Alternative Energy
Alternative to What?
The story so far…
• We divided history into:
• PHASE 1: when all energy was local
and renewable (wind, water, etc.)
• PHASE 2: The growing reliance on
non-local, non-renewable fossil fuels
such as coal, oil.
• And we said, you cannot build an
economy and society on an energy
source that will not be there
• And the public is very scared by
Nuclear.
So, what else is there?
• There is a field that goes back to
PHASE 1: Local and renewable, but
uses many new technological
advances.
• So, “alternative” generally means an
alternative to fossil fuels.
• What are these “alternatives?”
– Wind
– Water (hydro and tidal)
– Geothermal
– Solar
– Agro-fuels (methane)
• These are all renewable (though,
remember, in Nature’s terms,
everything is renewable.)
A Reminder
• The fact that these resources are
local and renewable, does not mean
they are equally available
everywhere.
It all comes down to one thing…
• Virtually all of these, like nuclear
power, burning coal etc., now, are
ultimately in the business of
generating electricity, but without
the necessity to involve combustion
to produce heat—steam—rotation.
So, we are looking for?
• A source of electricity without
combustion.
• One approach is to find something
that can produce continuous
movement that can drive a turbine.
1. Wind
• We can construct modern windmills,
which are far more efficient than the
ancient ones, and the rotation of the
blades generates electricity.
• This electricity can be fed into a grid,
used locally, or stored.
They do not have to be on land…
• Some of the most reliable winds and
breezes come off the sea.
Tidal energy.
This prevents
storm
surges
• As a result
of
the
pull
of
the
moon,
(and flooding), controls
flow,rises
generatesand
electricity
the sea
falls, and this
and acts as a bridge.
involves a huge amount of energy.
• Why not capture some of this?
Tidal energy 2
• There are other ways to capture the
energy of the tidal flow.
Hydro-power
• This relies on the ability to drop
water from a great height over a
Problem here is, how many sites are there
short distance,
andtherun
the water
like this? Would
environmentalists
ever allow you to build there?
over a turbine.
Geothermal energy
• This
comes
directly
thehaveheat
Problem
here is—only
a few placesfrom
(like Iceland)
this type of geology
beneath the surface of the earth.
Normally, that is not very close to
the surface, but sometimes…
Solar energy
• Of course, ultimately, all energy is
solar.
• What we mean here is to convert the
energy of the sun directly into
electricity.
• Many of you have solar-powered
calculators, which are a small
example of this technology at work.
Solar energy (cont.)
Problems: What happens when the sun don’t shine? How much ground can you
cover with these things? How do you keep them facing the sun? How much does it
cost?
• (4) Direct conversion to electricity
• - photovoltaic cells --sunlight excites
electrons in semiconductor film
which induces them to move,
causing a current
• (i) presently very expensive
• (ii) highly inefficient
• -- 20-30% conversion of energy to
electricity
• -- requires large collector banks
A Possible New Energy Technology
• We know: The Facts on Fuel Cells and
EVs
What is a fuel cell?
• Fuel cells are a technology used to create
electricity by combining hydrogen gas
with oxygen from the air. Like a battery,
these cells convert chemical energy
directly into electricity. But a fuel cell
does not need to recharged because, as
long as it is supplied with hydrogen, it will
continue to produce electricity.
A Possible New Energy Technology
• What are the sources of hydrogen?
• Hydrogen can be produced from gasoline,
ethanol, natural gas and methanol. It can also be
produced from water by electrolysis.
• Can hydrogen be produced by any renewable
resources?
• Not yet, but it may be possible to produce
hydrogen from wind and solar power in the
future.
• What are fuel cells used for?
• Fuel cells are currently being used to power
motors in electric powered vehicles, also called
EVs.
A Possible New Energy Technology
• What are current disadvantages to
fuel cells and electric vehicles?
• Challenges include:
• Finding safe ways to store hydrogen.
• Reducing the cost of electric
vehicles.
• Creating durable vehicles.
• Developing an infrastructure for fuel
cell power, particularly filling
stations that offer hydrogen.
So, why don’t we switch now?
• There is no immediate and visible
advantage as there was when coal
replaced wood, oil replaced coal, or
nuclear being 1,000,000 times more
efficient than coal
$32
billion
made for
Texas
So why
don’tbid
we switch
now?
utility
– The cost of fossil fuels is artificially low
Largest private buyout in history is proposed
By David Koenig
– The “sunk costs” of fossil fuel
Associated Press
infrastructure
DALLAS
— Texans weary of high electric bills and environmentalists who fought TXU Corp.'s
plans for
more coal-fired
power
plants offered only muted
criticism
Monday of the proposed
–
The
Public
“discounts”
the
future
takeover of the state's largest electric utility.
because it sees no “crisis”
David J. Phillip, Associated Press
– “Spikes” in existing energy prices often
TXU Corp. plant is located near Fairfield, Texas. Private equity firms aim to buy Texas'
followed
by fall (think of gasoline)
largest electricity
producer.
If federal regulators and TXU shareholders approve the $32 billion bid, the investor group led
– The
existing
energy
industry
inpullaoffmajor
by Kohlberg
Kravis
Roberts & Co.
and Texas Pacific
Group will
the largest private buyout
in history.political influence (the “Enron” crisis of
The buyers
promised to cut electric rates by 10 percent, saving residential customers $300
2002)
million per year, and freeze those prices until September 2008. They also extended an olive branch
to environmentalists
by agreeing to drop plans
eightconservation,
of 11 proposed new coal-burning power
– The intermediate
roleforof
plants and make other green concessions.
which is, perhaps, a more immediate
While some environmentalists and civic leaders hailed the decision to drop most of the coal
concern?
plants, others
vowed to keep fighting to block the company from building the three coal plants that
the buyers wanted to keep.
The Key is the Cost and Availability of Oil and Gasoline
• The infrastructure for extracting,
processing and transporting oil & gas is
already built and paid for. A “sunk cost”
• The “alternatives” have high start-up
costs
• The Public does not perceive an “energy
crisis” as such. A crisis would mean rapid
and sustained price rises, rationing,
shortages etc., and we do not see that.
• So, the change is more likely to come
through the environmental consequences
of burning so much fossil fuel.
So, what would make us change?
• If there was a sustained crisis that
convinced the public that it was not
wise to continue
• This could be of the shortage, price,
or secondary-consequences type
(air pollution or global warming)
• The shortage could be resourcebased or political, but it would have
to be repetition or systemic decline
• The price would then make
alternatives attractive
• OR—the government could intervene
to change prices by:
– Buying exclusively
– Subsidizing
– Clear Policy Line
– Taxing (e.g. Carbon Tax)