APPLICATION OF NEAR-TERM FOSSIL TECHNOLOGIES TO THE ENERGY SUPPLY/DEMAND PROFILES OF THE U.S. STATES AND REGIONS

The following conclusions emerge from this study for the Office of Program Planning and Analysis, ERDA/Fossil Energy: Based on energy supply and utilization, the five regions with the most critical energy problems, in order of severity, are: the North Central, the West South Central, the Middle Atlantic, the South Atlantic and New England. The following near-term technologies appear to offer the widest application and are most likely to have a major impact on the supply/demand energy characteristics of the regions: Direct combustion of coal in atmospheric fluidized beds; low-Btu gas from coal for power generation and combined cycles; power plant technology; high-Btu gasification in entrained and fluidized beds; improved railroad coal-handling facilities; direct combustion by fuel substitution; low-Btu gas for process heat; improved underground and surface coal extraction techniques; coal slurry and coal-gas pipeline transport systems; and conservation in the residential/commercial and vehicular transportation sectors. Transportation systems (e.g., railways, pipelines, ships) are vital linkages between the fossil energy supply centers and the fossil energy demand facilities. ERDA's programs should consider energy in a total systems sense, including transportation systems as well as supply and demand technologies. Further analysis of the economics of coal conversion is necessary. The elasticity of the price of both natural gas and petroleum products should be studied. Significant changes in the utilization patterns could occur if the prices of the various fossil fuels were coordinated. Direct combustion and low-Btu gasification of coal could help alleviate this problem. Other recommendations involve new regional divisions with compatible energy supply, demand and utilization characteristics and increased contacts and direct working relationships between ERDA representatives and state energy officials. (ERA citation 02:051972)

• Corporate Authors:

  Systems Consultants, Incorporated

  1050 31st Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20007

  Energy Research and Development Administration

  20 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Publication Date: 1977-1

Media Info

• Pagination: 186 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alternatives analysis; Coal; Coal gasification; Coal industry; Coal mining; Demand; Economics; Energy; Energy conservation; Energy consumption; Energy resources; Equipment; Fluidized bed combustion; Forecasting; Freight traffic; Materials management; Natural gas; Petroleum industry; Petroleum products; Pipelines; Planning; Policy; Railroads; Rates; Regional planning; Slurry pipelines; Systems analysis; Traffic forecasting; Transportation; Unit trains; User charges
• Uncontrolled Terms: Comparative analysis; Petroleum trade
• Geographic Terms: United States
• Old TRIS Terms: Energy demand; Railway
• Subject Areas: Economics; Energy; Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00174932
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Contract Numbers: EX-76-C-01-2442
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 26 1978 12:00AM