1. An Assignment on
‘Role of Clean Energy in Climate Change’
Course Title: Climate Change and Development
Course Code: DS 3205
SUBMITTED TO:
Md. Ashikuzzaman
Assistant Professor
Development Studies Discipline
Khulna University
Khulna- 9208
SUBMITTED BY:
Md. Ayatullah Khan
Student ID: 152119
3rd
Year; 2nd
Term
Development Studies Discipline
Khulna University
Khulna- 9208
Date of Submission: April 10, 2018
2. Clean energy may have a specific definition but it is synonymous with renewable energy. For
example: wind energy, solar energy, hydro energy and geothermal energy. However, clean
energy also means nuclear energy or it may mean natural gas. On the contrary, Climate
change is a change in the pattern of weather and related changes in oceans, land surfaces and
ice sheets that are occurring over time scales of decades or longer. According to Dr. Bob
Corell, “Climate change presents major and growing concerns to the Arctic region and the
entire world. While these concerns are important now, they are even more important for the
future generations that will inherit the legacy of our current stewardship.” As global demand
for energy rapidly increases, clean energy solutions are emerging as a key component to
sustainable development. In order to protect natural resources and to reduce and mitigate the
threat of climate change, it requires clean approaches to meet our energy needs.
From the above perspective, I have been trying to answer two questions which are as
follows:
I. Will nuclear power be a major factor in the effect to minimize climate
change?
Climate change is one of the most important environmental challenges facing the world
today. Nuclear power can make a significant contribution to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions while delivering energy in the increasingly large quantities needed for the
socioeconomic well-being of a growing population. Nuclear power plants produce virtually
no GHG emissions or air pollutants during their operation and only very low emissions over
their entire life cycle. Nuclear power fosters energy supply security and industrial
development by providing electricity reliably at the stable and predictable prices. Moreover,
its potential contribution to Green House Gas emissions reduction plays a significant role.
Some environmentalists and climate scientists have already supported nuclear power as a tool
to reduce CO2 emissions.
Although the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in March 2011 caused
deep public anxiety and raised fundamental questions about the future of nuclear energy
throughout the world. Yet, more than seven years after the accident, it is clear that nuclear
energy will remain an important option for many countries. Its advantages in terms of climate
change minimization are an important reason why many countries intend to introduce nuclear
power or to expand existing program.
Nuclear CO2 emissions are already among the lowest and future reductions will likely be due
to:
3. (i) further improvements in uranium enrichment technologies, shifting from
electricity intensive gaseous diffusion to laser technologies that require much less
electricity;
(ii) an increased share of electricity used for enrichment based on low carbon
technologies;
(iii) improvements in fuel manufacturing and fuel designs, allowing higher burn up
that reduces emissions per unit of electricity in the fuel supply part of the life
cycle;
These very low CO2 and GHG emissions on a life cycle basis make nuclear power an
important technology option in climate change mitigation strategies for many countries.
In the future portfolio of CO2 emissions reductions, nuclear power can play a major role as it
supplies mitigation benefits at low running costs. However, in order to displace billions of
tones of CO2 by 2050, nuclear energy needs to become more attractive to investors. Nuclear
power projects are highly capital intensive. This is why its competitiveness is very sensitive
to the cost of capital and strongly depends on the length of project development and
construction phases.
Keeping the nuclear option open in order to realize this potential will require a number of
actions by governments and by industries in the nuclear sector. In a longer-term perspective,
non-electrical applications of nuclear energy such as- heat, potable water and hydrogen
production could be developed. These applications could enlarge significantly nuclear powers
contribution to GHG emission reduction. Governments could play an important role by
supporting such research and development, and international organizations could assist in this
process by promoting and facilitating exchange of information.
II. What role can energy storage play in the transition off of fossil fuel?
Energy storage is the capture of energy produced at one time for use at a later time. Energy
storage systems are the set of methods and technologies used to store various forms of
energy. On the other hand, Fossil fuels are sources of energy that formed from the
accumulated remains of living organisms that were buried millions of years ago. Pressure,
heat and time allow the organic matter to transform into one of the three major types of fossil
fuels which are coal, oil and natural gas.
Energy storage has many benefits. It is particularly important for the development and
transition of fossil fuel. The energy transition of fossil fuel is under way. As fossil fuel prices
rise, oil insecurity deepens and concerns about pollution and climate instability cast a shadow
4. over the future of coal, a new world energy economy is emerging. The old energy economy
and fueled by oil, coal, and natural gas is being replaced with an economy powered by wind,
solar, and geothermal energy. The Earth’s renewable energy resources are vast and available
to be tapped through visionary initiatives. Our civilization needs to embrace renewable
energy on a scale and at a pace we have never seen before.
Renewable energy sources such as- wind and solar, have vast potential to reduce dependence
on fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change concerns state initiatives
including renewable portfolio standards and consumer efforts are resulting in increased
deployments of both technologies. Both solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind energy have
variable and uncertain output, which are unlike the dispatch able sources used for the
majority of electricity generation. The variability of these sources has led to concerns
regarding the reliability of an electric grid that derives a large fraction of its energy from
these sources as well as the cost of reliably integrating large amounts of variable generation
into the electric grid. Because the wind doesn’t always blow and the sun doesn’t always shine
at any given location, there has been an increased call for the deployment of energy storage
as an essential component of future energy systems that use large amounts of variable
renewable resources. However, this often-characterized “need” for energy storage to enable
renewable integration is actually an economic question. The answer requires comparing the
options to maintain the required system reliability, which include a number of technologies
and changes in operational practices. The amount of storage or any other “enabling”
technology used will depend on the costs and benefits of each technology relative to the other
available options.
To determine the potential role of storage in the grid of the future, it is important to examine
the technical and economic impacts of variable renewable energy sources. It is also important
to examine the economics of a variety of potentially competing technologies including
demand response, transmission, flexible generation, and improved operational practices. In
addition, while there are clear benefits of using energy storage to enable greater penetration
of wind and solar, it is important to consider the potential role of energy storage in relation to
the needs of the electric power system as a whole.
At last, renewable energy will replace fossil fuels because they will be less expensive as
reliable and convenient as fossil fuels. The polls indicate that the latent market for renewables
in already in place. The health of our planet requires that this transition take place as soon as
possible. Government incentives could and should be used to accelerate this process.
So, energy storage can play an important role in the transition off of fossil fuel.
5. References:
Global Environment & Technology Foundation. (2011). Clean Energy & Climate Change.
Retrieved from http://www.getf.org/our-focus/clean-energy-climate-change/
Brecha, B. (2016). Nuclear Power - The Solution to Future Energy and Climate Challenges?
Retrieved Dec 22, 2016 from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-brecha/nuclear-power-
the-solution_b_8862594.html
IAEA. (2016). Climate Change and Nuclear Power. International Atomic Energy Agency,
Vienna International Centre, Austrlia.
Ali, A. Energy Storage. Retrieved from https://www.studentenergy.org/topics/energy-storage
Denholm, P., Ela, E., Kirby, B., and Milligan, M. (2010). The Role of energy storage with
renewable electricity generation.
Cohen, S. (2017). Why Renewable Energy Will Replace Fossil Fuels. Retrieved Jul 17, 2017
from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/why-renewable-energy-will-replace-fossil-
fuels_us_596cad4de4b022bb9372b313
