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Brazil: A Country Profile on Sustainable
Energy Development
IAEA, 1 September 2006, 252 p. |
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This publication is the product
of an international effort to develop a novel approach for the comprehensive assessment of
national energy systems within a sustainable development context. The study represents the
first of a series of national studies being conducted through a partnership initiative
under the World Summit on Sustainable Development and the United Nations Commission on
Sustainable Development. The study comprises a quantitative and qualitative analysis of
Brazil's energy needs, supply and security; domestic resources; technology development and
innovation; and alternative future scenarios taking into consideration sustainable
development criteria and goals defined by Brazilian experts. Social, economic and
environmental issues and trends are examined in detail using statistical analysis of
historical data, integrated demand and supply modelling systems and Energy Indicators for
Sustainable Development. The quantitative assessment is complemented by discussions of
major institutional and infrastructural considerations. The report summarizes the
analyses, identifies major energy priority areas for Brazil and explores policy options
useful to decision makers and specialists in energy and the environment. Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. Status; 3. Domestic Energy Resources;
4. Indigenous and Adapted Energy Technologies and Energy Efficiency; 5. Energy and
Economic Development; 6. Energy, the Environment and Health; 7. Energy and Social Issues;
8. Energy Security; 9. Policy Options for Sustainable Energy Development; 10. Scenarios;
11. Conclusions and Lessons Learned. |
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Water Treatment for Fossil Fuel Power Generation. Technology Status,
Carbon Abatement Technologies Programme.
Department of Trade and Industry - DTI, UK, Jan 2006, 33 p.
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The process of electricity
generation from fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas requires water supplies for
a number of essential power plant processes. The primary application of modern water
treatment technology is to maintain the integrity and performance of the power plant.
Critical plant applications have water purity or conditioning requirements that must be
adhered to for safe, reliable and efficient power generation. Experience has shown that
integration of water technology treatments with power plant design can be very important
in reducing operational problems and component failures. |
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International Nuclear Law in the Post-Chernobyl Period
OECD Nuclear Energy Agency an International Energy Agency, 2006, 241 p |
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The accident which took place on
26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine was to have a decisive
influence on the development of international nuclear law over the following two decades.
Within six months of the accident, a convention on early notification of a nuclear
accident and a convention on assistance in the event of a nuclear accident or radiological
emergency were negotiated and adopted under the auspices of the International Atomic
Energy Agency. In 1988, a joint protocol forming a bridge between the two existing
international nuclear liability regimes was established. 1994 saw the adoption of a
convention establishing international benchmarks for nuclear safety, followed by a
convention on the safety of spent fuel and radioactive waste management in 1997. The
existing international regimes governing liability for nuclear damage have been
significantly reinforced and a new global regime created. The purpose of this compendium,
jointly produced by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency and the International Atomic Energy
Agency, is to provide thoughtful analysis on each of the above instruments, demonstrating
the extent to which progress has been made and identifying areas in which further
improvement would be desirable. It reproduces a number of articles which have been
published in the OECD/NEA Nuclear Law Bulletin, accompanied by some previously unpublished
works. It also summarises the practical steps taken by the respective international
organisations that support the international legal framework. |
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Our
Energy Challenge Securing Clean, Affordable Energy for the Long Term
Department of Trade and Industry, UK, 2006, 77 p.
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The Government has set four goals
for the country’s energy policy: To put ourselves on a path to cut the UK’s CO2
emissions by some 60% by about 2050, with real progress by 2020; To maintain the reliability of energy supplies; To promote
competitive markets in the UK and beyond, helping to raise the rate of sustainable
economic growth and to improve our productivity; and To ensure that every home is
adequately and affordably heated. In setting out the strategy for achieving those goals,
the 2003 Energy White Paper said we would review and, if necessary, update our policies in
the light of experience. There is much that has been positive in that experience. But with
important decisions ahead for government and business, several recent developments make a
review timely: Evidence about the adverse impact of climate change has continued to grow,
reinforcing the need for international leadership and for multilateral action to address
it; Fossil fuel prices have risen sharply, and projected prices are now much higher than
at the time of the White Paper; The UK has become a net gas importer sooner than expected
and is also becoming a net oil importer; Progress in introducing truly open energy markets
in the EU has been slow over the last three years; There has been a general heightening of
sensitivity around global energy issues, affecting perceptions of the security of supply
from major exporter countries and contributing to higher price volatility.
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Economy of Biomass-to-Liquids (BTL)
Plants. An Engineering Assessment
Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN), May 2006, 29 p. |
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To meet the ambitious 15% biofuel
targets of the European Commission a total installed BTL production capacity of 785 PJ is
required by 2020. From the implementation perspective, BTL plants of 1,000 to 5,000 MWth
are optimal, i.e. or ten to fifty plants in the whole EU-25. Reference for all TCI (Total
Capital Investment) calculations is the 34,000 bbld ORYX-1 GTL plant of Sasol-QP in Qatar
with a TCI of 1,100 million US$. The TCI costs for different scales were calculated using
a simple constant scale factor of 0.7. For scales below 20,000 bbld the specific TCI
increases more rapidly. TCI costs of BTL plants are typically 60% higher than for
corresponding GTL plants. The TCI of a 34,000 bbld BTL plant is 1,760 million US$ or
51,800 $/bbld. The heart of a BTL plant is a pressurised oxygen-blown slagging entrained
flow gasifier; this technology was identified as optimum technology for biosyngas
production. Torrefaction is the optimum biomass pre-treatment technology for entrained
flow gasification. Commercial available technologies can be applied for biosyngas cleaning
and conditioning, as well as for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. The economy of BTL fuel
production is very dependent on the production scale and large-scale facilities are
required to benefit from the economy of scale. The decrease in investments costs is much
more significant than the increase in transport costs. Large-scale plants in the gigawatt
range yield the lowest fuel production costs, i.e. approximately 15 €/GJ or 55
€ct/L. That means that at an oil price of ~60 $/bbl the biomass-based BTL
Fischer-Tropsch fuels are competitive with fossil diesel. The scope of this study was to
answer the question: "what is the (economic) optimum scale for BTL fuel
production", according the author the answer to this question is: "The optimum
scale of a BTL plant lies in the range of 2,000 to 4,000 MWth (or 16,000 to 32,000
bbld)". |
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SEAFLOW: Pilot Project for the
Exploitation of Marine Currents
European Commission, 2005, 39 p. |
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This brochure is the final
publishable report of the project SEAFLOW funded under the fourth RTD Framework programme
(1995-1998). The project demonstrated the technical feasibility of converting energy from
tidal current stream to electricity using conventional technologies in a rough under water
environment. A 300 kWe prototype was installed near Lynmouth in North Devon (UK). |
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SOLGATE: Solar Hybrid Gas Turbine
Electric Power System
European Commission, 2005, 53 p. |
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This brochure is the final
publishable report of the project SOLGATE funded under the fifth RTD Framework programme
(1999-2002). The project demonstrated the technical feasibility of a new solar-hybrid
power system. Solar radiation is used to heat air up to 800°C that is send to the
combustion chamber of a gas turbine. |
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Energy: its Impact on the
Environment and Society
Department of Trade and Industry - DTI, UK, 2006, 40 p. |
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Energy - Its Impact on the
Environment and Society draws on statistical information from the Digest of UK Energy
Statistics and other DTI and Government statistical publications to draw a picture of the
key trends in energy statistics. It includes information on emissions and other
environmental consequences from energy production and supply, and the social impacts of
domestic competition, service quality issues and fuel poverty. The publication shows,
through figures and charts, where we have come from, where we are now, what the policy
challenges are, and the current responses |
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