Global Energy Production: Sources and Trends
While total world energy came from 82% fossil fuels, 10% biofuels, 5% nuclear, and 3% renewable (hydro, wind, solar, geothermal), only 18% of that total world energy was in the form of electricity. Most of the other 82% was used for heat and transportation. Recently, there has been a large increase in international agreements and national Energy Action Plans to increase the use of renewable energy due to pollution that comes from fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and natural gas.
EU Energy Production
Due to the lack of oil in European soil, Europe’s energy production has relied more on renewable sources of energy such as hydro, solar, wind, or biomass, translating into 30% of the total production. Countries like France, Germany, Russia, and Ukraine contribute to nuclear production, making up 26% of the total, while gas constitutes 20% and coal and other fossil resources 24%.
Spanish Energy Production
Spain faces the same problem as Europe in terms of oil availability. That’s why renewable energy sources constitute 36% of the production and nuclear 23%. Thermal power production, such as combined-cycle and cogeneration, makes up another 24%, leaving 17% of the production to coal.
Solid Fuels: Characteristics and Types
Solid fuels include wood and other forms of biomass, peat, lignite, coal, and refuse-derived fuels. Solid fuels are more challenging to transport, handle, and combust than gaseous and liquid fuels.
Coal is a heterogeneous mineral consisting principally of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen with lesser amounts of sulfur and nitrogen. Coal originated through the accumulation of wood and other biomass that was covered, compacted, and transformed over a period of hundreds of thousands of years.
From Highest to Lowest Heating Value:
- Anthracite
- Bituminous
- Subbituminous
- Lignite
Biomass refers to a range of organic materials recently produced from plants and waste from animals that feed on plants, that is not used for food or feed. Biomass includes waste from farming or horticulture, food processing, animal farming, or human waste from sewage plants.
Gaseous Fuels: Natural Gas and Alternatives
Gaseous fuels are those fuels that are transported within a combustion device and used in gaseous form. The primary gaseous fuels are natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Thermal gasification of solid fuels such as coal and biomass is used to create a gaseous fuel called syngas. Hydrogen is a gaseous fuel of increasing interest because it can be combusted without releasing greenhouse gases.
Natural Gas: Properties and Environmental Impact
Natural gas is a naturally occurring hydrocarbon gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, but commonly including varying amounts of other higher alkanes, and sometimes a small percentage of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide, or helium. It is formed when layers of decomposing plant and animal matter are exposed to intense heat and pressure under the surface of the Earth over millions of years.
Typical Properties of Natural Gas:
- It is a fossil fuel formed from plant and animal remains millions of years ago.
- It is a hydrocarbon component with methane as a major component.
- It is colorless and odorless. For security during transportation or processing, a commercial odorant is added to allow users to detect the gas for safety.
- It is lighter than air with a specific gravity of about 0.6-0.8. If it leaks, it disperses upward and dissipates into the air quickly.
- It is inflammable within a range of 5-15% by volume of gas in the air. The self-ignition temperature of natural gas is 537-540 degrees Celsius.
- As it is a clean fuel with a cleaner burning nature, natural gas has a lower environmental impact when compared with other types of fuel.