1. Energy from Biofuels
Do you agree with the statement in the text (page 292)?: “At today’s consumption levels the
amount of land required to supply the world’s energy needs entirely by biomass equals that
of all agricultural land currently developed.” To answer this problem, pick a couple of
biofuels (e.g. trees, sugar cane, palm oil, …). Things you may have to consider are how much
chemical energy they store and how rapidly they can get harvested. The world’s energy needs
are roughly 5×1020 J/year.
2. Planes and Cars
Do you agree with the following statement?: “Roughly the same level of CO2 is emitted if one
flies to the West Coast from Toronto as if one were to drive.” Do some simple calculations
using information about energy consumption of cars and planes to make an informed decision.
There will be a lot of assumptions in your calculation, so make sure to articulate them clearly.
3. Solar Energy
In the text, it is stated (page 367) that: an area of “about 0.1% of the Earth’s surface” could
supply all the world’s energy needs if it was covered with solar photovoltaic cells. Do you
agree? You can do the calculation by assuming that the solar panels track the sun at all times,
and that all the energy is magically available to everyone and does not have to get
transported/stored. These are big assumptions – you can comment on them if you want.

DETAILED ASSIGNMENT

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