Publications

@article{Giampietro2012d,

title = {Are energy statistics useful for making energy scenarios?},

author = {Mario Giampietro and Alevgul H. Sorman},

url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0360544211005780},

doi = {10.1016/j.energy.2011.08.038},

issn = {03605442},

year  = {2012},

date = {2012-01-01},

journal = {Energy},

volume = {37},

number = {1},

pages = {5--17},

abstract = {One can measure " energy quantities" - e.g. joules, BTU, quads - but only at a given scale and within a specific narrative about energy conversions at the time. Therefore, at the moment of generating aggregate indicators, the arithmetic summing of assessments of energy quantities referring to different scales and narratives is meaningless. This paper addresses epistemological problems typical of energy accounting, which are at the moment tackled by acknowledging the existence of unspecified " qualitative differences" among different energy forms - e.g. a joule of electricity has more " value" than a joule of coal. Three energy forms referring to different scales and narratives about energy conversions are relevant for national accounting: Primary Energy Sources (PES), Energy Carriers (EC), and End Uses (EU). We critically examine the usefulness of current energy statistics in relation to this distinction. The conventional linear representation - flow chart - based on a single scale and a single quantitative accounting confuses the three semantic categories and entails an important loss of information. Finally, we illustrate an innovative scheme for energy accounting across hierarchical levels that: (i) addresses the autocatalytic nature of energy transformations; (ii) provides a multi-scale quantitative representation; and (iii) preserves the semantic distinction between relevant energy forms (PES, EC, and EU). textcopyright 2011 Elsevier Ltd.},

keywords = {Energy accounting, Energy carriers, Energy statistics, Metabolic pattern, Multi-scale energy analysis, Primary energy sources},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Sorman2011,

title = {Generating better energy indicators: Addressing the existence of multiple scales and multiple dimensions},

author = {Alevgul H. Sorman and Mario Giampietro},

url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0304380011004996},

doi = {10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2011.10.014},

issn = {03043800},

year  = {2011},

date = {2011-12-01},

journal = {Ecological Modelling},

volume = {223},

number = {1},

pages = {41--53},

publisher = {Elsevier},

abstract = {High energy prices and the growing concern for " Peak Oil" have put energy analysis, once again, on the front burner. However, before speculating about possible roadmaps regarding our energy future, it would be wise to develop better quantitative analyses. This paper flags the existence of systemic epistemological flaws in the current use of aggregate energy indicators and presents an alternative approach capable of dealing with the issue of multiple dimensions and multiple scales. Starting from a critical appraisal of the aggregate indicator " Economic Energy Intensity" it shows that economic and biophysical variables are often correlated and that their value is determined by characteristics which can only observed across different levels and scales. Complex metabolic systems (systems that use energy to maintain and reproduce themselves) are operating simultaneously at different scales. This implies that changes in the characteristics of parts, defined at the local scale, and changes in the characteristics of the whole, defined at the large scale can only be obtained after establishing a scaling mechanism in the analysis. In order to deal with the issue of scale in energy accounting, we propose to make a distinction between three different categories: (i) primary energy sources (PES) - establishing a link between energy quantities and the associated requirement of biophysical gradients, at the large scale, on the interface black-box/context; (ii) energy carriers (EC) - defining the set of energy inputs required by technical devices for expressing useful functions, at the local scale, within the parts operating inside the black-box; (iii) end uses (EU) the set of functions to be expressed by society across hierarchical levels for reproducing itself. Finally, the paper presents examples of quantitative results obtained using an innovative method of analysis - Multi-Scale Integrated Analysis of Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism (MuSIASEM). We conclude that by using this new accounting method it is possible to generate a better understanding of external and internal constraints determining the desirability and viability of the metabolic pattern of societies. textcopyright 2011 Elsevier B.V.},

keywords = {Energy accounting, Energy carriers, Energy statistics, Metabolic pattern, Multi-scale energy analysis, Primary energy sources},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}