How Does Energy Resource Depletion Affect Prosperity? Mathematics of a Minimum Energy Return on Investment (EROI)

Brandt, Adam R.

doi:10.1007/s41247-017-0019-y

Cited by 33 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…parasitic load). GEER is a useful indicator for the size of the electricity sector size required to supply electricity output [13]. For example, a GEER reduction from 11 to 9 indicates that a 1.25 times larger electricity sector is needed to supply the same end electricity output, and a drop from 11 to 5 implies a 2.5 times larger sector for the same end electricity output.…”

Section: Energy Return On Investmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…If jobs, material inputs and EROI are not taken into account, large gaps can result in our understanding of the feasibility of energy scenarios. This way, the following issues remain unresolved: (1) whether the mineral resources are available to build the new energy system [11]; (2) if the speed of required change will be constrained by skills shortages due to additional employment needs [12]; and (3) whether the energy cost of newly invested energy infrastructure will cannibalise upon discretionary energy available to other sectors [13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Electricity generation technologies: Comparison of materials use, energy return on investment, jobs creation and CO2 emissions reduction

Kis

Pandya

Koppelaar³

2018

Energy Policy

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New life-cycle method implemented to compare 19 electricity generation technologies.• Long distance fuel transport significantly reduces energetic-economic viability.• Low load factors for solar and wind sharply reduces energetic-economic viability.• Electricity sector jobs for generation will double in renewable-majority futures.• Natural gas without carbon capture is not a suitable bridge for a low-carbon future.

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Section: Energy Return On Investmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electricity generation technologies: Comparison of materials use, energy return on investment, jobs creation and CO2 emissions reduction

Kis

Pandya

Koppelaar³

2018

Energy Policy

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“…If energy prices are low, the economy can flourish. For example, some suggest an ERoEI of < 7 causes a rapid decline in material wealth [40]. Using up high-energy fuels or deciding to transition to renewables is thought to be crippling to the economy [22].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maximizing social benefit from finite energy resource allocation

Wightman

Woodbury

2019

Energ Sustain Soc

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Background: Since the industrial revolution, human population and fossil energy consumption have steadily increased. With concerns over fossil energy impact on air quality and global climate, there is increasing interest in collection and conversion of non-fossil energy feedstocks. These finite renewable feedstocks (biomass, solar, wind) provide a challenge based on their land-limited supply and temporal availability. Consequently, society needs methodologies to increase end-user efficiency to maximize the energetic utility and sociological benefit from the finite land base. Methods: This paper presents a methodology for evaluating whole system effectiveness from a finite unit of biomass feedstock. By analyzing conversion of raw energy inputs into final energy services (FES) delivered in the form of transport or heat to society, we assess the FES returned on energy investment (ERoEI fes). Comparison of ERoEI fes across 11 different conversion pathways illustrates the relative delivered social benefit of each pathway derived from the same finite feedstock. Results: We found previously that New York (NY) could sustainably produce 14.2 Tg/y of biomass feedstocks from agriculture and forestry (equivalent to 7% of NY's primary energy consumption of 3.9 EJ). We found that high value FES as a percentage of energy in the biomass feedstock ranged from 5 to 15% for transport and 12 to 71% for heat (residential or commercial). However, the FES provided for six pathways was more than 2-fold higher if co-products were used. This method (1) internalizes energetic processing and use losses (2) to compare pathways and systems (3) that maximize services and value derived from land-limited sustainably harvested resources (4) thus providing a holistic approach increasing the value of a unit of land to generate primary energy resources, sustainably. Conclusion: This case study provides a framework to assess a range of conversion pathways for any finite energy feedstock for society. Across all biomass types and conversion processes, the replicable ERoEI fes methodology provides a foundation for decision-makers to compare FES delivered and then develop policies that reap the most benefit per unit of finite feedstock, thus assisting in more effective transition away from fossil-based feedstocks.

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“…[ 4 ] Early efforts in this area claimed that an EROI of 3 was the minimum for a modern society, [ 11 ] whereas a more recent, and more comprehensive, analysis in this area tentatively put that number at 10. [ 40 ]…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Energy Transition in New York: A Greenhouse Gas, Net Energy, and Life‐Cycle Energy Analysis

Murphy

Raugei

2020

Energy Tech

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New York state is at the forefront in the United States and also high on the list globally in setting ambitious targets for the transition to renewable electricity, with 70% of generation mandated to be renewable by 2030. The consequences of the associated drastic shift from conventional steam generators to a mix of wind, photovoltaic, and hydroelectric (supplemented by pumped hydro storage to ensure dispatchability) are analyzed herein from the joint points of view of life‐cycle assessment (LCA) and net energy analysis (NEA). Results indicate that not only is the target effective at drastically reducing the grid mix's carbon emissions and halving its cumulative demand for imported nonrenewable primary energy, but—contrary to often voiced concerns—it is also compatible with sustaining the current level of net energy delivery (after accounting for the energy investments required to deploy and operate all generators).

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How Does Energy Resource Depletion Affect Prosperity? Mathematics of a Minimum Energy Return on Investment (EROI)

Cited by 33 publications

References 27 publications

Electricity generation technologies: Comparison of materials use, energy return on investment, jobs creation and CO2 emissions reduction

Electricity generation technologies: Comparison of materials use, energy return on investment, jobs creation and CO2 emissions reduction

Maximizing social benefit from finite energy resource allocation

The Energy Transition in New York: A Greenhouse Gas, Net Energy, and Life‐Cycle Energy Analysis

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