Spatial energy density of large-scale electricity generation from power sources worldwide.

ABSTRACT: This paper introduces the annual energy density concept for electric power generation, which is proposed as an informative metric to capture the impacts on the environmental footprint. Our investigation covers a wide range of sources classified by rated power and compares different regions to establish typical spatial flows of energy and evaluate the corresponding scalability to meet future net-zero emission (NZE) goals. Our analysis is conducted based on publicly available information pertaining to different regions and remote satellite image data. The results of our systematic analysis indicate that the spatial extent of electric power generation toward 2050 will increase approximately sixfold, from approximately 0.5% to nearly 3.0% of the world's land area, based on International Energy

SUBMITTER: Noland JK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9732281 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature