiency standards in mining is made. It is demonstrated that preserving fossil fuels beyond the economically efficient level is not necessarily beneficial to future generations even in terms of their own preferences. Setting fossil fuel conservation targets for intermediate products (i.e. energy) may increase the quantities of fossil fuels available to future generations and hence lower the costs, but there may be serious disadvantages to future generations as well. The use of relatively inexpensive fossil fuels in this generation may result in more infrastructure development and more knowledge production available to future generations. The value of fossil fuels versus these other endowments in the future depends on many factors which cannot possibly be evaluated at present. Since there is no idea of whether future generations are being helped or harmed, it is recommended that integenerational equity not be used as a factor in setting coal mine extraction efficiency standards, or in establishing requirements

The Roles of the Environment and Natural Resources in Economic Growth Analysis

The primary aim of this paper is pedagogical. We first present and discuss a “wiring diagram” framework in order to elucidate the general links between economic growth and "natural capital." After developing the general framework, we develop parallel frameworks applicable to several specific sectors of the economy (agriculture, forestry, and manufacturing). Two appendices provide a mathematical formulation of the economy-wide framework and a brief historical review of the role of natural resources and the environment in economic growth theory.economic growth, natural resources, sustainable development

Hydrogen production econometric studies

The current assessments of fossil fuel resources in the United States were examined, and predictions of the maximum and minimum lifetimes of recoverable resources according to these assessments are presented. In addition, current rates of production in quads/year for the fossil fuels were determined from the literature. Where possible, costs of energy, location of reserves, and remaining time before these reserves are exhausted are given. Limitations that appear to hinder complete development of each energy source are outlined

An Economical Model Development for a Hybrid System of Grid Connected Solar PV and Electrical Storage System

Energy sources management is one of the most important concern in the recent decades. There are finite amount of non-renewable energy sources and one day they will run out if they have been used as primary sources of energy. Renewable energy sources have been significantly reduced the environmental effects. For most of them the source of energy is non-depletable. One of the concerns associated with renewable resources is uncertainty or unavailability. Energy Storage Systems (ESSs) can help to have more reliable and more efficient systems by adjusting the charge and discharge time and rate. In this study, an economic model is developed for a hybrid system of grid-connected solar photovoltaic, Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES), and batteries. PV generation depends on irradiance and it is intermittent in nature. CAES can store energy in larger amounts and for longer periods than other storage systems and can offer lower price for stored energy. Batteries are integrated with CAES in this model mainly for lower demand and shorter periods. The presented model is a non-linear model and it’s been transformed to a linear model in this study. Optimal planning for generation and storage is derived based on the developed model for each day by using operation research techniques to maximize the value of energy which carried over the time. The results are different for each period and are highly dependent on the load demand. The results show that using solar PV panels coupled with energy storage systems increase the efficiency and reliability of the system. In addition to that, efficient use of energy storage system have a great impact on the final prices of electricity since electricity prices in low peak demand periods is lower than high peak periods

The Fourth Energy Era

The energy crisis has been with us for nearly ten years. We have grown numb to it while it changed the fundamental patterns of our lives. It no longer means long lines at the gas pumps, in fact, there has even been an oil glut recently. The crisis is not one of energy availability it is one of energy price which has driven the cost of energy to levels much higher than the inflation rates. This in turn has been a major driver of inflation because the cost of energy effects every aspect of our lives. As a result the nations economic strength is deteriorating and our standard of living is being eroded. This phenomenon has occurred before in history. England experienced it several hundred years ago when they had depleted the wood supply on the British Isles and were forced to convert to coal as a substitute fuel. Coal became the energy foundation of the industrial revolution and made England the dominant economic power on earth. Oil burst on the scene at the turn of the century to propel the United States into the 20th century on a river of low cost energy. We have passed thru the era of wood and coal and are approaching the end of the third era of energy, the era of oil. The question of what will be the energy source of the fourth era faces us now. This paper addresses that question and identifies the Solar Power Satellite as the best candidate answer to our future energy needs. This is based on its potential abundance, its environmental acceptability, its great flexibility and its low cost. The future economic and technological benefits are staggering, but do we have the courage as a nation to make it happen

An Integrated Neural Network-Event-Related Potentials Model of Temporal and Probability Context Effects on Event Categorization

We present a neural network that adapts and integrates several preexisting or new modules to categorize events in short term memory (STM), encode temporal order in working memory, evaluate timing and probability context in medium and long term memory. The model shows how processed contextual information modulates event recognition and categorization, focal attention and incentive motivation. The model is based on a compendium of Event Related Potentials (ERPs) and behavioral results either collected by the authors or compiled from the classical ERP literature. Its hallmark is, at the functional level, the interplay of memory registers endowed with widely different dynamical ranges, and at the structural level, the attempt to relate the different modules to known anatomical structures.INSERM; NATO; DGA/DRET (911470/A000/DRET/DS/DR

Modelling the costs of non-conventional oil: A case study of Canadian bitumen

Keywords JEL Classification High crude oil prices, uncertainties about the consequences of climate change and the eventual decline of conventional oil production raise the issue of alternative fuels, such as non-conventional oil and biofuels. This paper describes a simple probabilistic model of the costs of nonconventional oil, including the role of learning-by-doing in driving down costs. This forward-looking analysis quantifies the effects of both learning and production constraints on the costs of supplying bitumen which can then be upgraded into synthetic crude oil, a substitute to conventional oil. The results show large uncertainties in the future costs of supplying bitumen from Canadian oil sands deposits, with a 90% confidence interval of $8 to$12 in 2025, and $7 to$15 in 2050 (2005 US$). The influence of each parameter on the supply costs is examined, with the minimum supply cost, the learning rate, and the depletion curve exponent having the largest influence. Over time, the influence of the learning rate on the supply costs decreases, while the influence of the depletion curve exponent increases. Climate change; Non-conventional oil; Exhaustible resources; Technological change; Uncertainty