Briefing papers

By Juergen Giesecke, Energie-Fakten

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In this briefing paper, in cooperation with Energie-Fakten, we review the historic safety record of the energy sector over the past 30 years.

The Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Villingen, Switzerland owns the world's most comprehensive database on severe accidents in the energy sector. Accidents are considered as 'severe' if they have one of the following consequences: at least five fatalities or at least ten injured or at least 200 evacuees or an extensive ban on consumption of food or releases of hydrocarbons exceeding 10,000 t or enforced clean-up of land and water over an area of at least 25 km2 or economic loss of at least five million USD(2000).

SEAL's 14th briefing paper explores the question 'Can electricity save energy?'. This question may be much more important than its usual counterpart 'Can we save electricity?'. While the inefficient use of electricity is a waste, at the same time, using electricity in new applications, or instead of other energy carriers can have a boosting effect on reducing primary energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Does promotion of renewable energy create employment? According to the European Wind Energy Association, the global wind energy sector could provide 2.3 million jobs by 2020. At present, according to the German Wind Energy Association, the German wind sector has contributed 40,000 new jobs to the German economy. In this month's contribution, in cooperation with Energie-Fakten, Prof Joachim Grawe discusses the complexity of such statement. He argues that both direct and indirect effects of energy techology options have to be taken into account, and concludes that the net employment effect is probably small and likely to be negative. It cannot be decisive as an argument for selection of an energy technology.

Will the Kyoto Protocol be a victim of supply insecurity? Is OPEC good for the environment? Should environmentalists make the fight against energy poverty their first priority? Christophe Frei from the World Economic Forum raises and discusses these questions in this month's feature contribution, starting from ... user needs.

At the beginning of the new year, SEAL is pleased to introduce its new campaign 'Can Nuclear Power Deliver?'. Based on literature review and expert interviews, SEAL's 13th briefing paper provides an overview of arguments in the nuclear debate.

Thirty years after the first energy crisis (late 73 - early 74), let us look back at the energy debate at the time, and the forecasts that were made for the turn of the 20th century. We now have the benefit of hindsight, and do not intend to criticize the views of the past, but rather learn a lesson of humility relevant for today.

Over these past 30 years, a long-term vision on energy has not yet emerged. The debate on nuclear is ongoing, and after Chernobyl and Three Mile Island, we now seem to have reached the end of the reverse swing of the pendulum. Energy conservation remains a huge potential. Renewables have experienced remarkable progress during the 90's, but fall short of the expectations formed in 1974. Apart from specific countries (e.g. Germany, Denmark), they yet have to develop into a substantial energy source.

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Fossil reserves may last for another 30, 300 or 3,000 years. Current reports indicate that there is plenty of fuel, but it may not be wise to use all, because of risks related to climate change. We live in an age likely to be known to future historians as the fossil era. Fossil fuel usage is a relatively recent phenomenon, that started 150 years ago. Viewed over millennia, the fossil age is only a short bubble in time. The fossil age, historians may say, ran from mid 19th century to somewhere in the 22nd century, and was instrumental in emancipating mankind, enabling the industrial society in its upward swing, but later driven down by environmental considerations and limited fossil reserves.

This month's feature describes hydro-power, the world's currently most used renewable resource. Hydro-power is economically viable for large scale electricity generation. In combination with wind power, it can provide a balanced and emission free electricity system.

In this feature article, Ludwig Lindner argues that the prospect of a hydrogen economy is small. Hydrogen would make most sense for mobile applications (vehicles), provided that hydrogen is produced from CO2-free sources, such as nuclear, hydro-power or renewables (wind, solar).

A solar hydrogen economy, where hydrogen is produced in solar-rich areas using large-scale photovoltaic facilities, will be prohibitely expensive for the foreseeable future.