APES – Chapter 17: Energy – Some Basics

Case Study: National Energy Policy – From Coast to Coast Energy Crisis to Promoting Energy Independence- The worst power outage in history – August 14, 2003 > New York and surrounding areas (over 50

million affected)o Demonstrates our dependence on aging power systems and fossil fuels o Some thought it was a terrorist attack > still fear and anxiety from 9/11 attacks

- In California in the 1990s, more people and industries came but few sources of power arrived - Utility companies were forced to buy power elsewhere (from private companies) for as much as

900% higher and were nearly driven to bankruptcy due to few other options > natural gas?o Resulted in a new Energy Policy

- Hard path: buy more coal, oil, natural gas, and nuclear power plants - Energy Policy Act of 2005: became law > “changed US energy policy by providing tax incentives and

loan guarantees for energy production of various types.”- Domestic production of oil has decreased by as much as 50% while our imports have increased by

as much as 50% o Natural gas has been a somewhat successful alternative > burns cleaner o Problem with natural gas: bring production in line to match consumption in the future

- Part of the ‘resolution’ of the 2005 Energy Policy is to create an additional 1,000+ power plants by the year 2020 to maintain demand > more than 1 new power plant built per week……..

o AND still just relies on fossil fuels = coal, oil, natural gas- 2005 Policy also places little focus on alternative sources such as Hydrogen, wind, and solar

o Rediced funding after a few years - We will be plagued by changes in prices due to foreign reliance on fossil fuels until we can develop

our own successful alternative sources that can actually replace what we use now (fossil fuels) Energy Crisis in Ancient Greece and Rome Greeks and Romans used wood to heat there homes.

o As local supplies ran out had to bring it in from farther away. Eventually both societies learned to build houses south facing

o Allows sun to heat house in wintero Sustainable

In Rome laws pasted to protect a person’s right to solar energy.

Tommy Hicks

APES – 6th period

Energy Today and Tomorrow Energy situation facing the US today is similar to that faced by Greeks and Romans.

o Use of wood peaked 1880so Coal use peaked 1920o Reaching the peak of oil and gas use

The decisions we make today will affect energy use for generations. Energy Basics To understand energy it is easiest to begin with the idea of force

o We have all exerted force by pushing or pullingo The strength of force can be measured by how much it accelerates an objecto Think of pushing a car uphill

In physicists’ termso Exerting force over a distance moved is work

Work is the product of a force times a distanceo Energy is the ability to do work

When the car id higher on the hill the potential energy of the car has increased Energy can be converted from one kind to another

o The total energy conservedo First law of thermodynamics

To illustrate the conservation and conversion of energy think of a tire swingo At highest position all energy is stored potential energyo At lowest position all energy is kinetic energy

Energy of motiono With each swing friction slows the swing generating heat energy

Eventually all the energy converted to heat and the swing stops

Energy qualityo The ability of the energy to do worko The higher quality of the energy, the more easily it can be converted to work.o The lower the energy quality, the more difficult it is to convert to work.

Second law of thermodynamicso Energy always tends to go from a more usable (higher-quality) form to a less usable (lower-

quality) form.o When you use energy, you lower its quality.

Energy Efficiency Two fundamental types of energy efficiencies are derived from the first and second laws of

thermodynamics: o the first-law efficiency and the second-law efficiency.

First-law efficiency deals with the amount of energy without any consideration of the quality or availability of the energy.

Second-law efficiency refers to how well matched the energy end use is with the quality of the energy source.

o Low values indicate where improvements in energy technology and planning may save significant amounts of high-quality energy.

Electricity generating plants have nearly the same first-law and second-law efficiencies. o Generating plants are examples of heat engines.

o Produces work from heat. o Most of the electricity generated in the world today comes from heat engines

Use nuclear fuel, coal, gas, or other fuels. Energy Source and Consumption Industrialized countries small percentage of the world’s population, but consume a disproportionate

share of the total energy produced in the world. o E.g. US with only 5% of the world’s population, uses approximately 25% of the total energy

consumed. Fossil Fuels and Alternative Energy Sources 90% of the energy consumed in the US comes from fossil fuels

o Petroleum, natural gas, and coal.o They are essentially nonrenewable.

Other sources of energyo Include geothermal, nuclear, hydropower, and solaro Referred to as alternative energy sources. o Solar and wind, are not depleted by consumption and are known as renewable energy.

Energy Consumption in the US Today US dependent on the three major fossil fuels

o coal; natural gas; and petroleum. From 1950 to late-1970s, energy consumption increased tremendously

o From 30 exajoules to 80 exajoules. Since about 1980, energy consumption has increased by only about 20 exajoules.

o Suggests that policies to improve energy conservation through efficiency improvements have been at least partially successful.

Energy losses are associated with o the production of electricity and transportation.o Most occur through the use of heat engines

Looking at the generalized energy flow of the US for a particular year o We imported considerably more oil than we producedo Consumption distributed in three sectors: residential/commercial, industrial, and

transportation.

We remain dangerously vulnerable to changing world conditions affecting the production of oil.

Energy Conservation, Increased Efficiency and Cogeneration Conservation of energy

o Simply getting by with less demand for energy. Increased energy efficiency

o Involves designing equipment to yield more energy output from a given amount of input energy (first-law efficiency)

o Better matches between energy source and end use (second-law efficiency). Cogeneration

o Processes designed to capture and use waste heat rather than release it as a thermal pollution.o Using that waste heat, can increase the overall efficiency of a typical power plant from 33% to

as much as 75%o Could provided an estimated 10% of the power capacity of the US

Building Design A spectrum of possibilities exists for increasing energy efficiency and conservation in residential

buildings. o Design and construct homes that minimize the energy consumptiono Design buildings to take advantage of passive solar potentialo For older homes:insulation, caulking, weather stripping, installation of window coverings, storm

windows, and regular maintenance. Industrial Energy Industrial production of goods continues to grow significantly.

o U.S. industry consumes about one-third of the energy produced. o More industries are using co-generation and more energy-efficient machinery.

Automobile design Early 1970s, the average US automobile got 14 mpg. By 1996, the average was 28 mpg for highway driving.

o Fuel consumption rates did not improve much from 1996 to 1999. In 2004 many vehicles sold were SUVs and light trucks with fuel consumption of 10–20 mpg.

o A loophole in regulations permits poorer fuel consumption o SUVs declined in 2006.

Today, some hybrid (gasoline-electric) vehicles exceeds 90 mpg on the highway and 60 mpg in the city. Improvement has several causes:

o Increased efficiency and resulting conservation of fuelo Cars that are smaller, w/ engines constructed of lighter materialso Combination of a fuel-burning engine with an electric motor

Values, Choices, and Energy Conservation Ways of modifying behavior to conserve energy include the following:

o Ride a bike, walk, or take a bus or train to work.o Using carpools to travel to and from work or schoolo Purchasing a hybrid car (gasoline-electric)o Turning off lights when leaving roomso Taking shorter showers (conserves hot water)o Putting on a sweater and turning down the thermostato Using energy-efficient compact florescent lightbulbso Purchasing energy-efficient applianceso Sealing drafts in buildings with weather stripping and caulko Better insulating your homeo Washing clothes in cold water whenever possibleo Purchasing local foods to reduce energy in transporto Using powerstrips and turning them off when not in use

Energy Policy U.S. energy policy during the past half-century has not moved us closer to energy self-sufficiency.

o We import more oil than ever.o In the late 1990s, the US spent $2 billion per year on R and D for energy.o By comparison, $45 billion per year went to R and D for the military.

Energy Policy Act of 2005 Some of the provisions are as follows.

o 1. Promotes conventional energy sourceso 2. Promotes nuclear powero 3. Encourages alternative energyo 4. Promotes conservation measureso 5. Promotes researcho 6. Provides for energy infrastructure

Hard Path vs. Soft Path Hard path involves finding greater amounts of fossil fuels and building larger power plants.

o Continuing the past emphasis on quantity of energy used.o Requires no new thinking; no realignment of political, economic, or social conditions; and little

anticipation of coming reductions oil. According to hard-path proponents, we should

o 1. Let the energy industry develop the available energy resources o 2. Let industry, free from government regulations, provide a steady supply of energy with less

total environmental damage. The second road of energy policy is called the soft path. It involves energy alternatives that emphasize

o energy quality, are renewable, are flexible, and are environmentally more benign than those of the hard path.

These alternatives have several characteristics:o They rely heavily on renewable energy resources, such as sunlight, wind, and biomass.o They are diverse and are tailored for maximum effectiveness under specific circumstances.o They are flexible, accessible, and understandable to many people.o They are matched in energy quality, geographic distribution, and scale to end-use needs.

Energy for Tomorrow Future changes in population densities as well as intensive conservation measures will probably change

existing patterns of energy use.

To stabilize the climate in terms of global warming, use of energy from fossil fuels would need to be cut by about 50%.

o Reductions in energy use need not be associated w/ lower quality of life.

What is needed is increased conservation and more efficient use of energy:o More energy-efficient land-use planning that maximizes the accessibility of services and

minimizes the need for transportation.o Agricultural practices and personal choices that emphasize

1. Eating more locally grown foods 2. Eating more vegetables, beans, and grains.

o Industrial guidelines for factories that promote energy conservation and minimize production of waste.

Integrated, Sustainable Energy Management Integrated energy management recognizes that no single energy source can provide all the energy

required.o Range of options that vary from region to region will have to be employed. o The mix of technologies and sources of energy will involve both fossil fuels and alternative,

renewable sources. A basic goal is to move toward sustainable energy development, implemented at the local level. Would have the following characteristics:

o It would provide reliable sources of energy.o It would not cause destruction or serious harm to our global, regional, or local environments.o It would help ensure that future generations inherit a quality environment with a fair share of

the Earth’s resources. A good energy plan is part of an aggressive environmental policy with the goal of producing a quality

environment for future generations. A good plan should do the following:

o Provide for sustainable energy development.o Provide for aggressive energy efficiency and conservation.o Provide for the diversity and integration of energy sources.o Provide for a balance between economic health and environmental quality.

o Use second-law efficiencies as an energy policy tool. The global pattern of ever-increasing energy consumption led by the US cannot be sustained w/o a

new energy paradigmo Includes changes in human values rather than a breakthrough in technology. o Choosing to own fuel-efficient automobiles and living in more energy-efficient homes are

consistent with a sustainable energy system.