History Section 3
The New Energy Economy
Stuff from the test
• M. King Hubbert: predicted that oil production
would irreversibly decline between 1965 and
1971
• Nitrogen:78%(most), Oxygen: 21%(second),
Greenhouse gases: 1%( least)
• The US consumed about 97 quads of energy in
2012
Renewable energy Summary
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Renewable energy: energy from sustainable, natural elements
Renewable energy industry growing, esp solar and wind
But worldwide generation slow
Percent of global energy from renewable energy actually fell a
bit between 1990 and 2009
• “achieving goal of halving global energy related CO2 emissions
by 2050 would require double renewable generation by 2020”
• Fig 12, pie chart of sources of energy
Wind Power
• Fasted growing electric power generation
• In US, b/c of:
– Investment tax credits
– Federal production
– Grant and loans for farmers, ranchers, and rural businesses with
wind power
– Renewable Portfolio standards, state regulations that require a
certain amount of energy produced by renewable power,
adopted by 30 states
1970’s oil inspired push for alternative energy
As result, wind energy increased in CA early 80’s
Another increase in 90’s with research connecting climate change
and fossil fuels
Wind Power
• Collected from turbines, and by spinning blades with wind
• Blades connected to drive shaft, which turns the generator
and makes electricity
• Benefits:
– Clean, small environmental impact
– Wind producers pay landowners rent giving them extra income
Drawbacks:
- intermittency, not easily controlled
- Bird deaths
- Ugly-looking
PV vs CSP Solar Power
photovoltaic production( PV)
- solar cells that convert sunlight directly to electricity
- cells are grouped into panels
- fastest-growing renewable energy tech between 2000 and 2011
- 2011, Germany and Italy over half global capacity
Solar thermal/electric power plants
- aka Concentrating solar power (CSP)
- concentrate solar energy to heat a fluid which makes steam to turn a
generator
- built a few in the 80’s, but only re-emerged in US and Spain
Question
Explain the difference between PV solar power
and solar thermal power
Solar Power
• According to IEA, solar could provide up to 1/3 energy
demand after 2060
( This was a question on the test!)
Benefits:
- no fuel cost( still operating cost though)
- no air pollution
- low environmental impact
- “peak shaving”- extra energy with extra sunlight
Drawbacks
- not always reliable( night, clouds)
Biofuels
• Made from biomass: renewable organic matter derived from plants or
animals
• Ethanol: alcohol fuel from grain sugars, esp. corn
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Process of distilling ethanol not entirely efficient
Usually blended with petroleum fluids
Nearly all gas sold contains some ethanol
Any gas-powered engine can use gas with 10% ethanol
Biodiesel: renewable fuel made from vegetable oils, fats, or greases
- Mostly soybean oil in US
- Somewhat bad for environment though, forests cut to grow soy for
biofuel
- Provides about 3% of transport fuel
Question
What is ethanol?
Geothermal Energy
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Heat stored in rock and trapped in liquids like water or brine
Heat used to generate electricity
3 uses: direct use, electricity generation, geothermal heat pumps
Direct use:
– Take hot water to bath with, cook with, generate electricity
– Usually to heat buildings when hot water pumped through
– 95% of buildings in Reykjavik use direct heating
Electricity generation:
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Led by US
20x increase predicted between 2011 and 2050
Geothermal heat pumps
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Use temp. diff. between above ground air and subsurface to transfer eat to or from te
ground
Can transfer heat to home during winter, heat away from home during summer
Electricity grid and How it works
• Electricity grid: a complex machine that produces power safely and
consistently
• Power vs energy:
– Power is rate of energy use
– Energy is quantity of electricity used over a period of time
– Energy is power times time
Transfer of electricity:
Generated at power plant into a large current
Electricity generated is transferred by a grid: network of transmission lines, generators, and
localized distribution lines
Generators-transmission lines over long distance localized distribution
lines individual homes or buildings that use the electricity
The Grid
• Needs to match peak demand for electricity( usually in
evening)
• Have to balance technical, legal, and economic problems
• Had down to science with fossil fuels
• Changing with need for cleaner generation
• Problem: clean energy not always reliable ( remember sun
and wind?)
• To address concerns, 2 solutions: Smart Grid and Energy
Storage
Smart Grid
• Uses info and communication between generator and consumer to
increase efficiency, reliability, and sustainability
• Have to work with customers using strategy
– Demand response: to alter consumption patterns in response to diff.
prices or reliability events
– Used to reduce peak demand
– Demand shift: utility asks a customer to avoid electricity use at times
of peak demand
Energy Storage
• 2 major problems: cost and market acceptance
• Changing role in future grid operations
• Flywheels
– Rotate to store rotational energy
– More energy stored as speed accelerates
Compressed air energy Storage
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Stores compressed air in an underground cavern or aboveground system of pipes
When stored energy needed, compressed air mixed with fuel, and combusted to
produce energy
Conventional pumped Hydro Storage
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Pumps water from a low reservoir to a higher one during off-peak hours
Lets it flow back during peak hours
Energy Storage P. 2
• Capacitors( Flux capacitor from back to the future, anyone?)
– Store energy in an electric charge
– Useful for stabilizing voltage on grid
Batteries
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Limited life
Bridge power applications
Electric vehicles
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Charged in a controlled manner
Can store energy in battery and release energy
However, storage capacity is limited
Short life cycle of battery
A Flux Capacitor
powered by
plutonium
Why are public utilities regulated?
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Rates are regulated through gov’t
Limit the company’s profits
Limits consumer choice
States give utilities protected monopolies, but highly
regulated
Traditional Utility Regulation
• almost every state has different approach to regulation
• Cant really accurately generalize
• Most use some type of “cost-of-service” regulation
– Serve through a monopoly or a number of competing
suppliers
Traditional regulation, rates set by state agencies called
Public Utility Commissions (PUCs)
Set rates by how much money the plant needs to operate
Gas and Oil extraction
• Traditionally “exploring”, not sure where exactly oil is
• Use new seismic imaging, but drilling is only way to identify
for sure
• Shale Gas changes this
– Turned exploration to farming
– Shale Gas is gas residing in the source rock
– Only recently is it cost efficient to get oil and gas from rock
– Use horizontal drilling techniques and hydraulic fracturing
– Shale gas has moved from supplying only 1%(2000) to
25%(2011)
Future of Energy Efficiency
• Reduce amount of energy it takes to generate products
• one of the greatest energy sources: do more with less
• About 90% of energy used in incandescent bulbs is wasted (TEST
QUESTION FROM SCRIMMAGE!!!)
• Compact fluorescent lights and light-emitting diodes are better
replacements
• Also reduce energy lost in energy production
• For every 9.5 units of energy produced, plant consumes 100 units
• Also improve energy efficiency in transportation with Corporate average
fuel economy standards
Question
How much energy is wasted in traditional
incandescent light bulbs?
Nuclear power Renaissance
• In 50’s, nuclear power thought as solution to
all energy problems
• Nuclear generators used to power subs
• Admiral Hyman Rickover helped create first
sub, US Nautilus powered by nuclear power, in
1954
• By late 1960’s, 50 nuclear power plants were
built
Downfall of Nuclear Power with
Disasters
• Three Mile Island, New York 1979
– Partial meltdown
– Thousands of residents fled
– Halted rapid growth of nuclear power in US
• Chernobyl, Ukraine 1986
– Really famous
– 110,000 evacuated, 220,000 more in later years
– Region closed off, probably for thousands of years til safe again
• Fukushima 2011
– Earthquake and tsunami hit Japan
– Destroyed plant, serial fires, meltdowns, explosions
– Operator Tokyo Electric Power Company criticized
Question
What country was the Chernobyl disaster
located?
Nuclear Power Today
• Nuclear power supplies over 11% of world’s total electricity
• 39 new reactors commissioned between 2000 and 2010
– Mostly in asian countries
– Of 60 reactors currently under construction, 80% in China,
India, South Korea, and Russia
In 2013, US has 64 nuclear power plants and 104 working
reactors
In 2012, construction permits issued for 4 new reactors
- first permits in 34 years
Small Modular Reactors
• Passive cooling and passive safety features
that don’t need human intervention to work
• Safer, can be shut down if humans evacuate
• Possible future for nuclear plants
But Wait, there’s more!
Study tips
• I know you all have lives outside of Acadeca, but
for the test, here’s a few tips
• Over next month:
– Use Robby’s awesome quizlet to review
– Hold on to handouts
– Try to read over the ENTIRE section once( 30 min per
section, about 1 and a half hours for the whole thing,
but you have a month!)
– Remember important people, and generally what they
did
– They test on minute details, pay attention to those
Studying Tips
• During Cram week:
– Don’t read over entire section: too big to retain everything, use only
for reference
– Look over section summaries, good for refreshing memory
– Go over worksheets
– Make a timeline, with details, esp. Acts and Disasters
Additional stuff:
This is a smaller section, don’t stress too much
Powerpoints are available, ask Miss Herbert or me
If confused on anything, ask the All knowing Alex, Rockin’ Robby, or
(adjective that starts with sh) Chanel
Participate in the review game tomorrow, check your weaknesses in the
practice test