Exam #1 Flashcards
What was the oldest form of renewable energy?
Hydropower (water wheels in Greece or China 300 BC)
History of Fire
Hunting period: 300,000 - 400,000 years ago
Starting a fire using flint: 40,000 years ago
Managing fire (warfare & agriculture): 7,000 years ago
History of WInd
-First Windmills: Panemore Windmills in the middle east for grinding grains
-Early windmills: Horizontal axis mills in Northern Europe in 12 century for pumping water and grinding grains
History of Oil
600-300 BC Oil and nautral gas use in CHina transported in bamboo pipes
347 AD: First oil wells, drilled with bamboo
900 AD: Oil refined to produce Kerosene in Persia
1859: Edwin Drake drills first commecial oil well in PA
Global Daily Demand of Oil in 2022
99 Million Barrels
History of Nuclear Power
First Nuclear Power Plant Designed to produce electricity for the grid: Obninsk in USSR 1954
How does Nuclear Power Work?
During nuclear fission, neutrons split uranium atoms in half and energy is released in the form of heat, which heats water to create steam to run the turbine
History of Water
300 BC: Water Wheels in Greece or CHina
1712: Steam Engine (Thomas Newcomen)
1769: First Steam Carriage for roads (France)
1802: First Steamboat in Scotland
1803: First steam locomotive in Wales
History of Coal
-Use grew in 16th century from large scale deforestation (not enough wood and coal was easier to transport)
-Fueled the start of the Industrial Revolution in 1760
-1882: First public power station producing electricity using coal (London and New York)
William Gilbert
Gilbert: Literally the father of electricity (It’s Electric!)
Studied Magnestism
Coined the Term Electricity
Otto von Guericke
Guericke liked to wear socks and rub his feet on carpet and shock his friends
Invented a crude machine for producing static electricity
Alessandro Volto
Volto = Battery Dude
Proved in 1800 that electricity can be produced chemically, by creating a first model of a battery
Michael Faraday
-Invented electric generators
-First one to realize an electric current could be produced by passing a magnet through a copper wire
Thomas A. Edison
-Credited with inventing the light bulb and the first public power stations (London + New York)
Nikola TEsla
-Invented alternating current (allowed electricity to be transported further)
Energy Production Trends
-Coal boomed during Industrial (crude oil followed soon after)
-Traditional biofuels stayed constant
-Natural gas took off in the 1950s
-Renewables kinda took off in 1970s
Electricity Production by Source Trends
-Coal slowly increased from 1985
-Gas as #2
-Oil slightly increased\
-Nuclear increased
-Hydropower increased significantly
-All increase, just at different rates, but renewable (other than hydropower) took off around 2005
Natural Gas Overview
1 Source of electricity in the US
Mostly in Texas and PA
Non-renewable fossil fuel (cleaner than coal and oil)
Oil Overview
Fossil Fuel
Used mostly for transportation
Coal Overview
2 Source of electricity in the US
Fossil fuel created thru peat + heat + pressure + time
Surface mining and coal mining
US has the largest goal reserves in the world (western half) => export extra coal
Main source of electricity in the world
Top 3 Sources of Energy
- Natural Gas
- Coal
3a. Nuclear Power
3b. Renewables
Nuclear Power
3 in energy source
Potential for accidents: 3 Mile Island, Chernobyl, Fukushima
Uranium found in western US
Powerplants found in eastern half of US
Renewables
a) Hydropower
-Grand Coulee Dam (WA) : Largest powerplant in the country
-Oldest source of renewable energy in the US
b) Wind
-Mostly in the mid- US
-Most energy from wind power
c) Solar
-Dominated by California and Southwestern US
d) Geothermal
-Least used energy source (Alaska & Hawaii)
e) Biofuels
-Wood and sewage and crop residues
Florida’s Energy Profile
Mostly Natural Gas, then nuclear, then coal, then renewables
Is the US energy independent?
Yes, since 2019 the US produces more than it consumes
BUT:
-Net exports: natural gas, coal, petroleum products
-Net imports: crude oil
What is Energy?
Ability to work
Heat, light, motion, electrical, chemical
How much energy do we need?
2000 kcal/day
Human Development Index (HDI)
1) Long and Healthy Life
-Life expectancy at birth
2) Knowledge
-Expected years of schooling
3) Decent Standard of Living
-GNI per capita
British Thermal Unit (BTU)
Amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 pound of water by 1 degree Fahrenheit
Joule (J)
International Standard (SI) unit of energy
J = N * m (newtons * meters)
Watt
Measure of power
Joule/Second
Power
-Rate at which energy is transferred or converted
-Power = work / time
Prefixes
1 Kilowatt = 1000 Watts
1 Megawatt = 1,000,000 Watts
1 Gigawatt = 1,000,000,000 Watts
1 Terawatt = 1,000,000,000,000 Watts
(world installed electricity capacity: 7.1 TW)
How does energy become electricity?
-Electrons around the nuclei in a magnet spin in the same direction
-Moving magnetic field pulls and pushes electrons
-Certain metals, like copper, have electrons that easily move under magnetic influence, creating a current
-In a generator: magnets move through or around coil of copper wire
Capacity Factor
Capacity factor = (actual production) / (max production)
-Highest is nuclear
Sustainable Development
Meeting our needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs (Gro Harlem Brundtland)
3 Pillars of Sustainability
Social Equity
Economic Viability
Environmental Protection
7 UN Goal : Affordable & Clean Energy
7.1 Ensure universal access to affordable, reliable, and modern energy services
7.2 Increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix
7.3 Double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency
Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency = (total energy consumption) / (GDP)
Annual improvement rate: 1.9%
Goal 3.2%
Installed Capacity
Max amount of energy a source can produce (not in HOURS)
EX:
Wind Turbine : 2 MW
Nuclear Power : 3000 MW
