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      The sustainable global energy economy: Hydrogen or silicon?

      Bardsley, W. Earl
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      Bardsley silicon economy 2008.pdf
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      DOI
       10.1007/s11053-008-9077-6
      Link
       www.springerlink.com
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      Bardsley, W.E. (2008). The sustainable global energy economy: Hydrogen or silicon? Natural Resources Research, 17(4), 197-204.
      Permanent Research Commons link: https://hdl.handle.net/10289/884
      Abstract
      A sustainable global silicon energy economy is proposed as a potential alternative to the

      hydrogen economy. This first visualisation of a silicon energy economy is based on largescale

      and carbon-neutral metallic silicon production from major smelters in North Africa

      and elsewhere, supplied by desert silica sand and electricity from extensive solar

      generating systems. The resulting “fuel silicon” is shipped around the world to emission-free

      silicon power stations for either immediate electricity generation or stockpiling. The

      high energy density of silicon and its stable storage make it an ideal material for

      maintaining national economic functioning through security of base load power supply

      from a renewable source. This contrasts with the present situation of fossil fuel usage

      with its associated global warming and geopolitical supply uncertainties. Critical

      technological requirements for the silicon economy are carbon-neutral silicon production

      and the development of efficient silicon-fired power stations capable of high-temperature

      rapid oxidation of fuel silicon. A call is made for the development of research effort into

      these specific engineering issues, and also with respect to large-scale economical solar

      power generation.
      Date
      2008
      Type
      Journal Article
      Publisher
      Springer
      Rights
      This is an author’s accepted version of an article published in the journal: Natural Resources Research. The original publication is available at www.springerlink.com.
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      • Science and Engineering Papers [3124]
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