Abstract
Energy demand is expected to rise by 30 % globally by 2040, so how will this extra energy be generated and what effect will this have on greenhouse gas emissions? In this chapter we discuss energy use and the future of specific energy sources, including how energy consumption can be minimized.
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BP. (2014). BP statistical review of world energy June 2014. London, England: BP plc. Retrieved from http://www.bp.com/content/dam/bp/pdf/Energy-economics/statistical-review-2014/BP-statistical-review-of-world-energy-2014-full-report.pdf
EIA. (2014). Annual energy outlook 2014 with projections to 2040. Report: DOE/EIA-0383(2014). Washington, DC: US Energy Information Administration. Retrieved from http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/aeo/pdf/0383(2014).pdf
National Grid. (2011). UK future energy scenarios. Warwick, England: National Grid plc. Retrieved from http://www.nationalgrid.com/NR/rdonlyres/86C815F5-0EAD-46B5-A580-A0A516562B3E/50819/10312_1_NG_Futureenergyscenarios_WEB1.pdf
REDISS. (2013). European residual mixes 2012. Results of the calculation of residual mixes for purposes of electricity disclosure in Europe for the calendar year 2012. Brussels, Belgium: Reliable Disclosure Systems for Europe, European Union. Retrieved from http://www.reliable-disclosure.org/upload/34-RE-DISS_2012_Residual_Mix_Results_v1_1.pdf
SEAI. (2013). Energy in Ireland 1990-2012: 2013 Report. Dublin, Ireland: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. Retrieved from http://www.seai.ie/Publications/Statistics_Publications/Energy_in_Ireland/Energy_in_Ireland_1990_-_2012_Report.pdf
Global Energy Consumption
Energy Use Ireland
Saving Energy
Energy Efficient Homes
Home Energy Measurements
Energy Calculator
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Homework!
Homework!
This is an important exercise that is going to save you money and make you a little more adaptable when it comes to energy dependence. First you need to find out just how much energy you have been using, so track down all those electricity, gas and oil bills. Don’t forget the other fuels such as coal, bottled gas, peat etc. Then try and reconstruct how much energy you have been using over the past few years. You will see seasonal variations. Use actual energy usage not the amount you spent as this will generally have been going up over the years. Now for each year calculate the total and then take an average for the last 2 or 3 years. This is going to be your annual maximum. The first decision you have to make is that you will not exceed this total.
Next is convert your household energy usage to a CO2e emissions value and this can be done by multiplying by the conversion factors in Table 8.14. Remember to convert grams (g) to kilograms (kg) by dividing your answer by 1000.
These values are from 2011 except for electricity and I want to use these so that we can compare your energy usage to the national average of 2.4 tonnes per person per year. Are you above or below the average? If you are above the national average then reducing your emissions to the national average should be your immediate target.
Next is to concentrate just on your electricity usage. So look at the various online resources at Energy Ireland and calculate the energy usage of your household and try to recreate your electricity bill.
(http://www.esb.ie/esbcustomersupply/residential-energy-services/reduce-your-costs/web-calculator.jsp)
The final part of the exercise is to create a list of what actions use most energy and where energy usage can be reduced in the future.
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Gray, N.F. (2015). Energy: Green or Otherwise. In: Facing Up to Global Warming. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20146-7_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20146-7_8
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