Energy Use Flashcards
what are nonrenewable energy sources
- fossil fuels, such as coal/oil/natural gas
- nuclear (CO2 from uranium mining and power plant construction)
- hydraulic fracturing (fracking)
what are the advantages of Fossil Fuels
- straightforward combustion process
- relatively inexpensive
- easily transported
- large amounts of electricity can be generated in one place quite cheaply
- gas powered power stations are relatively efficient
- power stations can be built almost anywhere
what are the disadvantages of Fossil Fuels?
- major contributor to climate change
- cause acid rain
- not sustainable in the long term
- prices are subject to fluctuation depending on global politics
- extracting raw materials can be dangerous and damaging to the environment
- emissions may contribute to poor air quality locally
what are the advantages of Nuclear?
- relatively small amounts of fuel products produce a lot of power
- output is reliable and not weather dependant
- very low emissions of CO2 and GHG
what are the disadvantages of Nuclear?
- generates significant volumes of potentially dangerous radioactive waste
- inflexible in terms of turning on and off ink response to demand fluctuations
- high profile accidents have created public and political opposition
what are the adverse environmental impacts of combusting fossil fuel?
- acid rain
- smog
- dwindling resources
- health and welfare
- climate change
- thermal pollution
what are some examples of renewable energy sources?
- biomass
- hydropower
- solar energy
- wave
- wind
- geothermal
what are the advantages of solar power?
- can be installed/used in remote areas
- can be installed close to where power is needed
- no emissions during use
what are the disadvantages of solar power?
- unable to control how much or when produced
- no power generation at night
what are the advantages of wind power?
- no emissions during use
- can be installed in remote areas
- free form of motive power
- can be small scale operation as required locally
- plant can be fabricated off site
what are the disadvantages of wind power?
- unable to control how much or when produced
- only generates power when windy
- can be damaged by strong winds (over 25m/sec)
- noise generated by the turbines
- construction and maintenance costs can be significant
- have to be large to provide sufficient energy for large scale demand
- remote locations means long supply cables with subsequent energy transmission loss
- planning and environmental objections to turbines
what are the advantages of hydroelectric?
- dams and reservoirs can provide additional recreation facilities
- long useful life of plant
what are the disadvantages of hydroelectric?
- construction costs and resource use
- loss of habitat during/after construction
- reservoirs can generate methane from anaerobic decomposition (in tropical regions)
what are the advantages of wave and tidal power
- no emissions after construction
- no waste products
- limited running costs
- predictable energy generation
what are the disadvantages of wave and tidal power?
- unable to control how much is generated
- only produce power during wave or tidal motion
- difficulties of enduring equipment remains anchored where installed
what re the advantages of Geothermal?
- no emissions to air after construction
- an be installed in remote locations
- reliable fuel source
what are the disadvantages of Geothermal?
- often relatively large amounts of land required
what are the advantages of Biomass?
- biomass crops can be grown widely in many locations
what are the disadvantages of Biomass?
- uses land that could be used for food growth
- indirect pollution from use of high inputs of fertilisers
what bare the benefits of saving energy?
- reduced energy costs (increasing profits or releasing resources for other activities
- improved environmental performance due to reduced CO2 emissions
- improved competitiveness of products or services
- enhanced public image with customers or other stakeholders
- reduced exposure to Government drivers such as carbon taxes
what were items were labelled to provide a credible and consist approach due to EU Regulaions 2017/1369
- refrigerators
- washing machines
- dishwasher
- lamps
- A/C
- etc
define the initiative Energy Star
indicates that the energy consumption of an appliance is under an agreed level whilst the appliance is in standby mode
what are the requirements of EU Directive 1999/94/EC or in the UK The Passenger Car (Fuel Consumption and CO2 eEmissions Information ) Regulation 2001?
- new cars carry a standard label that shows fuel economy and CO2 emissions
- a poster or similar display is exhibited at the point of sale showing prominently the official fuel consumption and CO2 emissions data of all models of new cars offered for sale
- all promotional literature must contain official fuel consumption and CO2 emission data
What is a Sankey Diagram?
- provides a graphical summary of the energy transfer taking place within a system - the greater amount of en=rgy then the thicker the line or the arrow
- is essentially a form of mass balance
what are the design elements to reduce energy consumption in buildings?
- natural ventilation
- passive solar heating
- windows facing the midday sun in winter and being shaded in the summer
- reduce windows on other siodes
- using suitable insulation to reduce seasonal excessive heat loss and gain
- using thermal mass (the ability of the building to soak up heat before it reaches the interior during the day and releases it at night)
what are the measures used to improve the energy efficiency products - this may form part of a clean design process
- a reduction in the materials/energy/intensity of goods or services
- improved recyclability
- maximum use of renewable resources during construction of service
- greater durability of products
- increased service intensity of goods and services
the assessment of energy efficiency of products is sometimes required by law
what are some of the control methods for reducing emissions of CO2 and other GHG
- insulation to prevent heat loss
- choice of equipment - type of fuel used/efficiency of the equipment
- maintenance to ensure it remains efficient
- adequate control systems so equipment is only active when required and only using the amount of power required
- providing suitable information, instruction, training and supervision to those who will operate the equipment
what are the barriers to good energy management?~
- insufficient top-level support
- funding
- inadequate resources
- lock of co-ordination across the organisation
- lack of targeting
what are the five steps of a successful energy management strategy?
- management commitment
- understand the issues
- plan and organise
- implementation
- control and monitor energy management and performance
insulation benefits?
- effective insulation is a medium cost measure that can usually be implemented relatively easily
- common insulation techniques are loft or roof=space insulation and cavity wall insulation
what are some common causes of wasted energy in regards to lighting systems?
- lights being left on unnecessarily
- lighting of unoccupied buildings or rooms
- using lights when daylight provides sufficient light levels
significant savings can be made using low energy lighting
What are good maintenance and control systems controls?
- properly maintained system
- effective planned preventative maintenance system (helps avoid expensive and inconvenient breakdowns)
- the three main types of controls for a heating system
> simple switches
> complex time switches
> continuous controllers
what is BEM?
Building Energy Management - can significantly reduce the energy used to heat and cool a building
what are the two main categories of lighting controls
- manual
- automatic
what are the four energy efficiency initiatives?
- information - verbal or written format
- instructions - may be verbal or written, but must be clear and unambiguous about what is required
- training - should be clear aims and objections of what will be achieved and a means of checking that those objectives have been achieved and that learning has taken place
- supervision - where a more qualified or senior person actually observes the work that has been done and ensures it is to the correct standard
what is the aim of an energy audit?
to understand where and how energy savings can be made
what are the key objectives of an energy audit?
- quantification of energy consumption for the audit scope (could be site, area or equipment)
- identification of opportunities to reduce energy consumption
- quantification of savings in terms of energy and cost
what are the stages of an energy audit?
- baseline study (including quantity and quality elements)
- analyse findings (develop a lost of key energy uses)
- identify opportunities (determine measures to reduce energy - must be technically feasible)
- cost benefit analysis (low cost/no cost measures, larger capital investment)
- reporting
how can energy monitoring be of benefit?
- understand the reasons for excessive energy use
- detect times when energy use is higher or lower than expected
- provide a visualisation of trends in consumption
- assist in foresting future energy usage and costs when planning business changes
- diagnose specific parts of the organisation which are wasting energy
- quantitatively understand the impact of improvements implemented to reduce energy
what are the key benefits of monitoring and auditing energy?
- reduced costs
- reduced environmental impact
- increased comfort
- improved competitiveness
- increased operational life of equipment
- identification of unaccounted consumption
- increased productivity
- fulfilment of compliance obligations
what are the key limitations of monitoring and auditing energy?
- cost of undertaking an audit
- audit and monitoring only highlight what needs to be done to reduce energy. Actions need to be implemented
- time of staff
- perception (burden or assist in reducing costs?)
