Energy Use and Sources in USA

FORS 8020

Bioeconomy Seminar

Dale Greene - 2009

Energy Uses

In our economy today, we consume energy in three basis ways: To produce electricity As liquid fuels to power our vehicles To produce heat for home or

industrial processes (heat & steam) We also use petroleum and natural

gas as raw material feedstocks for chemicals, fertilizer, and plastics.

US Energy Sources – 2003

39

23

8

24

6

Petroleum

Coal

Nuclear

Natural Gas

Renewables

US Energy Use by Source

Energy Sources & Consumption 2004 US energy

consumption, quadrillion BTUs

Source vs Use Electricity – Coal,

gas, nuclear Transportation –

oil Renewables –

electricity and industry

US Electricity Sources

Base Load Plants – supply power at all times, amount varies relatively little. Coal, Nuclear

Peak Load Plants – supply power as needed to grid. May not run at all. Natural Gas, Hydro

US Petroleum Sources & Use

Transportation Fuels

96% is oil based (most gasoline and diesel, some natural gas and LP).

Remainder is a mix of ethanol, bio-diesel, or other fuels (growing).

Consumer fuel market is competitive, consumer self-serve, and designed for consumer convenience.

Designed around gasoline usage.

Oil Prices

OPEC Share of World Crude

Source: OPEC

OPEC Share of World Crude

Source: OPEC

Top Oil Consumers

United States – 20.7 China – 6.4 Japan – 5.4

Millions of barrels per day, 2004.Source: Energy Information Agency

Hubbert’s Peak

Oil supplies are limited.

Many think our production has already peaked.

Prices will stay high and perhaps increase further – spurring more exploration or substitutes.

M. King Hubbert, a geophysicist suggested the above trendline in 1956.

Natural Gas

Primarily methane – CH4 (70-90%)

Easily pipelined, widely used.

Most peak load electric plants built in recent years use natural gas.

Cleanest burning fossil fuel.

Natural Gas Sources

Units are M cubic feet

Natural Gas Uses

Natural Gas

Much more abundant than petroleum, but supply is finite.

Difficult to import or export unless in liquified natural gas (LNG) form.

An important transition fuel between reliance on fossil fuels and renewables.

Nuclear Power

Base-load electricity generation. CO2 neutral – no emissions. Use nuclear fission – uranium-235. Breeder reactors turn uranium-238 into

plutonium-239 – potential abundant source of energy.

Clean, safe energy. So why aren’t we using it more?

Nuclear Power

Fear. The movie China Syndrome was popular

in 1979 when the Three Mile Island incident occurred.

US construction of nuclear plants was stopped cold by public opinion.

The Washington Public Power Supply scandal further hardened public opinion.

Then Chernobyl occurred in 1986.

Nuclear Power

104 units in the US. No new ones in over 25 years. All increase in electricity based on fossil

fuels instead CO2

Widely used in Europe and Asia. Probably has to be a part of any energy

landscape that reduces carbon emissions. Disposal of radioactive waste is a key

issue and one that we have delayed acting upon as a country.

Summary

Fossil fuels have finite supplies. Oil is particularly in short supply. Natural gas is more abundant. Coal is plentiful. All of these contribute to carbon

loading in the atmosphere. Nuclear is not popular.

Renewable Sources – 6% of total

47

45

5 2 1

Biomass

Hydro

Geothermal

Wind

Solar

Biomass Sources (2.8% of total)

75%

25%

Forests

Agriculture

Key Issue

Can the US use biomass to replace 30% of petroleum consumption by 2030? This translates to: 5% of power consumption 20% of transportation fuels 25% of chemicals

This would represent a 5-fold increase over 2003 consumption levels of 190 million tons (forestry and agriculture combined).

US Biomass Consumption 2003

Biomass Consumption MM Dry Tons/Year

Forest Industry

wood residues 44

pulping liquors 52

Urban wood/food/process residues 35

Fuelwood (home/commercial/utility) 35

Biofuels 18

Bioproducts 6

Total 190

Forest Biomass75% of current biomass use

Primary Logging residues from logging & land clearing Fuel reduction treatments in high risk areas Fuelwood extracted from forestlandsSecondary Primary processing mill wastes Secondary processing mill wastes Pulping liquorsTertiary Urban wood waste – C&D, limbs, trash

Agricultural Biomass25% of current biomass use

Primary Residues from major crops – corn & grains Grains (corn and soybeans) Algae Perennial grasses Perennial woody crops (ag or forestry?)Secondary Animal manures Food/feed processing residuesTertiary Municipal solid waste (MSW), post-consumer

residues, and landfill gases

Potential Annual Biomass from Forests (368 million tons)

Assumptions: Unroaded areas were excluded. Environmentally sensitive areas were excluded. Equipment recovery limitations considered. Two types – (1) conventional forest products

and (2) biomass for bioenergy/bioproducts. 1.6x increase from 143 MM tons used in

2003.

Potentially Available Forest Biomass

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Logging & LandClearing Residue

Fuel Treatments

Fuelwood

Industry WoodWastes

Pulping Liquors

Urban Wood Waste

Million dry tons / year

Existing Use Unexploited Growth

Source: EIA 2004.

Potential from Agriculture(3 scenarios)

Scenario 1 – Baseline – 194 million tons available 20% of this is captured today.

Scenario 2 – Realistic? – 423-597 million tons available Corn yields increase 25-50% Planted acreage projected for 2014 (no land use change) No soybean residues Collect 60-75% of crop residues 50% of biomass produced on CRP lands is available (???) 75 million dry tons of manure Crop residues account for 65-75% of total biomass

Potential from Agriculture(3 scenarios)

Scenario 3 – Aggressive? – 581-998 million tons available Scenario 2 plus…. Soybeans yield a third more biomass and it is captured. Up to 60 million acres converted to perennial crops

• Short rotation woody crops increase from 0.1 to 5.0 million acres with 25% used for bioproducts and remainder for forest products - ?

• Other 55 million acres is perennial grass, 90% used for bioproducts Crop residues account for 50%, perennial crops for 30-40% of

total biomass With current market prices, farmers are not taking CRP lands out

of the program to plant them in row crops again.

Potentially Available Agricultural BiomassPerennial Crops Assume Major CRP Land Use Change

0 200 400 600 800 1000

Current

#2 Moderate

#2 High

#3 Moderate

#3 High

Million dry tons / year

Crop Residues Grains to biofuels Process Residues Perennial Crops

Potential Annual Biomass from Agriculture (998 million tons)

Assumptions: Crop yields increased 50%. Soybean residue:grain ratio increased to 2:1. 75% of residues can be harvested. Cropland managed with no-till methods. 55 million acres dedicated to bioenergy crops. All manure in excess of allowable soil amendment

levels used for bioenergy. 21x increase from 48 MM tons used in 2003. 5x increase from amount available in 2003.

Annual Biomass 2003 Production vs 2030 Potential

142

368

48

998

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

2003 2030

An

nu

al M

M T

ons

Forest Agriculture

Summary

The potential for using substantially more biomass is there on a sustainable level.

Forestry projections without fuel treatments gives ~310 million tons – 2x today’s level of usage.

Agricultural projections of 400-600 million tons may be achievable – 8-12x today’s level of usage.

Sustained higher prices for competing fossil fuel feedstocks will be critical to capturing a significant amount of this potential.

Energy Independence in Brazil:Lessons for the United States

Significant expansion of domestic oil production

State-owned oil company required to sell ethanol at subsidized prices

20% ethanol mix mandate Flex fuel vehicles = 73%

of new cars sold today 48% of fuel used by

gasoline cars is ethanol Diesel is more popular Scale differences (chart)

The New Petroleum 1999 – Senator Lugar and former CIA Director Woolsey Energy security = national security Urge switch to cellulosic fuels to reduce reliance on OPEC Big share (1/3) of US trade deficit is for oil purchases Requires modest changes to vehicles and infrastructure Widespread availability of flex-fuel vehicles also needed Compares current technology to oil refining in 1900 Ethanol – 69% energy content, 115% octane rating, lower

vapor pressure when 22%+ mix Urge Federal R&D spending, tax code incentives for

cellulosic ethanol & FFVs, govt-industry partnership

Discussion