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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Options for electricity use and management during a petroleum shortage

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6605047
This study examines the potential reduction in oil and gas use from deactivating precipitators and flue-gas-desulfurization scrubbers at coal-fired power plants and from switching some residential and commercial space heating from oil to electricity. The benefits that may be derived from these options vary widely between the different regions of the country and depend on the amount of power exchanged between the different regions. Shutting off the scrubbers at those plants equipped with these units could save the equivalent of about 4.5 million bbl/year of oil. Shutting off both scrubbers and precipitators could increase the savings to about 8.9 million bbl/year. The substitution of electrical-resistance heating for heating oil in the residential and commercial sectors may lead to either net savings or losses in the use of premium fuels. The maximum potential net savings range from 25 to 50 million bbl/year of oil, with the benefits restricted to those regions in which almost all generation is from non-oil or -gas capacity. It is also possible that during a petroleum shortage, escalating oil prices would make electrical-resistance heating more economical than oil heating, even in regions dependent on oil and gas for power generation. This could lead to such widespread use of electrical space heating that a net increase in demand for premium fuels would result.
Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-26
OSTI ID:
6605047
Report Number(s):
ORNL-5918; ON: DE83005156
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English