The Physics of Renewable Energy

200 Pages·2022·5.556 MB·English

by  Martin Stutzmann, Christoph Csoklich

Graduate Texts in Physics
Martin Stutzmann
Christoph Csoklich
The Physics
of Renewable
Energy
Graduate Texts in Physics
SeriesEditors
KurtH.Becker,NYUPolytechnicSchoolofEngineering,Brooklyn,NY,USA
Jean-MarcDiMeglio,MatièreetSystèmesComplexes,BâtimentCondorcet,Université
ParisDiderot,Paris,France
SadriHassani,DepartmentofPhysics,IllinoisStateUniversity,Normal,IL,USA
MortenHjorth-Jensen,DepartmentofPhysics,Blindern,UniversityofOslo,Oslo,
Norway
BillMunro,NTTBasicResearchLaboratories,Atsugi,Japan
RichardNeeds,CavendishLaboratory,UniversityofCambridge,Cambridge,UK
WilliamT.Rhodes,DepartmentofComputerandElectricalEngineeringandComputer
Science,FloridaAtlanticUniversity,BocaRaton,FL,USA
SusanScott,AustralianNationalUniversity,Acton,Australia
H.EugeneStanley,CenterforPolymerStudies,PhysicsDepartment,Boston
University,Boston,MA,USA
MartinStutzmann,WalterSchottkyInstitute,TechnicalUniversityofMunich,
Garching,Germany
AndreasWipf,InstituteofTheoreticalPhysics,Friedrich-Schiller-UniversityJena,
Jena,Germany
GraduateTextsinPhysics publishes core learning/teaching material for graduate-
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Martin Stutzmann · Christoph Csoklich
The Physics of Renewable
Energy
MartinStutzmann ChristophCsoklich
WalterSchottkyInstitute ElectrochemistryLaboratory
TechnicalUniversityMunich PaulScherrerInstitut
Garching,Bayern,Germany Villigen,Switzerland
ISSN1868-4513 ISSN1868-4521 (electronic)
GraduateTextsinPhysics
ISBN978-3-031-17723-1 ISBN978-3-031-17724-8 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17724-8
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Preface
Thisbookisbasedonthescriptofalectureaboutrenewableenergyheldregularly
at the Physics Department of Technische Universität München since 2007. Over
the years, the contents of this lecture were updated and extended to the present
version. Although originally intended for master students in engineering physics,
thelecturewasalsofrequentlyfollowedbybachelorstudentsandstudentsofother
faculties interested in this topic. That is why the requirements for pre-existing
knowledgeinphysicsvaryfromchaptertochapter.Sometopicscanbeappreciated
with a general scientific background, while others require the knowledge of more
advanced physical concepts. In this way, the book hopefully appeals to a larger
community of potential readers.
The main aim of the book is to make interested scientists aware of the scien-
tific backgrounds, the potentials, but also the fundamental limitations of different
renewable energy technologies in terms of achievable energy densities, maximum
physical efficiencies, and future scientific and technological challenges. When-
ever possible, we have tried to keep units, notations, and nomenclature consistent
across the different forms of renewable energies, and to refrain from unphysical
prejudices and biases.
We gratefully acknowledge the constructive feedback and questions of many
hundred students over the years and the support of colleagues in this field by
making their results available for this book. And we thank PA for just being it!
Munich, Germany Martin Stutzmann
Villigen, Switzerland Christoph Csoklich
July 2022
vii
Contents
1 Energy—ABriefIntroduction ....................................... 1
1.1 Energy and Work ................................................ 2
1.2 Potential and Kinetic Energy .................................... 2
1.3 Noether Theorem and Energy Conservation ...................... 3
1.4 Inner Energy .................................................... 5
1.5 Quantifying Energy ............................................. 7
References ........................................................... 9
2 FormsofEnergyandTheirDensity .................................. 11
2.1 Mechanical Potential Energy .................................... 11
2.2 Kinetic Energy .................................................. 14
2.3 Wave Energy .................................................... 16
2.3.1 Mechanical Waves ....................................... 16
2.3.2 Electromagnetic Waves ................................... 17
2.4 Electrostatic and Magnetostatic Energy .......................... 17
2.5 Latent Heat ..................................................... 18
2.6 Chemical and Electrochemical Energy ........................... 19
2.7 Nuclear Energy .................................................. 24
2.7.1 Fission ................................................... 25
2.7.2 Fusion ................................................... 26
References ........................................................... 28
3 TheSun–EarthSystem .............................................. 29
3.1 The Sun ......................................................... 29
3.1.1 General Properties ....................................... 29
3.1.2 Details of Proton Fusion .................................. 31
3.1.3 Shell Model .............................................. 33
3.2 The Earth ....................................................... 36
3.2.1 General Properties ....................................... 36
3.3 A Possible Energy Scenario Until 2050 .......................... 41
References ........................................................... 44
ix
x Contents
4 EnergyfromWaves,TidesandOsmosis ............................. 45
4.1 Wave Energy .................................................... 45
4.1.1 Deep Water Waves ....................................... 46
4.1.2 Shallow Water Waves .................................... 48
4.2 Tidal Energy .................................................... 50
4.2.1 Solar Tides ............................................... 52
4.2.2 Lunar Tides .............................................. 53
4.3 Osmosis Power .................................................. 56
References ........................................................... 57
5 WindEnergy ........................................................ 59
5.1 General Considerations .......................................... 59
5.2 Energy Content of Wind ......................................... 61
5.3 Efficiency of Wind Turbines ..................................... 63
5.4 Types of Rotors ................................................. 68
5.4.1 Drag-Type Rotors ........................................ 68
5.4.2 Lift-Type Rotors ......................................... 69
5.4.3 New Types of Wind Engines ............................. 75
5.5 Optimization of Wind Turbines .................................. 75
5.5.1 Optimized Radial Profile of a Lift-Type Blade ............ 76
5.5.2 Losses ................................................... 77
5.6 Some Practical Aspects of Wind Engines ........................ 79
References ........................................................... 81
6 ThermalEnergy ..................................................... 83
6.1 Geothermal Energy .............................................. 83
6.1.1 Contributions to Geothermal Energy ...................... 83
6.1.2 Use of Geothermal Energy ............................... 85
6.2 Solar Thermal Energy ........................................... 92
References ........................................................... 98
7 Photosynthesis ....................................................... 99
7.1 General Considerations of Biomass Usage ....................... 99
7.2 Biophysical Principles of Photosynthesis ......................... 102
7.3 Basic Biomolecular Processes of Photosynthesis ................. 105
7.4 Details of Photon Absorption and Energy Transfer
in the Light-Harvesting Complexes of Photosystems ............. 110
7.5 Technical Use of Biomass ....................................... 114
7.6 Artificial Photosynthesis ......................................... 116
References ........................................................... 118
8 Photovoltaics ......................................................... 119
8.1 General Considerations .......................................... 119
8.2 Basic Processes in Photovoltaics ................................. 121
8.2.1 Photons .................................................. 121
8.2.2 Photon Density of States (DOS) .......................... 122
8.2.3 Absorption, Reflection, Emission ......................... 124