Реферат по английскому языку на тему «Problems of selling gas for hydropower»

Introduction The relevance of the topic is due to the fact that at present, with increasing tariffs, more and more consumers of electric energy are switching to renewable energy sources. If in many countries the generation of energy from renewable sources (sun and wind) is about 10 percent, and in some countries it reaches one third, in our country, because of the relatively cheap electricity and the small number of sunny days, alternative energy is underdeveloped. However, in hard-to-reach areas of countries, connection to public networks is often not possible due to the high cost of connection. The purpose of the work is to study the types, problems and prospects of various sources of energy. Tasks of work:

1. to study solar and wind energy as assistants in the revival of hydrogen energy;
2. analyze the problems of selling gas for hydropower;
3. consider the US desire to achieve 100% clean energy.

The object of work — problems and prospects for the use of renewable energy sources. The subject of the work is renewable energy sources.

1. Solar and wind energy can revive hydrogen energy

Hydrogen flows through pipes under the streets in Cappel la Grande, helping to electrify 100 houses in this northern village of France. The Cappel la Grande system is a living lab created by Engie, a Paris-based energy firm. The company anticipates a significant increase in the production of hydrogen energy, as the cost of electrolyzers as well as renewable electricity continues to fall. If Engie is right, mixing hydrogen with local gas networks can accelerate the transition from fossil to clean energy. Renewable hydrogen is at the forefront of the European Commission’s concept of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. It is also becoming increasingly relevant to the industrial giants of the continent. Starting next year, all new turbines for power plants manufactured in the European Union should be shipped ready to use a mixture of hydrogen and natural gas, and EU manufacturers say the turbines will be 100% hydrogen certified by 2030. European steelmakers, meanwhile, began experimenting with renewable hydrogen as a substitute for coal in their furnaces. The rejection of carbon fuel also means finding spare fuel for those sectors of the economy that cannot simply connect to a large electric network, such as heavy vehicles, as well as spare raw materials for chemicals and materials that are based on oil, coal and natural gas. In 2018, renewable energy provided about 40 percent of Germany’s electricity, albeit with large fluctuations. On certain days, wind and solar energy produced more than 75 percent of the country’s energy; on other days, the share fell to 15 percent. Network operators manage these peaks and drops by adjusting power in conventional fuel and nuclear power plants, hydropower plants and large batteries. Wind and solar energy also increasingly go beyond Germany’s congested power lines, forcing power system operators to turn off some renewable generators, losing 1.4 billion euros ($ 1.5 billion) in energy in 2017 alone. A big problem in the future is how countries will cope after the planned phasing out of fossil fuel power plants. Energy model developers in Germany invented the term for such downtimes of renewable energy sources: dunkelflauten, or “dark depression”. Weather studies show that power grids in the USA and Germany would have to compensate for dunkelflauten for up to two weeks. More powerful power lines can help combat dunkelflauten by moving electricity across large regions or even continents, sending energy from areas with strong winds or bright suns on a certain day to remote, windless or cloudy places. But expanding the network is a tedious job. Across Germany, the addition of power lines is behind the schedule by years, caused by community protests. In the USA, such an opposition does not allow new lines to get approval. If industry and heavy vehicles use renewable hydrogen, regional hydrogen networks may appear to distribute it, and they can also supply carbon-free gas to power plants that provide electricity. This is what happens with integrated energy modeling: as more renewable hydrogen is created and consumed, mass distribution networks are developed that store gas for months in large tanks or underground storage facilities, just like natural gas is stored today a price that is cheaper than storing electricity in batteries.

2. Problems of selling gas for hydropower

Some residents are concerned about the environmental impact of the proposed power lines. The so-called “New England Clean Energy Connect,” or NECEC, will connect Hydro-Quebec in the north with energy-intensive Massachusetts in the south, providing nearly one fifth of Bay’s annual energy consumption with low-carbon energy. The project stems from a Massachusetts law of 2016 aimed at reducing state emissions, requiring utilities to buy large amounts of low-carbon energy. Massachusetts’ attempt to import more Canadian hydropower has been blocked by environmental groups, energy companies and communities that have opposed power lines connecting the state with Quebec. NECEC is currently only at the discussion stage because regulators rejected the project through New Hampshire. The discussion around power lines often revolves around exposure to scenic landscapes, wildlife issues and the potential disruption of the wholesale electricity market, which brings together the six states of New England. It also hints at the broader question of whether Canadian hydropower imports are needed to decarbonize the region’s electric grid. Hydropower will help supplant natural gas production, which today accounts for 50% of New England’s electricity production, lay the foundation for a low-carbon electricity network and ease concerns about the reliability of the network in winter, when the region’s limited gas pipeline needs to serve power plants and meet heating needs. However, Attorney General Maura Healy argues that the proposed contracts between Hydro-Quebec and the three state distribution grids are not secured to ensure that Canadian utilities increase their imports, effectively forcing Massachusetts consumers to pay for electricity that does not reduce emissions. Hydro-Quebec also has significant financial incentives to sell as much electricity as possible to the northeast, providing some of the highest electricity tariffs in the United States. Before approving the power line, Maine utilities regulators wrote that the Canadian utility, “as a rational economic entity, will seek to maximize profits and, therefore, will use any available water to generate energy for NECEC, rather than using NECEC to divert energy from existing markets in New England. » New power lines were built to divert electricity from the four dams on the Romaine River in northeastern Quebec. The foundations of such a debate are being formed in New York. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced last month that the city is negotiating with Hydro-Quebec to supply 1,000 megawatts of electricity for the 330-mile power transmission line connecting Queens to Quebec. City officials are taking this step as part of a broader effort to quickly remove carbon emissions from America’s largest metropolis, displacing fossil fuels, which currently provide 70% of the city’s capacity. This figure may increase after the closure of the Indian Point Energy Center, a 2144 MW nuclear power plant outside the city, in 2021. There is little prospect of replacing Indian Point or the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant with a capacity of 690 MW south of Boston with new nuclear facilities. The extraction and capture of carbon in gas plants is not even possible in New England, where there are no geological formations necessary for storing carbon underground. In addition, renewable generation on a communal scale is faced with a number of restrictions, including lack of transmission, lack of open space and, in the case of solar energy, the northern climate of the region. The northeast has high hopes for coastal wind energy technology. The industry shows significant promise, but there are limits to what it can provide. The current targets for building wind generators in New England and New York are approximately 16% and 20% of the installed capacity of the power plant in each region, respectively. At the same time, more low-carbon electricity is likely to be required. Transport and buildings today are the largest and second largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the Northeast. Most climate experts believe that widespread electrification will be required in both sectors to achieve significant reductions in carbon emissions in line with the region’s climate goals. In recent years, the northeastern states are increasingly looking to the north, considering ways to green their energy sectors. In many ways, the same intentions can be traced back to Massachusetts, where lawmakers in 2016 passed a bill requiring the state’s three electricity distribution networks to purchase 1,200 MW of low-carbon energy, which can be obtained from a combination of hydro, wind, and solar.

3. US desire to achieve 100% clean energy

California and Hawaii offer completely different models to ensure clean electricity in their energy sectors. They vary in everything from the terms of mandates to what is considered renewable. Since Hawaii and California have taken the lead in this matter, this will serve as an example of how this can be done in other states, both good and bad. Hawaii and California define renewable energy differently. California in accordance with S.B. 100 on its portfolio standards for renewable energy provides solar energy; wind energy; geothermal energy; energy from biomass; small hydropower; renewable gas such as biomethane; and wave, ocean current, and waste processing technologies, although none of them are commercially available. In Hawaii, there are many types of energy that can be considered renewable: solar, wind, hydroelectric, biofuel and geothermal energy. This also includes energy from biomass, agricultural and animal waste, as well as municipal solid waste; biogas, including generated gas in landfills and in wastewater; ocean water, currents and waves; and hydrogen produced from renewable energy sources. In addition, part of a sector known as combined heat and power production is also represented. A commercial enterprise may use a generator using a mixture of liquefied natural and synthetic natural gas, for example, to generate electricity. Roof solar panels are also included in portfolio standards for renewable energy. Energy is added to the amount of clean energy generated by utilities, and the amount of generation is subtracted from the general report on electricity sales. California’s largest utilities are already planning to produce enough renewable energy to move closer to fulfilling the state’s current mandate of 50 percent of renewables by 2030. The bill is considered relatively consistent, but this can easily change. The bill is expected to move forward, given that its sponsor de Leon controls the Senate. This means that, according to observers, legislators are likely to try to amend, although it is not yet clear whether de Leon will approve any of them. Some want this bill to open the California network to other users, so that Western states can take in excess solar energy in California, and Golden State (also known as California) can import wind energy or other renewable energy from Wyoming, Iowa or other states. According to Elkind, this could help enlist the support of renewable energy sources in politically conservative states, while spreading environmental and economic benefits. There are also opponents of this idea, since it will require control by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. However, Laura Wisland, a senior energy analyst at the Union of Interested Scientists, said that it was “really both a positive and a negative decision” for FERC and that the agency was unlikely to intervene in the market situation.

Conclusion

In the course of the work, it was established that the development of alternative energy and the search for new energy sources is the main world trend of the 21st century. Using the energy of the earth, wind, water and the sun, mankind will cease to pollute the environment and save valuable mineral resources. Alternative energy is a combination of promising methods for generating electricity and heat, which, unlike traditional methods (burning hydrocarbons, using atomic energy, etc.), are not very common, but are of interest because of their environmental friendliness, renewability, independence and tremendous benefits. The basis of solar energy is the use of solar energy and its conversion into electricity and heat. Prospects for the use of renewable energy sources are associated with the inexhaustibility of these resources, environmental cleanliness, low cost of operation and the impending fuel shortage in traditional energy. Humanity is constantly opening up new sources of energy and inventing new ways to generate it. People learned to extract energy using ocean waves and currents, warm underground sources, sunlight, gusts of wind. Energy is generated from rice husks, chicken droppings, banana peels. There is no doubt that in the future our descendants will completely switch to alternative energy sources. The future of energy is the clean energy of renewable natural resources.

References

1. Peter Fairley «The H2 Solution» in Scientific American 322, 2, 36-43 (February 2020)
2. Effort to Trade Gas for Hydropower in Northeast Meets ResistanceBy Benjamin Storrow, E&E News on May 22, 2019
3. How States Will Hit 100 Percent Clean Energy By Anne C. Mulkern, ClimateWire on September 5, 201