Pre-Class Preparation Pre-Class Preparation
Objectives
Class images
Class Discussion
Summary Prepared by: Karen Bandhauer, Deborah Frundle, Krystina Schwartz, and Sue VansiceUnit 3-2 Objectives:
- To review energy consumption patterns and opportunities for energy conservation.
- To evaluate the options for use of alternatives to fossil fuels in supplying global energy demand.
Learning Unit Summary:
Fossil fuels; such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas; account for the largest contribution of emissions to carbon into the atmosphere. Utilities are the largest contributor to carbon emissions, followed by transportation and industrial energy consumption. 64% of the global contributions to greenhouse warming comes from 6 regions, with the United States in first place with 21% of the total.
To stop this devastation trend, renewable energy sources have been sought. These renewable energy sources include: biomass, solar, wind and geothermal. Biomass energy consists of burning wood, alcohol, waste and agricultural wastes. Solar energy includes passive (used in homes), active (uses pumps to move solar-heated fluid), and photovoltaic (used to convert solar energy into electrical energy). Wind energy uses turbines to harness the wind's energy. Geothermal energy is the process of drawing heat from the depths of the earth.
A 75% reduction of the current global CO2 emissions is needed to stabilize the atmospheric CO2 concentrations.
In-Class Discussion and Lecture Summary:
Our in class discussion began with a comparison of the Gasoline shortage of the 70's and how we responded as a nation. How, the crisis of the 70's was a supply issue versus now it's a problem of gaining access to petroleum reserves. Of which the overwhelming question is, "Do we really want to build and perpetuate modes that will contribute CO2 to the Atmosphere?" This is all on a time scale of about 10- 15 years based on population growth scenarios and petroleum reserves.
The distribution and growth of the world's population has an important impact on consumption and conservation based on the premise that doubling time of the world's population keeps getting shorter. As is noted in (3-1) in the 1700's the planet had 1 and * Billion and by 2100 there will be an estimated 10 billion. This in terms of global impact on the environment is influenced not by just population but by technology and affluence. (Unit 3-1) As affluence and technology increases (despite population growth) the overall impact goes down. An example is, our country's change from an agrarian to industrial country. With improved efficiency of energy consumption and increased knowledge, the overall impact went down. But, again this is our country versus the rest of the world. We revolutionized over 150 years and with free enterprise, where as, China and India are just now emerging from an agrarian to Industrial society. Their Industrial Revolution is much faster and the hinging question is," will they have the resources and most importantly the skilled knowledge to not just construct but to maintain and operate?"
Dr. Takle spoke of a recent visit to China. He visited a huge power plant built 2 years ago. Noting, the sky was gray and a heavy smoke left the smokestack. He questioned the plant manager, " Do you have an electrostatic precipitator?" The Manager replied, "Yes." Takle asked, "Is it working?" Manager replied, "No, we have no-one to fix it." So, is it unfair for us to expect underdeveloped countries to implement advanced technologies without going through the evolutionary process we experienced and gained knowledge from? A country may have the initial monies and technology to build but not the technical support or the political framework to continue. E.g. Russia - as one class- member remarked "an industrial machine without efficiency".
Knowledge is a resource - but it's leaky. If you have it - it's like gold, but it's hard to contain, guard or manage.
Dialog Summary:
The dialog for 3-2 starts with an explanation to why the move to alternative energy sources is so slow, and what can be done to rectify this problem.
The next post (post number 2) focuses on ways to solve the energy crisis in California, solar, wind, geothermal, and hydroelectric power are given as alternatives to fossil fuel power plants.
Posts number 3 and 4 discuss the question put forward in class "What if every family in the world owned a SUV?" Post 3 discussed the amount of CO2 that would be released to the atmosphere annually, while post 4 discussed the amount of gasoline that would be used in this scenario.
Post 5 asked if there is any government programs set up to give incentives to people or corporations looking to use renewable energy in the U.S. There are 3 responses to this post. Response number 1 states that there is no programs set up for this purpose because fossil fuel industries give money to politicians to keep it that way. Response number 2 found information on the Internet that there is programs set up for the purpose of giving incentives to people "promoting energy conservation, renewable energy, or investment in these technologies".
The National Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy web site was given.
The last response states that solar power is feasible but what is holding it back from being widely used is political. The Clinton administration was behind the solar power movement, putting forward the Million Solar Roofs Initiative (MSR). The goal is to have "one million solar roofs installed on businesses and in communities in the US by 2010".
Post-Class Activities
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CO2 emissions from industrial
processes |
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Emissions of CO2 - selected countries
(1995) |
| China's population growth and it's economic boom. |
| Energy issues in Iowa. |
 | Blending Wind and Solar into the Diesel Generator Market |
| American Bioenergy Association |
| Renewable Energy |
| Solar and Earth Radiation |
| Clear Sky Radiative Forcing of Climate |
| Stratoshperic Warming Following Volcanic Eruptions |
| Ausubel, J. H., 2000: Where is energy going? The Idustrial Physicist.February 2000. p 16-19. |
| Parson, E. A., and D. W. Keith, 1998: Fossil fuels without CO2 emissions. Science 282, 1053-1054. |
| Romm, Joseph, J., and Charles B. Curtis, 1996: Mideast Oil Forever? Atlantic Monthly, 57-74. |
| Rothstein, J., 1993: Hydrogen and Fossil Fuels. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 20(4), 283-286. |
| Soclow, R., C. Andrews, F. Berkhout and V. Thomas, eds. 1994: Industrial Ecology and Global Change. Cambridge University Press, 500 pp. |