Energy Concerns… and
Sustainable Solutions
Chapter 15-16
“Clean Coal”
• Reduce emissions of ash, sulfur, metals and
greenhouse gases from coal burning
– Scrubbers, synthetic natural gas, particulate
collectors
• Carbon Capture and Storage
– Capture carbon emissions and store them
underground or in the ocean
– Still in early stages of development
• Required by Clean Air Act amendments and
EPA to mitigate effects from climate change
Nuclear Accidents
• Three Mile Island (1979, Pennsylvania)
– Partial meltdown in one of the cores
• Overheating due to lack of coolant
– Small doses of radiation released (no major concerns)
• Containment building held most of the radiation
– Resulted in sweeping changes in how nuclear plants are run
• Chernobyl (1986, Ukraine)
– Meltdown result from flawed nuclear design
• Fire released massive amounts of radiation into the environment
• 30 people died, 100 got radiation sickness
– 18 miles surrounding the plant were evacuated (exclusion zone), and still
empty today
– Won’t be safe for human life for the next 20,000 years
• Fukushima (2011, Japan)
– Three of the six nuclear reactors melted down after being hit by a tsunami
– Massive amounts of radioactive water the most pressing concern
• May be leaking into Pacific Ocean
– 12 miles surrounding the plant were evacuated (exclusion zone)
Tar Sands
• Deposits of heavy crude oil (bitumen) mixed with sand,
clay, and water
– located in Alberta, Canada
• Located under 54,000 sq. miles of forest and peat bogs,
with an estimated 1.7 trillion barrels of oil
• Use either hot water extraction (in-situ) or open-pit
mining
– Environmentally destructive! Similar concerns with mining
ore
• http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/video/player#/?tit
leID=canadian-oil-sands&catID=1
Keystone Pipeline
• A proposed oil pipeline that will run from Alberta to Nebraska,
eventually reaching the Gulf Coast
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Projected to increase jobs (maybe)
Reduce dependence on foreign oil (sort of)
Oil from tar sands (increased risk of spill)
Oil companies set to make BILLIONS from this pipeline
• Cost 5.4 billion to construct
• President Obama is still debating the decision for approval…will
sign as long as “doesn’t significantly exacerbate the climate
problem”
– Approval of the project is incredibly controversial
– Supporters argue that the tar sands will be developed no matter
what
– Opponents argue that the environmental impacts are too great
Fracking
• Hydraulic Fracturing
– Injecting water deep into
the shale rock formations
to release natural gas.
• Allows access to hard to
reach deposits
– Concerns about water
quality and possible
cause of earthquakes
• EPA to release report on
impacts…late 2014
– Expected that natural gas
will replace coal and oil
as the largest source of
energy
Dams
• Three Gorges Dam (Yangtze River, China)
– 98 Terawatt hour (TWH)
– Completed 2012
– Controversial due to ecological damage (landslides), flooding of
cultural areas, and displacement of upwards of 1.3 million people!
• Itaipu Dam (Paraná River, Paraguay/Brazil)
– 98 TWH
• Guri Dam (Caroní River, Venezuela)
– 53.41 TWH
• Tucuruí Dam (Tocantins River, Brazil)
– 41 TWH
• Grand Coulee Dam (Columbia River, WA USA)
– 20 TWH
• http://geography.howstuffworks.com/7143-china-threegorges-dam-video.htm
Energy Efficiency and Waste
• Eliminating waste can help us save money, reduce
dependence on foreign sources of energy, and
reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
– This is done by improving energy efficiency of the
products we use
• Measure of how much work we can get from each unit of
energy we use
• 84% of all commercial energy is wasted. About half of that is
due to degrading energy quality (second law of
thermodynamics)
– Poorly insulated buildings, fuel efficiency in cars, lighting,
furnaces…etc.
Fuel Efficiency
• Transportation accounts for 28% of the US energy
usage (66% of oil usage)
• Government mandated fuel efficiency standards
– Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE), implemented
in 1975 to improve fuel economy of cars and light
trucks
• No increase in these standards until 2008
– Goal to be 35.5mpg by 2016
• Standards are much higher overseas
• “Gas Guzzler Tax”—assessed on vehicle manufacturers for
cars that fall below the CAFE standard (22.2 mpg)
• Hidden costs in the price we pay per gallon of
gasoline
– Government subsidies (we pay about $1.50 to $2 less
than gas should cost)
– Lobbyists argue to keep gas taxes low, benefits oil
companies and hides environmental costs from the
consumer
**Norwegians pay nearly $10 per gallon for gas. It isn’t
subsidized by the government…instead they use the
money to fund FREE college education and
infrastructure development.
- would it be worth it?
• Invest in alternative energy vehicles
– Hybrids: use two or more distinct energy sources to run
• Ex. Prius (combustion engine and electric motor); flex-fuel vehicles
(gasoline and ethanol (biofuel))
– Plug-in hybrids: plug into electrical grid to recharge batteries,
when charge depleted small internal combustion engine is used to
recharge the batteries
• Ex. Chevy Volt
– All electric vehicles: propelled by electric motor and rechargeable
batteries
• Ex. Nissan Leaf, Tesla
– Hydrogen fuel cell cars: internal combustion engine burns
hydrogen as a fuel source
• Many car companies are testing cars that use this fuel source…not
currently available to the public
• Encourage mass transit use
• Bicycles
Building Design
• Adjusting building construction and design
could ultimately save 30-40% of the energy
used globally
– “green architecture”
– Face windows to maximize solar energy
– Living roofs (plants on roof)
– White colored roofs (reflect light)
– Superinsulation (prevent heating loss)
Current Buildings
• Insulate and Plug Leaks
– Holes and cracks let heat escape in winter or enter during
summer…leads to excess heating/cooling
– Cheapest way to save money
• Energy Efficient Windows
– Double pane windows…cuts heat losses
• Stop heating and cooling losses
– Repair leaky heating and cooling ducts
– Light colored roofs, living roofs
• Heat houses and water more efficiently
– Use efficient furnaces and water heaters
• Energy Efficient Appliances
– Adjust temperature and operating settings
• Energy Efficient Lighting
– Use compact fluorescent bulbs instead of incandescent
Sustainable Solutions
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Revise policy on energy sources
Improve energy efficiency
Include environmental costs into pricing
Subsidize renewable sources
Educate others!