The long-term availability depends not just on the reserves or resources for primary fuels but also on their annual extraction from the deposits. If the total reserves of a specific fuel are divided by the amount currently extracted or mined, this gives the reserves-to-production ratio for the respective fuel. In relation to the conditions in 2007, conventional crude oil will be available worldwide for 42 years, natural gas for 61 years, black coal for 129 years and lignite for 286 years. In relation to the reserves in 2005, uranium has a reserve-to-production ratio of 70 years. However, this represents a snapshot and assumes that the consumption, based on the existing reserves, is continued at the current level in the future. What it does not take into account is that advancements in energy-saving technology and substitution successes reduce the consumption while the discovery of new deposits, as a result of improved exploration technologies, can increase the reserves. ©BGR
Energy suppliesThis is how long the non-renewable energy sources will last (information in years)
Projects currently being funded
Materials of construction for steam temperatures of over 700 °C
Lignite drying
CO2 scrubbing (post-combustion capture)
CO2 storage facilities
CO2 capture in oxyfuel coal-fired power plants
Hydrogen gas turbines
Capturing CO2 using coal gasification
Micro gas turbines
Higher temperatures in turbines
Turbine combustion that produces lower amounts of harmful substances
Higher pressure and lower flow losses in turbines
CO2 compressors
International cooperation
Comparison of power plant systems
More efficient generators thanks to nanoparticles
Storing electricity using compressed air
High-temperature heat storage systems for flexible CCGT power plants
More flexibility for low-emission coal-fired power plants