Alternative Energy Project

You and a partner will randomly select an alternative energy and create an 8-10 minute PowerPoint presentation. You

will present your presentation on ________________ and __________________. Make sure to include a bibliography of

your sources for your presentation and make sure to reference them in your actual presentation. Both group members

must equally contribute to the production of the PowerPoint and presentation. Some sections will require more work

than others. Please dress professionally with your partner. The required items that must be in the presentation:

1. History of the Energy source

a. Who founded this type of energy (developmental pioneers)?

b. When was it invented, developed, or used?

2. Specific use of energy source?

a. What do we use it for?

b. How do we use it?

c. Where is this energy useful (applications); not useful or not efficient?

d. Name all that apply and provide a description of each one.

e. Is it used to produce electricity?

f. Is it used to produce heat?

g. Is it used to move objects (machines)?

3. How has the function of the energy source changed throughout history?

4. How much does your energy source cost?

a. How much do consumers pay to use this energy

b. Is it cost effective to make?

c. What is the estimated cost of maintenance?

d. Are costs per (J) joule, (kJ) kilo joule, BTU available?

5. How much more energy efficient (effective) is this energy source than others in doing a task?

a. Is it better at providing heat, electricity, etc.?

b. How much better or worse (looking for % or factual referenced based data/calculations)?

6. Where is this energy source most often used (where would we see it)?

a. Please show visuals for locations in order for audience to visualize, local, state, U.S., world?

7. What are some positive effects of your energy source on the environment?

8. What are some negative effects of your energy source on the environment?

9. Laws or subsidies for/against your energy source, U.S., worldwide?

10. Are there plans to use this energy source to produce new types of energy in the future?

a. What is the latest research taking place with the energy source, will it have more than one function or

use in the future?

11. Include two recent current events on your energy source, summarize and give your opinion on.

12. Include a strong conclusion on why your energy source should be used over all others or not?

Rubric

Presentation

____/25

Keeps audience’s

attention,

references

sources, very

informative, dress

prof., 50/50

presentation (25)

References

sources, some

reading,

informative, dress

semipro. 60/40

presentation(19)

Does not

reference

sources, a lot of

reading, no eye

contact, not dress

prof. 70/30

presentation (13)

Incoherent, does

not show

evidence of any

knowledge of

topic, 2nd did not

present (7)

Content

____/25

Addresses the

majority of

content in an

informative

manner (25)

Addresses the

85% of content in

an informative

manner (19)

Addresses the

75% of content in

an informative

manner (13)

Addresses the

65% of content in

an informative

manner (7)

Graphics

____/25

Outstanding

quality, very neat

and balanced

with text keeps

audience’s

attention at all

times (25)

Less than

outstanding

quality, less clear,

text takes away

from pictures,

mostly keeps

audience’s

attention (19)

Poor graphics,

dull, too much

text causes

presenter to read

from slides does

not keep

audience’s

attention (13)

Little or no effort

evident, no

concern for

graphic rules (7)

Science

Accuracy

____/25

Scientifically

correct, clear and

complete

explanation, cites

all sources (25)

One science error

or limited

explanation, cites

most sources (19)

Two science

errors or vague

and limited

explanations,

unclear, rarely

cites sources (13)

Three errors or

little explanation

given, does not

cite more than 1

source (7)

Four or more

errors or no

explanation (0)

Total Score ______

1

Name ____________________________

Sustainable Energy

Please number each concept below, if the concept has an *, please illustrate.

Active solar system Biofuel Energy efficiency

Fuel cells* Geothermal energy Hybrid gasoline-electric vehicles

Passive heat absorption* Photovoltaic cell*

Chapter 20 Sustainable Energy

A. Conservation

1. One of easiest ways to avoid energy shortages and to relieve environmental degradation is simply _________

2. There are ways to save energy

a. _________________- produce 4x the light and last 10x as long compared to incandescent bulbs

b. ___________________- even more efficient than fluorescents

c. better insulation, sealing of cracks, new ___________________

d. More efficient ___________________- washers- use 35% less water,

e. orienting your house _____________________ allows for passive solar gain in the winter

f. Turn off appliances to save energy!!

3. Transportation could be far more efficient______________________ emissions

b. 13.3 mpg in 1973, 25.9 mpg in 1988, 20.4 mpg in 2004 (lowered due to cheap gas and SUVs)

c. Some argue that trucks and SUVs are safer during collision, however studies have shown they are

more dangerous than the typical midsize auto due to being hard to control due ______________

d. Hybrid gasoline-electric vehicles- have the highest efficiency up to 55 mpg and lowest emissions in the

U.S.

e. Diesel- some European models can get up to 78 mpg

B. Tapping Solar Energy

1. Solar collectors can be passive or active

a. ________- glassed walled sunspace/greenhouse have walls that absorb heat that can be used at night

b. __________- generally pump a heat-absorbing fluid (water, air) through a relatively small collector

that can provide heating or hot water

C. High-Temperature Solar Energy

1. _________________ can focus on a central tube where fluid in the tube can reach much higher temperatures

2. Solar box cookers are a great option in developing countries

3. _______________________ capture solar energy by separating electrons from their parent atoms and

accelerating them across a one-way electrostatic barrier creating an electrical current

D. Fuel Cells

1. Devices that use ongoing electrochemical reactions to produce an electric current, similar to batteries but

rather than recharging you add more fuel

a. Advantages- small size, high efficiency, low emission, net water production, no moving parts and high

reliability

b. Engineers are focused on improving efficiency of fuel cells for autos but this could take

__________________ to set up with infrastructure

E. Energy from Biomass

1. Biomass has the potential to be a prime source of energy, it is renewable and easy access, accounts for

______ of total world energy use

2

2. Examples-wood, wood chips, bark, branches, leaves, starchy roots, etc.

3. Developed countries mainly use wood through woodstoves, drawbacks _____________________

4. In Vermont, fossil fuels are expensive, unmarketable ______________ are burned to fuel a 50 megawatt

power plant in Burlington

5. Developing countries depend on ___________________________ as their primary energy source, due to

rapid population growth, deforestation has increased

6. Dung and methane can be fuel

a. Where wood is in short supply, people dry and burn _____________________, drawbacks- not

putting manure on back as fertilizer reduces crop production

b. Methane is the main component in natural gas being produced by anaerobic decomposition of any

moist ______________________ (swamp gas is explosive, swamps are large methane digesters)

-Burning methane produced from manure provides more heat than burning the dung itself

-Developed countries’ landfills produce methane that is used to generate electricity for 1 million

homes

7. Fuels can be produced from crop plants

a. ___________ (grain alcohol) and _______________(wood alcohol) can be used to power

automobiles, combined with gasoline is called biofuel or gasohaul

b. Brazil has instituted an ambitious national program to substitute crop-based ethanol for imported

petroleum, ethanol is 40% cheaper than gasoline

c. Some crops are being raised specifically as an energy source: eucalyptus, poplar, shrub such as alder

and willow, milkweeds, sedges, marsh grasses, cattails, drawbacks- ecosystem disruption and increases

the price on food- corn and wheat, when being shifted towards energy

F. Energy from the Earth’s Forces

1. Hydropower- _____________ electricity come from water turbines, Three Gorges dam (2 km long and 600 ft

tall) will generate 25,000 mw of power= 25 large nuclear power plants

a. Drawbacks- displaces population, ___________________, sediments accumulate behind dam,

migratory fish paths disrupted

b. Small micro-hydro generators provide economical power for a single home

2. Wind Energy- fastest growing renewable source, European companies dominate the

_____________________ per year market

a. Largest wind turbines are as tall as _____________________ and 62 meter blades that can generate 5

mw, enough for 5,000 typical American homes

b. Wind power offers enormous potential at an estimated 20 million mw of energy, it would be _______

the total current global electrical generating capacity

c. Each tower takes abut .25 acre of cropland, farmers get ______________ or more in annual rent for

each windmill and can still use 90% of their land for crops

d. drawbacks- ___________________, some people object to the sight of windmills, means to transfer e

energy only by high voltage power lines

3. Geothermal- Earth’s internal temperature near plate boundaries produce wet and dry steam along with hot

water

a. California’s Geysers power plant project is the world’s largest commercial geothermal electrical-

generating complex ______________ of energy

b. drawbacks- potential danger of noxious gases, noise

3

c. Just below ground level, the Earth is a nearly constant 50-70 degrees Fahrenheit, by using a set of

closed loop, underground tubes, homeowners can utilize this stable temp to help with space

heating/cooling

- Reduces home heating and cooling costs by __________ and can pay for itself in about 5 years

4. Tidal and Wave energy

a. The Rance River Power station in France, in operation since 1966 was the first large tidal electric

generation plant (160 mw), requires a high to low tide difference of several meters

b. Wave energy could be converted to power homes, the largest facility in _____________ generates

500 kW, enough for 400 homes

Incandescent vs. CFL Light Bulbs Measuring Electricity – Electricity is measured in units of power called watts. The watt was named to honor James Watt, the inventor of the steam engine. One watt is a very small amount of power. It describes the rate at which electricity is being used at a specific moment. A kilowatt (kW) represents 1,000 watts. The amount of electricity a customer uses over a period of time is measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh). Kilowatt-hours are what you see on your electricity bill at home. Have your parents show you this when the next electricity bill arrives at your home.

For example, if you use a 60-watt bulb, 4 hours a day for 30 days, you have used 7.2 kW of electrical energy. Sample Calculation: (60 watts) X (4 hours/day) X (30days) = 7200 watt-hours 7200 watt-hours/(1000 watts/kW) = 7.2 kW

Calculating lifespan costs of life bulbs: In comparing two choices in technology, lifespan costing is useful. (A bulb’s lifespan is the time it produces light, before burning out). To do this, one must think of all the costs associated with the product and its use, from purchase to disposal. Lifespan cost calculation for one light bulb = (Energy Cost in kWh) X (Lifespan of light bulb, in

hrs) X (Bulb wattage, in kW) + Purchase price of light bulb Assumptions: Purchase price of incandescent bulb = $0.75/bulb

Purchase price of CFL bulb = $6.00/bulb Energy cost= $0.075/kWh (7.5 cents per kWh) Incandescent bulb lifespan= 1,000 hours CFL lifespan= 10,000 hours Incandescent wattage= 60 CFL wattage= 13

What would be the lifespan cost for an incandescent and a CFL over 10,000 hours? (show work below)

1. Incandescent:

CFL:

2. How much will you save over the given time period with a CFL?

3. How much would you save if you replaced 15 of your light bulbs with cfl’s over the given time period? Calculating CO2 Air Pollution associated with a light bulb’s energy needs The carbon dioxide pollution produced when energy for one light bulb is generated = (1.37 lbs of CO2/kWh) x (bulb wattage in kW)x (hours of bulb life)

4. How much more CO2 is generated from an incandescent vs. a cfl over 10,000 hours? (show work below) Incandescent:

CFL:

9 week environmental Science Chapter 20 Questions

Begin on page 447 with the case study on Sea Power:

1. What environmental issue did Prime Minister Tony Blair say is just as devastating as terrorism or

weapons of mass destruction?

2. What did Tony Blair pledge to do to reduce this problem?

3. Offshore wind projects underway in the U.K. are expected to provide what amount of energy?

4. Where is the first large-scale offshore wind farm in the United States proposed to be built and what

quantity of electricity is it projected to supply?

5. In regards to the proposed wind farm in the U.S., what are some reasons why the project has been

stalled?

Turn to page 447:

6. What are straw bale houses and what are the advantages of them? How are they built to make sure

that the straw does not decay?

7. What is one of the most direct and immediate ways that individuals can save energy and money?

Turn to page 466 and begin at the section titled, “Wind energy is our fastest growing renewable source”:

8. What was the Rural Electrification Act of 1935 and what was its impact on wind power?

9. What is the size of modern wind machines (hint look at the picture in Figure 20.27) and what is the

relative cost of power generated from them compared with cost of electricity from coal and nuclear power

plants.

Turn to page 468 and begin reading at the section titled “Geothermal energy can supplement other

sources”:

10. Use the figure 20.30 on page 469 to explain how geothermal energy works to heat and cool a home.

Turn to page 461 and begin reading at the section titled “Fuelwood is in short supply in many less-

developed countries”:

11. What is the fuel source for 2 billion people, or 40% of the world’s population?

12. What is the difficulty with using such fuel in many developing countries?

13. People in developing countries often use animal dung when other fuel sources are too difficult to find

or afford. What are the downsides of using animal dung as a fuel, especially in regards to the soil?

Name ___________________

Fossil Fuels

1. What are the following used for?

a. Gasoline

b. Coal

c. Natural Gas

2. Why did coal replace wood?

3. What is coal?

4. How did it form, and what are the three types?

5. How much longer will coal last, where is most of it found?

6. What does oil come from?

7. How much of U.S. oil reserves have been used?

8. Who has the oil?

9. What are some negative impacts of using fossil fuels?

Energy /Technology What is it best used for? Other uses?

How much does it cost?

Positive effects of Negative Impact of this energy/technology

2 Interesting things that you learned

Electric Car

Hydrogen Car/Fuel Cells

Tidal Power

Wave Power

Solar Power

Wind Power

Hydroelectricity

Geothermal Electricity

Geothermal Heating

Biomass

Compressed Natural Gas

Nuclear Energy