Carbon-free and nuclear-free : a roadmap for U.S. energy policy

In a world confronting global climate change, political turmoil among oil exporting nations, nuclear weapons proliferation, nuclear plant safety and waste disposal issues, the United States must assume a leadership role in moving to a zero-CO2-emissions energy economy. At the same time America needs to take the lead in reducing the world's reliance on nuclear power. This breakthrough joint study by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research and the Nuclear Policy Research Institute shows how our energy needs can be met by alternative sources, as wind, solar, hydrogen, biomass, microalgae, geothermal and wave power are all part of the solution. Must reading for everyone concerned with energy politics and the planet's future, Carbon-Free is already making headlines.

Author Notes

Arjun Makhijani is President of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research

Foreword	p. ix
Acknowledgements	p. xiii
Preface	p. xv
A Climate Change	p. xv
B Nuclear Power and Nuclear Weapons Proliferation	p. xvii
C Oil	p. xx
D Lifestyles and Values	p. xx
E Conclusions	p. xxii
Chapter 1 Setting the Stage - A Brief Historical Overview	p. 1
A The Need for a Zero-CO[subscript 2] Economy in the United States	p. 1
B Historical Overview	p. 4
Plan of the Book	p. 13
Chapter 2 Broad Energy and Economic Considerations	p. 14
A Analysis of Energy Prices and Implicit CO[subscript 2] Prices	p. 18
1 Implicit CO[subscript 2] Price in the Electricity Sector	p. 18
2 CO[subscript 2] and Petroleum	p. 24
B Defining "Zero-CO[subscript 2] Emissions"	p. 26
Chapter 3 Technologies - Supply, Storage, and Conversion	p. 28
A Wind Energy	p. 30
B Solar Electricity	p. 37
C Biomass - Introduction	p. 45
D Microalgae	p. 48
E Grasses	p. 52
F Other High Productivity Biomass	p. 54
G Some Conclusions about Biomass	p. 58
H Solar Hydrogen	p. 59
I Wave Energy	p. 61
J Hot Rock Geothermal Energy	p. 61
K Energy Storage Technologies	p. 62
1 Batteries	p. 63
2 Capacitors	p. 67
3 Compressed Air Storage	p. 69
L Long-term Sequestration of CO[subscript 2]	p. 71
Chapter 4 Technologies - Demand-Side Sectors	p. 73
A Residential and Commercial Sectors	p. 73
Lighting	p. 82
B Transportation	p. 83
1 Fuel for Jet Aircraft	p. 84
2 Public Transportation	p. 88
C The Industrial Sector	p. 92
Chapter 5 A Reference Zero-CO[subscript 2] Scenario	p. 95
A Residential and Commercial Energy Use	p. 96
B Transportation and Industry	p. 98
C Electricity Production	p. 101
1 Methodological Note on Thermal and Other Losses in Electricity Production	p. 101
2 Electricity in the Reference Scenario	p. 103
D Overall Results	p. 107
Land Use Considerations	p. 107
Chapter 6 Options for the Roadmap to Zero-CO[subscript 2] Emissions	p. 112
A Hydrogen Production from Solar and Wind Energy	p. 112
B Efficiency and Electricity	p. 115
C Stationary Storage of Electricity	p. 117
D Feedstocks and Industrial Energy	p. 117
E Natural Gas Combined Cycle and Coal as Contingencies for the Electric Grid	p. 118
F Structural Changes in the Economy	p. 119
G Some Considerations in Setting Target Dates for Zero-CO[subscript 2]	p. 121
1 Historical Examples	p. 121
2 Demand Sector Considerations for a Target Phase-out Date	p. 123
H Estimating a Phase-out Schedule	p. 125
1 Ozone-depleting Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)	p. 125
2 A Range of Dates for Zero-CO[subscript 2] Emissions	p. 126
Chapter 7 Policy Considerations	p. 129
A A CO[subscript 2] Emissions Cap Declining to Zero	p. 131
1 Early Action Rewards	p. 135
2 Defining "Large Users" of Fossil Fuels	p. 135
3 Penalties	p. 138
4 Revenues	p. 138
B Small Users of Fossil Fuels	p. 139
1 Time-of-use Rates	p. 140
2 Incentives and Rebates	p. 141
3 Achieving Zero-CO[subscript 2] Emissions for Small Users	p. 142
C Government Actions	p. 142
D New Coal-fired Power Plants	p. 144
E Ending Subsidies for Nuclear Power and Fossil Fuels	p. 144
F Corporate and NGO Actions	p. 145
Chapter 8 Roadmap for a Zero-CO[subscript 2] Economy	p. 147
A A Preferred Renewable Energy Scenario	p. 147
B Timeline for Transformation	p. 149
C Macroeconomics of the Transition	p. 158
1 The Residential and Commercial Sectors	p. 159
2 Transportation	p. 162
D Projecting Business-as-usual	p. 163
Chapter 9 Summary	p. 165
A Findings	p. 166
B Recommendations: The Clean Dozen	p. 175
Afterword	p. 176
Glossary	p. 178
Appendix A Nuclear Power	p. 181
A History	p. 181
B Nuclear Waste	p. 184
The Global Nuclear Energy Program	p. 188
C Cost	p. 189
D Nuclear Power and Global Climate Change	p. 190
Appendix B Interview Regarding Industrial Greenhouse Gas Emissions	p. 193
Appendix C Japan Focus Interview on Carbon-Free and Nuclear-Free	p. 203
Endnotes	p. 208
References	p. 220

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