Page 38 - Air pollution and greenhouse gases from basic concepts to engineering applications for air emission control

1.4 Roots of Air Pollution and GHGs 11

has a more significant effect as the life quality keeps improving. There is a mini-
mum amount of energy needed to sustain human life. Fuel energy is needed for
cooking in houses and restaurants, as well as in heating and/or cooling for houses
and buildings. Much more energy than the minimum is consumed in developed
countries, providing food, clothing, shelter, transportation, communications, light-
ing, materials, and numerous services for the entire population.
The end uses of energy consumption vary from nation to nation, and from sector
to sector. In developed countries, such as the US and Canada, more energy is used
for luxury. In 1995, the worldwide consumption rate was about 2 kW per capita, but
the US consumed about 13 kW per capita, with the global rate. If energy usage is
divided into four sectors—industrial, transportation, commercial services, and
residential—these categories were responsible for the consumption of 36, 37, 16,
and 21 %, respectively, of the total energy used (1996 data). Most recent data can
be found in the annual International Energy Outlook in the following section.

1.4.3 International Energy Outlook

Global energy demand has been growing despite the increase in oil and gas prices.
Worldwide energy consumption is projected to increase by 57 % from 2004 to 2030
[7]. Total energy demand in developing countries will rise by 95 %, compared to an
increase of 24 % in developed countries. Fossil fuels will remain the major energy
sources worldwide, with liquids remaining dominant due to their irreplaceable
importance in the transportation and industrial sectors. However, their share of the
world energy market in 2007s outlook is lessened in the projection, as other fuels
replace liquids where possible outside those sectors. Nuclear power and renewable
energy sources are expected to expand with the increases in fossil fuel prices
(Fig. 1.1). Figure 1.1 is produced using the original data of website by searching
“Key World Energy Statistics 2010” published by the International Energy Agency
[12].
Natural gas consumption will rise on average by 1.9 % per year from 2004 to
2030. The price of gas is expected to rise continuously as demand increases,
consequently making coal more cost-competitive, especially in electric power
generation. As a result, coal, which is a major combustion polluter, will be the
fastest growing energy source worldwide, producing even more air pollutants and
greenhouse gases.
Nuclear power generation in developing countries is projected to increase by
4 % per year from 2004 to 2030, but will remain a small portion compared to other
energy sources. Unconventional resources, such as biofuels and liquefied coal or
gas, are expected to become increasingly competitive. Renewable energy sources
are expected to continue to increase annually and become more competitive eco-
nomically with higher fossil fuel prices and support from government incentives.