Alternative Energy Sources

1
Alternative Energy Sources

• By
• Patrick Connolly
• Reyna Gil
• Peter Nguyen

2

• What is it?
• Agricultural waste, garden clippings, plant
  materials.

• People have burned wood for thousands of years.
• How can we use plants to provide energy for cars?

3

• Plant matter can be fermented into ethanol and
  methanol, which can then be used in several ways
  to create energy.
• Corn has been used for this process since 1908,
  when ethanol was marketed as an alternative to
  petroleum. Henry Ford supported the use of
  alcohol, the Model T could run on it or gasoline.
  
• Ethanol is being marketed as a cleaner additive
  to gasoline than MTBE

4
Biomass Ethanol

• Scientists are currently working on methods to
  break down agricultural waste into ethanol.
• Cellulose is first hydrolized into sugars and
  then is fermented into ethanol.

5
Energy Uses of Ethanol

• Ethanol can be burned with gasoline or by itself.
• Ethanol can be used by a fuel reformer for use
  with a fuel cell.
• A fuel reformer turns alcohol into hydrogen and
  carbon dioxide.

6
Fuel Cells

• Fuel cells combine hydrogen and oxygen into
  water, generating electricity.
• The fuel reformer eliminates the problems
  associated with storing large amounts of volatile
  hydrogen.

7
Fuel Cells

• There are currently 9 types of fuel cells.
• They vary in how they produce the electricity
  from the reaction, what temperature they operate
  at, and their size.
• Operating temperatures range from 180 to 1800
  degrees Fahrenheit. Power outputs exceed 250kW on
  some models.

8
Fuel cells

• One of the best types of fuel cells for
  automotive purposes is the PEM, or Proton
  Exchange Membrane system. It has a low operating
  temperature and quick response times necessary
  for use in a car.

• I believe that water will one day be employed as
  a fuel, that hydrogen and oxygen will constitute
  it, used singly or together will furnish an
  inexhaustible source of heat and light
• Jules Verne, Mysterious Island 1870

9
Photovoltaic Cells

• Solar cells work by using photons in sunlight to
  shake electrons loose in a matrix of silicon, the
  moving electrons create a current.

10
Solar Cells

• Solar cells achieve at most 25 efficiency.
• The most common uses of solar cells are as power
  supplies for roadside emergency phones,
  satellites, and home power supply.
• There are a few large scale solar power plants,
  but they are unlikely to replace fossil fuel and
  nuclear plants.

11
Hydropower

• Flowing water,which creates energy that can be
  captured and turned into electricity

12
History of Hydro Electric Dams

• Antipater,Greek poet, mentioned use of falling
  water to create energy in 4th century B.C.
  writings
• Romans used waterwheel, but stopped until
  centuries later
• In Europe, labor-saving mills came into use

• Nations first industrial use was in 1880
• First U.S. hydroelectric power plant opened on
  September 30th, 1882 in Appleton, Wisconsin

13
Hydroelectric Dams

• 2/3 of total U.S. hydroelectric capacity for
  electricity generation is concentrated in nine
  states
• Largest hydroelectric complex in the world is on
  the Parana R.

Itaipu Dam
14
How Does It Work?

• Hold back water, creating reservoir of potential
  power
• Upper side of dam, a water gate opened to let
  water go through a tunnel that leads to turbines
• Water turns turbines which makes generators
  generate electricity

15
Problems and Issues

• Expensive and require large bodies of water
• Developing countries 100 billion by 2000
• Effect on ecosystems
• Require large discharge area, thus many are
  evacuated-80,000

16
WIND ENERGY

• Winds is continuously recurring part of nature

• Humans have used winds energy for centuries
  harnessing it to help grind grains, power ships
  and pump water

• CA alone produces more than 75 of the worlds
  wind energy

17
What is a Wind Turbine ?

• works opposite of a fan

• wind turns the blades, which spin a shaft, which
  connects to a generator and makes electricity

http//www.eren.doe.gov/wind/animation.html
18
Types of Wind Turbines

• Two types of Wind Turbines

• Horizontal axis Wind Turbine (HAWT)

• Vertical Axis Wind Turbine(VAWT)

19
Cost and Performance

• Cost levels of energy from wind generation0.06
  - 0.08 per kilowatt hour

• Cost of electricity from coal plants is 0.05 /
  kilowatt hour.

• Energy Generation Wind Turbines midsized
  nuclear reactor or a coal fired power plant

20
Wind Turbines Today

• Least expensive current alternative source

• Potential of providing 10 to 20 of out
  domestic electrical supply

• Limitations include land availability

• decrease in subsidies today which helped spur
  the industry in the early 1980s

21
Solar Thermal Energy

• Sunlightsolar energycan be used to generate
  electricity, provide hot water, and to heat,
  cool, and light buildings
• Besides providing heat and light, also causes the
  wind

22
History

• Energy from sun long used to heat liquids
• Among first mechanical uses was a 20-square-meter
  parabolic
• In 1800s, relied on sun to heat water-common
  practice in southwestern U.S.

• At one point , ¼ of residents in L.A. relied upon
  sun to heat water with rooftop solar thermal
  systems

23
Ways to Use

• Suns heat used in two ways

• 1.) used to heat water for domestic hot water
  systems
• 2.) suns light can be concentrated and water
  temperatures increased to make steam and
  electricity

24
Different Types of Technology
Luz SEGS Solar Power Plant

• Various types, but divided into two groups
• First group-those that use sun to generate heat
• Other group directly convert solar radiation into
  electricity by using PVs

Photovaltaic Lighting
25
Problems and Issues

• Currently more expensive than other methods
• Environmental worry is the lead-acid batteries
  used with some systems

• Difficulty or recycling heavy metals-cadmium-used
  in PV cells

26
Benefits

• Produce no air pollution, little or no noise
• Require no transportable fuels

27
Water and Space Heating

• Most energy intensive appliance in our homes

• Consumers 13 billion on energy for home water
  heating

28
Solar Water Heating System

• Main component collector

• collector absorbs the suns radiant energy and
  changes it into heat energy

• Flat-plate collector is the most widely used in
  US

29
How They Work

• plate is heated from its exposure to sunlight?
  heat is transferred to the liquid in the tubes

• Collector consist of black absorbing plates with
  attached tubes through which the fluid, usually
  water, flows to collect the heat

• Heated water remains in the storage tank

30
Passive Water Heating Systems

• Passive systems are simpler

• No moving parts, no pumps

• less expensive, more economical

31
Statistics

• 1.2 million buildings use active solar water
  heating systems in the US in 1990

• 65 of the homes in Israel use solar panels

• Solar systems cost less than 500 and need about
  25 in supplemental electric heating per YEAR.
  Pay themselves off in about 4 years

• pays for itself in fuel savings in 1-2 decades
  ?better in long run, but most consumers want a
  more rapid pay back on their investment

32
Ethical Issues

• Is the use of alternative energy ethical if it is
  damaging the environment?
• Is it ethical to impose a tax on fossil fuels in
  order for people to switch over?

33
Stakeholders

• Environment, people, and animals
• Consumers, fossil fuel companies, government, and
  alternative energy companies

34
Possible Actions

• 1.
• A) Phase out fossil fuels (within 30 years) while
  researching alternatives and their environmental
  impacts.
• B) Reduce dependence on fossil fuel immediately
  by building dams, wind and solar power stations,
  and increasing production of current hybrid
  vehicles.

35
Possible Actions 2

• 2.
• A) Increase taxes on fossil fuel while giving
  larger subsidies to research viable alternative
  energy resources.
• B) Leave it alone and let market forces decide
  which is better.

36
Outcome for Using Fossils while Researching
1A)

• SHORT TERM cheap gas

• no need to change to different vehicles

• Environment continues to be polluted

• Continued dependence on foreign countries

37
Outcome for Using Fossils while Researching

• LONG TERM Gradual shift to alternative
  resources

• economically more affordable

• looking out the environment in long term

38
Outcome for Building Dams (Biomass/ Hydroelectric
Power)

• SHORT TERM lots of power

1B)

• increased employment

• production of factories

• stimulate economy and keep money inside US

39
Outcome for Building Dams (Biomass/ Hydroelectric
Power)
1B)

• Long Term environmental issues NOT considered

• silt /sedimentary build -up

• drastic decrease in aquatic life

40
Outcome for Taxing
2A)

• BENEFITS investing in future

• considering future populations/environment

• NEGATIVE ASPECTS costly to consumer

• possibly less business for Fossil Fuel companies

41
Outcome of Only Market Forces
2B)

• BENEFITS cheap gas

• NEGATIVE ASPECTS No Long Term Plan

• No preparation for the future

42
Individual Rights 1A

• Continued global warming until we can switch away
  from fossil fuels. This will affect everyone with
  rising sea levels and increased extreme weather.
• This will be unfair to third world countries in
  that they will not have the money required to
  develop alternative energy resources.

43
Individual Rights 1B

• People and wildlife living in discharge areas of
  new dams will be relocated.
• Fish populations will fluctuate as a result of
  the dams.
• There might be damage to the ecosystem as an
  unforeseen result of using crop waste for power
  instead of fertilizer as well as other
  environmental impacts.

44
Individual Rights 2A

• Unfair to force fossil fuel companies out of
  business while giving preferential treatment to
  alternative energy companies.
• Unfair price increases for consumers who expected
  their cars to last for years.
• The rights of future generations are respected.

45
Individual rights 2B

• Perfectly fair according to economic standards.
• Ignores the future completely.

46
COMMON GOOD / FINAL DECISION

• Combination of the two allows for the most
  common good to be reached

• Using Fossil Fuels now with research in
  Alternative measure

• Subsidies will be given to research these
  alternative sources

47
COMMON GOOD / FINAL DECISION

• easier for people to shift from a dependence to
  another GRADUALLY

• eliminates dependence on limited resources

• takes into account all people and the environment

• looks at the long term picture