Energy and Society: which Energy for the future of mankind? Federico Rosei
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Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique Monash Sustainability Institute, Melbourne, March 3rd 2010 Energy and Society: which Energy for the future of mankind? Federico Rosei Canada Research Chair in Nanostructured Organic and Inorganic Materials Nano–Femto Laboratory (NFL) INRS – Énergie, Matériaux et Télécommunications, Université du Québec, Varennes (Québec) rosei@emt.inrs.ca INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec A few words about INRS: Institut national de la recherche scientifique the graduate school of the University of Quebec Location: the south shore of Montreal Approx. 25 km from the city centre INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique Worldwide Societal Challenges (Broad, General => affect everybody) • Clean and sustainable energy • Preserving and protecting the environment • Improving our health and quality of life INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique • “Questions are never indiscreet, answers sometimes are.” Oscar Wilde • Each generation is confronted with new challenges and new opportunities. In this 1970 picture, an average American family is surrounded by the barrels of oil they consume annually. Now this consumption is about 40% higher. “Currently the world‟s growing thirst for oil amounts to almost 1000 barrels a second.” The Future of Energy Supply: Challenges and Opportunities; N. Armaroli, V. Balzani, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2007, 46, 52. INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique “Our generation will ultimately be defined by how we live up to the energy challenge.” The Future of Energy Supply: Challenges and Opportunities; N. Armaroli, V. Balzani, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2007, 46, 52. INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique The Energy problem • Disclaimer: the purpose of this presentation is to promote awareness. I do not have easy solutions (I wish!) • There is no „one size fits all‟ solution, in other words for the moment there is no credible replacement technology for fossil fuels • As the demand for fossil fuels increases and supply dwindles, we need to buy time – Energy Saving! • The price of oil is correlated with everything we do (raw materials, food, real estate etc.) • The consequences on the environment are catastrophic • Sustainability vs. population INRS increase Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION We ‘use’ a lot of Energy to live in today’s world Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique Energy is embodied in any type of goods and is needed to produce any kind of service. This is why it takes energy to improve people‟s standard of living. Human Development Index and INRS per capita energy consumption Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique Correlation between Energy, Environment and Health CO O3, NOx, SO2 J. Diamond, Collapse, Viking Penguin, NY (2005) J. Diamond, “Maya, Khmer and Inca”, Nature 461, 479 (2009) Climate change Acidification Desertification INRS Loss of habitat Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Energy crisis Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique Energy system evolution and its consequences • Local impact (health): years/decades O3, NOx, SO2 CO • Global impact: centuries/millennia Warming Acidification Desertification INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Habitat loss Energy security Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique Energy and Quality of Life: “You can never get enough of what you don‟t need to make you happy” Eric Hoffer • The quality of life is almost completely uncorrelated with energy consumption, once countries are industrialized. An Unsustainable Growth in an Unequal World “My grandmother used to say: there are but two families in the world, have-much and have-little.” Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote The Future of Energy Supply: Challenges and Opportunities; N. Armaroli, V. Balzani, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2007,INRS 46, 52. Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION The Earth at night from a satellite Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Energy and Quality of Life Institut national de la recherche scientifique • One could believe that the well-being of people increases with increasing consumption of energy. • Quality of life is highly correlated with energy consumption during basic economic development, but is almost completely uncorrelated once countries are industrialized. • As per capita energy consumption reaches a value of ca. 2.6 ton of oil equivalents (toe)/year => no further improvement. • Strict parallelism between overconsumption of energy & food. • Nation with the highest number of overweight or obese people (USA: 130 million, or 64%) also the one with the highest energy consumption per capita (8 toe per year). • An American consumes as much energy as 2 European, 10 Chinese, 20 Indian, or 30 African people. • Calories are both biologically and socially healthy only as long as they stay within the narrow range that separates enough from too much. • Over a definite threshold, energy inputs increase inefficiency of personal life (obesity) and social life (traffic jams), cause more waste, boost medical expenses and increase inequality. The Future of Energy Supply: Challenges and Opportunities; N. Armaroli, V. Balzani, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2007,INRS 46, 52. Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique History of individual energy consumption: each one of us consumes ~100 times as much as one stone age human INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Equivalent Energy Institut national de la recherche scientifique • The power used by energy-affluent people: to run a TV set the continuous muscular work of 2 people is needed, while for a complete cycle with an energy-efficient washing machine the number is 15. To take-off a fully loaded Boeing 747, 1.6 million “energy slaves” are required. There is a big disproportion between the extensive use we make of energy and the scarce knowledge we have of it. Typical home (US) = 1-5 kW Class 8 truck = 100 gal diesel 3763 kWh/day (~31 homes) 120 kWh/day 5 min fill up = 45 MW 5 kW The Future of Energy Supply: Challenges and Opportunities; N. Armaroli, V. Balzani, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2007,INRS 46, 52. Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique “The struggle for existence is the struggle for available energy”. Ludwig Boltzmann (physicist, 19th century) INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique Alarm signals April 2005 Recent cover pages of “The Economist” October 2003 Will this be our future? INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION World Energy consumption increases continuously Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique Oil (in general: *nonrenewable* fossil fuels) is still the most widely used Fuel of modern society World population increases at a rate of ~200.000 inhabitants per day INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique We are guzzling Oil at a staggering rate 1 mile Tour Eiffel Last year the world burned 1 cubic mile (4.2 Km3) of Oil INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique Drilling Oil is becoming ever more difficult The “Deepwater Pathfinder” Yesterday Today: to find new Oil we have to INRSbottom of the Ocean drill the Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION The price of oil keeps increasing Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique 135.08 + Price ($/barrel) In five years it increased fivefold Or not??!! (below: prediction) year INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Consequences: Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique Crisis in the transport sector Truck driver‟s strike in Italy and Spain French fishermen protest because of gas price increases INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec ‘relative’ price of oil Institut national de la recherche scientifique • Presently ca. 40-50 $ / barrel – down from ca. 140 less than a year ago (partly due to speculation) • The US$ was 40% weaker in July 2008 than it was 6 years before – today (May 2009) it is stronger again • Relative importance of taxes: – In Europe, most countries impose heavy duty on gas (June 10th 2008: 1.545 Euros/liter in Italy) – In the US there are no energy-specific taxes => a fivefold increase in the price of oil reflects in a fivefold increase in the price of gas at the station…! Correlations: Sub-prime rates and Real estate market crash in the US INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique • “The wisest decision to take in any energy crisis in developed countries is that of reducing energy demand.” The Future of Energy Supply: Challenges and Opportunities; N. Armaroli, V. Balzani, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2007, 46, 52. INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION History of Oil Discovery and Consumption Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique History of Norwegian Oil Production Today we Are here Presently we are „finding‟ one new barrel of oil for every four we use Oil Production in many fields/areas is decreasing INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique Hubbert Peak Nobody knows exactly When it will hit. However: It will come for sure! Even if it should hit in 15-20 years, it will cause major problems. It will take much longer to change our energy infrastructure Resources are limited ! INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique When we reach the peak… 3. Price 2. Demand 1. Production time There will be a severe shortage of liquid fuels => Drives up the price dramatically INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique Biofuels and food When economists take note… It’s a serious business ! INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique September 2007 INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique Hormuz Straits Arabian Peninsula Oil fields INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique Consequences on the environment “Some side-effects of energy consumption are transmitted to future generations; others, burden our society.” The Future of Energy Supply: Challenges and Opportunities; N. Armaroli, V. Balzani, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2007,INRS 46, 52. Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec A fast warming world Institut national de la recherche scientifique In the last 100 years the average surface temperature has increased at a record rate in our planet’s history INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique The Ice-quakes Ice-quake frequency has tripled INRS in recent years Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec The North-West Passage is now open! Institut national de la recherche scientifique INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique No ‘one size fits all’ solution • Price of oil price of raw materials • Energy saving (drastic changes in infrastructure requires heavy use of raw materials!) • The change in infrastructure designed to „buy time‟ actually requires time and significant investment in… Energy! • => it is very hard to catch up!!! • Important Note: liquid fuels are the only ones with sufficient energy density to fly a plane – they have so many advantages (which is why they have been overused) that they are extremely hard to replace • Despite obvious drawbacks, nuclear energy may be an acceptable (temporary) solution to buy time INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique Alternative energy sources/vectors • • • • • • Nuclear fission Wind power Hydroelectric Solar Nuclear fusion* Hydrogen* * Under development “The nuclear power industry remains as safe as a chocolate factory” The Economist, March 29th 1986 (4 weeks before the Chernobyl catastrophe) Alternative is not enough! *Sustainable!* INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique Renewable energy Hydroelectric power Solar energy Wind power INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Tidal power Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique Concept of EROEI • EROEI = Energy Return On Energy Investment • 30 years ago, you could „invest‟ the equivalent (in Energy) of one barrel of oil when drilling a new oil field, and would retrieve 200 barrels • EROEI examples: – Ethanol from corn: 1 to 1.3 – Ethanol from sugar cane: 1 to 8 (acceptable) – Alberta tar sands: 2 to 3 (barely acceptable) Sugar cane corn Success in niche markets: Brazil INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Usina Sao Martinho 300 ML ethanol/yr (from sugar cane) Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique Every year the world’s population increases by 70 million inhabitants Where on Earth are we going? INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Photo Source: NASA Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique St Paul island reindeer Collapse? Their Energy: grassland Easter Island population Their Energy: Palm trees World population Our Energy: Fossil fuels INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique Materials Science: - Materials by Design - Nanostructured Materials and Nanotechnology “Scientists have the moral duty to inform the general public of the urgency and complexity of the energy problem.” “The Earth is in our hands. Are we capable of reducing disparity and creating a more peaceful world?” “If our black and nervous civilization, based on coal, shall be followed by a quieter civilization based on the utilization of solar energy that will not be harmful to progress and to human happiness” Giacomo Ciamician “The efficient production of clean solar fuels would represent the most important breakthrough of modern science.” The Future of Energy Supply: Challenges and Opportunities; N. Armaroli, V. Balzani, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2007,INRS 46, 52. Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique Relative dimensions in Nature Every item is approx. 10 times smaller than the previous one Ant: ~ 5 mm Virus Hair DNA Mite Red Blood cells Protein Atoms INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION 5/10.000.000 of a mm Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique The atomic structure of matter Just as buildings are made of bricks… …matter is made of atoms and molecules INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique Most materials are made by „throwing together‟ various atomic species in random fashion Lego car Advanced materials by design Nanotechnology aims at placing atomic and molecular building blocks in precise 2D and 3D INRS locations Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Different atomic arrangements of the same element yield VERY different results ! Institut national de la recherche scientifique Carbon atom structure of graphite Graphite Carbon atom structure of diamond Diamond INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Nanostructured Materials: Nano–size effects Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique • Au (gold) is inert in its bulk form (the most noble of all metals!) • In the form of clusters (~3 nm in diameter) it becomes chemically reactive Lycurgus Cup, (4th Century A.D). Appears green in reflected light, red in transmitted light. Contains Au / Ag particles ~70 nm (b). • Nano size effects: at the nanoscale, the surface/volume ratio becomes important => this tends to change many properties • Challenges: control of size, shape, stability, density and positioning Valden, Lai, Goodman, Science 281, 1647 INRS(1998) Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique Nanoscience and nanotechnology The IBM Logo, written using 36 Xenon atoms on a Nickel surface, exemplifies our present control on matter: We can read and write using single INRS atoms Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec NanoBioMed Institut national de la recherche scientifique • Emerging applications: – sunscreen, cosmetics – new drugs and drug delivery systems – new materials • Biomedical research tools: – nano materials for labeling & diagnostics – tools of nanoscience applied to biomed Chemical sensors Nanosomes (L’Oréal) Nanoshells of gold can be heated from outside the body by IR, releasing drugs locally New materials: non-permeable, self-cleaning, anti-septic Self-cleaning plastic, textiles: CNT stabilized enzymes in polymer Textiles with ‘Stain Defender’ Ceramic Coatings: (Inframat): Lotus leaf (artificial): nm-sized hydrophobic wax size: water rolls (not slides) -> cleans sol-gel based technique -> on market Air-D-Fense (InMat, New Jersey): No barnacles on ship hulls: reduced drag nanoclay/butyl thin film 3000 fold decreased permeability INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Nanotechnology–made LEDs Institut national de la recherche scientifique Fire Incandescence lamp Fluorescence lamps LEDs Year Brief history INRS of lighting Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique Saving Electric Energy Each LED Traffic light saves 1200 $ worth of Electricity per year By lighting with LEDs just one room in every house we can reduce CO2 emissions by 1 billion tons per year INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique Nanotechnology for Construction: redesigning infrastructure “The latest advances in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology focusing on Materials and their impact in the Construction Sector” The hand does not burn although the flame temperature is 800 oC Example: Aerogel, a new construction nanomaterial for efficient insulation Applications: 1) Wall thermal insulation 2) Window panels thermal insulation INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique Nano-catalytic materials STM image of a nanoengineered model catalyst Computer model of a bimetallic nanocrystal Example: design nano-materials with optimized catalytic activity, for methaneINRS to methanol conversion Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique • The famous paper “The Photochemistry of the Future” published in Science by Giacomo Ciamician in 1912, where he pointed out the need for an energy transition from fossils to renewables. One century later this call is more urgent than ever. INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique Nanomaterials for photovoltaics - matching the solar emission spectrum Solar Flux Fluorescing nano “dots” of the In1-xGaxN alloy Gallium Percentage Nano-dots of In1-xGaxN promise to double Solar cell efficiency Other approaches: hybrid organic/inorganic solar cells INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique Hydrogen Applications Opel Zafira Chrysler Jeep Commander Renault Fever Zevco Mazda Demio DaimlerChrysler Necar Toyota RAV Ford P2000 NissanINRS X-Terra Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION The hydrogen car Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique The Car The chassis General Motors Hy-Wire car prototype • The Hydrogen Economy The interior • “I believe that water will one day be employed as fuel, that hydrogen and oxygen which constitute it, used singly or together, will furnish an inexhaustible source of heat and light, of an intensity of which coal is not capable … . Water will be the coal of the future” Jules Verne, The Mysterious Island The cloche A hydrogen fuel-cell bus in Iceland. The water splitting and recombination reactions are figuratively represented by the opening and INRS closing of the door. Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique An Energy „Crisis‟? The word crisis has a Greek origin. It means a divergence of paths, or “choice” This is the character which means “crisis” in Chinese; it is a composite character. => Means “Danger!” => Means “Opportunity” INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION Université du Québec Institut national de la recherche scientifique INRS Science in ACTION for a World in EVOLUTION
