Alternative Energy

1. Alternative Energy Emily Porcari Patrick Burns James O’Brien Grant Heminger Matt Kilchenman Erin Brennan

2. Hydropower

3. What is Hydropower? • Hydropower is energy that comes from the force of flowing water. • Hydropower is referred to as a renewable energy source because water on Earth is continuously restored through precipitation. • As long as the water cycle continues we will never run out of Hydropower. • Hydropower currently provides 96% of the United States renewable energy.

4. How does Hydropower Work?

5. Importance • Hydropower currently supplies about 10% of the United States electricity, but it has supplied much more • In the 1920’s hydroelectric power supplied near 40 % • True importance lies with its ability to respond quickly in times of need. • Hydropower can be started and shutdown instantly to go for immediate demands

6. Challenges and Barriers • Site Specific impacts on local ecosystems and surrounding committees • Environmental and regulatory issues • Timing and development of ways to transport the power • Hydropower is often feasible in remote locations • Transport is difficult, and in order to do so efficiently the power must follow the process below

7. Policy • Currently the constraints on hydroelectric development stem from but aren’t limited too these main issues: technical, environmental, financial, and tariff related Some examples of this policy include… • The Hydroreform pointed out these acts as being very influential in hydroelectric power • Feed In Tariffs • EPAct • Green Pricing Programs

8. Hoover Dam

9. Hoover Dam • Construction started in 1931 and was completed in 1936 • Built along the Colorado River • Designed for power generation, agricultural purposes, and to prevent flooding • Dam formed Lake Mead which is the largest water reservoir in the United States

10. Hoover Dam (Cont…) • Hoover Dam generates about 4 billions kilowatt-hours of hydroelectric power which is enough to provide for about 1.3 million people in Nevada, Arizona, and California • Was largest hydroelectric installation but still remains one of the countries largest • Provides energy to many people with no associated greenhouse gases and allows Colorado River to be controlled, which helps provide local farmers with a regular supply of water

11. Wind Power

12. Wind Energy • Wind Turbines convert wind in to electricity • Use of wind power is growing every year • Provide electricity through out the world

13. Wind Energy Statistics • World Wind Power Capacity: 190,000 MW • U.S. Wind Power Capacity: 43,000 MW • States with Utility-Scale wind turbines: 38 • Most productive state: Texas 10,000 MW • Ohio: 27th with 67 MW

14. windpoweringamerica.gov

15. Wind Energy Policies • Tax Credit: 2.2 cents/kilowatt-hour • Renewable Electricity Standard • Ohio: 25% by 2025 • Transmission Policies • Federal Energy Regulatory Commission passed Order 1000 • Siting Policies • U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

16. Fowler Ridge Wind Farm

17. Fowler Ridge Wind Farm • Located in NW Indiana in Benton County • Owned and operated by both BP Alternative Energy North America and Dominion Resources with each owning a 50% stake in it • Being built in three phases • Phase 1- constructed from 2008 to 2009 and can produce 400 MW of power • Phase 2- constructed from 2009-2010 and can produced 200 MW of power • Phase 3- is expected to begin soon and will produce 150 MW of power

18. Fowler Ridge Wind Farm (Cont…) • 460 turbines with a capacity of 600 MW • Can power about 200,000 average American households • Along with other projects has led to Indiana to be ranked as one of the top three fastest growing states in generating wind power by the American Wind Energy Association • Spread over 50,000 acres of land it is one of the largest wind farms in the world

19. Solar Energy

20. Solar Energy • Passive Solar Energy • Active Thermal Energy • Solar PV

21. Passive Solar Energy • Simplest form of Solar Heating • Used for Centuries • South Facing Windows • Overhangs on Windows

22. Passive Solar Energy

23. Solar Thermal Systems • Power Generation – Trough System, Heliostat • High Heat Produced • Home Water Heating – Evacuated Tubes, Flat-Plate, Non-Glazed Collectors • Medium to low heat produced

27. Solar Photovoltaic • Monocrystalline Silicon – One large Crystal • Polycrystalline Silicon – Thousands of Compressed Crystals • Thin Film

29. Solar Energy Generating Systems (SEGS)

30. SEGS • Located in California’s Mojave Desert • Consists of several solar plants constructed from 1984 to 1991 • Newer plants are more technologically advanced and cheaper at providing electricity • Designed to supply power during peak demand periods • Specifically hot summer afternoons because power usage is high and so is plant production

31. SEGS (Cont…) • Largest solar energy facility in the world with capacity of 354 MW • During peak production it can power 230,000 homes • Offsets an estimated 3,800 tons of pollutants that would have been produced • Covers more than 1,500 acres in the desert with more that 900,000 mirrors that convert the sunlight to energy we can use • Can still work on cloudy days because the plant has a supplementary gas boiler which can heat water the generate electricity through steam

32. Alternative Energy Legislation

33. Beginnings of Alternative Energy Legislation • Clean Air Act of 1970 • Called for a reduction in mobile pollutants • Alternative Motor Fuels Act • Established the use of CAFE Credits • Corporate Average Fuel Economy • Aimed to improve average fuel economy of cars and light vehicles.

34. Energy Policy Act 1992 • Energy Policy Act 1992 • Imposed regulations and requirements for state, federal and alternative fuel providers to develop more energy efficient vehicles • Amended several times over the years • Also included provisions on wind, biomass, geothermal , hydropower energy. • Energy Policy Act of 2005 • Expanded focus on the development and growth of the alternative fuel sector • Focused on developing an infrastructure

35. Extensions • Incentive programs for alternative energy have continually been extended from the Energy Policy Act of 1992. • Extensions on alternative energy, in particular wind production tax incentives, are currently being considered by the Ways and Means Committee (2016)

36. Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 and 2008 • Aimed to increase alternative energy sources and raise CAFE standards • Provides tax credits and exemptions for alternative energy and more efficient technologies.

37. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 • Allocated $800 billion for investment and development of alternative energies • Intended to move the U.S. towards energy independence. • $2.5 million designated for research, development, and implementation of energy efficiency and renewable energies.

38. State Level Initiatives • E.X. SREC Trade • Solar Renewable Energy Certificates • Creates an incentive to purchase solar energy • Requires providers to purchase a certain amount of their energy from solar generators • SREC Markets • Ohio market • In-state, outof state systems • 50% of SRECs must be generated from in-state sources

39. srectrade.com

40. Future of Alternative Energies

41. Goals and concerns for the future • Security of supply: make sure enough energy is available • Limit carbon emissions to slow global warming • High energy prices could affect economic development Source: http://sapiens.revues.org

42. Advances in alternative energy • Photovoltaic systems are increasing in cost-effectiveness with “thin film” technology • Geo-exchange systems (ground source heat pumps) can save on home heating costs • DOE renewable energy lab created a website with a nationwide list of alternative vehicle fueling stations • Source: www.nrel.gov

43. New energy technologies? • Combining 2 energy sources • Solar-electric watercraft • Airborne wind farms • Source: www.alternative-energy-news.info

44. Other possible technologies • Algae as biofuel • Solar wind power • Robots to clean up oil spills • Source: www.alternative-energy-news.info

45. 100% of energy could be renewable • Some scientists believe 100% of energy on earth could be renewable by 2030 • Wind and solar energy that is available is much more than energy consumed • 3.8 million wind turbines, 90,000 solar plants, more geothermal and tidal energy • Cost of power would be less than for fossil fuels and nuclear power • Lack of political will is a major obstacle • Source: www.scientificamerican.com

46. Sources • "Powering the Plains: Energy Transition Road Map." Great Plains Institute. Bush Foundation, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. <http://gpisd.net/vertical/Sites/%7B1510F0B9-E3E3-419B-AE3B-582B8097D492%7D/uploads/%7BEE509178-B6AE-4614-BBA4-D7600B66683A%7D.PDF>. • "Hydroelectric Power and Water. Basic Information about Hydroelectricity, USGS Water Science for Schools." USGS Georgia Water Science Center - Home Page. Ed. Howard Perlman. United States Government, 8 Feb. 2011. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. <http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/wuhy.html>. • "Hydroelectric Power: How It Works, USGS Water Science for Schools." USGS Georgia Water Science Center - Home Page. Ed. Howard Perlman. 8 Feb. 2011. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. <http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/hyhowworks.html>. • "Hydroelectric Power." Bureau of Reclamation. U.S. Department of the Interior, July 2005. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. <http://www.usbr.gov/power/edu/pamphlet.pdf>. • Konigsberg, Jan. "POTENTIAL EFFECT OF FEED-IN TARIFF ON HYDROELECTRIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE UNITED STATE." Hydropower Reform Coalition. Drupal, Dec. 2009. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. <http://www.hydroreform.org/>. • Hydropower Reform Coalition. Drupal, Dec. 2009. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. <http://www.hydroreform.org/>. • "THE HISTORY of HYDROPOWER DEVELOPMENT IN THE UNITED STATES."Bureau of Reclamation. US Department of the Interior, 8 Dec. 2009. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. <http://www.usbr.gov/power/edu/history.html>.