Accumulations are stores of exergy and/or carbon, measured in units of joules and grams, respectively. A common example of an accumulation of exergy and carbon is the subterranean natural gas resource base we extract for electricity and heat. Carriers, transformations, and accumulations are linked in a network of exergy and carbon flows. The system generally flows from primary resources to end uses in an alternating sequence of carriers and transformations. For example, a primary resource such as sunlight is converted to an intermediate carrier such as electricity by solar cells (a transformation). The electricity is then used in end-use transformations that serve human needs such as lighting or cooking.
| Name | Exergy (J) | Carbon (g) | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Atmospheric Carbon | 0.000e+00 | 8.000e+17 |
|
|
Carbonate Resources | 0.000e+00 | 6.550e+22 |
|
|
Coal Resources | 2.700e+23 | 8.100e+18 |
|
|
Deep Ocean Carbon | 0.000e+00 | 3.720e+19 |
|
|
Earth's Crust Thermal Exergy | 1.500e+28 | 0.000e+00 |
|
|
Exergy Stored in Clouds | 2.500e+20 | 0.000e+00 |
|
|
Exergy Stored in Fresh Water | 3.500e+23 | 0.000e+00 |
|
|
Exergy Stored in Living Plants | 3.000e+22 | 7.500e+17 |
|
|
Gasoline, Diesel, Kerosine Stocks | 7.476e+18 | 1.529e+14 |
|
|
Metal Ore Resources | 5.000e+19 | 0.000e+00 |
|
|
Methane Hydrate Resources | 2.000e+23 | 0.000e+00 |
|
|
Natural Gas Resources | 5.000e+22 | 8.300e+17 |
|
|
Natural Gas Stocks | 3.000e+19 | 4.980e+14 |
|
|
Nuclear Waste Stocks | 2.500e+22 | 0.000e+00 |
|
|
Petroleum Resources | 1.100e+23 | 2.250e+18 |
|
|
Petroleum Stocks | 2.289e+19 | 4.682e+14 |
|
|
Pumped Hydro Storage | 3.000e+14 | 0.000e+00 |
|
|
Soil Carbon | 0.000e+00 | 3.150e+18 |
|
|
Subsurface CO2 Resources | 0.000e+00 | 5.000e+17 |
|
|
Surface Ocean Carbon | 0.000e+00 | 9.430e+17 |
|
|
Tidal Gravitational Exergy | 5.300e+18 | 0.000e+00 |
|
|
Uranium 238 Stocks | 1.600e+23 | 0.000e+00 |
|
|
Uranium Ore Resources | 1.000e+24 | 0.000e+00 |
|
|
Wind Kinetic Exergy | 1.000e+21 | 0.000e+00 |