Earth Hour 2008

As some of you may know, this past Saturday from 8:00-9:00 P.M. Earth Hour took place in 24 cities worldwide. Earth Hour is a global incentive to make a powerful statement about coal, the greatest contributor to global warming.

Earth Hour was initiated last year in Sydney, Australia and was a huge success. This year, Chicago was among the cities that participated in Earth Hour. This initiative is primarily about demonstrating how small steps that we can all take can add up to making a huge difference in the fight against global climate change.

Read more about local Earth Hour efforts here.

The official Earth Hour web page is located here.




Above is a picture of the Chicago skyline, both on a regular evening and during Earth Hour 2008.
Chicago is considered one of the "greenest" cities in the United States. Every year, a greater number of "green" buildings are built, and many of the loop's high-rises contain rooftop gardens.

To learn more about local efforts to support alternative energy, look to the City of Chicago's Center for Green Technology.

In the vein of Earth Hour 2008, which is considered largely a success, remember that it's the small things you can do that really make a difference. Recycle, turn out the lights when you're not using them, and ride your bike to class on the next sunny day!

Nuclear Power

Here is a review of The Future of Nuclear Power, an Interdisciplinary MIT Study

Background:
This study discussed what would be needed to make nuclear power a fisiable option for reducing greenshouse gas emissions while still meeting the increase in demand of electricity supply.

The authors of this study say, "The nuclear power option will only be excerised if technology demostrates better economics, improved safety, successful waste management, and low proliferation risk, and if public policies place a significant value on electricity production that doesn't produce CO2."

"In 2002, nuclear power supplied 20% of the US and 17% of the world electrcity consumption."

Study:
This study believes that nuclear power is a realistic option to lower greenhouse gas emissions in the near future as well as the distance future.

Problems with Nuclear Power:
1. Cost: in an unregulated market nuclear power is not competitive enough to with coal and natural gas to become a major source of power.
2. Safety: There are many potential health, environmental, and safety risks involved in the use of nuclear power.
3. Waste: disposal for nuclear waste is feasible, but the execution for this is not yet demostrated or certain.
4. Proliferation: there are currently inadequate international safeguards to meet the large number of security challenges brought by nuclear power.

Benefits of Nuclear Power:
1. Would lower greenhouse gas emissions if there is an increase in the use of nuclear power.
2. Does not emit CO2.
3. Helps us not depend on fossil fuels that can eventually run out.
4. For the US, helps lessen our dependence on foreign oil.

Review:
Overall I thought that the study did a really good job identifying the problems we face today with nuclear energy. But it also discussed how nuclear power is still a very realistic alternative energy source and that the world needs to look into making it more sustainable. This study did a great job discussing what government agencies and other people need to do to help solve this problems with nuclear energy. It made very good recommendations to people, like the US Department of Energy and others. I agree with most of this study and believe that we need to research nuclear energy further to help make it a better, more prevalent source of energy to the entire world.

http://web.mit.edu/nuclearpower/pdf/nuclearpower-summary.pdf

A Greener Elmhurst College?

Despite being a registered arboretum and containing more than 3,000 trees and shrubs of 650 different species, the Elmhurst College campus has not, until recently, taken any major steps into becoming a "green" campus. Despite half-hearted efforts of various groups around campus, the cafeteria still provides only Styrofoam cups for use at the soda fountain, and shockingly few students choose to use reusable plates and silverware. Even recycling of paper and plastic bottles is an issue.

However, the College administration has recently stepped up to the plate in a large way. With the release of the new campus "master plan," the College has vowed to transform the campus from a campus green only in color to a sustainable campus. The first incarnation of the master plan is the construction of West Hall, a new residence hall that will contain solar panels in the roof, used to heat hot water in the building. Solar panels will reduce the cost of heating water by about 40 to 50 percent.

Solar panels, otherwise known as flat-plate solar-thermal collectors have an absorber plate to which fluid circulation tubes are attached. The absorber is coated with a dark selective surface to assure the conversion of the sun’s radiation into heat, and the fluid circulating through the tubes carries the heat away to where it can be used or stored. Heated fluid (water, in this case) is pumped to a heat exchanger, where it gives off its heat, and is then circulated back to the panel to be reheated.

Advantages to solar panels are many. Other than the obvious installation cost, solar heat costs nothing and will reduce energy bills involved with the heating of water. Using energy from the sun is very environmentally friendly, as they do not produce any of the byproducts of traditional energy. This is not to say, however, that there are no drawbacks. Initial cost of installing solar panels is high. Also, it is not a full-proof method for heating a large residence hall with no backup energy sources, as a few cloudy weeks could leave 170 students with no hot water!

Despite drawbacks, however, the pros of installing solar panels in West Hall far outweigh the cons. While traditional energy methods will still have to be used, the new solar panels will reduce heating costs by 30-40%--and decrease the College's negative footprint on the atmosphere. While the solar panels are a great step in making the College "green," it is ultimately the responsibility of all members of the campus community to take charge of their actions and push the administration to further improve the campus.

Sources:

www.elmhurst.edu

http://solar-panels.kulvis.com/tag/solar-panels/

More than lattes?

This morning I ordered a soy latte at the local coffee shop. Have you ever watched your ‘barista’ make your latte? They heat the milk by simply blowing hot steam into the liquid until it froths and boils; a very odd process, but tasty results. As I watched the young girl make my beverage, I began to think of yet another use for steam: Geothermal energy.

Geothermal energy has been around for decades, yet is rarely talked about as a true alternative energy source. In an age that obsesses over ‘going green’, one would think more focus would be directed at this power source. Exploration of its history and plethora of uses reveals a wonderful possibility for the American – and world – energy sector.

The Greek word ‘geo’means earth and as many know, ‘thermal’ means heat. Putting this together, we see that geothermal energy comes from the earth’s heat. The process involves harnessing the heat and steam at the center of the earth to heat and cool buildings or generate electricity. This heat comes from the very core of the earth – about 4,000 thousand miles below the surface, a place that is hotter that the surface of the Sun.



One of the great benefits of geothermal energy is the sources availability. Unlike fossil fuels, biofuels, or other sources, geothermal energy is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year! Also, while hydrothermal energy is focused in certain areas, the earth’s heat and energy can be harnessed ANYWHERE.

There are three main uses for geothermal energy, each of which we will explore a bit:
1. Direct use and district heating system: hot water from springs or reservoirs.
2. Electricity Generation: creates energy from extremely hot steam or water, about 300 or 700 degrees.
3. Geothermal Heat Pumps: heats and cools buildings using the stable temperature of the earth

DIRECT
The direct use of geothermal energy involves using the hot water and steam from springs and reservoirs. History shows that ancient Romans, Chinese, and Native Americans used this hot water to cook and bath (hopefully not at the same time). When one thinks of hot springs in America, Yellow Stone National park frequently comes to mind and it is important to note that these national parks are protected by law and cannot be disturbed.
Modern direct uses of geothermal energy involve piping the hot water from the earth into buildings and a heating system (or through sidewalks to melt snow!).

ELECTRICITY GENERATION
Electricity generation from the earth’s energy is commonly called ‘hydrothermal’ power because it involves directly using the earth’s hot water. Wells with a depth of one to two miles can be dug, or power plants can be constructed. A hydrothermal power plant looks something like this:




The United States uses more geothermal electricity that any other country, yet our use of this power still only accounts to about 1% of our electricity power. California contains 33 geothermal power plants, Nevada contains 15, and Hawaii and Utah each have one plant.
As you envision these power plants, you may question the environment safety of this process, but do not worry! These power plants use no fossil fuel and emit about 1% of the carbon dioxide of a fossil fuel plant.

HEAT PLANTS
The upper 10 feet of the earths stays as a constant temperature of about 50-60 degrees, making it a perfect source for heating and cooling buildings. Harnessing this constant temperature is a perfect way to adjust building temperatures and is extremely energy efficient. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency calls geothermal energy the cleanest, most cost effective, and most energy efficient means of temperature (www.epa.gov ).

As the world looks at alternative energy sources, perhaps its time we start looking down…. That is, at the earth it self. Just a quick glance over the wonderful possibilities reveals a hope for cleaner energy through the harnessing of steam and hot water.
Maybe Starbucks has been onto something all along.


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Sources:
www.epa.gov
www.eia.doe.gov
www.dictionary.com
www.wikipedia.org

Photos From:
http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/renewable/geothermal.html

Hybrid Shoppers Guide!

This week my roommate and I were lamenting our lack of personal transportation when she announced she plans on getting a car this summer. I said “oh, really?” and she grinned and exclaimed “yes, a hybrid too!” And while obtaining transportation is exciting, I was stuck on my roommate’s comment about hybrids.
It seems everyone is getting a hybrid, talking about getting a hybrid, or discussing the importance of owning one. Perhaps society’s new obsession with ‘going green’ has encouraged this phenomenon, or maybe it’s just American’s enjoying technology. Whatever the cause, hybrids have created some excitement.
According to many definitions, the term hybrid means ‘having two sources’ (hybrid). Following this logic, a hybrid vehicle would be a vehicle deriving power from two sources. In today’s auto markets, this means gasoline and electric power. But are these automobiles worth it? Some seem to think that one hybrid is as good as another; others have no idea of the wide range of gas and electric vehicles available today. Here is a short comparison to put it all in perspective:


Miles Per Gallon
Best Hybrid: Toyota Prius
City: 48
Hwy: 45

Worst Hybrid: GMC Sierra Classic
City: 18
Hwy: 15

Emmissions
Best Hybrid: Toyota Prius
4.o Tons/per of CO2

Worst Hybrid: GMC Sierra Classic
11.4 Tons/year of CO2

Note: 1 gallon of gassoline = 20 lbs of Carbon Dioxide
check out: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/contentIncludes/co2_inc.htm

Air Pollution Score
scale: best 1 - 10 worst
Best Hybrid: Honda Accord and Honda Civic
Score: 9

Worst Hybrid: GMC Sierra Classic and Chevrolet Sivlerado
Score: 3

Annual Fuel Costs
Best Hybrid: Toyota Prius
Cost: $1051

Worst Hybrid: GMC Sierra Classic
Cost: $3028

Note: Some hybrids have federal tax incentives!


As we can see, not all hybrids are created equal; in fact, some are simply a more technical SUV in terms on fuel economy. But what is all this hype about saving the environment with hybrids? The green aspect of hybrids comes from their gas mileage. Hybrid electric vehicles run on both an electric motor and a small gasoline powered engine. When the break is pressed on the vehicle, the electric motor acts as a generator and takes some of the power out of the car, thus saving power. The majority of the hybrid energy savings happen through this process, making it a wonderful car for city driving, where frequent stops are made, but a not so wonderful car for long distances.

Some complain that hybrid vehicles are too expensive, and past studies have shown very little actual monetary gain in terms of fuel, though as oil prices continue to rise, this will become less of an issue. Car mechanics across the United States are becoming more familiar with the electric car and maintenance is also becoming less expensive. Manufactures have come out with hybrid jeeps, vans, and trucks this last year, advertising that more are on the way. It seems hybrids have really taken the plunge into mainstream vehicle markets.

I guess my roommate isn’t the only one who wants one.


Sources:
hybrid." The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 16 Mar. 2008. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hybrid.

www.howstuffworks.com
www.greenhybrid.com
www.hybridCARS.cm
www.Edmunds.com
www.fueleconomy.gov
www.epa.gov

Wind Power

Wind power is produced by using wind generators to harness the kinetic energy of wind. It is gaining worldwide popularity as a large scale energy source, although it still only provides less than one percent of global energy consumption. In order to create enough energy to provide for several people, wind power must be produced at large scale wind farms that are connected to electrical grids. These farms are built in flat, open areas where the wind blows at least 14 miles per hour. Iowa currently has more than 600 wind turbines, producing enough electricity to power 140,000 homes. In order to produce the most possible electricity, the taller the wind turbine must be. Most wind machines being used today are the horizontal-axis type. Horizontal-axis wind machines have blades like airplane propellers that help to slow down the speed of the wind and create a "lift" to turn the blades. The largest wind turbine in the world, located in Hawaii, stands 20 stories tall and has blades the length of a football field. One of the largest wind farms in the U.S. is in Altamont Pass, California. It has more than 900 wind turbines that generate enough electricity to power over 300,000 homes per year. These large commercial size turbines may have a capacity of 5 million watts, or 5 megawatts. Good sites for wind plants are the tops of smooth, rounded hills, open plains or shorelines, and mountain gaps that produce wind funneling.

One large problem with wind turbines is what to do when the wind isn't blowing. During this time, there must be other forms of power generation. Along with this, there have been at least 40 fatalities due to construction, operation, and maintenance of wind turbines, including both workers and members of the public, and other injuries and deaths attributed to the wind power life cycle. Most worker deaths involve falls or becoming caught in machinery while performing maintenance inside turbine housings. Blade failures and falling ice have also accounted for a number of deaths and injuries. Deaths to members of the public include a parachutist colliding with a turbine and small aircraft crashing into support structures. Other public fatalities have been blamed on collisions with transport vehicles and motorists distracted by the sight and shadow flicker of wind turbines along highways.

Wind energy is plentiful, renewable, widely distributed, clean, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions when it displaces fossil-fuel-derived electricity. The amount of power transferred to a wind turbine is directly proportional to the density of the air, the area swept out by the rotor, and the cube of the wind speed. Because so much power is generated by higher wind speed, much of the energy comes in short bursts. The consequence is that wind energy does not have as consistent an output as fuel-fired power plants; utilities that use wind power must provide backup generation for times that the wind is weak. A different solution is to store the large amount of power generated in the bursts to use it later. There are many thousands of wind turbines operating, with a total capacity of 73,904 MW of which wind power in Europe accounts for 65% (2006). The United States ranks third in the world in wind power capacity. Wind power was the most rapidly growing means of alternative electricity generation at the turn of the 21st century. World wind generation capacity more than quadrupled between 2000 and 2006. 81% of wind power installations are in the US and Europe.Wind power consumes no fuel for continuing operation, and has no emissions directly related to electricity production. Operation does not produce carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, or any other type of air pollution, as do fossil fuel power sources (wilkipedia on Wind Power).

Ethanol

On Sunday night I was watching "Broken Government" on CNN. The first topic that they were talking about was ethanol and pros and cons to using it. It had a couple different people on the show arguing both sides. Bob Dineen from Renewable Fuel Commission, Ken Cook and environmental expert, and Professor Pinintall from Cornell University.



Bob Dineen stated that the government is trying to move into a more doemstic fuel production so we aren't relying on foreign oil.



Ken Cook states that ethanol isn't as clean as people think. To produce ethanol we use coal plants, which are the biggest polluntants of all. We need to put more energy into producing to then we get out of it, so even though ethanol itself is "green," it is not efficient. He believes that politicans don't want to face "the wrath of the corn lobbyists."



Professor Pinintall states that we can't produce enough ethanol to even put a dent in our oil consumption. He brings up the point that using ethanol will not lessen our depedence on foreign oil.



One quick basic fact that was said during the show was that the government spends $5 billion in corn subsidies for ethanol. This iis a lot of money coming from the taxpayers pockets.

I thought it was a very interesting segment. I learned quite a bit more about ethanol. At first I thought it was a good thing, but now after watching this and doing some more research I would have to disagree with using ethanol (sorry Krista!!). If the government is paying $5 billion in subsidies and it is more expensive than oil then it is definitely not cost effective. Also it pushes the price of food as a whole up for consumers. Another negative I found on cnn.com is that "It takes about seven barrels of oil to make eight barrels of ethanol." (True or False: Ethanol") So it is not lowering our dependency on foreign oil, and it would not help gas prices go down. Another thing is that ethanol isn't as fuel efficient as oil so we will be using more oil and ethanol the more we produce ethanol as an energy source for vehicles. Lastly I think that it is negative because of Ken Cook's comment from above. He talks about ethanol being less environmentally friendly than most people think. And that it takes more energy to produce ethanol than the output of ethanol energy.

There are some benefits of using ethanol, such as, it is a renewable energy source. It can be domestically produced for us. And lastly it burns cleaner than gas does. Even though these three things are positives, I believe that the negatives outweigh the positives and this country needs to begin to look for different alternative energy sources for vehicles.

Some websites to check out for more facts include:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/02/25/eco.myths.oil/index.html?iref=newssearch

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/may2006/tc20060519_225336.htm (this one has a lot of background information on ethanol)

http://www.ethanol.org/

http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/fuels/ethanol.html

Biodiesel Fuel

Biodiesel fuel is a form of alternative energy that has been developed to produce energy through the use of various natural substances. These substances include soybeans, rapeseed, mustard, flax, canola, palm oil, and hemp. Biodiesel fuel is said to reduce the harmful emissions that are placed within the environment through gasoline powered engines, and is also said to reduce the damage that is caused to engines. Transesterification is the process by which the biodiesel fuel is created and leaves behind methyl esters and glycerin.

Here is a chart demonstrating the process of Transesterification.

While the following diagram shows the transesterification of vegetable oils.

It is believed that these two burn cleaners into the air than normal petroleum diesel. In comparison to diesel fuel all of the emissions released have been reduced except the nitrogen oxides that are produced. There have however been flaws that have contributed to researchers deciding that maybe biodiesel fuel is not an effective means of alternative energy. For instance, Texas has decided to ban biodiesel fuel on the grounds that it produces harmful nitrogen oxide emissions that assist in the production of ozone at the ground level. Biodiesel has however been the only fuel to past the emission test that is required by the Environmental Protection Agency to pass the Clean Air Act. This form of fuel does however lower the emissions of carbon monoxide, particulate matter, as well was unburned hydrocarbons. One concern that is also associated with biodiesel fuel is that it will cost more than petroleum diesel fuel will. With gas prices already being as high as they are, people are not going to want to pay more to fuel their vehicles. However, the prices are higher because there is not as high of demand for biodiesel fuel. As the demand starts to increase, the prices as well will decrease because it will become a more popular form of energy. Although biodiesel will cost more to fuel vehicles, this is the cheapest form that has been developed as an alternative form of energy. There are not many modifications that are required in using biodiesel fuel. For instance, it could be currently used in any petroleum diesel engine, however there may be deposits that are released due to the deposits that have gathered up on the lining of the tank walls from the petroleum diesel.


Another reason that biodiesel fuel would be very beneficial, is that it would use resources that are located within the United States. For instance, biodiesel will not require the importation of petroleum to be used, and can instead be used for the natural resources that are created by farmers without our country. The money that will be used will be going back into the U.S. economy and therefore, benefiting our country in other ways as well.


I found a movie that goes into further detail about how Biodiesel fuel is formed by telling exactly how biodiesel works?