Energy and

Environment

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 Introduction
• Increasing Population implies an increasing demand
for commodities such as energy.
• Higher energy consumption leads to an increased
level of environmental pollution with negative
consequences for present and future generations.
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 Introduction
• Energy is extremely significant because it directly affects
economic development and generation of wealth.
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 Introduction
• There are six essential factors that have to be
addressed with sustainable energy solutions,
namely, (1) efficiency, (2) cost effectiveness,
(3) resources use, (4) design and analysis, (5) energy
security, and (6) environment.
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 Introduction
• Better efficiency is a critical element.
• There is a strong connection between energy
efficiency, environmental impact, and energy
resource depletion because less consumption and
less pollution are associated with increased energy
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efficiency.
 Introduction
• Better cost effectiveness appears to be one of the
key tasks.
• The cost effectiveness of energy solutions is related
directly and indirectly to sustainability.
• Cost effectiveness means more savings or reduced
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expenses for the same services or products.

• More cost effective solutions are necessary to
ensure reduced environmental impact and
increased sustainability
 Introduction
• Better resource utilization is related to energy
conservation and refers to the assembly of
measures leading to the rational use of resources
and energy conservation.
• Energy conservation leads to the stabilization of
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energy demand, reduced resource consumption,

and decreased environmental impact, enhancing
sustainability.
 Introduction
• Better design and analysis have a direct impact on
technology development, innovation, and
knowledge enhancement.
• This leads to a better understanding of processes, as
well as identification of irreversibilities, energy loss,
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and potential system improvements.

 Introduction
• Better energy security implies development of
energy policies and geopolitical strategies
that will eventually assure equitable access to
energy resources and therefore increased
sustainability and a cleaner environment.
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 Introduction
• Better environment is a basic human desire.
Development of energy systems must take
this desire into account.
• This stimulates the development of advanced power
generation systems capable of producing multiple
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outputs with lower environmental impact than

conventional processes.
 Energy Resources Available on Earth
• An energy resource is any form of energy available
on Earth which can be converted into a useful form
such as electrical power, mechanical power, or heat.
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 Energy Resources Available on Earth
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 Energy Resources Available on Earth
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 Energy Resources Available on Earth
• Classification of energy resources as renewable
energies, fossil fuels, and nuclear fuels.
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 Energy Resources Available on Earth
• Energy resources include substances stored in the
earth’s crust (fossil fuels and nuclear fuels), flows
such as wind or water currents, lakes storing the
potential energy of water (hydro-energy), thermal
energy from the earth’s crust, electromagnetic
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radiation from the sun (sunlight), and gravitational

forces from the interaction of the earth, the moon,
and the sun
 Energy Resources Available on Earth
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The most important energy resource on earth is solar energy, which is generated by thermonuclear
reactions in the sun.
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 Introduction
• Other sources of energy available to humans are derived
from fossil fuels and nuclear fuel.
• Conventional fossil fuels encompass three classes of
materials: coal, petroleum and natural gas.
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 • The Future of Sustainable Energy Production in Pakistan:
A System Dynamics-Based Approach for Estimating
Hubbert Peaks
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 Introduction
• In addition, there are several types of nonconventional
fossil fuels that have started to be exploited more
recently, such as shale oil, oils sands, and coal bed gas.
• Fossil fuels are mainly used for direct combustion with
air in various systems such as furnaces, gas turbines,
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and internal combustion engines.

 Introduction
• Oil shale is an organic-rich fine-grained sedimentary rock
containing kerogen (a solid mixture of organic chemical
compounds) from which liquid hydrocarbons can be
produced, called shale oil (not to be confused with tight
oil—crude oil occurring naturally in shales).
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 Coal
• Coal is mainly formed from organic substances derived from
fossilized plants with embedded mineral inclusions.
• The primary chemical element in coal is carbon, and coal
has a carbon content of over 70% by weight.
• Coal has a calorific value of 25–35 MJ/kg, with the coal type
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lignite having the lowest calorific value and the coal type
anthracite having the highest calorific value.
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Coal
 Introduction
• According to BP (2010), the proven resources of coal
globally are equivalent to the energy of 23.1106 PJ
and a resource over production ratio of R/P ¼
122 years.
• The R/P ratio is calculated based on the amount of
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the resource, preferably expressed in energy units,

and the rate of coal production (or consumption)
expressed in energy units per year.
 Coal
• Coal is mainly used for major power plants and for
industrial processes in the metallurgical and cement
industries.
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 Petroleum
• Petroleum is a naturally occurring hydrocarbon-based
material found mainly as liquid.
• Non-conventional sources of petroleum are often
present in solid forms such as bitumen or oil sands.
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 Petroleum
• Alkanes, cycloalkanes, aromatics, paraffin, and
naphthalene are the main constituents of petroleum.
• The total world petroleum reserves include 30% of
conventional oil, 25% extra heavy oil, 15% heavy oil
and other petroleum forms such as bitumen.
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• Petroleum is primarily consumed by the transportation

sector.
Shale oil or oil sands
 Natural Gas
• Natural gas containing methane as its combustible
material occurs around the world, with the Russian
Federation having the largest reserves.
• Natural gas is used in many industries, including
fertilizer (ammonia, urea) production, and as fuel
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for heating, cooking, and in some cases for power

generation.
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Natural Gas
 Natural Gas
• About 20% of world energy production is derived from
natural gas combustion.
• Natural gas reserves are estimated to have an
equivalent energy of 7106 PJ with an R/P ratio of 60
years
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 Nuclear Fuel
• Conventional nuclear fuel is represented by fissile
uranium 235U, which naturally occurs in
form of U3O8 ore.
• One ton of ore yields about 6 kg of fissile uranium,
which is equivalent to 144 TJ of electrical energy (or
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40 GWh), whereas 1 ton of coal can be used to

generate 14,000 times less electricity.
 Introduction
• Conventional nuclear fuel reserves are estimated to
have an equivalent of PJ with an R/P ratio of 50
years. Many more nonconventional nuclear fuel
resources do exist, mainly in the form of thorium, as
well as spent fuel material that might be used in
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the breeder reactors of next generation nuclear

power plants.
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 Environmental Impact
• Any energy system impacts the environment.
• Environmental problems are particularly apparent in
developing or newly industrialized countries, where
energy-consumption growth rates are typically
extremely high and where environmental
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management has not yet been fully incorporated

into the infrastructure.
 Introduction
• Nevertheless, at present, industrialized countries
are mainly responsible for air pollution, ozone
depletion, and the carbon emissions.
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 Introduction
• a generic power production system which consumes
some fuels, generates useful work, and expels some
pollutants in the environment.
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 Introduction
• The system might cause pollutant emissions,
accidents, hazards, ecosystem degradation through
air and water pollution, animal poisoning,
greenhouse gas emission, carbon monoxide
leakages, stratospheric ozone depletion, and the
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emission of SO2, NOx, VOCs (volatile organic

compounds), PM (particulate matter), and other
aerosols.
 Introduction
• The effluents expelled into the atmosphere by
power generation systems can be divided
into two categories: greenhouse gases (GHG) and
aerosols.
• GHG are those chemicals which are released in the
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terrestrial atmosphere and produce the greenhouse

effect.
 Introduction
• When released from natural and anthropogenic
activities, GHG travel through the atmosphere and
reach its upper layer, the troposphere.
• In the troposphere, GHG absorb an important part
of the infrared radiation emitted by the earth
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surface.
• As a consequence, the earth’s surface temperature
tends to increase, and this process is called the
greenhouse effect
 Introduction
• On the other hand, aerosols, such as VOCs, soot,
and PM, are released continuously in the
atmosphere and concentrate in its upper layers.
• Aerosols contribute to the earth’s albedo.
• Due to their presence in the atmosphere, aerosols
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reflect a portion of the incident solar radiation

back into space.
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