Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 1
Introduction
Since the beginning of the commercial production of energy, the world has
changed. Society
s energy need is constantly growing and is threatening to outpace
the electricity that we generate. Therefore, we must search for new methods of
satisfying this energy need. Since recent studies have pointed out that there may be
a strong correlation between CO
2
and the greenhouse effect, almost all fossil energy
sources are no longer an option, as they are limited and will cause further problems
in the future. Nuclear energy is often seen as a possible alternative because nuclear
power plants produce CO
2
-free energy. Besides the risk of a meltdown or abuse by
terrorist organizations, studies have revealed that it would take over 13,000 nuclear
plants just to replace all the fossil fueled plants.
1
Although uranium deposits are not
as low as often predicted,
2
this number of power plants would be an unpredictable
threat.
From 2003 to 2005, global energy demands were predicted to grow by 1.2 % per
year, whereby the growth rate of the OECD countries is slightly higher.
3
Experts
assume that the energy demands of the EU member states will rise from 3,200 to
4,200 TWh by 2020.
4
Up to the present day, the energy demand has been covered
by conventional power plants.
5
The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts
that CO
2
emissions will have risen by 50 % by 2030 compared to today.
6
In order to
comply with the energy demands of the future and the need to replace the old
infrastructure, at a rate of 2 % Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a total investment of
