Abstract
Low-carbon energy transformation is a major trend in world energy development, and measures to mitigate carbon emissions can vary substantially in terms of the energy they require. A common method of evaluating energy use in energy resource exploitation is energy return on investment (EROI). One of the criticisms of EROI concerns uncertainty regarding the input and output factors for the calculation. To make the issue clear, we interpret EROI in terms of entropy, which is the most basic concept in physics. We consider an energy resource exploitation system to be a kind of dissipative structure and construct a basic entropy analysis framework for an energy resource exploitation system. We then derive the relationship between EROI and entropy change. The theory of EROI is consistent with the basic requirement for a dissipative structure, which is that the total entropy change must be negative. EROI is a method of using entropy theory to evaluate energy resource exploitation. It is inappropriate and unnecessary to quantify all factors as energy units as the input and output factors are multidimensional while energy is a one-dimensional standard. Future development of the EROI method should be guided by entropy theory. A series of EROI related indicators will increase its application and policy significance.
Highlights
Energy return on investment (EROI) is a method of calculating the energy returned to the economy and society compared to the energy required to obtain that energy and, to measure the net energy produced for society (Odum, 1973; Mulder and Hagens, 2008; Hall, 2011; Hall et al, 2014)
We use the concept of entropy under the assumption of a thermodynamically open economy to analyze energy resource exploitation activity and explore the energy return on investment (EROI) method from an entropy perspective
EROI is a method of using entropy theory to evaluate energy resource exploitation
Summary
Energy return on investment (EROI) is a method of calculating the energy returned to the economy and society compared to the energy required to obtain that energy and, to measure the net energy produced for society (Odum, 1973; Mulder and Hagens, 2008; Hall, 2011; Hall et al, 2014). We use the concept of entropy under the assumption of a thermodynamically open economy to analyze energy resource exploitation activity and explore the EROI method from an entropy perspective. From the perspective of entropy, the focus of the energy resource exploitation system is on the quantity and the direction of the flow of entropy, because the system has a particular purpose, namely to provide energy for the development of society This corresponds to the issue of input and output or cost and benefit in economics. When the energy products are transferred to the social economic system and consumed, the useful work produced for humans is W2, the waste heat and heat contained in the waste material is Q4, and the entropy isS4. While EROI analysis may appear to be a more concrete approach, entropy is a more holistic approach, albeit at the expense of tractability
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