1. CHAPTER 16
NONRENEWABLE ENERGY

2. THE ONLY ENERGY THAT COUNTS IS NET ENERGY
THE USABLE AMOUNT OF HIGH QUALITY ENERGY AVAILABLE FROM A GIVEN QUANTITY OF AN ENERGY RESOURCE
THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF USEFUL ENERGY AVAILABLE FROM AN ENERGY RESOURCE MINUS THE ENERGY NEEDED TO MAKE IT AVAILABLE TO CONSUMERS

3. HOW IS NET ENERGY CALCULATED?
ESTIMATING THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF ENERGY AVAILABLE FROM THE RESOURCE OVER ITS PROJECTED LIFETIME AND
SUBTRACTING THE ESTIMATED AMOUNT OF ENERGY USED, AUTOMATICALLY WASTED AND UNNECESSARILY WASTED IN LOCATING, EXTRACTING, PROCESSING AND TRANSPORTING THE USEFUL ENERGY TO CONSUMERS

4. EXAMPLE
9 UNITS OF ENERGY REQUIRED TO PRODUCE 10 UNITS OF ENERGY BY GROWING AND PROCESSING CORN TO PRODUCE ETHANOL FOR CARS
NET USEFUL ENERGY = 1 UNIT OF ENERGY
EXPRESS AS:
RATIO OF ENERGY PRODUCED TO THE ENERGY USED TO PRODUCE IT
10/9 OR 1.1

5. EXAMPLE AS THE RATIO INCREASES, NET ENERGY YIELD ALSO RISES
IF RATIO IS LESS THAN 1, NET ENERGY LOSS OCCURS
HOW DO VARIOUS ENERGY SOURCES COMPARE?

6. COMPARISON OF NET ENERGY RATIOS FOR HEATING
PASSIVE SOLAR
NATURAL GAS – 4.9
OIL – 4.5
ACTIVE SOLAR – 1.9
ELECTRIC HEATING (COAL FIRED PLANT) .4
ELECTRIC HEATING (NUCLEAR PLANT) .4

7. COMPARISON OF NET ENERGY RATIOS FOR TRANSPORTATION
NATURAL GAS – 4.9
GASOLINE – 4.1
ETHANOL – 1.9
COAL LIQUEFICATION – 1.4
OIL SHALE – 1.2

8. LOW OR NEGATIVE NET ENERGY RESOURCE YIELDS
ANY ENERGY RESOURCE WITH A LOW OR NEGATIVE NET ENERGY YIELD CANNOT COMPETE IN THE OPEN MARKETPLACE WITH OTHER ENERGY ALTERNATIVES WITH HIGHER NET ENERGY YIELDS UNLESS IT IS SUBSIDIZED BY THE GOVERNMENT OR SOME OTHER OUTSIDE SOURCE OF FUNDING.

9. WHY DOES NUCLEAR ENERGY HAVE A LOW NET ENERGY YIELD?
LARGE AMOUNTS OF ENERGY NEEDED FOR:
EXTRACT/PROCESS URANIUM ORE
CONVERT ORE TO NUCLEAR FUEL
SAFELY STORE RADIOACTIVE WASTES FOR THOUSANDS OF YEAR
DISMANTLE NUCLEAR PLANT AFTER YEARS
SAFELY STORE RADIOACTIVE PLANT PARTS FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS

10. HOW TO IMPROVE NET ENERGY YIELDS
USE ENERGY RESOURCES WITH NET ENERGY YIELDS THAT ARE AS HIGH AS POSSIBLE
REDUCE UNNECCESSARY WASTE
APPROXIMATELY 41% OF ALL COMMERCIAL ENERGY IN THE U.S. IS WASTED DUE TO SECOND LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS

11. OIL MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND
33% OF WORLD’S COMMERCIAL ENERGY
40% OF UNITED STATES COMMERCIAL ENERGY
THE LIFEBLOOD OF ECONOMIES & MODERN LIFESTYLE
2009 – WORLD USED 31BB OF OIL (42 GAL/BARREL);
LAID END-TO-END, 31BB = 21 MILLION MILES (TO THE MOON & BACK 44 TIMES)

12. HOW MUCH CONVENTIONAL OIL REMAINS?
CONVENTIONAL OIL DEPOSITS (PETROLEUM) WILL BE 80% DEPLETED BETWEEN 2050 AND 2100
OPEC (13 COUNTRIES) PRODUCES 39% OF WORLD’S OIL
SAUDI ARABIA HAS 20% OF WORLD’S PROVEN OIL RESERVES;

13. HOW MUCH OIL REMAINS?
OTHER LARGE, PROVEN CONVENTIONAL OIL RESERVES ARE:
IRAN
IRAQ
KUWAIT
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
VENEZUELA
RUSSIA

14. IF SUPPLYING THE WORLD ALONE, CONVENTIONAL RESERVES WOULD LAST
SAUDI ARABIA - 7 YEARS
ALASKA’S NORTH SLOPE – 6 MONTHS
ANWR – 1-5 MONTHS
BAKKEN OIL FORMATION – 3 MONTHS
(BASED ON GLOBAL OIL CONSUMPTION GROWING AT 2% PER YEAR)

15. HOW ARE THE OIL FIELDS HOLDING UP?
SINCE 1984, PRODUCTION OF COVENTIONAL CRUDE OIL FROM EXISTING PROVEN RESERVES HAS EXCEEDED NEW OIL DISCOVERIES
SINCE 2005, GLOBAL CONVENTIONAL OIL PRODUCTION HAS GENERALLY LEVELED OFF
OF THE WORLD’S 64 MAJOR OIL FIELDS, 54 ARE IN DECLINE

16. OIL VARIETIES
PETROLEUM (CRUDE OIL) – BLACK, GOOEY LIQUID, 100’S OF DIFFERENT COMBUSTIBLE HYDROCARBONS
ALSO KNOWN AS CONVENTIONAL OIL, LIGHT CRUDE OIL OR SWEET CRUDE OIL
MAKES UP ABOUT 30% OF WORLD’S ESTIMATED OIL SUPPLY

17. OIL VARIETIES
THE OTHER 70% OF OIL SUPPLY IS UNCONVENTIONAL HEAVY OIL WHICH HAS THE CONSISTENCY OF MOLASSES
LOW NET ENERGY YIELD
COMES FROM:
OIL WELLS (THICK OIL LEFT BEHIND)
TAR SANDS DEPOSITS
OIL SHALE ROCK

18. ADVANTAGES OF USING CRUDE OIL
AMPLE SUPPLY FOR SEVERAL DECADES
HIGH NET ENERGY YIELD
LOW LAND DISRUPTION
EFFICIENT DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

19. DISADVANTAGES OF USING CRUDE OIL
WATER POLLUTION FROM OIL SPILLS AND LEAKS
ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS NOT INCLUDED IN MARKET PRICE
RELEASES CO2 AND OTHER AIR POLLUTANTS WHEN BURNED
VULNERABLE TO INTERNATIONAL SUPPLY INTERRUPTIONS