The document discusses new frontiers in energy resources that could help address issues with declining oil reserves. It describes gas hydrates, which contain methane trapped in ice under high pressure underwater and represent a potentially huge untapped energy source. Virtual water trade is discussed as the concept of the hidden water used in food and goods production and transportation. Wave energy from ocean waves is another renewable resource that could be harnessed using various technologies. The document also outlines energy that can be generated from algae and pollution through microbial fuel cells, as well as advances that have allowed greater utilization of solar energy.

1. Department of GeologyDepartment of Geology
NEW FRONTIERS IN ENERGY
RESOUCES
BY
Fatai Olabanji BALOGUN
(187822)
University of Ibadan

2. OUTLINE
• INTRODUCTION
•NEW ADVANCES IN ENERGY RESOURCES
•Gas Hydrates
•Virtual water trade
•Wave energy
• Energy from pollution
• Energy from algae
•Solar Energy (adaption)
•FINAL REMARK

3. INTRODUCTION
The Age of “cheap oil” is almost over !
 Roughly half of global oil reserves have been depleted in 125 years.
 Production in 33 out of 48 top oil producing countries has now peaked.
 No significant discovery of oil has been made since 2002.
 Based on production trend it is estimated that global production will
peak between now and 2020
 Big trouble is brewing!!!

4. Nigeria

5. “One of natures biggest forces is exponential
growth”- Albert Einstein
 Demand for Energy is dependent
on population growth.
 The world’s average consumption
is 30 billion barrels/year.
 At a consumption growth rate of
2% per annum, the world will
need 50% more oil by 2025.
 We could be looking at the
potential end of our Industrial age .

6. How do we placate this impending disaster?
“The Stone Age didn’t end because of shortage of stones neither will
the Oil Age end because of lack of oil.” - Dr King Hubbert
 The decline of oil cant be stopped, but the remaining reserve can be
managed for several decades to come.
 New frontiers in Science and technology, preferably advances in
renewable resource use, could further improve global energy mix.
 This requires a collaborative effort between professionals from
different fields. This includes; Scientists, Engineers and Economist.

7. Wood
Hydro
Human/Animal
Wind
Solar
Wave/tide
Ocean Current
Geothermal
Oil Shale,
Tar Sands
Methane Hydrates
Alternative
Coal
Oil
Gas
Nuclear Fission
Conventional
RenewableNon
renewable
ENERGY SOURCE CATEGORIES

8. NEW ADVANCES IN ENERGY RESOURCES
Gas Hydrates - A Story of ice and fire

9. what are gas hydrates?
 Gas Hydrate is a crystalline solid composed of water
and gas. Methane is the most common hydrate-forming gas, but
gas hydrates can form from ethane, CO2, propane,etc.
 One volume hydrate typically contains about 160
volumes methane gas + water. (At STP)
 Stable at low Temperature and high Pressure. They
usually occur between 100-500m below the sea floor.
 Occurs on continental margin sediments and Arctic
permafrost.

10.  potential resource estimates of anywhere between 2.8 x 1015
to 8 x
1018
m3
of methane is believed to present globally.
 The most widespread evidence for accumulation of hydrates offshore
comes from seismic reflection data. In a phenomenon known as
(BSR).
 The gas hydrate deposits that hold the most potential for commercial
viability are located in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Alaska North
Slope.

11. Marine and shore gas hydrate locations in the world

12. BOTTOM SIMULATING REFLECTION .

13. How are Gas hydrates produced?
 Gas Hydrate is a stable solid at low temperatures and high pressures.
The primary methods for producing natural gas from hydrate are:
Depressurization
Heating (Thermal injection)
Chemical Exchange (with CO2)
 These methods involve technological and economic challenges.

15. Advantages and Disadvantages
 Denser source of hydrocarbons than conventional sources.
 Cleaner fuel source than oil, coal, and oil shale.
 Redirect/dispose of greenhouse methane away from the atmosphere.
 Accidents during exploration can lead to volumes of CH4 being
released.
 It is cost intensive

16. VIRTUAL WATER TRADE
 Virtual water trade refers to flow of hidden water if food or other
commodities are traded between nations.
 Virtual water is measured is measured in (m3
/capita/yr) .
 In semi-arid and arid regions, knowing the virtual water value of a
good or service can be useful towards determining how best to use the
scarce water available.
 In last 80 decades, Agriculture has been the major sector that
consumes water resources the most followed by Municipals and the
Industries

18. Map showing the virtual water Balance in countries in the year 2000
(Source: IAHS working group Hydrology 2020 seminar presentation)

20. Advantage and Disadvantages
 The virtual water value of goods can be useful in determining how best to
use and preserve water available resources.
 The concept fail as an indicator of the environment harm nor does it
provide information about water use within sustainable extraction limits.
 This short comings make leaves policy makers, who are seeking to
ensure environmental objectives are met with nothing to work with.

21. WAVE ENERGY

22. Wave Energy as an Energy resources
 About 75% of the Earth’s surface is covered by oceans, which
represents a vast natural energy resource in the form of wave.
 Waves are created by energy transfer from wind which itself is the
direct result of differential heating of Earth by the sun.
 Waves gather, store and transmit energy over thousands of
kilometers with little loss.
 The World Energy Council estimates that 2000TWh/year of energy
could be harvested from the world’s oceans, where the world’s
electricity production is currently 18000TWh/year.

23.  The available energy in waves depends on the location of the resource to the
shoreline.
 Based wave energy resource can be classified into Nearshore resources and
Deepwater resource.
 On the average, deep water resource generates about 6times the amount of
energy generated by nearshore resource.

24. Wave Energy Technology.
 wave energy technology are classified based on location or conversion
mechanism.
 The are divided into 3 main groups namely;
Oscillating water column system,
Overtopping systems
Float or buoy systems.

25. Overtopping system
Oscillatory Water
column system
Float or
Buoy
system

26. Oyster wave converter device (Another example of a buoy device)

27. Advantages and Disadvantages
 Power produced from waves is steady and predictable, both day to day
and season to season.
 Wave energy devices are quieter and much less visually obtrusive than
wind devices, which typically run 40-60 metres in height.
 Devices as Artificial Habitats: devices could attract and promote
populations of various marine creatures.
 Navigational Hazards: adequate radar warning devices can be built into
most devices (for deepwater devices).

28. ENERGY FROM POLLUTION
 Researchers at the centre for biotechnology at the Biodesign institute
at Arizona State University are developing a new technology from
pollution and organic waste products.
 The research team is developing microbial fuel cells that can
oxidize organic pollutants and create electricity from pollution.
 The microbial fuel cell is powered by bacteria growing on a
conductive solid surface serving as an electrode in a bath of organic
waste.

29.  The micro organisms oxidize the organic pollutant e.g pig manure,
transferring the electrons to the electrode, into an electrical circuit
 The current of electrons flown through the circuit are electrical
energy .
 In summary, the microbial fuel takes advantage of the microbes
ability to oxidize almost anything that is organic

30. ENERGY PRODUCTION FROM
ALGAE
This is potentially one of the cleanest energy sources for energy
production – W.H. Ryu
 When sunlight is incident on the leaves and gets to the
chloroplasts, electrons are excited and attain higher energy
levels.
 Some researchers at Stanford University have been able to
intercept the electrons just after they had been excited by
light.
 They put gold electrodes inside the chloroplasts of algae
cells and tapped the electrons to create a tiny electrical
current.

31. Advantage(s) and disadvantages
 An obvious advantage is the fact that this source of energy doesn’t rely on
fossil fuel usage whatsoever.
 It’s environment-friendly.
 A shortcoming of this method is obviously that so meager amount of
electricity produced.
 Another shortcoming is that the cells used died after 1 hour.

32. How did we go from this to that ?
Photovoltaic panel at Univ. of
Ibadan
Solar Impulse 1, solar airplane

33. CONCLUSION
Renewable energy is not the silver bullet that will solve all our problems
The sad truth is that, global oil reserves and production are in a state of terminal decline and
the world’s energy crisis cannot be solved by renewable and unconventional sources of
Energy.
If the remaining reserve of crude oil is well managed along with a mix of renewable and
unconventional sources of energy, I can see our civilization surviving for several decades,
perhaps a few centuries.
A new source of energy which is abundant and versatile like fossil fuels is needed to sustain
our prolong existence on the planet, but where this new source of energy will emerge from
remains elusive.

34. THANK YOU
FOR
LISTENING