CHAPTER 13 If you would like to combine #7, 8, & 9 into a drawing/sketch showing a home w/ added descriptions, please feel free. Here’s a couple pre-drawn ones you can edit as you like. 7. Identify and describe 3 actions you can take around your home that will cost no money and conserve energy. One action I could take to conserve energy is turning off my desktop computer when I am not using it. My computer requires considerable amounts of energy to power since it is a new model with all the highest specs, leading to more energy consumption. Furthermore, I have my computer on for most of the day even when I am not using it, such as when I take naps on the weekend. Therefore, if I turn off my computer when it is not in use, I could conserve significant amounts of energy that I am letting go to waste by keeping the computer on. Another action I could take to conserve energy is taking shorter showers. I am guilty of consistently taking showers longer than 15 minutes each day, which costumes large amounts of energy since I tend to shower with extremely hot water. If I were to cut down the time I take to shower by at least half, I can also reduce the energy consumption by half and conserve that energy that I would otherwise waste. Also, I can save energy by turning off my lights at night when I am not doing homework or studying. I keep my lights on for long periods of time since I usually complete homework by nighttime when using the lights is necessary. However, I also keep the lights on when it is not essential, such as when I am relaxing. Though I use CFL lights, there is still large amounts of energy wasted from those lights being on for hours. Therefore, I should keep the lights off when I am relaxing to conserve energy that I am wasting throughout the night. 8. If you could spend the money to change TWO things about your home to make it more energy-efficient, describe the changes and explain the impacts of those changes that you can identify: direct and indirect. One change I could make to my home, making it more energy-efficient, is investing in Energy Star appliances specifically designed to conserve energy. One such appliance that I could change to save energy would be a refrigerator since it would be one of the most energy-demanding appliances within my home. Changing it to a more energy-efficient refrigerator would lower the kilowatt-hour consumption, resulting in lower costs of electricity bills since more energy is being conserved. Therefore, according to the tiered rate system, I would have to pay less money per kilowatt-hour since the system increases the pay as the use of electricity increases. Another change I could make to my home would be installing double-paned windows to allow for sunlight to penetrate the house’s interior. Changing the windows of my home would be more energy-efficient since double-paned windows would provide lighting and regulate temperatures without the use of electricity. Doubled-paned windows allow for visible sunlight to enter the house, which would lower the need for artificial lighting as the sun would provide the light rather than a light bulb. Also, double-paned windows would keep the house both hot and cold depending on the season. The sunlight’s rays could enter the house during the summer, but the metallic layer reflects the heat-inducing ultraviolet light outwards, keeping the house cool. On the other hand, during the winter, the heat from within the home would be reflected back, keeping the house warm. These factors will lower energy consumption since it lowers the need for various appliances, such as air conditioning, that would need electricity to power. 9. Describe how passive solar energy can reduce conventional energy use. Describe one use of passive solar energy that could be implemented in a home and how that change would reduce energy consumption. Buildings generally consume significant amounts of energy from cooling, heating, and lighting. However, passive solar energy takes advantage of solar radiation, which reduces energy consumption since no machinery is involved in capturing or converting energy that would otherwise be used to maintain the temperature and lighting. One example of passive solar energy that could be implemented in a home would be the installation of overhanging roofs. An overhanging roof regulates the home's temperatures during the summer since the sun is high in the sky for most of the day. Implementing an overhanging roof helps block out the sunlight, making the indoor temperature cooler reducing energy consumption as ventilation fans and air conditioning is no longer needed. 10. Which types of energy (renewable or nonrenewable) are ultimately indirect forms of solar energy? Explain each. What are the sources of energy for those NOT driven by the sun? One type of energy that is an indirect form of solar energy is wind. Wind energy is generated from the kinetic energy of moving air (wind). The sun is the ultimate source of the wind since it is created by the uneven heating of the surface of the Earth, with warmer air rising and cooler sinking, creating air circulation patterns. Another type of energy that is an indirect form of solar energy is hydroelectricity. The kinetic energy of moving water generates hydroelectricity. Hydroelectricity is an indirect form of solar energy since it heavily relies on the water cycle, which is driven by the sun. The sun's heating of the water on Earth's surfaces causes the water to evaporate into the air. The warm air rises carry the water to higher altitudes, where the water begins to condense to form clouds. Eventually, it falls to Earth again as rain or snow, where it will travel to various rivers whose energy is harnessed in hydroelectric plants. Fossil fuels are the third type of energy source that is an indirect form of solar energy. Ancient plants used solar energy to make their own energy in the form of sugars. Consequently, the ancient animals ate those plants obtaining the energy within them. Then, fossil fuels such as petroleum and coal are made from the dead remains of these ancient plants and animals buried deep in sediments for millions of years. Since the main energy source was from this sequence was from the sun, fossil fuels would be an indirect form of solar energy. The fourth type of energy that is an indirect form of solar energy is biomass energy. Biomass energy is energy generated or produced by any organic matter. It is indirectly tied to solar energy for similar reasons as fossil fuels. However, biomass energy comes from alive or recently dead organisms, whereas fossil fuels are made from organisms millions of years ago. Geothermal energy does not come from the sun since it comes from the natural radioactive decay of elements within Earth. Also, nuclear energy comes from the nuclear fission of Uranium-235 atoms. Tidal energy comes from the movement of water, which is driven by the gravitational pull of the moon. 11. Why is solid biomass an energy source used at a higher rate in the less economically developed parts of the world than the more developed? Solid biomass is used at a higher rate in less economically developed countries since they are considerably cheaper and more accessible than other energy sources such as fossil fuels. For instance, various people use wood as a form of heat and cooking since it is a cheap and accessible energy source that could be potentially sustainable if harvested at a rate that will allow the forest to regrow what has been lost. Also, many people in the developing world use wood to make charcoal since it is lighter than wood, contain approximately twice as much energy per unit of weight, and produces much less smoke. Therefore, charcoal is the fuel of choice in urban areas of the developing world and families that can afford it. Furthermore, people often use dried animal manure as fuel for heating and cooking if the wood is scarce since burning it does provide heat energy like wood and charcoal. Compare this to more developed countries with already preestablished infrastructures for other fuels such as oil and coal. Also, developed countries could not use solid biomass at sustainable rates since the demand would be too high with the large population number. 12. Discuss THREE possible actions that can be undertaken by governments and/or other agencies (rather than individuals) to encourage progress toward a sustainable energy future. One action undertaken by governments or other agencies to encourage a sustainable energy future is facilitating energy conservation by taxing the use of oil or natural gas. This action will help promote progress toward a sustainable energy future since it serves as a disincentive that will lower the rate at which people use these fossil fuels as they do not want to pay higher taxes by doing so, thus conserving energy for the future. Governments or agencies could also encourage progress toward a sustainable energy future by improving the availability of public transport. Public transport could help sustain energy since it lowers the energy used for transportation. The energy use of one vehicle is significantly lower than if each person were to use their own vehicle. A third action that governments or agencies could take would be to offer rebates or tax incentives for retrofitting a home or business. This action could lower energy consumption since they could add components such as wall insulation, double-paned windows, or green roofs. These components are all considered sustainable designs that improve the overall efficiency of the building or house, allowing it to operate on less energy. 13. Compare gasoline, ethanol, biodiesel, electric vehicles, and hydrogen fuel cells as options for transportation. Of the 5, which do you think is preferable and why? Option for Transportation Advantages for Transportation Disadvantages for Transportation Gasoline (petroleum/oil) -High net energy -Well-developed infrastructure -Extremely convenient to transport and use -low-cost bc of subsidies --drilling = low land use -Releases CO2 and NOx when combusted -potential pollution from spills during transportation & extraction Ethanol -Reduces demand for oil (substitute) -Gasohol (E10) has a higher oxygen -Ethanol made from any food crop can adversely affect food prices & crop yields content than gasoline -Gasohol (E10) produces less of some air pollutants when combusted -Flex-fuel vehicles can run on either gasoline or E-85 (85 percent ethanol, 15 percent gasoline) -Often use our existing infrastructure -Some farm equipment involved in crop production runs on petroleum -Is not as effective a fuel as traditional gasoline -Reliant on the quality of the growing season Biodiesel -Reduced CO2 emissions (78%) -Reduced CO emissions -Fairly widely available -Better gas Milage (40%) -Potentially renewable -Substitute for petroleum-based diesel fuel -Producing biodiesel from wood waste or algae may require very little or no cropland -Hard to start in cold weather -Slightly increased emissions of nitrogen oxides -Low yield for soybean crops -May compete with growing food on cropland -Loss & degradation of biodiversity from crop plantations -More expensive than petroleum diesel Electric Vehicles -Electricity can be partially derived from renewable sources (wind, water, & even solar energy) -Can lower greenhouse gas emissions -Reduce costs by 50% by going electric when compared to gas -Using coal/ natural gas to power electricity can leave carbon pollution -More expensive than standard cars to actually purchase -Increase in electricity bills -Can not go as far or as long as gas cars -Finding a charging station can be tough Hydrogen Fuel Cells - No vehicle emissions other than water vapor if produced from water. - 45%-65% efficiency in fuel cells - Hydrogen can be made from renewable resources (water). - Competitive price if environmental & social costs are included in cost comparisons - Nontoxic & safer than gasoline and natural gas -Energy is needed to produce fuel - Negative net energy - Considered nonrenewable if generated by fossil fuels/nuclear power - High in cost (space-age technology) - No infrastructure in place yet. - Short driving range for current fuel-cell cars After evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of each fuel source, electric vehicles are preferable because the major disadvantages could be mitigated, such as using renewable sources for electricity instead of coal. Also, in terms of pricing, I do not mind paying a bit extra if that means I could lower my carbon footprint by a significant amount. The only inconvenience would be finding a charging station and lower mileage, but I feel that investing in a home charging station would negate that problem, and I do not go out much anyway. Furthermore, it provides various benefits that do outweigh the cons, in my opinion. 14. Complete a chart (alt. option) or create your own notes for renewable energy sources (like for #4 above). The energy resources that must be covered are: active solar (PV cells and CSP), geothermal power plant, wind turbines, tidal, and hydroelectric. Information that must be included for each energy resource is a) how it works (Found in the chart) b) end-use (what’s it used for?) (Found in the chart) c) ideal locations for use (Found in the chart) d) benefits (Found in the chart) e) drawbacks (see EKs below!) (Found in the chart)
