Presentation Transcript
Website of the day:: Website of the day: The Green Guide: Informing Today's Choices, Shaping Tomorrow's World News Story: NPR : New Urbanism Advocated in Gulf Coast Rebuilding
Renewable Energy Sources: Renewable Energy Sources Solar, geothermal, hydroelectric, tidal, biomass, and fuel cells US Department of Energy U.S. DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
Solar Energy: PV technology: Solar Energy: PV technology Photons excite electrons, which pass from n-layer to the p-layer
Electrical field created at p/n junction Fast Solar Facts City of Riverside, Calif., solar parking structure. Photo courtesy of Schott Applied Power Corp.
Photovoltaics: Photovoltaics
Thin Layer technology: Thin Layer technology Thin layer technology in wall materials, roof shingles or window laminates
Thinner conducting layers- cheaper
Switzerland Germany University of Strathclyde, UK
Alternate Materials for PV: Biosolar: Alternate Materials for PV: Biosolar Using spinach to produce new flexible solar panels
Light, flexible and potentially inexpensive
A few problems to sort out… Science News
NYSERDA Program: NYSERDA Program Cash incentives that offset total installation costs by 40-70% (~$4 per watt)
System purchased from eligible installer
Size restrictions
Grid-connected
Pay into Systems Benefit Charge (not Long Island) NYSERDA WEBPAGE New York Incentives for Renewable Energy
Solar Thermal Systems: Power Towers: Solar Thermal Systems: Power Towers Heat stored as molten salt
Energy for 10,000 homes
8x construction costs of coal fired plant
2x as expensive per kilowatt hour
Shut down in 1999 (was only an experiment) Solar Two, California
Solar Thermal Plants: Solar Thermal Plants Reflect sunlight into oil filled pipes
Non imaging optical solar collectors: Non imaging optical solar collectors Lens like in an overhead projector to optimize concentration of solar energy (prism geometry)
Intensify sunlight 80,000 x
Hydro power: Hydro power Burma hydro plant Glen Canyon Dam
Hydroelectric Power: Three Gorges Dam: Hydroelectric Power: Three Gorges Dam Largest Hydro Dam in the World
Good or Bad Idea?
Question of scale CNN feature story A dam shame (Grist magazine) By Dan Oko Jun 2004
Columbia River System: Columbia River System Very heavily dammed
Why?
What are consequences?
Columbia River System: Salmon: Columbia River System: Salmon
Columbia River System: Power vs. Fish: Columbia River System: Power vs. Fish Fish friendly turbine technology
Columbia River System: Power vs. Fish: Columbia River System: Power vs. Fish Breach the dams – good or bad idea?
A timeline of failure
Geothermal Power: Geothermal Power
Geothermal Power: Geothermal Power Iceland
3 major geothermal plants, 17% of electricity
87% of nation’s heating and hot water
Geothermal Power: US: Geothermal Power: US 3rd among renewables in current production
Good or Bad idea?
Tidal Power: Tidal Power
Tidal Power: Tidal Power La Rance, France – largest tidal system, capacity of 240 megawatt, powering 240.000 homes. East River, NY
Wind Energy: Wind Energy Vertical vs. Horizontal axis
Wind Power Potential: Wind Power Potential
Wind Energy in New York: Wind Energy in New York 20 of the largest wind turbines in the US
Annual generation: 89,000 Megawatts
Offset:
135 million pounds of air pollution
CO2 equivalent of 14,000 acres of trees
Taking 7,600 cars off the road
Fenner Wind Farm NYSEG Catch the Wind Program NY State Overview
Slide25: Read about it in Miller NPR Biodiesel in Texas
Website of the day:: Website of the day: NPR : New Urbanism Advocated in Gulf Coast Rebuilding iNSnet - internetwork for sustainability, sustainable development News of the day: NPR : California Town Votes on Huge Desalinization Plant The Space Elevator - Elevator:2010
Fuel cell technology: Fuel cell technology Developed in 1839
Used for spacecraft
Clean, efficient power for variety of applications
PEM = polymer electrolyte membrane
Needs catalysts at both anode and cathode to facilitate reactions Fuel Cell animation
Hydrogen Economy: Hydrogen Economy 21x more tankers than fossil fuels
Energy & Transportation: Energy & Transportation Bangkok traffic
CAFÉ standards: CAFÉ standards CAFÉ Standards and performance 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 Year Passenger cars Total fleet
Drive by wire Technology: Drive by wire Technology X-Drive and Drive-by-wire technology
GM AUTOmony: GM AUTOmony $1 million car Review of AUTOnomy
Fuel Cell cars: Fuel Cell cars 15% more efficient than ICE
4-6x more expensive per unit fuel compared to gas Carbon nanotube
Making the Transition: Making the Transition Catch 22: cars or infrastructure first?
Making the Transition: Making the Transition
Hydrogen Efficiency: Hydrogen Efficiency Engine System Grams of CO2 emitted per kilometer traveled 250 175 160 70 Gasoline internal combustion engine H2 produced onboard from gasoline H2 produced onboard from methanol H2 produced offboard from natural gas
Comparing Energy Sources: Comparing Energy Sources Based on data from the U.S. Department of Energy
Energy Comparison: Land Use: Energy Comparison: Land Use
Growing Energy Sources: Growing Energy Sources
Politics of Renewable Energy: Politics of Renewable Energy
Politics of Renewable Energy: Politics of Renewable Energy National Energy Policy
Decentralized micropower: Decentralized micropower