energy technology and policy final

Which country is the higher exporter of oil and gas to the United States

Canada

Which mathematical function is equivalent to energy?

power x time

What is a typical efficiency for a hydroelectric turbine?

>85 percent

Wind power is proportional to wind speed according to Power to v^x where v is windspeed, what is the exponent x? check

2

.Fill in the blanks for the following sentence. "European auto regulations have traditionally emphasized ___①___, while US auto regulations have traditionally emphasized ___②___

fuel economy, air quality

With regard to nuclear fuel cycles: the United States uses a/n ___①___ cycle, while France uses a/n ___②___ cycle

open, closed

Which of the following lists refined products from a typical United States refinery in increasing volume?

jet fuel, diesel, gasoline

Which chokepoint is generally of greatest concern when it comes to international energy trade?

Strait of Hormuz

Fracking" is shorthand for which one of the following terms?

Hydraulic Fracturing

Which option has the four fuels listed in order of decreasing carbon intensity?

Coal, petroleum, natural gas, uranium

Which rank of coal is naturally abundant in Texas?

Lignite

What is the main reason why Texas consumes more energy than any other state?

Texas' industrial sector is particularly energy-intensive

What is the approximate population in the USA?

315 million

Which of the following power cycles is the most efficient?

Natural gas-fired combined cycle

The Price-Anderson Act was created in 1957 to help incentivize:

Nuclear Power Plant development

The majority of the Department of Defense's petroleum consumption is for the following:

Aviation

About how much energy is contained in 1 TCF of natural gas?

1 Quad

CAFE refers to which of the following:

Fuel economy

What is the main source of ethanol for Brazil?

Sugar cane

What is a typical residential retail price of 1 kWh of electricity in the USA?

$0.10

What best describes the PTC?

A tax credit based on how much renewable electricity is generated, production tax credit

Approximately what fraction of our electricity is provided by petroleum?

< 2%

"Sour" gas has high fractions of:

Sulfur

Which of the following options lists regions in order of decreasing per capita energy consumption?

Iceland, USA, UK, China, Congo

The following figure shows a pair of pie charts for 2012. One of the pie charts shows the relative fraction of energy from the fuel mix for the transportation sector and the other pie chart shows the relative fraction of energy from the fuel mix for the overall USA economy. What is Fuel Source D as shown in the figure?

Renewables

What is Fuel Source 1 in the figure

Nuclear

What are EISA and EIEA?

US energy legislation

The total efficiency for a series of conversions conducted in series is ________.

The product of the individual component efficiencies

Which of the following is a unit of power?

Joules/day

What is the best way to describe the relationship between fossil fuel reserves and resources?

Reserves < = Resources

What is the equation to measure the Carnot efficiency of a heat engine ($T_H$=high temperature, $T_L$=low temperature, $\eta$=efficiency):

n = 1 - Th/Tl

What does OPEC stand for?

Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries

What does CSP stand for?

Concentrating Solar Power

About how much $CO_2$ is emitted for every 1 MWh of electricity generated from a typical US coal-fired power plant (in metric tonnes per MWh)?

1

What does LNG stand for?

Liquefied Natural Gas

What is the primary constituent of Natural Gas?

Methane, $CH_4$

What does HHV stand for?

Higher Heating Value

Which of the following is not a part of the Second Law of Thermodynamics? check

Energy takes many forms

The primary use of natural gas in the transportation sector is for:

Pipelines

Railways for moving crude oil are considered part of which segment of the energy sector?

Midstream

Closed loop cooling towers withdraw more water, but consume less (as compared with open loop cooling towers)

False

France generates more electricity in total from nuclear power than any other country in the world.

False

To date, no utility-scale geothermal power plants have been built in the United States.

False

Hawaii uses very little petroleum for its power sector

False

Lower heat rates at power plants correspond to higher efficiency

True

Nuclear capacity in the USA doubled in the early 2000s.

False

Dams can be used as an energy weapon.

True

Generally speaking, the energy content of a ton of coal is higher than the energy content of 1000 cubic feet of natural gas.

True

As a rule of thumb, fossil fuels are more energy dense than renewables.

True

Higher voltages are more efficient for electricity transmission and distribution

True

All renewable sources of energy are also sustainable sources. That is, "renewable" and "sustainable" are synonymous.

False

Coal-to-liquids is a relatively new technology

False

There is essentially one single global natural gas price.

False

Nuclear power plants are the largest power plants in the world.

False

Generally speaking, European refineries produce more diesel per barrel than USA refineries.

True

"E10" designates a fuel mix that is 90% derived from petroleum and 10% derived from sugarcane

False

In 2015 solar power overtook wind in terms of how much electricity it generates in the USA.

False

From a greenhouse gas emissions standard, it is better to flare natural gas at wellheads rather than venting it.

True

Underground injection of wastewater is more likely to induce seismicity than hydraulic fracturing.

True

Renewables are a larger source of annual energy in the USA than nuclear.

True

Whether natural gas is "wet" or "dry" refers to its moisture content.

False

Ultimately, the sun is the source of fossil fuels.

True

Hydroelectric power was mostly installed in the 1990s.

False

Emissions of CO2 in the United States have dropped since 2005.

True

Hydroelectric power plants usually have black start capabilities.

True

Texas is the nation's largest producer of coal.

False

Cap and trade has been successfully demonstrated before.

True

Renewables are the only energy sources that get subsidies

False

The total economic value of coal that is traded across international boundaries is roughly the same as for petroleum.

False

European refineries produce a higher fraction of diesel than refineries in the USA.

True

The EIA is a multi-country international agency that collects and distributes data...

False

The EIA is a multi-country international agency that collects and distributes data...

True

Of all the ways natural gas is consumed in the transportation sector, pipelines are the biggest consumer.

True

Approximately 1 MMBD of petroleum is used for power generation in the USA.

False

A barrel of oil gains volume when processed through a refinery.

True

The USA is the world's largest coal producer.

False

In Texas, coastal wind has higher capacity factor at peak than inland wind.

True

Hydroelectric power does not have any emissions associated with it.

False

Using solar panels to generate electricity is a more efficient way to use photons than growing biofuels.

True

What does "RPS" stand for?

Renewable Portfolio Standard

Eating food grown locally reduces the energy intensity of food since energy for transportation is avoided.

True

What does "VMT" stand for?

Vehicle Miles Traveled

What does "LDV" stand for?

Light Duty Vehicle

How many gallons are in a blue barrel of unrefined crude oil?

42 gallons

Explain how oil saved the whales.

Kerosene (derived from petroleum) replaced whale oil as the primary fuel for lamps and lighting in the mid-19th century, which decimated the commercial value of whaling and drastically reduced the hunting of whales.

List three advantages of corn-based ethanol.

• Domestic/U.S. produced (energy security).

• Renewable (it is a biomass source).

• High octane rating (improves engine performance/replaces toxic additives).

What is the significance of this statement: the median age of autos in the United States is approximately 10 years.

it will take a long time to replace old vehicles and for for new efficiency standards or fuel technologies to permeate the majority of the cars on the road.

List two market externalities that are relevant for coal.

1.Health impacts (air pollution, respiratory issues). 2. Climate change ($CO_2$ emissions).

List the two main precursors to acid rain.

Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) and Nitrogen Oxides (Nox).

List four forms of non-hydroelectric renewable energy.

Solar, Wind, Geothermal, and Biomass/Biofuels.

List three drawbacks of wind energy.

1. Intermittency (it doesn't always blow). 2. NIMBYism (Not-In-My-Backyard / Aesthetic concerns). 3. Impact on wildlife (birds/bats) and land use.

List three benefits of biofuels.

• Domestic production (security).

• Renewable.

• Utilization of existing liquid fuel infrastructure (pipelines/engines).

List three purposes for dams.

Hydroelectricity, Irrigation, and Flood Control (or Recreation)

According to Dr. Webber, there are three policy levers that the US federal government is particularly effective at implementing. List two of them

R&D (Research & Development) and Procurement.

List three key concepts of the First Law of Thermodynamics.

. Energy is conserved. 2. Energy cannot be created or destroyed. 3. Energy can be transferred via heat ($Q$) or work ($W$).

Using the notation c, r, a, t, m, e for different forms of energy, note the energy conversion for a hydroelectric powerplant:

m —> e (mechanical to electrical)

Using the notation c, r, a, t, m, e for different forms of energy, note the energy conversion for solar water heating:

r —> t radiant to thermal

Using the notation c, r, a, t, m, e for different forms of energy, note the energy conversion for a boiler:

c —> t chemical to thermal

Using the notation c, r, a, t, m, e for different forms of energy, note the energy conversion for growing biofuels:

r —> c radiant to chemical

Which state is most closely associated with the Bakken Shale?

North Dakota