Non-fossil fuel derived Energy
HYDROELECTRICITY
Hydroelectricity has both advantages and disadvantages. The main advantages are competitive cost, easy and rapid production scale change in response to demand fluctuations, flood control, lack of direct waste discharge, and small amount of CO2 produced. The main disadvantages are interruption of natural flow of rivers plus flooding of extensive land areas -- submerging natural ecosystems and also submerging farms, homes or even towns. It is often not appreciated that dams interrupt downstream movement of sediments, which can deprive downstream ecosystems or farms dependent on the sediment nutrients. On the other hand accumulation of sediments behind some dams can shorted their working lifetime. Dams look so large and permanent that it is a surprise to people to learn that some dams have a relatively short useful lifetime, sometimes decades to centuries A number of 20th century dams already have ceased operation and have been dismantled. In the future I expect it is likely we may see excess capacity used to pump water into upstream reservoirs as a means of energy storage.
My chart shows steady increase in consumption of hydroelectricity since 1960. This increase in consumption seems likely to continue through the 21st and 22nd centuries.
2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 Updates: consumption right on earlier forecast.
My chart shows steady increase in consumption of hydroelectricity since 1960. This increase in consumption seems likely to continue through the 21st and 22nd centuries.
2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 Updates: consumption right on earlier forecast.
Nuclear Power
Nuclear power is electricity generated by nuclear fission at nuclear reactors and distributed for use, and excludes dedicated uses of reactors such as for propulsion of ships. The advantages include both relatively inexpensive operating costs and lower overall emission of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants as compared to fossil fuels. Nonetheless there are several serious disadvantages including production of dangerous nuclear wastes that remain hazardous for millennia, serious risks from accidents, from leaks to groundwater and from threat by terrorists both to the nuclear plants themselves, but also during transport of nuclear wastes. And of course there is the military aspect.
My chart shows my estimates for consumption of nuclear energy since 1960. As usual, I have smoothed the data so as to highlight the trends and forecasts. Consumption is shown as millions of oil equivalents for convenience in comparing to fossil fuel based generation of electricity.
Note: Hopefully we can expect to see nuclear fusion power generation within our lifetime -- touch wood.
2019 Update: Consumption of nuclear generated power increased in 2018, on forecast ok
Oct2020 Update: 2019 and preliminary 2020 consumption of nuclear generated power continued forecast increase.
My chart shows my estimates for consumption of nuclear energy since 1960. As usual, I have smoothed the data so as to highlight the trends and forecasts. Consumption is shown as millions of oil equivalents for convenience in comparing to fossil fuel based generation of electricity.
Note: Hopefully we can expect to see nuclear fusion power generation within our lifetime -- touch wood.
2019 Update: Consumption of nuclear generated power increased in 2018, on forecast ok
Oct2020 Update: 2019 and preliminary 2020 consumption of nuclear generated power continued forecast increase.
renewable energy
Renewable energy is that produced from sources essentially self-replacing as utilized. There are two main categories of renewable energy -- clean renewable energy that results in little greenhouse gas being produced during regular operations, and dirty renewable energy that produces significant GHG. Clean renewable energy sources include sunlight, wind, ocean currents, ocean waves, and geothermal heat. Dirty renewable energy sources include living or recently living biomass (including wood and biofuels) and waste materials. Some people include hydroelectricity and nuclear power as clean renewable, but I have kept them separate so as to correspond with the useful BP site.
It is claimed some types of biomass or biofuels can be created and utilized in such a way as to remove more CO2 than produced. For a simple example a person owning a forest might regularly burn wood over a year from a harvest of trees much smaller than the volume of wood the forest grew that year. However it would not be acceptable to harvest from a shrinking forest.
Prior to 2020 I had tracked Solar Energy, Ocean Power (tide & wave) , Geothermal Energy, Biofuels & Waste as separate data sets, and also charted Clean Renewable separate from Dirty Renewable. However this was an onerous task so starting 2020 I am just charting the main categories.
Mar 2020 Update: This last decade has seen a strong increase in world consumption of renewable energy. This strong growth is forecast to continue through 2200.
Oct10/20: Global consumption of renewable energy continues steady increase.
It is claimed some types of biomass or biofuels can be created and utilized in such a way as to remove more CO2 than produced. For a simple example a person owning a forest might regularly burn wood over a year from a harvest of trees much smaller than the volume of wood the forest grew that year. However it would not be acceptable to harvest from a shrinking forest.
Prior to 2020 I had tracked Solar Energy, Ocean Power (tide & wave) , Geothermal Energy, Biofuels & Waste as separate data sets, and also charted Clean Renewable separate from Dirty Renewable. However this was an onerous task so starting 2020 I am just charting the main categories.
Mar 2020 Update: This last decade has seen a strong increase in world consumption of renewable energy. This strong growth is forecast to continue through 2200.
Oct10/20: Global consumption of renewable energy continues steady increase.