摘要
对于矿物能源储备的减少,我们已提出了很多种技术作为部分解决该问题的方案。现在非常需要有一个统一的标准来对不同技术的可取性(desirability)进行比较。一种能源生产技术的能源产出对能源消耗的比率,即能源投资回报(EROI),是其对社会潜在贡献的第一重要指标。然而,EROI分析因为缺乏一个统一的框架而导致出现显然互相矛盾的结果。在这篇文章中,我们为EROI分析建立了一个包含了文献中现存的多种方法的理论框架。根据它们所包含的成本和对非能源资源的管理,我们在两个不同的维数上建立了一系列的EROI分析方法。最后我们通过估计一种技术的可取性及其终极净能源容量来说明EROI不同计算方法的意义。
Numerous technologies have been proposed as partial solutions to our declining fossil energy stocks.There is a significant need for consistent metrics to compare the desirability of different technologies.The ratio of energy produced to energy consumed by an energy production technology—known as the energy return on investment (EROI)—is an important first indicator of the potential benefits to society.However,EROI analysis lacks a consistent framework and has therefore yielded apparently conflicting results.In this article,we establish a theoretical framework for EROI analysis that encompasses the various methodologies extant in the literature.We establish variations of EROI analysis in two different dimensions based on the costs they include and their handling of nonenergy resources.We close by showing the implications of the different measures of EROI upon estimating the desirability of a technology as well as for estimating its ultimate net energy capacity.
