Talk:Primary energy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Link also to energy development?? MGTom 09:18, 2005 Jan 20 (UTC)

[edit] bboe

Is bboe 'barrel oil equivalent' or 'billion barrel oil equivalent'? The article states the latter, which seems logical, bu telsewhere I found the former, with the Joule value I filled in. So I hope this is not off by a factor of one billion. DirkvdM 17:41, 9 October 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Primary energy vs secondary energy sources

There should be some discussion here about the relative efficiencies of conversion and use of a fuel as a primary energy source compared with its use as a secondary energy source.

For example, the most efficient use of natural gas is as a primary energy source, to deliver heat (cooking, central heating) or in transport (gas vehicles).

To use natural gas as a secondary source - to generate electricity - wastes the energy potential of the gas. The argument for this is that the there are lower emissions from gas power stations than from, say coal.

However, when determining energy policy and comparing electricity generation from gas with other sources, the basic principle that we should make the best of natural resources still needs to be kept in mind.

[edit] Very primary energy sources

All energy available in our Planet comes fundamentally from four different sources: Solar, Nuclear, Geothermic and ocean Tides. Most of the energy we use today is originated from the heat that we receive from the sun. This includes petroleum, coal, natural gas, hydropower, biomass, eolic, etc. Nuclear power comes from the fission of heavy elements occurring in the Earth since its formation, like Uranium and Thorium. It can also be obtained (even we don´t have presently the technology to do it) from the fusion of deuterium nuclei (an isotope of hydrogen that is found as a small fraction in all water we have). The third source is the heat in the core of the Earth. In many places in the world, this source comes available near the surface and is indeed used. The tidal motion of the sea is caused by the mutual gravitational attraction between the ocean water and the Moon.