Renewable Energy ~ Can Stop Global Warming ~

1. Renewable Energy ~ Can Stop Global Warming ~ Section AA: Mike Trunkhill, Jeff Devlin, Isao Tamada Source: International Geothermal Association, 2007 Source: International Energy Agency, 2007 Geothermal Power Solar Energy Brief History The first known use of geothermal resources happened over 10,000 years ago. It was used by the Paleo-Indians as a source of warmth, cleansing, and the minerals were used as a source of healing (eere, 2007). Today geothermal resources are still used for those same reasons but you can now add to the list electricity and geothermal heat pumps. The first geothermal power plant was invented in 1904 by Prince Piero Ginori Conti at the Larderello dry steam field in Italy. Fifty six years later the first US plant was built in Sonoma County, California (REPP, 2007). Scientific/Local: Germany Success of Feed-in Tariff Ethical/Local: Africa Better life by Solar PV • Germany generated 2,863 MW using solar PV power plant, which is almost half of the world total production.(Lothar Wissing, 2006) • In African rural areas, electrification levels are lower than national averages, often at 1–2%. (Mathias Gustavsson et al, 2003) Science(REPP, 2007) World energy consumption is expected to increase 40% to 50% by the year 2010, and the global mix of fuels--renewables (18%), nuclear (4%), and fossil (78%)--is projected to remain substantially the same as today; thus global carbon dioxide emissions would also increase 50% to 60%. Government policy helped this result Solar PV make their life better • In 1999, 100,000 Rooftops Solar Electricity Programs started, and terminated in 2003. • In 2000, Renewable Energy Sources Act was legislated. (International Energy Agency, 2002) • Only one solar panel is enough to electrify the rural freezers which are necessary to store the vaccine. • Only one solar panel enables the children to study in their homes. • (Jacobson, 2007) On average, 16 million tons of carbon dioxide are emitted into the atmosphere every 24 hours by human use worldwide. (U.S. Department of Energy) These policies made economic incentive • The house owners who generate electricity with their own solar panel scan sell electricity to the electric power companies at a high rate, currently about 0.45 EUR/kWh. • As a result, this Feed-in Tariff system succeeded to build 65,700 systems and to generate 345.5 MW of capacity. (IEA, 2003) Within 15 years, renewable energy could be generating enough electricity to power 40 million homes and offset 70 days of oil imports. The problem is cost • Dry Steam power plant • Oldest type of Geo power plant • Steam needs to be at least 455F • Flash Steam power plant • Most common type of Geo power plant • Fluid needs to be at least 360F • Fluid vaporized into steam to turn the turbine • Binary-Cycle power plant • Future of Geo power plants • Fluid needs to be at least 225F • Heat exchanger passes heat from ground fluid second fluid • Usually Iso-butane or Iso-pentane • Vaporizes at a much lower temp • Most African people in rural area cannot afford to buy solar power system. (Otiti and Soboyejo, 2006) • Iceland(Gunnlaugsson, 2001) • 70% of energy is sustainable • 52% of the 70% comes from geothermal • 63% of geothermal goes to space heating • 19% goes to electricity • Iceland saves 100 million in imported oil Source: Jacobson, 2007 Future of solar PV needs the positive government policies Wind Energy More solar panels should be donated by developed countries from the view of social justice Ethical(Rybach, 2003) • Environmental • CO2 emissions much lower than fossil fuels • Power plants large and disturb landscapes • Are very noisy • Re-injection of fluid causes earthquakes • Positives • Zero Emissions!!! • The price of wind energy has decreased from over 30 cents per kilo watt hour in the 1980’s to just over 5 cents today (AWEA) • No more relying on Middle-Eastern oil • No risk of energy price hike • Possible to scale up to provide enough energy for the whole world • Self-sufficiency • Grazing animals can share the land wind farms occupy, creating a double duty for the land • Negatives • Intermittency of wind power requires power companies to have back-up sources • Some scientists believe wind power may disrupt weather patters (no hard evidence has been shown to prove this) • Unsightliness • Forests may need to be cleared for installation • Noise during construction may disrupt animals, especially marine animals (Piper) Scientific/Global: Cost and Efficiency Source: IEA PV Power Systems Programme, 2003 • Solar energy costs 18 to 23 cents per kilowatt-hour to produce. (LA Daily News, 2007) This cost gap is the barrier for the dissemination of solar PV • Natural gas in some states costs 5 cents per kilowatt-hour to produce. (LA Daily News, 2007) • Wind Power at Home • Wind turbines can be installed on homes or businesses • Owners can actually sell the excess power they generate back to the power companies • Growth in these kind of systems is at nearly 20% per year (AWEA) Social(eere,2007) • Economy • 1996 created 30,00 jobs • 1.5 billion dollar a yea industry Source: IEA PV Power Systems Programme, 2005 • Cost • Near a geyser about $0.03 per KWh • Anywhere else about $0.05 per KWh Bird Strikes • Current highest efficiency is 42.8 percent, which is almost the theoretical maximum efficiency. • (Corcoran, 2007) • Local Wind Power • Puget Sound Energy operated a 150-MW plant along Hopkins Ridge and has plans to build a 230-MW plant in the same area (Wind Power Outlook 2006) • Direct Use • Used in homes, greenhouse, gold mining, etc • Costs 80% less than fossil fuels All we have to do is to think the way of mass production which can produce solar cell Cheaply. • Bird strikes • are very rare • On average • only one in 10,000 • bird deaths are from • turbines (Wind Power • Outlook 2006) • Turbine blades spin at low • revolution • Denmark Wind Power • Denmark produces over 20% of its energy from the wind (VoldgadeIf) • The United Stated produces just .4% of our electricity needs from wind (Hartsook)