POWERED BY THE SUN:RENEWABLE ENERGY MYTHS, DISTORTIONS AND REALITY

OUTLINES

History

Traditional Sources of Energy

Current and Projected Energy Production

Renewable Energy Resources

Discussion and Evaluation

Pearl Street station 1882HISTORY

A sketch of the exterior of the Pearl Street station. Courtesy: Photographic Services of the Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc.

First commercial station 1882- Built by Thomas Edison- Operated on DC current- Started with 59 customers!- Cost: 24¢/KWh- Operated on coal- Operated at night only

until 1889

THE FIRST COMMERCIAL STATION

Each “jumbo dynamo” produced 100 KW power enough to power 1200 light bulbs

6 dynamos were installed in the station to light up 1 square mile in New York City.

Edison's Jumbo dynamo. Courtesy: National Park Service, Edison National Historic Site.

27-ton “Jumbo” dynamo

POWER GENERATION

(a) A 2-pole machine has one N and one S pole on the rotor and on the stator. (b) A 4-pole machine has 4 poles on the rotor and 4 on the stator.

Renewable and efficient electric power systems / Gilbert M. Masters, 2004, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.,

FOSSIL FUEL, STEAM-ELECTRIC POWER

PLANT

Renewable and efficient electric power systems / Gilbert M. Masters, 2004 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.,

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COAL PLANT

The pictures you see

Reality

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COAL POWER

Mass flows to generate 1 kWh of electricity in a 33.3% efficient, coal-firedpower plant burning bituminous coal

FOSSIL FUEL-FIRED POWER PLANTS

Burn coal heat water steam turn the turbine

500 plants currently in operation

Three types: Pulverized Coal plants: – burn coal only - most polluting, ~ 37-

38% efficiency Fluidized Bed plant: – burn coal, biomass, waste, tires, other

fuel. 40 to 50% efficiency. Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) plants: burn

syngas (synthetic gas, extracted from coal and other organic materials). 60% efficiency. more expensive.

There is no such thing as clean coal!

ENVIRONMENTAL COST

For each megawatt-hour from a coal plant:

2,249 lbs of carbon dioxide,

13 lbs of sulfur dioxide, and

6 lbs of nitrogen oxide

Traces of mercury (Hg)

> 140 other chemicals classified as “hazardous air pollutants” by the EPA

STOP: GREENHOUSE GASES ARE GOOD!

• The Earth average temperature is 15o while the Moon’s average temperature is -18o

• Both objects are within similar distance from the sun

• The question is how much is released?

• Are we tipping the balance

NUCLEAR POWER

Two types:

1. The Boiling Water Reactor (BWR)

2. The Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR)

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THE BOILING WATER REACTOR (BWR)

Boiling Water Reactors

200 MeV

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THE BOILING WATER REACTOR (BWR)

The Boiling Water Reactor (BWR)

BWRs actually boil the water. Water is converted to steam, and then recycled back into water by a part called the condenser, to be used again in the heat process.

Pressure =70 atmosphere

H2O boiling T= 285 oC

Operating Efficiency = 32%

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THE PRESSURIZED WATER REACTOR

(PWR)

The Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR)Pressure =160 atmosphere

H2O boiling T= 315 oC

THE PRESSURIZED WATER REACTOR

(PWR)

NUCLEAR PLANTS

Positives

CO2 emissions are minimal

The power produced by the world's nuclear plants would normally produce 2 billon metric tons of CO2 per year if they depended on fossil fuels

Negatives

Annually generates 20 metric tons of used high-level radioactive nuclear waste. Over 2,000 metric tons produced yearly world wide.

The waste emits radiation and heat, meaning that it will eventually corrode any container and can prove lethal to nearby life forms

It takes tens of thousands of years for the waste to reach safe radioactive levels

The waste has to be maintained, monitored and guarded to prevent the materials from falling into the wrong hands. All of these services and added materials cost money -- on top of the high costs required to build a plant.

U-235 halflife = 700 million years U-238 halflife = 4.5 billion years

NUCLEAR PLANTS

Investment $2.5 to 4 Billion

Investment recovery time: 25 to 40 years

~ One decade to plan

Federal new nuclear generation tax credit: $1 billion per first Gegawatt of power

WHERE IN THE USA?

WHERE DOES IT GO?

WORLD TOTAL ELECTRICITY NET GENERATION

(TERAWATTHOURS)

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Energy Information Administration (EIA)-US Government

WORLD GENERATION PERCENTAGE

Elect

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Energy Information Administration (EIA)-US Government

NORTH AMERICA PROJECTION

POWER GENERATION2008

Energy Information Administration (EIA)-US Government

THE ROLE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY CONSUMPTION IN THE NATION’S ENERGY

SUPPLY, 2007

Total

Energy

Consum

ption

Energy Information Administration (EIA)-US Government

Marland, G., T.A. Boden, and R. J. Andres. 2003. "Global, Regional, and National CO2 Emissions." In Trends: A Compendium of Data on Global Change. Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge, Tenn., U.S.A. http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/trends/emis/tre_glob.htm]

Note the start of coal contributionand petroleum contribution (cars)

Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC)

Note the change in Europe’s contributionMostly due environmental policies

OBSESSION WITH FOSSIL

CNN News Feb. 1, 2009:

Exxon shatters profit records

Oil giant makes corporate history by booking $11.7 billion in quarterly profit; earns $1,300 a second in 2007.

This is during recession!!!

Sources:

1. Hydroelectric

2. Geothermal

3. Ocean/Tides

4. Wind

5. Biomass

6. Solar

RENEWABLE SOURCES

COMPARISON

Renewable Traditional, fossil based

Examples Wind, solar, tidal, hydro, geothermal Coal, biomass, oil, gas, radioactive ore

Source Natural local environment Concentrated stock

Normal state A current or flow of energy Static store of energy, Capital

Initial average intensity

Low intensity, dispersed: ≤300Wm−2 Released at ≥100kWm−2

Lifetime of supply Infinite Finite

Cost at source Free Increasingly expensive

Location for use Site- and society-specific General and invariant use

COMPARISONRenewable Traditional, fossil based

Scale Small and moderate, self-sufficient

Large scale often economic, depends on outside input

Pollution andenvironmental damage

Usually little or no environmental harm,

Large hydro reservoirs disruptive

Compatible with natural ecology

Environmental pollution intrinsic and common, especially of air and water

Soil erosion from excessive biofuel usePermanent damage common from mining and radioactive

elements entering water table.

Deforestation and ecological sterilization from excessive air pollution

Climate change emissions

HYDROELECTRICOLDEST RENEWABLE

SOURCE No fuel combustion

Minimal air pollution compared to fossil fuel plants

limited thermal pollution compared with nuclear plants

Like other energy sources, the use of water for generation has limitations, including environmental impacts caused by damming rivers and streams, which affects the habitats of the local plant, fish, and animal life.

HYDROELECTRIC

HYDROELECTRIC

Photo courtesy U.S. Bureau of ReclamationThe giant generators at Hoover Dam produce more than 2,000 megawatts.

http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/hyhowworks.html

Photo courtesy U.S. Bureau of ReclamationThe shaft that connects the turbine and generator

SMALL HYDROPOWER

HYDROELECTRIC FUN

Photo courtesy U.S. Patent and Trademark OfficeImage from patent No. 6,239,501:

Footwear with hydroelectric generator assembly

GEOTHERMAL

- The center of the earth is approximately 4000 degrees Celsius

- Geothermal energy is contained in underground reservoirs of steam, hot water, and hot dry rocks

~10000 ft

WIND

BIOMASS

Three Main Sources:

Wood

- Direct use of wood

- Wood waste:

Waste:

- Municipal solid waste,

- recycling, composting, landfilling, and waste-to-energy via incineration

- manufacturing waste

- landfill gas

Alcohol fuels Mostly from Corn

Wood and wood wasteMunicipal solid waste

Landfill gas

SOLARTHERMAL

Solar thermal:

- from heating swimming pools to creating steam for electricity generation

Stirling Energy Systems, Inc. (SES)/Boeing, 25 kW Dish Stirling system at sunset

Heating only

SOLAR THERMAL

Ausra claims that a land footprint of 9,600 square miles, about 1% of US deserts is needed to power the whole USA.

HOW MUCH AREA FOR THERMAL SOLAR

how much land would be needed to power the world, Europe or Germany with solar-thermal power Spiegel Online

SOLARPHOTOVOLTAIC

Diagram courtesy U.S. Department of Energy

47Bandgaps and lattice constants of common semiconductors

CONVENTIONAL PLOT OF THE SUN’S

RADIATION

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Solar_Spectrum.png

M.-A. HASAN

49

CONVENTIONAL PLOT OF THE SUN’S

RADIATION

Note the change in the coordinates

A NEW LOOK AT THE SUN’S RADIATION

Number of photons is a major factor

M.-A. HASAN

51SILICON ABSORPTION

HOW MUCH ABSORBED AT WHAT ENERGY?

ABSORBED AND WASTED ENERGY

Wasted Absorbed

RENEWABLE SOURCES

Source Theoretical limit

Feasible

Hydroelectric 4.6 TW 1.5 TWGeothermal 11.6 TW (land) 200 oC @ 10Km- cost $$$

Ocean/Tides 2.7 TWWind 300 TW 2 TWBiomass 20 TW Require 31% of the planet’s land

Solar 1.2x105 TW 600 TW 50 to 1500 TW depending on land fraction, 10% efficiency,

Needs by 2010: ~ 17 TW

WHERE TO SPEND YOUR TAXES

Federal new nuclear generation tax credit: $1 billion per first Gegawatt of power incentives to 3 nuclear reactors

Capacity 3 – 4.5 GW Payback period 25-40 yrs

OR

Renewable energy (tax credit) 3 GW of clean solar power Payback period 5-10 yrs

ETHICAL ISSUES

Is it Ok to litter in your neighborhood, smoke in a classroom?

Why then litter the whole globe?

CRITICAL THINKING OF FOSSIL GEEKS! Bird droppings

DOES COAL OR NUCLEAR PLANTS

RUN WITH NO MAINTENANCE?

Tuxedo Flight Suit

Bird Diapers

CRITICAL THINKING OF SCORCH-EARTH

GEEKS! Communists and socialists ideas

A: Aren’t we making communists look good? When did communists were green? They destroyed the environment of every country they ruled.

Encyclopedia Britannica web

CRITICAL THINKING OF SCORCH-EARTH

GEEKS! Efficiency is not high!

How much are we paying for the sun light to ask about efficiency?

Commercial single crystalline solar cell > 20%

Poly crystalline cells > 15%

CRITICAL THINKING OF SCORCH-EARTH

GEEKS! Solar farms require large areas

A: It might be true that actual foot print of a coal or a nuclear plant is small, but the waste backyard is much larger, from poisoning whole lakes to atmospheric impact. The large area has a positive impact. It utilizes deserts and wastelands.

Example of lands needed for 1 MW solar plant:- 1 MWp panels produces ~ 5.5 MWh each day (North

Carolina)- Efficiency: 13.4%, Area:7992 m2 = 1.975 Acre (based on commercial panels)- Average house consume ~10 KWh/day 550 houses- There are 271,790 houses in charlotte* (2.4 household size)- Power plant area for charlotte: 495*1.975= 973 Acre.- 1 GWp plant 1975 Acres = 7.99 km2 = 3 miles2

Not bad!!*http://realestate.aol.com/Charlotte-NC-real-estate

HOW MUCH AREA

the world's current demand (assuming efficiency of 8%).

- current solar panels have an efficiency higher than 16%

The colors in the map show the local solar irradiance averaged over three years from 1991 to 1993 (24 hours a day) taking into account the cloud coverage available from weather satellites

HOW MUCH AREA

Location / Desert Desert Size km2 [1]

Irradiation W m-2

Area required km2

Africa, Sahara 9,064,960 260 144,231Australia, Great Sandy 388,500 265 141,509China, Takla Makan 271,950 210 178,571Middle-East, Arabian 2,589,910 270 138,889South America, Atacama 139,860 275 136,364U.S.A., Great Basin 492,100 220 170,455

References

1) Map of World Deserts. http://www.mapsofworld.com/world-desert-map.htm

CRITICAL THINKING OF SCORCH-EARTH

GEEKS! You can not drive a car with it!

Is this is an energy criteria? Do we drive cars with nuclear power?

The “green car” of today’s technology is driven by electricity.

Solar power can charge the battery while parking during work

Google Headquarter –CaliforniaSolar Powered: 50 megawatts of electricity by 2012

car port with solar panels as a roof for charging up plug-in hybrids.

Google officials: investment will pay for itself in seven and a half years

Radiation power is too low, only 200 W/m2 What can you do with 200 W/m2 ?

A: misconception; ~ 1 KWh/m2 for 5 to 6 hrs 5 to 6 KWh/m2.day an effective average of ~ 210 to 250 W/m2 at any time

CRITICAL THINKING OF SCORCH-EARTH

GEEKS!

Too much material is needed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Effective needed thicknessis less than 10 microns

YES, WE CAN HAVE ZERO EMISSION

Source Theoretical limit Feasible

Hydroelectric 4.6 TW 1.5 TW

Geothermal 11.6 TW (land) 200 oC @ 10Km- cost $$$

Ocean/Tides 2.7 TW

Wind 300 TW 2 TW

Biomass 20 TW Require 31% of the planet’s land

Solar 1.2x105 TW 600 TW 50 to 1500 TW depending on land fraction, 10% efficiency,

Needs by 2010: ~ 17 TW

From: Nathan Lewis, Cal tech

Solar PV prices

6% Compound annual growth

4% Compound annual growth

Grid electricity prices

Convergence zone

Projected conversion time frame

Price range

MARKET OVERVIEW: PRICE CONVERGENCE

Price convergence between the Grid and solar energy is expected between ~ 2011 and 2016

SUMMARY

Nature provide ample of resources to use

Our energy need is growing

Solar in 1 hour > Fossil in one year, but we spend in 1 hour $$$ gasoline > solar R&D in 6 years

The case for CO2 reduction is clear

Incentives must be employed now in order to achieve CO2 reduction by the middle of the century

Is failure an option?

Approximate location of Voyager 1 while taking the photograph

Sun

PALE BLUE DOT!

From: NASA and Wikipedia

Light from Earth travels 5.5 hrs for the signal to reach Voyager 1.

Earth seen from 6.4 billion kilometers away, Earth is a dot obscured in a beam of scattered sunlight. Earth was a crescent only 0.12 pixel in size!

Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars orbits are small to show

Earth

Carl Sagan on Commencement speech on May 11, 1996:Consider again that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every …… every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam .…..

Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds.

Our posturing, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.