Competing discourses of energy development: The implications of the Medupi coal-fired power plant in South Africa     

William Rafey  Benjamin K. Sovacool 《Global Environmental Change》2011,21(3):1141-1151

This study explores the discursive dynamics behind the controversy to build the US$17.8 billion 4800 MW Medupi coal-fired power plant in South Africa, the seventh largest in the world. It begins by viewing climate change and energy security not as objective fact driven concepts, but constantly negotiated discourses. Based on a sampling of project documents, reports, testimony, and popular articles, the study then maps the discursive justifications behind the project as well as those against it. More specifically, it isolates themes of economic development, environmental sustainability, and energy security that converge into a discursive ensemble of inevitability supporting complete electrification for all of South Africa. The study also documents themes at the heart of the campaign against Medupi: maldevelopment and secrecy, local and global environmental degradation, and energy poverty which coalesce into a grand narrative of democracy. Tracing the intricacies of the Medupi controversy provides rich insight into energy policy and planning in South Africa. It also emphasizes how struggles to expand access to energy services can exacerbate degradation of the environment, and shows how climate and environmental discourses can become institutionalized.  相似文献   

近地表大气电场观测试验场建设     

张世中  王兰炜  胡哲  刘大鹏  张宇 《地震地磁观测与研究》2011,32(1):77-80

作为地震前兆电磁观测手段之一,震前大气电场异常观测研究在我国已开展多年,为了进一步研究近地表大气电场与震前异常的关系,设立了国家科技支撑计划课题专题"近地表大气电场、地电场综合观测试验研究".文章介绍了试验场所用的KDC-01型大气电场仪,近地表大气电场观测试验场在大祝前兆台阵中的建设情况,以及产出数据的初步分析结果.  相似文献   

青海共和盆地中低温地热流体发电          下载免费PDF全文

王敏黛  郭清海  严维德  刘明亮  曹耀武  李洁祥  石维栋  尚小刚  马月花 《地球科学》2014,39(9):1317-1322

青海省是我国地热资源相对丰富的地区, 但其主要地热能开发利用方式长期以来为效率较低的直接利用.以青海东北部地热异常明显的共和盆地为典型研究区, 依据前期地热地质调查和地球物理工作成果, 在盆地北部施工了终孔深度为1 852 m的DR2井, 获取了温度达84.2 ℃的地热流体.在此基础上, 建立了青海省首个试验地热发电站, 设计年平均净发电量为114 kW.与利用高温地热流体发电的西藏羊八井地热电站不同, 青海共和试验地热电站是青藏高原利用中低温地热流体发电的典范, 有望为青海省能源结构优化做出开拓性贡献.总体来看, 共和盆地地热流体温度较高、水量丰富、具有较大的发电潜力, 但在开发利用过程中也应注意结垢问题.   相似文献   

Analysing preferences towards economic incentives in combating climate change: a comparative analysis of US states     

《Climate Policy》2013,13(6):548-568

In contrast to the federal government, some US states have taken an aggressive approach to curbing climate change. They use a variety of policy instruments to reduce greenhouse gases. These instruments can be categorized into two broad categories: economic incentives and command-and-control regulation. While the use of economic incentives has, on average, increased, some states employ them more than others. This article compares the propensity of different US states to employ economic incentives in the area of climate change. For this purpose, it analyses and tests four models: (i) a needs/responsiveness model, (ii) an interest group influence model, (iii) an innovation-and-diffusion model, and (iv) a combined model. Interestingly, this article finds that economic incentives are pushed out of the political agenda when states are confronted with a more severe problem in terms of carbon emissions and dependence on conventional energy. This article also finds support for the traditional, antagonistic view of ‘industry versus environmentalists’: electric utility companies tend to oppose economic incentives, while environmentalists and renewable energy producers tend to support them.  相似文献   

中国燃煤电厂碳捕集与生物质掺烧碳捕集改造的经济性     

袁家海  王耀  张为荣  张健 《气候变化研究进展》2022,18(6):764-776

碳捕集与封存（CCS）技术作为解决全球气候变化问题的重要手段之一,能够有效减少CO₂排放。中国作为碳排放大国,当前电力的主要来源仍是煤电,碳捕集（CC）改造在燃煤电厂中有很大的应用潜力。经济性对CC改造的部署至关重要。为此,本文计算了中国各省典型电厂CC改造前后的平准化度电成本,比较了不同省份的CO₂捕集成本与CO₂避免成本,分析了不同掺烧率下生物质掺烧结合碳捕集(bioenergy with carbon capture,BECC)改造的经济性。研究发现,CC改造会导致不同地区的燃煤电厂度电成本增加57.51%~93.38%。煤价较低的华北和西北地区（青海除外）CC改造经济性较好,BECC改造则更适合华中地区。建议在推进燃煤电厂CC和BECC改造时要充分考虑区域资源特点,完善碳市场建设,形成合理碳价以促进CC和BECC部署。  相似文献   

Observation of Thunderstorm Ground Enhancements with intense fluxes of high-energy electrons     

《Astroparticle Physics》2013

The high altitude (∼3200 m above sea level) of Aragats Space Environmental Center (ASEC) and low elevation of the thunderclouds provides a good opportunity to detect Thunderstorm Ground Enhancements (TGEs), particles of which rapidly attenuate in the atmosphere. In 2012, we have estimated the energy spectra of several TGEs and revealed significant electron fluxes extended till 30–40 MeV. Measured in the one and the same event gamma ray and electron fluxes allow to estimate the height of the thundercloud above the detector. Proceeding from the energy spectra and the height of the cloud we estimate the electron spectra on the exit from the electric field of the thundercloud, the number of excess electrons in the cloud and avalanche multiplication rate.  相似文献   

低温固体氧化物燃料电池法开采天然气水合物     

范勇  蒋国盛  张凌  宁伏龙  胡代平  陆洪智  刘力  韩博 《地质科技情报》2012,31(3):128-134

热开采法、抑制剂刺激法等传统天然气水合物开采方法将破坏水合物地层,不能有效地解决海底地层破坏和开采使用化石燃料燃烧后所存在的碳储存和碳捕捉问题.介绍了低温固体氧化物燃料电池法开采天然气水合物的方法.该方法利用CO2置换天然气水合物地层中的甲烷,运送到低温固体氧化物燃料电池的阳极,在阴极通入空气,发生电化学反应,产生电能,并将产出的CO2通入到天然气水合物地层,置换出甲烷.该方法简单、实用,克服了传统开采方法所存在的问题,发电效率较传统发电方法大幅提高.  相似文献   

地球磁场起源之粒子起电问题研究          下载免费PDF全文

刘全稳  王威  李臻 《地学前缘》2012,19(6):260-268

粒子起电问题是解决地球磁场起源中固体地球内部电流形成问题的关键之一。通过引述电化学领域二相流起电机制,建立了有利于分析地球磁场起源的固体地球内部物质流动的双电层模型结构,即液/液界面双电层模型和液/固界面双电层模型,分析了地球外核物质流动及流动起电问题。在地球运动动力和运动定律作用下,地球外核物质的定向移动是形成地下电流、产生磁场的直接原因。研究了形成地磁场电流的一般算法及影响因素,探讨了“静电”的“动电”本质,讨论了双电层模型的适应性、起电电荷电性变化、局部气旋电流、磁异常等问题。指出固体地球内部物质起电电荷电性的改变是地磁场极性倒转主要原因。  相似文献   

Potential for Coal-to-Liquids Conversion in the United States—Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis     

Tad W. Patzek  Gregory D. Croft 《Natural Resources Research》2009,18(3):181-191

The United States has the world’s largest coal reserves and Montana the highest potential for mega-mine development. Consequently, a large-scale effort to convert coal to liquids (CTL) has been proposed to create a major source of domestic transportation fuels from coal, and some prominent Montanans want to be at the center of that effort. We calculate that the energy efficiency of the best existing Fischer–Tropsch (FT) process applied to average coal in Montana is less than 1/2 of the corresponding efficiency of an average crude oil refining process. The resulting CO₂ emissions are 20 times (2000%) higher for CTL than for conventional petroleum products. One barrel of the FT fuel requires roughly 800 kg of coal and 800 kg of water. The minimum energy cost of subsurface CO₂ sequestration would be at least 40% of the FT fuel energy, essentially halving energy efficiency of the process. We argue therefore that CTL conversion is not the most valuable use for the coal, nor will it ever be, as long as it is economical to use natural gas for electric power generation. This finding results from the low efficiency inherent in FT synthesis, and is independent of the monumental FT plant construction costs, mine construction costs, acute lack of water, and the associated environmental impacts for Montana.

Tad W. PatzekEmail:

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地电观测系统的干扰分析与故障排除方法     

朱振家  田洁  刘鸿斌  丁宏  朱宗德 《地震地磁观测与研究》2009,30(6):100-103

地电观测由测量区、外线路和观测仪器及辅助设备组成。观测系统容易受到外界干扰,而且故障较多,笔者根据多年的实践经验,对常见的干扰及故障现象进行了分析研究。结果表明：地电观测对区域的观测环境变化以及细微电磁环境和观测系统的变化都有非常灵敏的反应。  相似文献