The energy problem has become the most concerned issue in the economic life of China and even the world. In particular, oil is a non-renewable strategic resource and the blood for the normal operation of modern economy and society. In addition to vigorously expanding sources and reducing expenditure on petroleum resources, finding alternative energy sources is also an extremely important development direction. The Medium-and Long-Term Special Plan for Energy Conservation published by China in 2005 put forward ten key energy-saving projects, including replacing petrochemical products, natural gas chemical products and biomass chemical products with coal chemical products. Develop clean cars such as hybrid vehicles, gas vehicles, alcohol fuel vehicles, flying fuel cell vehicles, and solar vehicles; Demonstration of alcohol ether fuel and coal liquefaction technology and promotion of alcohol fuel.
First, ethanol gasoline will be diversified.
Because the promotion of fuel ethanol has the advantages of replacing petroleum resources, solving the problem of grain elimination, increasing farmers' income, and being beneficial to environmental protection, in 2004, China expanded the pilot project of ethanol gasoline for vehicles from five cities to nine provinces and regions including three northeastern provinces, Henan and Anhui, and the compulsory promotion of ethanol gasoline was realized at the end of 2005. By the end of 2005, China's fuel ethanol production capacity reached 1.22 million tons/year, and many enterprises applied for new fuel ethanol projects, involving investment of tens of billions of yuan. It is estimated that China's fuel ethanol production capacity will double in 2065.438+00. However, due to the limited raw materials for ethanol production, its development potential and sustainability are limited. Therefore, it is necessary to vigorously develop the production technology of sugarcane, sweet sorghum, potato, beet and other raw materials. It is predicted that the industrialization of cellulosic ethanol production is expected to be completed in the next decade.
It is reported that the key technologies in the application of ethanol diesel have made a major breakthrough. Ethanol diesel can be used without changing the automobile engine, and the addition amount of ethanol is 10%.
Second, methanol gasoline is ready to go
During the "Sixth Five-Year Plan" period, the state organized a research and demonstration of methanol blended with gasoline, and conducted an experiment in Shanxi Province. During the seventh five-year plan period, a high proportion of methanol blended combustion was studied. Since then, this research has not stopped. At present, Shanxi Province has been able to produce methanol automobile engines and methanol gasoline in batches, Shaanxi Province has promulgated local standards for methanol gasoline and methanol for automobile fuel, and Sichuan, Inner Mongolia and other places have also started small-scale pilot projects.
Driven by market expectation, areas with coal and natural gas have set off a boom in methanol project construction. According to incomplete statistics, in 2005, China's existing methanol production capacity was 5 million tons/year, and the scale under construction and planned to be built was about10.5 million tons/year. It is estimated that the methanol production capacity will reach about 20 million tons/year at the end of the Eleventh Five-Year Plan, most of which will be used for methanol gasoline and ethylene production.
At present, there are two main opinions on whether methanol fuel can be used as an alternative fuel:
One view is that China has caught up with the world advanced level in methanol fuel production and application technology, and has accumulated a lot of experience in Shanxi and other places. Methanol fuel has obvious advantages in economy, environmental protection, power, safety, substitution and resource, and it is a clean alternative fuel. The problems of toxicity and material corrosion have been solved, and it is urgent to legislate and formulate standards for methanol fuel.
Another view is that although methanol gasoline has been tested for such a long time, there are still many problems to be solved in its toxicity, industrialization and commercialization. It needs a lot of experimental analysis and engineering demonstration, based on scientific data, before it can be put into market application. Moreover, at present, the national gasoline standard prohibits the addition of methanol, and the promotion time is not yet mature.
Third, liquefied natural gas will develop.
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is a clean fuel with high quality, high efficiency and safety. Liquefied natural gas can be used as automobile fuel, city gas peak shaving, fuel power generation and market-oriented industrial raw materials. At present, China is making the development plan of LNG. LNG projects in Guangdong and Fujian will be put into use this year and next, and LNG projects in Zhejiang, Shanghai, Shandong, Jiangsu, Hebei and Liaoning are in the early stage.
Four, steadily promote coal liquefaction technology
China is a country with relatively rich coal resources, and it is also the largest producer and consumer of coal in the world. In the total fossil energy resources, coal accounts for 95.6%, while oil and natural gas only account for 3.2% and 1.2% respectively. China is one of the few countries in the world where coal is the main energy source. In the case of high oil price, the comparative advantage of coal liquefaction technology has obviously increased. The research shows that the energy utilization efficiency of coal-to-oil is more than 50% higher than that of coal-to-electricity conversion, which is an effective way to improve energy utilization efficiency.
Shenhua Group is building a large-scale industrial production plant for direct coal liquefaction. The first production line is planned to be completed in 2007, with a production capacity of about 165438+ 10,000 tons/year. It is estimated that the output will reach 5 million tons by 20 10. The first phase of the 5 million tons/year coal-to-oil project invested by Shandong Yankuang Group has started construction of 6,543,800 tons/year production equipment.
Finding an alternative energy source for oil has become a top priority.
Although the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) indicated that it may raise the daily limit of crude oil again in the short term, the futures price of crude oil in the international market once again hit a record high at the close of last Friday (18). Faced with the situation that the price of crude oil may remain high for a long time, relevant experts pointed out that it has become a top priority for the international community to step up the formulation of development strategies to find alternative energy sources for oil.
On 18, the price of light crude oil for April delivery in the New York Mercantile Exchange, USA finally rose by 32 cents, reaching 56.72 USD per barrel, setting a new record of 56.46 USD per barrel on 16. The April futures price of Brent crude oil in the North Sea on the London International Petroleum Exchange rose 53 cents to close at $55.59 per barrel, setting the highest closing record since the futures 1988 started trading. In addition, Rodrigo Derato, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, said during his visit to India on June 19 that the world crude oil price may remain high in the next two years because the oil supply situation cannot be alleviated in a short time and the demand for oil is increasing day by day.
Oil is the blood of the world industry, and currently occupies a primary position in the world energy structure. It should be said that the continuous rise in oil prices has a negative impact on both oil importing countries and oil exporting countries, and will impact the economic development of oil importing countries, and oil exporting countries will be unable to formulate long-term economic plans. However, due to multiple intertwined factors such as oil supply and demand, speculation and speculation, experts in the crude oil market believe that compared with last year, the change of oil prices this year may be more turbulent and unpredictable. However, due to underdeveloped technology and low energy efficiency in developing countries, the impact of high oil prices on the economy of developing countries is far more serious than that of developed countries.
Experts point out that the oil stored on the earth will be exhausted one day. From now on, all countries should actively consider the energy problem in the next few decades, because generally speaking, it will take at least half a century for a new type of energy to develop, demonstrate and apply to large-scale industrialization. Generally speaking, the development of liquid fuel with coal and natural gas as raw materials has a long history, and various technical approaches have been formed, including mature process demonstration projects and small-scale production. Under the conditions of clear demand, available resources and reasonable economy, it can quickly expand its scale and form an industry. In addition, bio-liquid fuels (ethanol and biodiesel) based on biomass energy are relatively mature. Biomass energy is renewable energy. After human fossil energy is exhausted, human energy can only rely on nuclear energy and renewable energy, while nuclear energy, solar energy, wind energy and water energy cannot be directly converted into liquid fuel. Only biomass energy can produce liquid fuel. Therefore, it is of long-term significance to vigorously develop biomass fuel. However, the difficulty of developing biomass fuel on a large scale is that it usually takes grain and oil crops as raw materials, thus resulting in the contradiction of occupying cultivated land. In addition, with the development of petroleum alternative energy, the development of related vehicles and other means of transportation is also an important part of the whole development strategy of finding alternative energy.
In fact, the international community has made long-term unremitting efforts to find alternative energy sources for oil. Since 1970s, major oil consuming countries have greatly reduced their dependence on oil for economic growth and improved their tolerance to high oil prices by adjusting their industrial structure, developing energy-saving technologies, improving energy efficiency and developing alternative energy sources. For example, in order to gradually reduce dependence on oil, the EU has attached great importance to the development and utilization of renewable energy in recent years. According to relevant EU regulations, the share of renewable energy in the energy market must reach 2% by 2005 and 5.75% by 20 10. In 200 1 year, the EU also adopted the Action Plan for Encouraging Alternative Energy, which identified bioethanol and biodiesel as the most promising alternative energy sources. In addition, the official in charge of energy affairs of the US government also said that the United States will increase the proportion of using natural gas, and in the next 12 year, the United States will become the largest consumer of liquid natural gas in the world. Some Asian countries are also looking for oil as an alternative energy source and cooperating in many aspects.