Course:ENPH257/Archive/2017St1/Tutorials/Tutorial01
1. In 2008 Gordon Campbell introduced BC’s carbon tax of $30 per tonne of CO2e, and the intention was that this rate would rise with time as we made the transition to a low-carbon economy. In fact the rate has been frozen, while we (BC) still proclaim our climate leadership to the world. Economic modellers reckon the rate will need to rise very steeply until 2050 if we are to meet our mid-century carbon targets. What would a tax of $100/tonne do the price of a litre of gasoline? Show your working. Assume an instantaneous change, i.e. ignore any response of the general economy.
https://www.biv.com/article/2015/11/carbon-tax-continue-frozen-until-2018/
2. We Canadians each waste about 100 kg of food carbohydrates per year. If these carbohydrates are composted anaerobically, half the carbon atoms end up as carbon dioxide (CO2) and half end up as methane (CH4). The energy needs of a small single-family dwelling is typically 0.3 GJ per day averaged over a year. How long could such a house be supplied with energy from composting 100 kg of carbohydrates? The approximate ratio of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms in carbohydrates, C:H:O, is 1:2:1. The enthalpy of combustion of CH4 (i.e. the “energy content”) is about 56 MJ/kg
3. On November 29, 2016, the Government of Canada granted approval for the Trans Mountain Expansion Project which will have the capacity to move 890,000 barrels of diluted bitumen and oils per day from Edmonton, AB to Burnaby, BC. When this material is delivered to customers and burnt, estimate how many tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year will be dumped in the atmosphere as a result. Assume the pipeline operates at full capacity, and no carbon is lost except by burning. Note: Occasionally end-users employ small-scale carbon capture and storage, but this is mostly to produce CO2 for industrial use or for soft-drinks, and thus the CO2 will end up in the atmosphere anyway.