Abstract:I propose to demonstrate through meta-analysis of existing literature and technology the feasibility of

using solar energy to power municipal water treatment to reduce the amount of greenhouse

gases emitted during the water treatment life cycle. Among the factors considered in my study are:

availability of constituent materials necessary to the expansion of solar panel production to meet wide-scale demand; a comparative analysis of the life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of solar energy

production, nuclear energy production, and water treatment facilities; and the net power needs of common water filtration methods versus the net

energy produced by current solar collection technology. I expect that by harnessing solar energy to fuel the most energy-hungry components of the water treatment process, along with implementing

complementary water conserving practices, a significant portion of the greenhouse gases emitted

by water treatment can be reduced.

Literature ReviewedFthenakis, Vasilis M., Hyung Chul Kim. 2007. Greenhouse-gas emissions from solar electric- and nuclear power: A life- cycle study. Energy Policy. 35, no. 4: 2549-2557. U.S. Dept. of Energy. Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. 2004. PV FAQs: Will We Have Enough Materials for Energy-Significant PV Production? http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy04osti/35098.pdf (accessed February 19, 2008.) Racoviceanu, Alina I., Bryan W. Karney, Christopher A. Kennedy, Andrew F. Colombo. 2007. Life-Cycle Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory for Water Treatment Systems. Journal of Infrastructure Systems Vol. 13, no. 4: 261-270. Eddy, Takashi Asano, Franklin L. Burton, Harold L. Leverenz, Ryujiro Tsuchihashi, George Tchobanoglous. 2007. Water Reuse. United States: McGraw Hill.

SOLAR POWER SURGE: More solar power has been harnessed on the world's rooftops in the past two years than in

all previous years combined.

www.csmonitor.com | Copyright © 2008 The Christian Science Monitor. All rights reserved.

Humans build their societies around consumption of fossil water long

buried in the earth, and these societies,

being based on temporary

resources, face the problem of being

temporary themselves.

-Charles Bowden, Killing the Hidden

Waters, 1977

Presented by William Bastian On behalf of The Honors College and HNRS 1500: Introduction to Research: An Interdisciplinary Perspective Majors: Biological Sciences & Radio, Television, and Film, College of Arts and Sciences, Honors CollegeMentored by Dr. Thomas LaPoint, Department of Biological Sciences and Institute of Applied Sciences

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

Solar Powered Water Treatment A Work In Progress

The Feasibility of

A special thanks to :Dr. Gloria Cox and the Honors College for this wonderful opportunity

Dr. Wendy Wilkins for all her generosity

Dr. Thomas LaPoint for his gracious advice

Dr. Susan Eve for agreeing to see me any time at all

Dr. Warren Burggren and the College of Arts and Sciences for ensuring that I have a home here at UNT.

And everyone who takes an interest in conservation or hopes for change: Thank you!