Surface reflectance and conversion efficiency dependence of technologies for mitigating global warming

Edmonds, I; Smith, G

Surface reflectance and conversion efficiency dependence of technologies for mitigating global warming

Edmonds, I Smith, G

Permalink

Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Renewable Energy, 2011, 36 (5), pp. 1343 - 1351
Issue Date:: 2011-05-01

Open Access

Copyright Clearance Process

Recently Added
In Progress
Open Access

This item is open access.

Adobe PDF

Download full textAdobe PDF (396.44 kB)

View on publisher's site

View statistics

Full metadata record

Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Edmonds, I	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Smith, G https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6985-2880	en_US
dc.date.issued	2011-05-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Renewable Energy, 2011, 36 (5), pp. 1343 - 1351	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	0960-1481	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/15331
dc.description.abstract	A means of assessing the relative impact of different renewable energy technologies on global warming has been developed. All power plants emit thermal energy to the atmosphere. Fossil fuel power plants also emit CO2 which accumulates in the atmosphere and provides an indirect increase in global warming via the greenhouse effect. A fossil fuel power plant may operate for some time before the global warming due to its CO2 emission exceeds the warming due to its direct heat emission. When a renewable energy power plant is deployed instead of a fossil fuel power plant there may be a significant time delay before the direct global warming effect is less than the combined direct and indirect global warming effect from an equivalent output coal fired plant - the " business as usual" case. Simple expressions are derived to calculate global temperature change as a function of ground reflectance and conversion efficiency for various types of fossil fuelled and renewable energy power plants. These expressions are used to assess the global warming mitigation potential of some proposed Australian renewable energy projects. The application of the expressions is extended to evaluate the deployment in Australia of current and new geo-engineering and carbon sequestration solutions to mitigate global warming. Principal findings are that warming mitigation depends strongly on the solar to electric conversion efficiency of renewable technologies, geo-engineering projects may offer more economic mitigation than renewable energy projects and the mitigation potential of reforestation projects depends strongly on the location of the projects. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Renewable Energy	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1016/j.renene.2010.11.001	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Energy	en_US
dc.title	Surface reflectance and conversion efficiency dependence of technologies for mitigating global warming	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	5	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	36	en_US
utslib.for	0906 Electrical and Electronic Engineering	en_US
utslib.for	0913 Mechanical Engineering	en_US
utslib.for	0915 Interdisciplinary Engineering	en_US
dc.location.activity	WOS:000286999200006	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science/School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences
utslib.copyright.status	open_access
pubs.issue	5	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	36	en_US

Abstract:

A means of assessing the relative impact of different renewable energy technologies on global warming has been developed. All power plants emit thermal energy to the atmosphere. Fossil fuel power plants also emit CO2 which accumulates in the atmosphere and provides an indirect increase in global warming via the greenhouse effect. A fossil fuel power plant may operate for some time before the global warming due to its CO2 emission exceeds the warming due to its direct heat emission. When a renewable energy power plant is deployed instead of a fossil fuel power plant there may be a significant time delay before the direct global warming effect is less than the combined direct and indirect global warming effect from an equivalent output coal fired plant - the " business as usual" case. Simple expressions are derived to calculate global temperature change as a function of ground reflectance and conversion efficiency for various types of fossil fuelled and renewable energy power plants. These expressions are used to assess the global warming mitigation potential of some proposed Australian renewable energy projects. The application of the expressions is extended to evaluate the deployment in Australia of current and new geo-engineering and carbon sequestration solutions to mitigate global warming. Principal findings are that warming mitigation depends strongly on the solar to electric conversion efficiency of renewable technologies, geo-engineering projects may offer more economic mitigation than renewable energy projects and the mitigation potential of reforestation projects depends strongly on the location of the projects. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:

http://hdl.handle.net/10453/15331