Energy intensity in the U.S. from 1780 to 2010 shows a declining trend when traditional energy is included, in contrast to the "inverted U-curve" seen when only commercial energy is considered. The analysis quantifies use of human and animal muscle power, wind and water power, biomass, harvested ice, fossil fuels, and nuclear power. Historical prices are provided for many energy resources. The analysis reaffirms the importance of innovation in conversion technologies in energy transitions. An increase in energy intensity in the early 20th century is explained by diminishing returns to pre-electric manufacturing systems, which produced a transformation in manufacturing. In comparison to similar studies for other countries, the U.S. has generally higher energy intensity. A population-weighted series of heating degree days and cooling degree days partially explains differences in energy intensity. Series are developed for 231 countries and territories with multiple reference temperatures, with a "wet-bulb" series accounting for the effects of humidity. Other variables considered include energy prices, income per capita, and governance indices. A panel regression of thirty-two countries from 1995 to 2010 establishes GDP per capita and share of primary energy as determinants of energy intensity, but fails to establish statistical significance of the climate variables. A group mean regression finds average heating and cooling degree days to be significant predictors of average energy intensity over the study period, increasing energy intensity by roughly 1.5 kJ per 2005 international dollar for each annual degree day. Group mean regression results explain differences in countries' average energy intensity, but not changes within a country over time. Energy Return on Investment (EROI) influences the economic competitiveness and environmental impacts of an energy resource and is one driver of energy transitions. The EROI of U.S. petroleum production has declined since 1972, with a partial rebound in the 1980s and 1990s. External Energy Return (EER), which excludes the consumption of energy from within the resource, falls by two-thirds from 1972 to 2007. A literature review finds the projected EROI of oil shale to be much lower than the EROI of U.S. petroleum production.

To support further technology development and to promote the growth of a renewable biofuels industry that will satisfy the stated expectations of anticipated energy needs, it is essential that energy production systems provide a net energy gain over the course of their lifetime. As a means to provide accurate analysis to the value of alternative energy systems this paper provides a mechanism to evaluate energy systems in terms of energy generation ratios that is in terms of existing analysis techniques utilized in existing energy generation areas, such as the oil industry. This paper also proposes techniques that help perform this net energy analysis in terms of the specific economy considering the infrastructure investment.

No description available.

The aim of this thesis is to take a broad conceptual overview of the global energy system and investigate what the aims of sustainability might entail for such a system. The work presented uses a biophysical economic approach in that the dynamics of the global economy are investigated using the tool box of the physical sciences, including the laws of thermodynamics and the methods of energy analysis. Modern society currently uses approximately 500 exajoules (EJ = 10^18 J) of total primary energy supply (TPES) each year. This energy consumption has been increasing at roughly 2% per year for the past two hundred years. TPES is currently dominated by three non-renewable energy sources: coal, oil and gas which, together with energy from nuclear fission of uranium, make up around 85% of the energy market. Consumption of finite resources at a continuously growing rate is not sustainable in the long-term. A trend in policy direction is to seek a transition to renewable sources of energy. This thesis seeks to explore two questions: are the technical potentials of renewable energy sources enough to supply the current and/or projected demand for energy and what would be the effect on the physical resource economy of a transition to an energy supply system run entirely on renewable energy sources? The Global Energy Model using a Biophysical Approach (GEMBA) methodology developed here is compared and contrasted with other approaches that are used to study the global energy-economy system, including the standard neoclassical economic approach used in such models as MESSAGE and MARKAL. A number of meta-analyses have been conducted in support of the GEMBA model. These include: meta-analysis of historic energy production from all energy sources; meta-analysis of global energy resources for all energy sources; meta-analysis of energy-return-on-investment (EROI) for all energy sources. The GEMBA methodology uses a systems dynamic modelling approach utilising stocks and flows, feedback loops and time delays to capture the behaviour of the global energy-economy system. The system is decomposed into elements with simple behaviour that is known through energy analysis. The interaction of these elements is captured mathematically and run numerically via the systems dynamics software package, VenSim. Calibration of the model has been achieved using historic energy production data from 1800 to 2005. The core of the GEMBA methodology constitutes the description of a dynamic EROI function over the whole production cycle of an energy resource from initial development, through maturation to decline in production, in the case of non-renewable resources, or to the technical potential in the case of renewable resources. Using the GEMBA methodology, the global energy-economy system is identified as a self-regulating system. The self-regulating behaviour acts to constrain the amount of total primary energy supply that the system can produce under a renewable-only regime. A number of analyses are conducted to test the sensitivity of the system to such changes as: an increase of the technical potential of renewable resources; technological breakthroughs which would significantly increase the EROI of renewable resources; a decrease in the capital intensity of renewable resources and; an increase in the energy intensity of the economy, A statistical analysis reflecting the wide range of values of both the estimates of EROI and technical potentials of renewable energy sources has also been undertaken using a Monte Carlo approach. The results from the modelling suggest that not all levels of energy demand projected by the WEA can be supplied by an energy system running solely on renewable energy. The Monte Carlo analyses suggest that reduction in total energy yield over current (2010) levels might occur with a 20-30% possibility. The middle and high growth scenarios from the WEA are greater than 95% of all scenarios modelled, hence seem unlikely to be sustained by an energy system running solely on renewable energy. This finding has implications for the future direction of both engineering and technology research as well as for energy policy. These implications are discussed.

L’objet de cette thèse est d’étudier le rôle de l’énergie dans la croissance économique de long terme. Le chapitre 1 décrit les quatre principaux faits de la croissance : la transition de la stagnation au régime soutenu, la Grande Divergence, l'interdépendance entre consommation d'énergie et progrès technique, et la dynamique en cycles imbriqués et hiérarchisés. Les différentes causes lointaines de la croissance (biogéographie, culture, institutions et contingence) sont ensuite étudiées. Le chapitre 2 présente les théories faisant appel à des causes dîtes proches, telles que le progrès technique et l'accumulation de capital physique et humain. La théorie de la croissance unifiée (UGT) est également analysée. Le chapitre 3 présente les lois fondamentales de la thermodynamique et les concepts associés d'exergie et d’entropie. Il est alors démontré que seule la consommation de services exergétiques constitue une cause fondamentale de croissance. Dans le chapitre 4, il est établi que les productions mondiales de pétrole et de gaz (mais pas de charbon) ont déjà dépassées leur taux de retour énergétique (EROI) maximum, si bien que les productions conventionnelles futures se feront avec un EROI décroissant. Le chapitre 5 démontre que les besoins plus importants en métaux des technologies renouvelables pourraient constituer un frein à la bonne faisabilité de la transition énergétique. Le chapitre 6 montre que la contrainte d’énergie nette se matérialise dans le court terme par le biais des dépenses énergétiques (part du produit économique consommé pour obtenir de l'énergie). Le chapitre 7 présente un modèle théorique de croissance endogène intégrant l’approche biophysique. / This PhD thesis investigates the role of energy in long-term economic growth. Chapter 1 focuses on the description of the four main hard facts of economic growth: transition from stagnation to sustained growth, Great Divergence, interdependence of energy consumption and technological change, and hierarchized-nested adaptive cycles dynamics. Then, the role of different deep-rooted causes of growth (biogeography, culture, institutions, and contingency) are studied. Chapter 2 reviews modern growth theories that focus on proximate causes such as technological change and the accumulation of physical and human capital. Unified Growth Theory (UGT) is also analyzed in this chapter. Chapter 3 presents the fundamental laws of thermodynamics and associated concepts such as exergy and entropy. It is shown that only useful exergy consumption can be considered as the fundamental cause of economic growth. Chapter 4 presents the concept of energy-return-on-investment (EROI). It is shown that maximum EROIs have already been reached at global scale for oil and gas (but not coal), so that future conventional productions will have declining EROIs. Chapter 5 shows that the higher metal requirements of renewable technologies could be potentially detrimental to the energy transition. Chapter 6 shows how the net energy constraint materializes in the short-run through energy expenditure, which is the fraction of economic output diverted to obtain energy. Chapter 7 builds a bridge between the endogenous economic growth theory and the biophysical perspective. Research started in this thesis will need further work in order to develop an UGT respecting the biophysical constraints of the real world.

O etanol está consolidado como combustível para movimentação de veículos leves no Brasil e, nos últimos 40 anos, apenas a cultura de cana-de-açúcar tem sido explorada comercialmente para a produção deste combustível. Por outro lado, o desenvolvimento agrícola vem proporcionando safras recordes de grãos nas últimas décadas. A produção de milho se destaca pelo aumento da produtividade, podendo ser semeado como cultura principal ou como cultura de inverno em rotação com a soja. O sorgo, por sua vez, pode atuar como um substituto do milho, apresentando maior rusticidade e tolerância à seca. Dada essa conjuntura, usinas de etanol do Mato Grosso se associaram a produtores de milho e sorgo para incluir novas matéria-primas no processo de produção de combustíveis, compartilhando uma mesma unidade industrial, denominada Usina Integrada ou Usina Flex. No contexto atual, o desenvolvimento de novas tecnologias e setores produtivos exige a consideração de suas potenciais implicações energéticas e ambientais. A Avaliação de Ciclo de Vida (ACV) é uma ferramenta da gestão ambiental usada para avaliar impactos ambientais potenciais associados a produtos, processos e serviço. Sua principal característica é se prestar a essa avaliação de forma sistêmica, levando em conta todas as etapas do seu ciclo de vida. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar e comparar os desempenhos ambiental e energético da produção de etanol a partir dos ativos agrícolas cana-de-açúcar, milho e sorgo, no contexto de usina autônoma integrada, segundo a abordagem do ciclo de vida. Para tanto, estudos de ACV foram conduzidos para cada um dos três produtos, seguindo as diretrizes das normas ABNT NBR ISO 14.040:2009 e ABNT NBR ISO 14.044:2009. Para a análise ambiental aplicou-se o método de Avaliação de Impacto do Ciclo de Vida (AICV) ReCiPe midpoint e, para a análise energética, o método Demanda de Energia Cumulativa foi utilizado, seguido pelo cálculo dos Índices de Retorno Energético sobre o Investimento (EROI) para cada combustível. A unidade funcional dos estudos foi 1 m³ de etanol hidratado e o sistema de produto incluiu a produção de insumos, produção da matéria-prima agrícola, produção de etanol, cogeração e etapas de transporte. Os resultados da análise ambiental demonstraram que o etanol de cana-de-açúcar apresenta melhor desempenho do que o etanol de milho e de sorgo em um número maior de categorias de impacto. As análises energéticas demonstraram que o uso de cavaco de madeira na etapa de cogeração dos processos de produção de etanol de milho e sorgo traduziu-se em ganhos energéticos, mas o etanol de cana-de-açúcar ainda apresenta um desempenho melhor por utilizar o bagaço para cogeração. Em termos de EROI, o etanol de cana-de-açúcar disponibilizou 9,77 unidades de energia para cada unidade consumida, o etanol de milho disponibilizou 2,68 e o etanol de sorgo disponibilizou 3,10. / Ethanol is consolidated as fuel to drive light vehicles in Brazil, but for the past 40 years, only the cultivation of sugarcane has been commercially exploited for the production of this fuel. On the other hand, agricultural development has provided high yields of grain in recent decades. Corn production is distinguished by increased productivity, and can be sown as main crop or as a winter crop in rotation with soybeans. Sorghum, in turn, has a higher roughness and tolerance to drought and can act as a substitute for corn. Given this situation, ethanol plants in Mato Grosso were associated with corn and sorghum producers to include new raw materials in the fuel production process, sharing the same plant, called Integrated Plant or Plant Flex. However, the development of new technology and production sectors requires consideration of its potential energy and environmental implications. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is management tool used to evaluate potential environmental impacts associated with products, processes and services. Its main feature is to provide such an assessment in a systematic way, taking into account all stages of their life cycle. The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the environmental and energy performance of ethanol production from sugarcane, corn and sorghum in the context of integrated autonomous plant, according to the life cycle approach. For that, LCA studies were conducted for each of the three products, following the guidelines of the standards ISO 14040: 2009 and ISO 14044: 2009. For environmental analysis the method of Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) Recipe midpoint was applied and for energy analysis Cumulative Energy Demand method was used, followed by the estimate of the Energy Return On Investment (EROI) for each fuel. The functional unit of the studies was 1 m³ of hydrous ethanol and the product system includes the production inputs, production of agricultural raw material, production of ethanol, cogeneration and transport stages. The results of the environmental analysis showed that the ethanol sugarcane performs better than the ethanol maize and sorghum in a greater number of impact categories. Energy analyzes have shown that the use of wood chips in cogeneration stage of corn ethanol production processes and sorghum has resulted in energy savings, but the ethanol sugarcane still performs better by using bagasse for cogeneration. In terms of EROI, the sugarcane ethanol provided 9.77 units of energy for every unit consumed, corn ethanol provided 2.68 and sorghum ethanol provided 3.10.

Syftet med rapporten är att göra en jämförelse av två olika metoder för att kyla ett fiktivt kontorshus som är 2 000 m² stort och beläget i Västerås. För att representera ett normalt kontorshus har kyleffektbehovet valts till 50 W/m² vilket ger totala kyleffektbehovet 100 kW. I ena fallet finns en kylmaskin som kyler byggnaden och i andra byts kylmaskinen mot ett antal borrhål som motsvarar hela kyleffekten. För att kunna bedöma de tekniker som har använts har energianvändning och växthuspotential beräknats i ett livscykelperspektiv. Denna energianvändning beräknas som inbäddad energi, vilket är all energi som använts från framtagande av råmaterialen till färdiginstallerat system. Växthuspotentialen beräknas i alla dessa steg som totala koldioxidekvivalenter. Ett sätt att bedöma den energibesparing som har gjorts är med en EROI-analys. EROI beräknas som sparad energi dividerat med investerad energi och är ett dimensionslöst tal som ger en indikation på hur värdefull investeringen är från energisynpunkt. Kylbehovet som finns i byggnader består av värmeöverskott, som uppkommer av bland annat belysning, datorer, kopiatorer och värme från människor. För att kyla bort denna värme finns ett antal olika kyltekniker. Kylmaskinen betraktas ofta som det klassiska sättet att skapa kyla, men är förknippad med en stor energianvändning under dess drift, främst till kompressor-drift. Till borrhålslösningen utgör en cirkulationspump enda elbehovet för att kunna skapa kyla, eftersom denna driftenergi är mycket lägre än för kylmaskinens kompressor ses ofta kyla från borrhål som gratis- eller frikyla. Byggnadens kylenergibehov har bedömts till 40 kWh/m2, år eller totalt 80 000 kWh/år. Detta kylenergibehov ger upphov till driftenergibehov. De årliga elbehoven beräknades till 26 145 kWh/år för kylmaskinen och 2 000 kWh/år för borrhålen. Dessa elbehov motsvarar de totala energierna 4 235 460 MJ för kylmaskinen samt 324 000 MJ för borrhålen under byggnadens livslängd. För att beräkna den inbäddade energin i dessa två lösningar krävdes livscykelanalyser. Det framkom snart att det inte fanns, av denna anledning användes byggvarudeklarationer för komponenterna. Till det hämtades livscykelanalyser för material. I de fall där det funnits varken livscykelanalyser eller byggvarudeklarationer har antaganden gjorts. Det som saknades var information om vad en kylmaskin innehåller, därför har det antagits att en värmepump och kylmedelkylare tillsammans kan fungera på samma sätt som en kylmaskin. Resultatet av beräkningarna för den inbäddade energin, tillverkning och transporter, beräknades till 74 627 MJ för kylmaskinen och 480 490 MJ för borrhålslösningen. Koldioxidutsläppen i samma skeden blev 4,8 ton koldioxidekvivalenter för kylmaskinen respektive 29,5 ton koldioxidekvivalenter för borrhålen. De stora skillnader som ses i inbäddad energi och koldioxidekvivalenter uppkommer av dieselanvändning, som krävs för att borra borrhålen. I denna rapport studeras scenariot att ersätta en kylmaskin som använts i fem år med ett antal borrhål, med samma kyleffekt, om detta kan vara fördelaktigt ur en energi- och miljömässig synpunkt. Studien visar att efter bara 4,5 år använder borrhålslösningen mindre energi, trots den höga inbäddade energin vid installationen. Den stora skillnaden består av elbehovet i driftskedet, där borrhålen har en cirkulationspump som använder betydligt mindre el än kylmaskinens kompressor. Den andra kategorin som har undersökts i denna studie har varit växthuspotential i form av koldioxidekvivalenter, som uppkommer under hela livstiden för båda lösningarna. Ett av kylmaskinens utsläpp kommer från köldmediet (R407C), ett kg köldmedie motsvarar 1 526 kg koldioxidekvivalenter. Det antogs att 4 % av detta köldmedie årligen läcker till omgivningen under alla år 45 år, detta läckage gav en total växthusverkan på 46,6 ton koldioxidekvivalenter. Det förekommer även stora koldioxidutsläpp i driftskedet, eftersom elbehoven är totalt 1 177 MWh för kylmaskinen och 90 MWh för borrhålen. En litteraturstudie visade att koldioxid-utsläppen vid produktion av el varierar mycket beroende på vilka förhållanden som råder, utsläppen varierar från 0 till 1 269 kg/MWh. Det visade sig dock att borrhålets koldioxid-utsläpp är lägre än kylmaskinens även vid låga koldioxidemissioner från elproduktion. Detta beror på läckaget av köldmedie som förekommer i kylmaskinen. Resultaten visar att oavsett utsläpp från elproduktion kommer borrhålen ha en lägre växthuspotential än kylmaskinen. Om kylmaskinen skulle användas under byggnadens livslängd skulle den ha en viss inbäddad energi och om borrhålen användes under byggnadens livslängd skulle de ha en annan inbäddad energi. Skillnaden i dessa energier kallas sparad energi. Investerad energi beräknas som den energi som krävs för att ersätta kylmaskinen med borrhålen. Med sparad och investerad energi kan först nettoenergin beräknas som skillnaden mellan dessa, den blev 3 089 025 MJ. EROI beräknas sedan som kvoten av sparad och investerad energi och blev 7,4, vilket innebär att ett byte av en befintlig kylmaskin till en borrhålslösning är fördelaktig ur energisynpunkt. / The purpose of this study is to compare cooling from a refrigeration machine and a borehole system. These technologies are chosen because they are observed as each other’s opposites. A refrigeration machine is associated with a requirement of large amounts of electric energy, while the borehole system is often seen as free cooling. The study is performed on a fictional building located in Västerås. The building has an area of 2 000 m² and a cooling requirement of 50 W/m². In the scenario studied the building is already equipped with a refrigeration machine, the goal is to examine if it can be motivated to remove this machine and replace it with a borehole system. The chosen environmental impact categories are embodied energy and carbon dioxide equivalents. In order to evaluate the embodied energy, EROI (Energy return on investment) is used to calculate the energy saved by removing the refrigeration machine. For the refrigeration machine most of the energy used is during the operation phase, this is because of the compressor which is used to produce cooling energy. In the borehole system 40 % of the energy used is during the operation phase and 60 % during the manufacturing phase. The drilling used 8.1 m3 diesel fuel, which dominated both the embodied energy and the carbon dioxide emissions of the borehole system. Results show that after only 4.5 years after installation the borehole system has less total embodied energy. EROI was then calculated as saved energy divided by invested energy and the result was an EROI of 7.4. The carbon dioxide emissions from both systems are heavily dependent on the CO2-emissions from electricity generation. Though, if a refrigeration machine were used during the buildings entire lifetime the leakage of refrigerant would be big enough to counteract this dependence.

O etanol está consolidado como combustível para movimentação de veículos leves no Brasil e, nos últimos 40 anos, apenas a cultura de cana-de-açúcar tem sido explorada comercialmente para a produção deste combustível. Por outro lado, o desenvolvimento agrícola vem proporcionando safras recordes de grãos nas últimas décadas. A produção de milho se destaca pelo aumento da produtividade, podendo ser semeado como cultura principal ou como cultura de inverno em rotação com a soja. O sorgo, por sua vez, pode atuar como um substituto do milho, apresentando maior rusticidade e tolerância à seca. Dada essa conjuntura, usinas de etanol do Mato Grosso se associaram a produtores de milho e sorgo para incluir novas matéria-primas no processo de produção de combustíveis, compartilhando uma mesma unidade industrial, denominada Usina Integrada ou Usina Flex. No contexto atual, o desenvolvimento de novas tecnologias e setores produtivos exige a consideração de suas potenciais implicações energéticas e ambientais. A Avaliação de Ciclo de Vida (ACV) é uma ferramenta da gestão ambiental usada para avaliar impactos ambientais potenciais associados a produtos, processos e serviço. Sua principal característica é se prestar a essa avaliação de forma sistêmica, levando em conta todas as etapas do seu ciclo de vida. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar e comparar os desempenhos ambiental e energético da produção de etanol a partir dos ativos agrícolas cana-de-açúcar, milho e sorgo, no contexto de usina autônoma integrada, segundo a abordagem do ciclo de vida. Para tanto, estudos de ACV foram conduzidos para cada um dos três produtos, seguindo as diretrizes das normas ABNT NBR ISO 14.040:2009 e ABNT NBR ISO 14.044:2009. Para a análise ambiental aplicou-se o método de Avaliação de Impacto do Ciclo de Vida (AICV) ReCiPe midpoint e, para a análise energética, o método Demanda de Energia Cumulativa foi utilizado, seguido pelo cálculo dos Índices de Retorno Energético sobre o Investimento (EROI) para cada combustível. A unidade funcional dos estudos foi 1 m³ de etanol hidratado e o sistema de produto incluiu a produção de insumos, produção da matéria-prima agrícola, produção de etanol, cogeração e etapas de transporte. Os resultados da análise ambiental demonstraram que o etanol de cana-de-açúcar apresenta melhor desempenho do que o etanol de milho e de sorgo em um número maior de categorias de impacto. As análises energéticas demonstraram que o uso de cavaco de madeira na etapa de cogeração dos processos de produção de etanol de milho e sorgo traduziu-se em ganhos energéticos, mas o etanol de cana-de-açúcar ainda apresenta um desempenho melhor por utilizar o bagaço para cogeração. Em termos de EROI, o etanol de cana-de-açúcar disponibilizou 9,77 unidades de energia para cada unidade consumida, o etanol de milho disponibilizou 2,68 e o etanol de sorgo disponibilizou 3,10. / Ethanol is consolidated as fuel to drive light vehicles in Brazil, but for the past 40 years, only the cultivation of sugarcane has been commercially exploited for the production of this fuel. On the other hand, agricultural development has provided high yields of grain in recent decades. Corn production is distinguished by increased productivity, and can be sown as main crop or as a winter crop in rotation with soybeans. Sorghum, in turn, has a higher roughness and tolerance to drought and can act as a substitute for corn. Given this situation, ethanol plants in Mato Grosso were associated with corn and sorghum producers to include new raw materials in the fuel production process, sharing the same plant, called Integrated Plant or Plant Flex. However, the development of new technology and production sectors requires consideration of its potential energy and environmental implications. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is management tool used to evaluate potential environmental impacts associated with products, processes and services. Its main feature is to provide such an assessment in a systematic way, taking into account all stages of their life cycle. The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the environmental and energy performance of ethanol production from sugarcane, corn and sorghum in the context of integrated autonomous plant, according to the life cycle approach. For that, LCA studies were conducted for each of the three products, following the guidelines of the standards ISO 14040: 2009 and ISO 14044: 2009. For environmental analysis the method of Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) Recipe midpoint was applied and for energy analysis Cumulative Energy Demand method was used, followed by the estimate of the Energy Return On Investment (EROI) for each fuel. The functional unit of the studies was 1 m³ of hydrous ethanol and the product system includes the production inputs, production of agricultural raw material, production of ethanol, cogeneration and transport stages. The results of the environmental analysis showed that the ethanol sugarcane performs better than the ethanol maize and sorghum in a greater number of impact categories. Energy analyzes have shown that the use of wood chips in cogeneration stage of corn ethanol production processes and sorghum has resulted in energy savings, but the ethanol sugarcane still performs better by using bagasse for cogeneration. In terms of EROI, the sugarcane ethanol provided 9.77 units of energy for every unit consumed, corn ethanol provided 2.68 and sorghum ethanol provided 3.10.

‘Additive’ goods and services are defined as those that improve with use. They are not naturally rival, or even non-rival, but are “anti-rival.” Information is an example. Information can be made excludable through the use of patents and copyrights, however this does not necessarily lead to socially optimal production and allocation. A more flexible, open access, and decentralized process for the production and allocation of information could improve social welfare. This dissertation describes the challenges and problems with privatizing and restricting access to information and reviews alternative mechanisms for its allocation. Two particular issues at opposite ends of the access spectrum are: (1) strict barriers to private industry databases and (2) quality perception and control of open access information. The first chapter discusses our current system of producing and distributing information and potential ways to stimulate the transition to a new regime. This paper concludes that some of the ideas to seed such a transition include: (1) redefining wellbeing metrics; (2) ensuring the wellbeing of populations during the transition; (3) reducing complexity and increase resilience within institutions; (4) expanding the “commons sector”; and (4) using the internet to remove communication barriers and improve democracy. The second chapter discusses our current system of determining which information to produce, which resources to allocate towards the production of information, and how to distribute that information once produced. The paper concludes that alternative incentive methods, both inside and outside of the market, of producing information and new methods for distributing it to those that can make best use of it, would improve social welfare. These include: (1) prizes; (2) non-monetary incentives; (3) capping salaries; (4) research consortium; and (5) publicly funded research. Chapter 3 explores the difficulty in determining basic energy information under the current proprietary information system using an analysis of the energy return on investment (EROI) of wind energy. It utilizes a meta-analysis of the energy return on investment (EROI) to obtain basic information about the energy inputs and outputs necessary for the manufacturing, installing, operating, and decommissioning of wind turbines. This analysis shows an average EROI for all studies (operational and conceptual) of 25.2 (n=114; std. dev.=22.3). It concludes that making information proprietary severely limits the accuracy of EROI estimates and increases the difficulty of making the best social choices. Chapter 4 explores the perceived credibility of web-based information using an experiment with Encyclopedia Britannica, Wikipedia, and the Encyclopedia of Earth. Compared to Encyclopedia Britannica, both Encyclopedia of Earth and Wikipedia were found to provide a statistically negative perception of credibility. The other factors analyzed (presence or absence of an author, references, a biased sponsor, or an award) contribute to “brand equity” a composite characteristic that takes significant time to develop. The relatively new Encyclopedia of Earth has not yet developed enough brand recognition to affect credibility one-way or the other, but its positive characteristics should help build the brand and credibility over time.

Durante as últimas três décadas, o segmento do gás natural vem mostrando avanço expressivo dado a participação na matriz energética brasileira. Esse crescimento se deve a importância da sua oferta, e um potencial de menor impacto ambiental em comparação com outros ativos energéticos de origem fóssil. Devido as essas características o Gás Natural tornou-se uma da fonte de energia mais usada. A despeito dos benefícios técnicos e econômicos o gás natural passou a ser também uma fonte estratégica de energia, principalmente em razão dos menores impactos ambientais que proporciona em comparação ao petróleo e seus derivados. Diante desse quadro o Brasil vem ampliando e disponibilizando, desse recurso em função da descoberta de novos campos em São Paulo e no litoral do Nordeste. No entanto, o mesmo não pode ser dito em relação à infraestrutura de transporte dutoviária, a malha atual de distribuição de gás refinado do país deixa de atender a uma parcela significativa da população residente nas regiões Norte, Centro-Oeste e mesmo, de municípios do interior de estados importantes do Nordeste e do Sudeste. Sendo assim, procurou-se determinar quais os benefícios e ônus, em termos de impactos ambientais acarretados pela situação atual de oferta de Gás Natural e também avaliar para a condição de suprimento futuro para este insumo. Para tal, decidiu-se adotar a Avaliação do Ciclo de Vida (ACV), que trata-se de uma ferramenta de gestão ambiental usada para avaliar impactos ambientais, associados a produtos, processos e serviços. Sua principal característica é de avaliar de forma sistêmica, levando em conta todas as etapas do seu ciclo de vida. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a contribuição ambiental para o planejamento da oferta futura de gás natural no Brasil, segundo a abordagem de ciclo de vida. Para a análise ambiental, aplicou-se o método de Avaliação de Impacto do Ciclo de Vida (AICV), Recipe midpoint e, para análise energética o método Demanda Primária de Energia foi utilizado, seguido pelo cálculo do Índice de Retorno Energético sobre o investimento (EROI). Os resultados em termos de perfil ambiental indicaram que os processos que mais contribuíram para as emissões de Gases de Efeito Estufa são os de extração e processamento do gás bruto nas Unidades de Processamento de Gás (UPGNs). As principais contribuições para Mudanças Climáticas são emissões CH4, que ocorrem durante o transporte do gás bruto ou acabado. Para a região Sul e Centro-Oeste, observou-se a influência de perdas de CO2, que ocorrem nas estações de compressão que deslocam o gás desde a Bolívia até as regiões Sul e Centro-Oeste do país. Em termos de Demanda Primária de Energia (PED) os resultados apontam uma concentração de consumos na forma de NRF. Pode-se observar que as perdas de CH4 com maior representatividade ocorre em sua grande maioria na extração do insumo durante a retirada do recurso fóssil das reservas. Para condição de suprimento futuro, a análise mostrou que para PED, a distância de transporte é um fator decisivo de impacto, suplantando inclusive o volume de gás processado a ser distribuído. Já no tocante a Mudanças Climáticas (CC), esses dois parâmetros serão decisivos, sendo que o maior peso para efeito de geração de impacto recairia sobre a quantidade de gás distribuído. / During the last three decades, the natural gas field has shown considerable progress as its participation in the Brazilian energy matrix. This growth is related to the supply and demand as well as the potential of lower environmental impact compared to other fossil fuels. Therefore, considering these characteristics, the Natural Gas became one of the main sources of energy. Beside the technical and economic benefits of the natural gas, it has also become a strategic source of energy, mainly due to the smaller impacts that are provided when compared to Oil and its derivatives. In view of this situation, Brazil has expanded and making available this resource due to the discovery of new reserves in São Paulo and the Northeast Coast. However, the scenario of the pipeline transport infrastructure is different. The country\'s current refined gas distribution network is not serving a significant portion of the residential population in the North, Midwest and even important counties in the countryside of the Northeast and Southeast.Therefore, it was sought to determine, for the current situation, the benefits and the overall environmental impact of the Natural Gas supply and to evaluate the future condition for this input. For this, it was decided to adopt the Cycle Assessment of Life (ACV) which is an environmental management tool used to evaluate environmental impacts associated with products, processes and services. Its main characteristic is to evaluate in a systemic way, taking into account all stages of its life cycle. The goal of this work was to evaluate the environmental contribution to the planning of the future supply of the natural gas in Brazil, according to the life cycle approach. For the environmental analysis, it was used the Life Cycle Impact Assessment (AICV), Recipe midpoint and, for energy analysis, the Primary Energy Demand method was used, followed by the calculation of the Energy Return on Investment Index (EROI). The results in terms of the environmental profile indicated that the processes that most contributed to the GHG emissions are the extraction and processing of the raw gas in the Gas Processing Units (UPGNs). The main contributions to Climate Change are CH4 emissions, which occur during the transportation of the raw or finished gas. For the South and Center-West, it was observed the influence of CO2 losses, which occur in the compression stations that move the gas from Bolivia to the South and Center-West areas of the country. In terms of PED, the results indicate a concentration of consumptions as NRF. It can be observed that the most of the losses of CH4, with great relevance, occur in the extraction of the input during the withdrawal of the fossil resource from the reserves. For the future supply condition the analysis showed that, for PED, the transport distance is a decisive factor, even supplanting the volume of refined gas to be distributed for the impact profile. Regarding CC, these two parameters will be important, and the greatest impact weight will be on the amount of gas distributed.