ENERGY ON THE OCEANS TOPIC
DEBATING AND UNDERSTANDING ENERGY POLICY
OVERVIEW
• Oil & Natural Gas
• Offshore Wind
• Ocean Energy
• OTEC, Tidal Power, etc.
• Methane Hydrates
• Additional Offshore Energy
OIL AND NATURAL GAS
OIL & NATURAL GAS: SIMILARITIES
• Hydrocarbon: a substance that contains only carbon and hydrogen
• Oil & Natural Gas are often found together in underground reservoirs
• Reservoirs: rock formations that hold oil, natural gas or both within their pores.
OIL BASICS
• What is oil used for?
• Transportation fuels (gasoline, diesel,
etc.)
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Plastics
Asphalt
Fertilizer
Heat
Some electricity
• Who produces oil? (Top 5)
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Russia
Saudi Arabia
United States
Iran
China
OIL ECONOMICS
• Supply: the total amount of a
specific good or service that is
available to consumers
• Demand: how much (quantity) of a
product or service is desired by
buyers
OIL GEOPOLITICS
• Organization of the Petroleum
Exporting Countries (OPEC)
• Members: Iraq, Kuwait, Iran, Saudi
Arabia, Venezuela, Libya, United
Arab Emirates, Qatar, Algeria,
Nigeria, Ecuador, Angola
OIL ADVANTAGES
• Oil Independence
• Oil Prices
• Economic Growth
NATURAL GAS BASICS
• What is natural gas used for?
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Heating
Cooking
Electricity
Chemical Feedstocks
• Who produces natural gas? (Top 5)
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United States
Russia
European Union
Iran
Canada
NATURAL GAS MARKETS
NATURAL GAS PRICES
• Prices differ regionally
• Natural gas is exchanged in
regional markets
OIL PRICES
• Sold at one price, all over the world
• Exchanged in a global market
NATURAL GAS GEOPOLITICS
• There is no “OPEC” of natural gas
• However, the EU is highly dependent
on Russia for natural gas
• Creates foreign policy constraints
NATURAL GAS ADVANTAGES
• Warming
• Natural Gas Exports
• Natural Gas Prices
OIL & NATURAL GAS: NEGATIVE POSITIONS
• Environment DA
• Oil Prices DA
• Natural Gas Prices DA
• Military DA
• Politics DA
• Onshore CP
OFFSHORE WIND
CURRENT STATE OF OFFSHORE WIND
• Widespread development in Europe
• Investment beginning in the United
States, but lack of
incentives/regulatory certainty
• Coastal Zone Management Act
(CZMA)
OFFSHORE WIND: ADVANTAGES
• Warming
• Economy
• Federalism
OFFSHORE WIND: NEGATIVE POSITIONS
• Case Turn: Wind Increases CO2
• Politics DA
• Budget DA
• Environment DA
• Electricity Prices DA
• Onshore CP
• Free Market CP
MARINE ENERGY
OCEAN THERMAL ENERGY CONVERSION (OTEC)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
qGwsvuxuK7g
• Works best in areas with large
difference in ocean temperatures,
such as Hawaii
CURRENT STATE OF OTEC DEVELOPMENT
• Fully operational OTEC plant opened in Japan in 2013
• Technical and cost challenges remain
OTEC: ADVANTAGES
• Warming
• Economy
• Desalination
• Hydrogen Production
• Chill-Soil Agriculture
• Aquaculture
• Mineral Extraction
OTEC: NEGATIVE POSITIONS
• Budget DA
• Politics DA
• Electricity Prices DA
• Environment DA
• Land-Based CP
• EIS CP
WAVE POWER
• Uses waves to generate electricity
• Projects in Portugal and Oregon
• Environmental issues
TIDAL POWER
• Uses the power of the tide to create
electricity
• May not be topical, depending on
the type of tidal power
• Environmental issues
OCEAN CURRENT POWER
• Uses ocean currents to generate
electricity
• Least developed type of ocean
energy
METHANE HYDRATES
WHAT ARE METHANE HYDRATES?
• Methane hydrate: a large amount of
methane is trapped within a crystal
structure of water, forming a solid
similar to ice
• Found in sea-floor sediments and
arctic permafrost
CURRENT STATE OF METHANE HYDRATE
PRODUCTION
• Test drillings in Canada and Japan
• Becoming cost-effective
• Seen as a potential breakthrough
source of energy
METHANE HYDRATES: ADVANTAGES
• Warming
• Economy
• Energy Leadership
• Arctic/Russia
METHANE HYDRATES: NEGATIVE ARGUMENTS
• Warming DA
• Technical/Solvency Issues
ADDITIONAL ENERGY TYPES
FLOATING NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS (FNPP)
• Russia has invested in FNPPs
• New 2014 solvency advocates
• Potential advantages include:
Warming, Desalination, Hegemony
• Environment DA
UNDERSEA COAL GASIFICATION
• Coal gasification
• Syngas: fuel gas mixture consisting
of hydrogen and natural gas
• Warming Advantage?
• Pollution DA
OFFSHORE SOLAR
• Currently being developed in Japan
• Technology is not very advanced,
not a likely affirmative
MARINE ALGAE BIOFUELS
• Algae biofuels are typically
freshwater
• Marine algae biofuels are possible
but underdeveloped