Global Energy Demand in Transition : the New Role of Electricity

The annual conferences on energy, which were begun in 1977, continued to 1992 and resumed again in 1994. The theme of the 1994 conference was "Global Energy Demand in Transition: The New Role ofElectricity. " Global energy production, distribution, and utilization is in astate of transition toward an increased and more diversified use of electricity, which is the safest, most versatile, and cleanest form of secondary energy. Electricity is easy to generate, transmit, and distribute, making its use practically universal. These facts make it urgent to explore the technological prospects and long term availability of environmentally benign energy sources for generating electricity. It is expected that the conference will be useful to the governments in formulating their energy policies and to the public utilities for their long term planning. The conference has: 1) assessed the increase and diversification in the use of electricity; 2) assessed the technological prospects for clean energy sources that still require more research and development, i. e. solar, hydrogen, nuclear (fission and fusion), etc. ; 3) assessed the roles of non-market factors and possible improved decision processes on energy and environmental issues; 4) made concrete recommendations regarding research and development policies and regulations to expedite the transition to a dependable, safer, and benign electricity-based energy complex; 5) studied the cost impact: price, environment, safety, and international security; 6) provided an analysis of an expected transition from the fossil fuel transportation to electrical transportation (e. g. Front Matter....Pages i-viii Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Presentations on Global Energy Demand in Transition: Informal Notes....Pages 3-28 Front Matter....Pages 29-29 Energy Black Hole....Pages 31-32 Global Energy and Electricity Futures....Pages 33-39 U.S. and World Electric Generation Forecast....Pages 41-49 Environmental Impacts of Electricity Production....Pages 51-65 Front Matter....Pages 67-67 Issues Related to the Growth of Electricity in Global Energy Demand....Pages 69-70 Forecast of the Global Electricity Market....Pages 71-88 Remarks before the International Conference on Global Energy Demand in Transition....Pages 89-95 Front Matter....Pages 97-97 An Objective Analysis of the Prospects for Gas-Fired Electric Generation in the U.S.....Pages 99-119 Front Matter....Pages 97-97 The Use of Energy Interdependence as a Political Tool....Pages 123-127 Protection of the Environment through Power from Space: Science Fiction or Future Reality?....Pages 129-142 New Coal-Based Technologies for Nuclear Graphite and Strategic Carbon Materials....Pages 143-149 Front Matter....Pages 151-151 Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) First-of-a-Kind Engineering (FOAKE) Program....Pages 153-159 AP600 — A New Order of Business....Pages 161-167 The Future of Nuclear Energy: Is There a Future?....Pages 169-183 Front Matter....Pages 185-185 Considerations for Accelerator-Driven Transmutation of Nuclear Waste....Pages 187-199 Accelerator-Based Systems for Plutonium Destruction and Nuclear Waste Transmutation....Pages 201-221 Capability of the GE “Advanced Boiling Water Reactor” (ABWR) to Burn HEU and Pu as Fuel....Pages 223-228 Use of WNP-2 to Burn HEU & Pu as Fuel....Pages 229-236 The Importance to the Civil Nuclear Industry of Absorbing Dismantled Military Material....Pages 237-244 Front Matter....Pages 245-245 Opening Statement....Pages 247-247 Conclusions on Energy Policy....Pages 249-249 Policy: Integrated Resource Planning to Optimize Energy Services....Pages 251-251 Policy Recommendations....Pages 253-254 Back Matter....Pages 255-256 Of the Conference -- Presentations on Global Energy Demand in Transition: Informal Notes -- Section I -- Foreseeable Expansion of the Global Market for Electricity -- Energy Black Hole -- Global Energy and Electricity Futures -- U.S. and World Electric Generation Forecast -- Environmental Impacts of Electricity Production -- Section II -- Factors that Drive the Evolution of the Market Shares of Energy Sources -- Issues Related to the Growth of Electricity in Global Energy Demand -- Forecast of the Global Electricity Market -- Remarks before the International Conference on Global Energy Demand in Transition -- Section III -- The Role of Natural Gas in Electricity Generation -- An Objective Analysis of the Prospects for Gas-Fired Electric Generation in the U.S. -- Section IV -- Energy Interdependency and its Impact on Environment and International Security -- The Use of Energy Interdependence as a Political Tool -- Protection of the Environment through Power from Space: Science Fiction or Future Reality? -- New Coal-Based Technologies for Nuclear Graphite and Strategic Carbon Materials -- Section V -- Nuclear Reactors, New Technologies -- Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR)/First-of-a-Kind Engineering (FOAKE) Program -- AP600 -- A New Order of Business -- The Future of Nuclear Energy: Is There a Future? -- Section VI -- Burning of Plutonium, Heu, and Nuclear Waste Transmutation Technologies -- Considerations for Accelerator-Driven Transmutation of Nuclear Waste -- Accelerator-Based Systems for Plutonium Destruction and Nuclear Waste Transmutation -- Capability of the GE "Advanced Boiling Water Reactor" (ABWR) to Burn HEU and Pu as Fuel -- Use of WNP-2 to Burn HEU & Pu as Fuel -- The Importance to the Civil Nuclear Industry of Absorbing Dismantled Military Material -- Section VII -- Policy Recommendations -- Opening Statement -- Conclusions on Energy Policy -- Policy: Integrated Resource Planning to Optimize Energy Services -- Policy Recommendations