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ECS > Final Exam > Flashcards

Final Exam Flashcards

1
Q

How do an increase in the atmospheric concentration of GHG influence energy balance at the earth surface?

A
  • The atmosphere is mostly transparent for short wave radiation (visible light and UV) emitted by the sun.
  • GHG have strong absorption bands in the long wave (infrared) part of the spectrum
  • The heat from the surface that tries to get back into space by long wave radiation is captured by the GHG and send back to the earth surface. This radiation flux is called the atmospheric back radiation.
  • This phenomenon leads to the increase in atmospheric and surface temperatures.
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2
Q

The warming of the Earth is not uniform. Which area warms the fastest?

A

North polar area warms the fastest. Due to loss of sea ice what used to reflect radiation back into space, but now it is absorb by the earth’s surface.

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3
Q

Say something about the scientist agreement on climate change

A

Scientist agree that humanity is causing climate change, but the disagreement moved into whether the costs of climate change are larger than the costs of GHG reductions.

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4
Q

The main greenhouse gasses are:

A
  • Water vapor H2O
  • Carbon dioxide CO2
  • Methane CH4
  • Nitrous oxide N2O
  • Ozone O3
  • Chlorofluorocarbons CFCs
  • Hydrofluorocarbons HFCs
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5
Q

What are forms of pollution?

A
  1. Acidification is caused by Sulphur emissions
  2. Eutrophication is not caused by NOx and NH3 emissions
  3. Smog is formed by a mix of nitric acid, PANs, Formaldehydes and Ozone, which is the main component. The activities that contribute the most to ozone formation are heat and power generation and road transport.
  4. Particular Matter
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6
Q
  1. Types Particular Matter (PM)
A

a. Primary PM are PMs directly emitted to atmosphere: dust, soot (black carbon) and lead.
b. Secondary PM are particles formed by photo-chemical reaction in the atmosphere: sulfates, bitrates, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, ammonium alts, ammonium sulfate and nitrate.

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7
Q
  1. Impacts of Particular Matter PM
A

a. Health  PMs can go deep into lungs and may even get into your bloodstream. Can lead to decreased lung function.
b. Natural environment  Primary PMs can cause reduced visibility and secondary PMs can cause acidification and eutrophication.
c. Climate change  Aerosols: have a cooling effect in the lower atmosphere by scattering the incoming solar radiation. Hygroscopic aerosol increases the lifetime of clouds, this has the regional effect of cooling. Soot is strong absorber of incoming solar radiation, leading to heating of the particles and local warming.

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8
Q

Five different bottlenecks (e.g., physical, environmental, economic, social, political) to the widespread integration of renewable energy into the European economy.

A
  1. Intermittency of renewables combined with expensive storage technology
  2. Lack of infrastructure, there is a need for a smart grid
  3. Social acceptance (NIMBY)
  4. Interference between policies (energy efficiency and RE)
  5. Unstable and inefficient policies
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9
Q

Four options that could be applied to minimise the impact of intermittent by renewables in the energy system.

A
  • Diversify renewable supply technologies across a large geographical region to leverage resource diversity. Ensure access to, and installation of new transmission lines.
  • Add flexible responses like energy storage facilities
  • Improve measurement and forecasting of variable generation.
  • Smart grids can distribute the available energy by priority.
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10
Q

Three types (and examples of them) of policy instruments to speed up energy savings:

A
  1. Communication mechanisms
    a. Energy efficiency labelling
    b. Mass media campaigns
  2. Economic mechanisms
    a. Investments subsidies or fiscal support
    b. Energy and carbon taxation
    c. R&D subsidies
  3. Normative mechanisms
    a. Negotiated agreements
    b. Energy efficiency standards
    c. Cap-and-trade systems (the limit of CO2 emissions and the opportunity to trade the allowances with other companies)
    d. Obligation
    e. Permits
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11
Q

How would each type of policy instrument to speed up energy savings influence the behaviour of the actors?

A
  1. Communication mechanisms  People change their behavior if they are better informed.
  2. Economic mechanisms  Stimulate desired and discourage undesired behavior. People always try to optimize their welfare.
  3. Normative mechanisms  setting standards for what people are obliged to do or forbidding certain behavior. The basic idea is that people are willing to act on the basis of jointly accepted ideas about what behavior is appropriate in certain situations.
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12
Q

What could be a reason for governments to debate for uniform CO2 tax instead of standards?

A
  • Taxes minimize total abatement costs
  • Lower administration costs
  • Taxes provide incentive to pollution abatement
  • Taxes lead to government revenues
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13
Q

What could be a reason for the industry to debate for uniform CO2 standards instead of taxes?

A
  • Standards often have weak enforcement
  • Standards can be a subject of negotiations between government and private sector
  • Residual emissions are free
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14
Q

What are the strengths and weaknesses of Cost-Effectiveness Analysis (CEA)?

A
  • Main strength: CEA is in principle a suitable way to assess the effect of energy policy or environmental policy because it avoids monetizing costs or benefits of pollution and indirect effects which are hard to monetize.
  • Main weaknesses: CEA is, however, only sensible if there is one main purpose of the policy (e.g. energy saving) justifying that co-benefits are neglected. Another prerequisite for applying is if there is either no influence of other policies or that it is possible to correct for this influence. CEA should not be conducted if a policy program is still in an infant stage or when the effects are uncertain.
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15
Q

Two renewable energy promotion policies:

A
  • Feed in tariff (FIT): It is a pricing policy guaranteeing generators a fixed price for the electricity they produce based on the learning curve associated with a particular technology. In this system the prices are set politically, and quantities are market driven.
  • Renewable portfolio standards (RPS): It is a quota system that requires electricity suppliers to source a certain proportion of their electricity from renewables. Price is determined by the market and the quantity established politically.
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16
Q

Why do fracking technology play a key role in the environmental concerns for shale gas exploitation but not for geothermal? Name three reasons.

A
  1. Low permeability vs semi permeability
    a. Shale gas is often locked in rock with low permeability (sedimentary basins, without fluid.
    b. The application in EGS targets semi-permeable rocks with some discontinuities and where a fluid already exists. It means much lower pressure injection.
  2. Pumping back vs not pumping back fluids
    a. Extracting shale gas always needs to create new fractures. Chemical additives and sand are added to the water in order to open the fractures. Fluids are pumped back to the surface (flowback).
    b. In EGS, hydraulic stimulation requires fluids including natural water with some mineral contents (brine) and without pumping back to surface.
  3. Number of wells
    a. For shale gas on average 3-4 per km2
    b. For EGS only 2-4 well in total
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17
Q

Three challenges regarding consumer acceptance of the smart grids.

A
  1. Privacy issues
  2. Radio Frequency (RF) safety
  3. Potential rate energy price increases
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18
Q

Policy recommendations to improve consumer engagement in smart grids. Name five of them.

A
  1. Provide consumers with access to usage, pricing and carbon mix date for use in energy monitoring applications.
  2. Provide consumers with uniform and consistent privacy policies.
  3. Coordinate smart grid stakeholders in a continuous consumer awareness and education campaign.
  4. Provide incentives to assist with the purchase of consumer smart grid devices.
  5. Policymakers and regulators should evaluate the best means of ensuring that consumers receive meaningful information and education about smart grid technologies.
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19
Q

What are the key pillars of energy security?

A
  • Robustness (reliable infrastructure)
  • Sovereignty (protection external agents)
  • Resilience (withstand disruptions).
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20
Q

What could the EU do to ensure energy security?

A
  • Promote energy savings
  • Diversify supply sources
  • Develop cooperation with Russia
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21
Q

Two historical examples energy disruptions:

A

 The 2009 gas crisis showed the lack of physical interconnections and the poor functioning of the EU internal market.
 The extreme cold winter 2016/2017, France was able to handle the upturn in gas demand due to their gas storage.

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22
Q

What is access to energy is key for? (Name three)

A

1) basic human needs (lights, cooking, education)
2) productive uses (improve productivity in agriculture)
3) modern society needs (cooling/heating, private transportation)

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23
Q

Three types of pathways accessing electricity

A

1) On grid
2) mini grid (local power networks)
3) off grid (power single household)

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24
Q

Why is it important to fulfil energy access for developing countries?

A

A small amount of people has access to clean cooking energy. This causes after HIV the most deaths.

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25
Q

Why is the importance of secure delivery of electricity is growing?

A

o Increasing dependency on electricity
o Expansion in the coverage of electricity grids in developing nations
o Increasing electrification of energy services
o New energy systems with renewables

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26
Q

What is Energy reliability?

A

Energy reliability the ability of an energy production system to provide consistent and expected levels of energy under stated conditions for a specified period of time.

27
Q

What is Energy poverty?

A

Energy poverty is lack of access to modern energy services. It refers to the situation of large numbers of people in developing countries and some people in developed countries whose well-being is negatively affected by very low consumption of energy, use of dirty or polluting fuels, and excessive time spent collecting fuel to meet basic needs.

28
Q

Who is responsible for the supply and demand matching of the grid?

A

Supply and demand matching are done by the grid operator who looks at the frequency of the grid and turns up or the amount of electricity generated

29
Q

What are the millennium goals on energy?

A

Millennium goals and energy, improved energy services – including modern cooking fuels, access to electricity, and motive power – are necessary for meeting almost all the Goals.

30
Q

What are the two types of fossil fuels?

A
  • Conventional (coal, NG and oil)

- Unconventional (tar sands, shale gas, coal bed methane)

31
Q

What are the three types of energy sources?

A
  • Fossil fuels
  • Renewables
  • Nuclear
32
Q

What is the sustainability concept?

A

It is composed of three pillars: economic, environmental and social - also known informally as profits, planet and people.

33
Q

What are externalities?

A

Externalities are the cost or benefit that affects a party who did not choose to incur that cost or benefit.

34
Q

What are externalities of Renewable and nuclear energy technologies?

A 
	Wind (birds and visual impacts)
	Solar (metal scarcity and water use)
	Biomass (food vs fuel)
	Hydro (water use and quality)
	Geothermal (earthquakes and h2s emissions)
	Nuclear (waste disposal)
35
Q

What is the link between energy and water uses?

A

o Water withdrawal: water taken from the source and send back to the same source (cooling power plants). This can lead to thermal pollution and thereby disrupt the environment
o Water consumption: loss of water that is not returned to the source, e.g., as a consequence of evaporation.

36
Q

What is acidification?

A

Acidification of soils and surface waters occur due to elevated Sulphur (S) and nitrogen (N) deposition due to energy and food production. The effects of acid rain can be reduced by liming (limewater to neutralize acid)

37
Q

What is Eutrophication?

A

Eutrophication is a disruption of the biological balance of the soils and water, due to an excess of nitrogen especially of atmospheric origin (NOx and NH3), greater than the ecosystems are able to absorb.

38
Q

What are abatement technologies technologies and policies?

A

• Abatement technologies and policies are meant to reduce carbon emissions. Examples are:
o Emission control systems (CCS, catalytic converter)
o Air emission regulations (efficiency policies, policies promoting renewable sources, improvement to transport networks)

39
Q

What is radiation balance of the Earth?

A

Solar radiation that hits the Earth’s surface in one hour is equal to approximately 342 w/m2; out of which only 235 w/m2 are actually absorbed by the Earth’s surface, while the remaining 107 are immediately reflected into space.

40
Q

What is radiative forcing?

A

Radiative forcing or climate forcing is the difference between insolation (sunlight) absorbed by the Earth and energy radiated back to space. The influences that cause changes to the Earth’s climate system altering Earth’s radiative equilibrium, forcing temperatures to rise or fall, are called climate forcing.

41
Q

What are the challenges faced by wind energy?

A

o Typical capacity factors: 0.3 (onshore), 0.45 (offshore)
o Financing -> SDE+ subsidy
o Grid connection -> on and offshore by Tennet (Germany has sometimes over capacity from the north that goes via the Netherlands to the south)
o Market integration rules -> renewable energy can overload the grid, marginal costs of renewable energy are extremely low, they tend to push the market price of electricity down.
o Spatial competition
o Public acceptance
o Permitting and licensing

42
Q

What is the concept of a smart grid?

A

o A smart grid is an electricity network that uses digital and other advanced technologies to monitor and manage the transport of electricity from all generation sources to meet the varying electricity demands of end-users.
o Smart grids co-ordinate the needs and capabilities of all generators, grid operators, end-users and electricity market stakeholders to operate all parts of the system as efficiently as possible, minimizing costs and environmental impacts while maximizing system reliability, resilience and stability.

43
Q

Name three drivers for smart grids

A

 Rapidly growing energy demand
 Integration of electric vehicles
 Variable resources

44
Q

What are technical (3) and non-technical (5) challenges faced by smart grid application?

A 
o	Technical challenges
	Metering hardware and software
	Maintenance
	Data
o	Non-technical (policy) challenges
	Social acceptability
	User engagement
	Cost
	Privacy 
	security
45
Q

What are the advantages of smart grids (9)?

A 
	Energy savings
	Energy efficiency and cost reduction
	Consumer empowerment
	Environment protection
	Distribution network management
	Power and load management
	Efficient metering data collection
	Detection of frauds
	Appliances scheduling
46
Q

What are the potentials of bioenergy?

A

o Strong need for renewable energy sources to reduce GHG emissions
o There is no single solution to this problem
o Ease implementation
o Both at the global and at European level, the technical potential seems sufficient to meet biomass demand in the coming decades & to provide a significant share in the future energy mix.

47
Q

What is the main challenge with bioenergy? And what are other things that is has negative effect on?

A

Agriculture land vs biofuel land.

	Food security
	Carbon stock
	Soil
	Water
	Biodiversity 
	Rural livelihoods
48
Q

How can bioenergy produced sustainable?

A

 Allocate biomass production to suitable areas and production systems (e.g. perennials)
 Increase agricultural crop productivity to free arable land for bioenergy feedstock production
 Use degraded land (while being economically viable)
 Use water efficiently

49
Q

What are the three types of biofuels?

A

o First generation biofuel: made from sugars and vegetable oils
o Second generation biofuel: made from non-edible biomass
o Third generation biofuel: biofuel made from algae

50
Q

Name four types of European energy policies to stimulate energy efficiency

A

o legislative-normative types (e.g. minimum standards in the residential sector, CO2 standards for cars),
o legislative-informative types (labelling schemes for appliances),
o fiscal measures (minimum taxation levels in the transport sector)
o cooperative type (code of conducts for IT appliances in the tertiary sector)

51
Q

What is energy intensity?

A

Energy intensity is a measure of the energy efficiency of a nation’s economy. It is calculated as units of energy per unit of GDP. High energy intensities indicate a high price or cost of converting energy into GDP. Low energy intensity indicates a lower price or cost of converting energy into GDP.

52
Q

What is specific energy consumption?

A

MJ/km or MJ/GDP

53
Q

What are the challenges for reaching energy efficiency targets

A

o Potentials are high
o Energy efficiency improvement is happening
o Absolute energy savings are not happening
o Large (policy) challenges are ahead
o Policy should be targeted to energy saving instead of efficiency gain

54
Q

• Understand the principles of energy taxes, emission trading

A

o A carbon market puts a price on emissions of CO2 (or GHG)
o The EU ETS: The European Union Emissions Trading System, also known as the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme, was the first large greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme in the world and remains the biggest. It was launched in 2005 to fight Global warming and is a major pillar of EU climate policy.
o Operators must report their emissions annually. If emissions > allowances, emission shortfall must be made up the following year AND a penalty applies
o Banking  Use the allowances later than the purpose year
o Shortage is needed to maintain a carbon price

55
Q

o The EU (Emission trading system) ETS is now in its third phase, which is significantly different from phases 1 and 2. The main changes from the previous two phases are:

A

 A single, EU-wide cap on emissions applies in place of the previous system of national caps
 Auctioning is the default method for allocating allowances (instead of free allocation), and harmonized allocation rules apply to the allowances still given away for free
 More sectors and gases included
 300 million allowances set aside in the New Entrants Reserve to fund the deployment of innovative renewable energy technologies and carbon capture and storage through the NER 300 program

56
Q

What are market barriers and failures that governments face with implementing energy policies?

A

Market barriers:

  • Low priority of energy issues
  • Acces to capital
  • Incomplete market for energy efficiency

Market failures

  • Split incentives (PA problem)
  • Insufficient and inaccurate information
  • Distortionary fiscal and regulatory policies
  • Unpriced costs (externalities)
  • Unprices (piblic) good
57
Q

Why policy evaluation?

A
  1. To assess impacts
    – Estimate the change in energy usage and other targets due to
    policy instruments/programs
  2. To improve policy design
    – Prioritize program & portfolio budgets, inform resource
    planning
  3. To reduce uncertainty
    – Provide the information necessary to make good decisions
    regarding policy instruments
58
Q

What to evaluate during policy evaluation?

A

Ex ante and ex post of:

  • Target achievement, did it effect the target
  • Impact, made it a difference?
  • Efficiency, can it be done by lower costs
59
Q

What is the baseline in policy maken terminology?

A

For example the energy savings line when there are no policies implemented

60
Q

How is O3 ozone formed?

A

by photochemical reactions with NOx and VOC

61
Q

Types of electricity markets

A
  • Long term markets (long term trading)
  • Spot markets (day ahead or intra day trading)
  • Ancillary services markets (reactive power and voltage control)
62
Q

Three types of Ancillary services

A
  • Primary –> automatic droop control, less than 30 seconds
  • Secondary –> area control error within 15 minutes
  • Tertiary –> replacement service within minutes to hours
63
Q

Motivation ETS

A

To promote reductions of greenhouse gas emissions in a cost-effective and economically efficient manner

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