Sustainable Energy Plan for the U.S.

Colin Burns, Aadya Sharma, Adan Castillo-Grynberg, Brendan Magrini

Objective & Assumptions & U.S Energy Flow

The objective of this presentation is to overhaul the United States Energy Sector so that current energy needs are met through entirely sustainable energy sources.

U.S. Energy Flow [1] (2021 Data)

Energy Produced: 28.52 Trillion kWh

• Petroleum: 10.27 Trillion kWh
• Natural Gas: 9.13 Trillion kWh
• Renewable Energy: 3.42 Trillion kWh
• Coal: 3.13 Trillion kWh
• Nuclear: 2.28 Trillion kWh

Energy End-Use Sector [1]: 21.54 Trillion kWh

• Transportation: 7.97 Trillion kWh (37%)
• Industrial: 7.54 Trillion kWh (35%)
• Residential: 3.45 Trillion kWh (16%)
• Comercial: 2.58 Trillion kWh (12%)

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Abstract

The plan to make the United States completely carbon neutral is to leverage its size and the wide variety of climates to produce enough electricity to power the United State, as well as producing enough hydrogen through an electrolysis system to replace natural gas and oil where necessary. Solar fields will be the primary source in the high irandance regions of the South and the West. Another source will be wind turbines in the midwest and offshore wind in Atlantic ocean. We will also aim to have residential energy production. Hydropower is not included, as the environmental impacts and considerations are too great. Renewable hydrogen production is also incorporated as it is a clean and ethical alternative to battery energy storage (because those require slave labor to source minerals), and can replace natural gas and be used as fuel in industries. These localized models adapted to various environments are ideal in producing readily available energy, and creating a national energy grid with regional supply back ups and support.

Of course, there must first be a cutback in energy usage, through retrofitting of buildings, establishing better public transportation/lifestyles, switching to electric transportation when possible, and decreasing competitive consumption and unsustainable growth by disrupting the capitalist structure.

Another concern is the ethics of manufacturing renewables, like PV panels, most pressingly in the mineral mining industry. People are put through slave labor for these processes, and with such intensive demand in a short time frame, the industrialists would degrade the laborers’ conditions even more than they are now.

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Overall Plan

Nationally [Appendix 3]

• Solar will be installed on 75% of all US roofs. Solar will cover 50% of the roofs.
• The output is 15.1 PWh at cost $21.53/m²
• Total Cost is $ 180 billion
• Will cover all commercial, residential, and 75 % of transportation energy

West:

• Utility sized Solar field to power industry and hydrogen production

South

• Utility sized Solar fields and wind farms will power industry and hydrogen production

Midwest:

• Wind field in the Dakota region with electrolysis system to produce hydrogen.

East

• Nuclear and offshore wind will power industry and hydrogen production

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1PWh = 10¹² kWh

Sector 1: West

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Need 2.121 PWh

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Electricity Transmission Losses: 5% (accounted in SAM)

Hydrogen Losses: 33% (accounted for in chart)

Storage: Liquid Tanks, Transport: Trucks

Electrolysis by Solar Power (clean H₂)

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Distribute plants across West for ease of construction/maintenance and energy distribution, and backup plants.

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Use Bureau of Land Management Solar Energy Zones, extensive harm reduction research already done. [4] But need to quadruple area to provide enough energy

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Sector 2: Midwest

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See Appendix 5- Sector 2 for more info

Additional Costs Estimates:

• Wind Farm - $ 876 Billion
• Labor - $ 400 Billion
• Land - $ 1 trillion
• Hydrogen Production - $ 43.5 Billion
• Hydrogen Storage - $ 50 billion
• Hydrogen Transport - $ 50 billion

Total Cost Estimate: $ 2.42 trillion

Land usages:

• Land will be obtained through eminent domain
• After constitution land can be farm, lived on, and raise animals.

Hydrogen Production [10]

• Energy density: 120 MJ/kg [10]
• Energy Needed: 5.22E12 MJ
• Hydrogen Needed Yearly: 43.5 Billion kg
• Total cost = $ 43.5 billion

Hydrogen storage: [A6]

• Long term Storage in liquid storage tanks

Hydrogen Transportation: [A6]

• Refurbish the exiting NG pipeline

Sector 3: South

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Hydrogen Production [10]

• Energy density: 120 MJ/kg [10]
• Energy Needed: 11.3 x 10¹² MJ
• Hydrogen Needed Yearly: 94.2 Billion kg
• Total cost = $94.2 Billion

Total Cost: 3.372 Trillion Dollars

Sector 4: Northeast

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• Coastlines used for wind energy
• Nuclear power used due to limited area-urban sprawl
• Nuclear far more productive, more controlled

Hydrogen Production [10]

• Energy density: 120 MJ/kg [10]
• Energy Needed: 3.76E12 MJ
• Hydrogen Needed Yearly: 30.6 Billion kg
• Total cost = $ 30.6 billion

• Total upfront cost: 2.15 Trillion
• Maintenance costs [15]: 158 Billion/year
• Land costs[14]: 207 million

Hydrogen, Production,Transportation, Storage

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Pipelines will be refurbished to transport hydrogen throughout the country and be used as safety nets for energy failure in other regions

Modern gas generator can operator using 100 % there exting natural gas plates can be used to generator electricity with a max efficiency of 41.5 [12]

Liquid natural gas is the most efficient way to store large quantities of hydrogen because the volume is less than in its gaseous form.

Discussion

Our plan produces enough energy to completely cover the total energy production of the continental United States. The United States currently produces 22.5 PWh/yr from natural gas, coal, and protolum. Our plan produces 26.55 PWh/yr which is 4.05 PWh/yr more than is currently produces. The plan production in the real world will likely be less than this ideal model. This 4.05 PWh/yr allows for some error in the plan.

The overall cost for this project seems prohibitively expensive to undertake in a short time frame. Considering the federal budget to have been 6.8 trillion in 2021, our project would more than double that given that the same expenditures would apply. All things considered, a sustainable energy plan could be implemented over the course of 15-25 years without a significant impact on the economy.

The most significant impact is the land usage that is need to produce this much energy from renewables. This project impact millions of americans homes and livelihood. For example a majority of Kansas will have to be covered in Wind turbines to generate the 2.5PWh/yr that are needed. This land will be unfarmable for several years which will greatly impact the lives of people living there.

Overall, this project will cost the American taxpayer over $ 12 trillion dollars and millions of acres of land. However, sacrifices will be force to be made if the people want to under the current standard of living. This project will allow for the creation clean energy for the entirety of the United States which will have greater positive impact on the environment than any short term negatives.

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Sources:

[1] https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/us-energy-facts/

[2] https://www.eia.gov/state/rankings/

[3] https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-state-total.html

[4] https://blmsolar.anl.gov/sez/

[5] https://www.nrel.gov/gis/assets/images/solar-annual-ghi-2018-usa-scale-01.jpg

[6] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hydrogen-production-costs-2021

[7] https://umd.instructure.com/courses/1328977/files?preview=69887997

[8] https://sam.nrel.gov/

[9] https://windexchange.energy.gov/maps-data/348

[10] https://demaco-cryogenics.com/blog/energy-density-of-hydrogen/

[11] https://www.cat.com/en_US/products/new/power-systems/electric-power/gas-generator-sets/15970392.html

[12] https://www.synapse-energy.com/sites/default/files/SynapsePaper.2008-07.0.Nuclear-Plant-Construction-Costs.A0022_0.pdf

[13] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashiwazaki-Kariwa_Nuclear_Power_Plant

[14] https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Todays_Reports/reports/land0821.pdf

[15[ https://weatherguardwind.com/how-much-does-wind-turbine-cost-worth-it/

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Appendix 1: US energy Consumption by Source and Sector

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Appendix 2: State Consumer Calculations

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Appendix 3: Solar roof Calculations

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Appendix 4: Irradiance Data

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Appendix 5: Sector 1 Calculations

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SG60KU-M [450V] Inverter & RSM120-8-600M module

1,166,088 m²

1.2 DC/AC ratio

600W module

60000W inverter

21% module efficiency

20 modules/string

2-axis tracking

H2 Storage at 700 bar is 33 kWh/kg

1 kg H2 = 20 kWh-AC for fuel cells [7]

Appendix 5: Sector 2 Calculations -South West, ND

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• Data for 1 Wind Farm of 300 2020 ATB NREL Reference 18 MW Turbines
• Turbine Unit Area: 4.4 km²
• There are 15 wind Sites in that region each are 1,328 km²

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Appendix 5: Sector 2 Calculations - Central Kansas

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Appendix 5: Sector 2 Calculations - Central Kansas

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• Data for 1 Wind Farm of 300 2020 ATB NREL Reference 18 MW Turbines
• Turbine Unit Area: 4.4 km²
• There are 53 wind Sites in that region each are 1,328 km²
• Total area is 70,384 km²

Appendix 5: Sector 2 Calculations - Central Indiana

• Data for 1 Wind Farm of 300 2020 ATB NREL Reference 18 MW Turbines
• Turbine Unit Area: 4.4 km²
• There are 25 wind Sites in that region each are 1,328 km²
• Total area is 33,200 km²

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Appendix 5: Sector 2 Calculations - Lake Erie, OH

• Data for 1 Offshore Wind Farm of 300 2020 ATB NREL Reference 18 MW Turbines
• Turbine Unit Area: 4.4 km²
• There are 5 wind Sites in that region each are 1,328 km²
• Total area is 6640 km²

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[9]

Appendix 5: Sector 2 Calculations - Lake Michigan, MI

• Data for 1 Offshore Wind Farm of 300 2020 ATB NREL Reference 18 MW Turbines
• Turbine Unit Area: 4.4 km²
• There are 15 wind Sites in that region each are 1,328 km²
• Total area is 19,920 km²

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Appendix 5: Sector 3 Calculations

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Appendix 5: Sector Three State Data

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Georgia

Louisiana

Appendix 5: Sector Three State Data

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Alabama

Florida

Appendix 5: Sector Three State Data

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Mississippi

Missouri

Appendix 5: Sector Three State Data

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North Carolina

Oklahoma

Appendix 5: Sector Three State Data

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South Carolina

Tennesse

Appendix 5: Sector Three State Data

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Texas

Appendix 5: Sector 4- Offshore Delmarva Calculations

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Turbine Type: 20220 ATB NREL Reference 15 MW

Hub height: 130 m

Number of turbines: 240

Appendix 5: Sector 4- Offshore New England Calculations

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Turbine Type: 20220 ATB NREL Reference 15 MW

Hub height: 130 m

Number of turbines: 240

Appendix 5: Sector 4- Nuclear plants

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• Modeled after Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant
• 4.2 km^2 area
• Offshore South NJ
• Peak annual output: 60.5 TWh
• Average using reasonable data: 40.56325 TWh
• Cost of nuclear power/kW was found to be around $7,000 in the US
• Total cost per plant 50 Billion

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