Energy carriers
Chapter 2 - Society
Previous page: Renewable energy - Energy carriers - Next page: Energy currency
Back to Book content or directly to Main Page
.
Welcome to the Energy carriers page
.
As energy is not the principle, but the pattern (of a flow), it needs a 'medium'. For example, while it's nice to enjoy sunlight, it doesn't recharge the battery in a cell phone; some energy conversion technology is required to get it into the specific form (and then moved with energy distribution technology, like pipelines or the electrical grid).
.
Core ideas
.
Electricity
Electricity is energy harnessed from the configuration or movement of electrons - the electricity that comes from the electrical outlet or flows through power-lines. It's important to note that when using electricity, the device does not "use up" the electrons. Rather, it uses up the energy temporarily "held" by the electrons.
Electricity is generated in a number of different ways. All of these methods require either a fuel or a primary energy flow.
- (Primary) fuels for generation include (to name a few) coal, natural gas, and uranium,
- Primary flows include tides, wind, and solar.
.
Natural gas
Like all fossil fuels, natural gas formed from the decomposing remains of animals and plants that lived millions of years ago. The high pressure and temperatures present deep underground facilitated the conversion of plant and animal matter to hydrocarbon fuels. As the demand for natural gas rises around the world, so does the need to transport it overseas. One method of transporting natural gas is in it's liquefied form, known as LNG, and this is done using large ships.
.
Hydrogen
H2 (molecule) isn't produced in nature on Earth and must be made by people in a lab or an industrial facility. Primary energy is needed to create hydrogen fuel and inputting some energy. This turns it into a secondary fuel (a high density repository of energy that's easier to transport and use). Hydrogen fuel is about ten times more energy dense by volume than Lithium-ion batteries, and more than 100x more energy dense by mass! This means that in the future, if infrastructure changes, many "alternative" sources of primary energy, like wind and solar power, may be used. Then the energy they create can be stored in hydrogen fuel, which is far more efficient than batteries. Hydrogen has gained global recognition as a clean energy carrier for long-term energy storage. It can replace fossil fuels in future sustainable energy architecture to minimize environmental impact.
.
Ammonia
While green hydrogen (H2) is considered a clean energy carrier, it faces challenges such as high cost, safety concerns, and low volumetric energy density. In contrast, safer and cost-effective ammonia (NH3) offers higher volumetric energy density for storage. Ammonia holds promise as a potential fuel solution for clean power generation, particularly for long-distance transportation. It can be used by extracting its stored hydrogen or directly utilized as a fuel.
.