Writing Assignment 2: Based on Stephens’ article and your related readings, do you think R&D (i.e., Research and Development) should focus on coal-bas

Fossil fuels such as coal have been a primary source of energy for the world since the start of civilization. However, these natural fuels will be depleting soon. According to Biotour (n.d), “the world will run out of oil by the year 2043” and if the demand continues to rise, “the world’s oil supply may be depleted of as soon as the year 2020.” Hence, alternative sources that are not reliant on fossil fuels should be used in the future. Generally, Research and Development (R&D) should focus on technologies which are not reliant on fossil fuels rather than on coal-based Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies.
The burning of fossil fuels will emit carbon dioxide which exacerbates the effects of global warming. Thus, CCS was introduced to capture the emissions of carbon dioxide. Based on Stephen’s article (2006), CCS “incorporates a variety of technology associated with the capturing of carbon dioxide from power plants and storing it in naturally occurring, underground geologic reservoirs.” It is true that countries such as America and China have abundance of coal and we cannot neglect CCS. However, CCS serves as a temporary solution. It will be of no use once coal is completely depleted. Stephens (2006) has said that CCS is no longer restricted by the feasibility of technology. Thus it is invalid to play the emphasis of R&D in CCS.
Furthermore, CCS posed many doubts and problems which have yet to be solved. Firstly, CCS cannot be applied for every country. The storage locations for carbon dioxide are not feasible for every country. Those countries without the proper storage space such as ocean storage or oil and gas fields will not be able to use CCS technology.
Another problem Stephens (2006) mentioned is the “lack of clear regulations that provide economic incentives for investment.” The economic incentives generated by CCS are still very vague and investors will be reluctant to invest this technology. Moreover, “the (CCS) technology is used in small-scale applications, [and] it has not been demonstrated on a commercial-scale power plant.” Presently, there is no large-scale power plant proven to be successful in using CCS technology. Thus investors may not have the confidence in expanding this technology, fearing that they will lose all their investment if CCS technology does not work in large-scale.
In addition, there is a risk of leakage of carbon dioxide and the consequences are devastating. Schiermeier (2006) commented that “a sudden catastrophic release of carbon dioxide, which is heavier than air, can suffocate people at low lying areas.” He also said that “gas-filled reservoirs could potentially trigger landslides and tsunamis.” For ocean storage, if there is a leakage under the sea, it will increase the acidity of the seawater, thus threatening the marine life. To add on, when carbon dioxide is injected into deep saline aquifers, brines will be displaced into overlying aquifers, “with concomitant potential to contaminate potable water supply” (Schiermeier, 2006). With so many problems associated with CCS, R&D should not be focused on CCS technologies.
Although the costs of building plants for both CCS and other technologies are comparatively the same, more efforts should be placed on the latter. Other technologies which are not reliant on fossil fuels are renewable and sustainable. Most importantly, they are environmental friendly. Such technologies include solar, nuclear and water energy. They are in abundance and obtainable without much efforts. These technologies have been improvised for the past decades and should not be neglected.
Results have shown that R&D has increased the efficiency of existing technologies. According to National Academy of Engineering (2008) the efficiency of solar cells has increased from “10 percent to 34 percent.” In the case of hydroelectric power, Power Technology (2008) stated that the Xiaolangdi hydroelectric plant in China “generated 5.1 billion kWh of electricity a year.” It is because of R&D that we are able to capture the natural energy and convert it into the useful forms we need. The efficiency of the existing technologies can then be further improved with the help of R&D.
Using the non fossil fuel technologies will not produce any form of pollutions. It only produces clean energy which is not harmful to the environment. Some people have raised doubts on using non fossil fuel technology such as nuclear energy. Although the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster has drastic effects on the health of people and environment, the present nuclear plants have been improved with minimum hazards with the help of R&D. As quoted in RadWaste (1996-2008), “The nuclear industry is highly regulated.” Hence, careful procedures have been carried out to ensure the safety of humans and environments. Most of all, the energy produced by nuclear technology is very high. A major commercial plant called ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) which is based at Cadarache in France will produce “a power level of 500 megawatts.” (National Academy of Engineering, 2008). This cannot be done without the efforts of the R&D in the past decades.
Technologies not reliant on fossil fuels are largely dependent on natural sources and weather conditions. It may be true that poor weather can result in poor power productivity; however, technologies have allowed us to store energy for further usage. For instance, “sunlight could power the electrolysis of water, generating hydrogen as fuel” (National Academy of Engineering 2008). R&D has thus stretched the technical abilities in creating storable fuels.
In conclusion, R&D should place more attention on technologies not reliant on fossil fuels, which are more feasible and environmentally friendly. These technologies can be used for many generations which serve as permanent solutions when fossil fuels are used up. On the other hand, CCS technology will no longer require in our generation when the coal has been used up. Therefore, if R&D focuses on non fossil fuel technologies, it can then further improved on the efficiency on the existing technologies, making them more affordable and provide efficient ways to store the energy.


References
Biotour. (2008). Fossi Fuel. Retrieved October 2, 2008, from
http://www.biotour.org/content/Inform%20yourself/fossilfuels.html
National Academy Of Engineering Of The National Academies. (2008). Grand Challenge for
engineering: Making solar energy economical. Retrieved October 2, 2008, from
http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/cms/8996/9082.aspx
Nature Publishing Group. (2008). Putting the carbon back (pp.620-623)
Power-Technology. (2008). Industrial Projects: Xiaolangdi hydroelectric power plant. Retrieved
October 2, 2008 from http://www.power-technology.com/projects/xiaolangdi/
RadWaste. (1996-2008). Waste link: Laws and regulations. Retrieved October 2, 2008 from
http://www.radwaste.org/laws.htm
Stephens, J.C. (2006). CCS: Research is not enough. In The world energy book (pp.15-18).
London: World Energy Council