Utility Week - authoritative, impartial and essential reading for senior people within utilities, regulators and government
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/370624
24 | 29th August - 4th september 2014 | utILItY WeeK Operations & Assets Market view S ecurity of global energy supplies is problematic geographically, politically, economically and environmentally. Also, energy is wasted in all areas of com- mercial and private life – the UK, having once led the world in energy efficiency, recently slipped five places on a global index created by the American Council for an Energy Effi- cient Economy, mainly because of industrial inefficiency (see bit.ly/UKEnergyEfficiency). Making energy more efficiently and wast- ing less of it is of paramount importance to humanity's wellbeing, but it is also a politi- cal tool. Many governments are under pres- sure to achieve independence from foreign energy supplies while attempting to comply with the Kyoto Protocol to reduce emissions. The race for secure energy supplies is on; and it must be won – for a range of reasons. In the past, energy transitions have always moved towards a higher density of energy: from animal power to coal in the 19th century, then to oil by 1910, followed by the large-scale growth of electricity and the introduction of nuclear power throughout the 20th century. Currently some energy transitions are to a lower resource density, such as renewables, implying a greater cost of production. Even oil can be considered decreasingly dense in energy because it requires increas- ing amounts energy to produce it. In the extreme case of corn-based biofuel as much as 90 per cent of the produced resource – in terms of energy – is spent in its production. Fossil fuels, however, still dominate energy supply and they are expected to rep- resent 75 per cent of global energy produc- tion in coming decades, down from their current 80 per cent. This is because fossil fuel remains the easiest resource to provide. The global population is heading towards 9 billion and needs ever more goods and ser- vices and the energy to provide them. Currently, each person in the world pro- duces an average of five tonnes of carbon emissions every year. And yet, in some coun- tries, children resort to reading their school- books at night using streetlights because they have no power at home. Technology is racing to produce more from less, cut costs and waste and find new ways to produce and consume energy more efficiently. My company works with inno- vators in all industries across the world in every area of generation and consumption to bring solutions to fruition. The need for speed In every country, companies and planners must innovate faster to meet or beat the inev- itable growth in energy demand and to bal- ance that against carbon emissions. A 10 per cent rise in energy demand is expected every decade and it is agreed that it can only be supplied by increasing effi- ciency of both production and consumption. The use of advanced simulation and visu- alisation technologies will become increas- ingly important. Whether you're optimising planning for a whole city's energy consump- tion, creating a product with less energy and that uses less energy, or building and operating a nuclear power plant, a carbon capture scheme, a mine or an oil rig, they can be modelled, visualised and simulated in 3D. This allows all stakeholders and inter- est groups to better understand the oen- complex concepts involved, and their implications. With this highly visual infor- mation they can then formulate better deci- sions about the available options. Re-imagining the domestic boiler According to the International Energy Agency, more efficient production and use of energy in buildings would be the single larg- est and most cost-effective contributor to cuts in carbon emissions. Buildings, it says, use 40 per cent of the world's primary energy. In the drive to make buildings more effi- cient, the idea of energy-positive houses – which produce more energy than they use by coupling effective insulation with more energy generation than consumption – is becoming increasingly popular. 3D simulations are essential in planning and predicting this positive energy balance. For instance, a UK firm developing a fuel cell-based combined heat and power genera- tor has used 3D simulation to take the guess- work out of its innovation and the impact it could have on domestic energy efficiency. The fuel cell relies on a careful balance of component materials, operating tempera- tures and fuel type to generate electricity from a chemical reaction. Using 3D simu- lation, the firm was able to experience the interaction of components and trial different operation scenarios, and to develop training for maintenance technicians and engineers who might work on the end product. It can now ensure that every physical prototype has predictable performance. We believe that this highly efficient, price- competitive technology will make a strong contribution to lowering the carbon footprint of buildings in the future. Deep ocean to sky high savings But simulation is not just about supporting energy-efficient product innovation. Coal and oil companies can use technolo- gies like ours to model and optimise their equipment, improve operational efficiency, and maximise their use of reserves. One major company is planning to pro- cess oil 4,000m below sea level to save the expense and engineering waste of bringing material other than oil to the surface. Coal and other mineral mines can be digi- tally modelled in 3D with great accuracy to achieve extraction at the lowest possible cost. And in the renewables sector, wave, wind and PV systems are also being opti- mised and refined to help them operate at maximum efficiency. Using multi-physics 3D in a collaborative manner – involving anyone from engineers to consumers – is helping people understand their products and how they fit into nature and life. This accelerates innovation by letting people to share their knowledge and expe- rience so they can build up a broad but detailed picture that presents the best routes to a viable energy future for mankind. Stephen Chadwick, managing director, EuroNorth at Dassault Systemes Simulate to innovate Computer simulation technology has a vital role not only in helping us secure energy supplies, but also in reducing carbon emissions from homes and industry, says Stephen Chadwick.