New Energy Consrvation Technologies Flashcards
What are the three areas where energy can be conserved?
Transport
Building
Industry
How does car shape affect efficiency?
Improving its aerodynamics or hydrodynamics
What does a more effective vehicle shape mean?
Less energy is needed to push the vehicle forwards
How can lorry design be more effective?
Instead of having a boxy trailer the cabin of the lorry can be sloped to become more aerodynamic and ave energy as there is less drag
What does a lower mass vehicle do?
Less weight to move so less energy is used
What are some ways a vehicle can be made lighter?
- If strength isn’t needed plastic or carbon fibre can be used
-steel alloys with titanium (strong and light) is used in the panels - engine blocks aren’t cast iron but are now aluminium
- rounded surfaces take up less room and have a smaller surface area
- high density batteries store more energy but have less mass
What happens to fuel economy when a cars weight is reduced by 10%?
5-7% improvement in fuel economy
What % do your tyres and rolling resistance account for overall fuel consumption?
Around 15%
What is the main characteristic of energy saving tyres?
They have a lower rolling resistance
How are tyres ranked for efficiency?
A for the best
G for the worst
What does lower tyre pressure mean?
More rolling resistance (increased friction) so higher fuel consumption
What does KERS stand for?
Kinetic Energy Recovery System
what is KERS?
A system for recovering a moving vehicles kinetic energy under braking
What happens to energy form braking in traditional cars?
It is lost to the atmosphere as heat
What does KERS do?
Recovers energy and sores it for after use under acceleration
How can bulk transport systems be more efficient?
To do fewer journeys
Why is less energy better is mass is increased?
Once the mass is moving there is energy saving as log as more goods are in transit
What is embodied energy?
The sum of all energy required to produce a product (extraction, assembly, and transportation)
What is the embodied energy of a typical car?
Equivalent to 1.5 years of the fuel it consumes
What are the ways embodied energy can be reduced in cars?
Can be made using recycled materials
Electric cars- the mass of the batteries used to power them increases their embodied energy so reducing battery mass
Using fewer materials
What are transport infrastructure and management systems?
The idea that it is not always efficient or sustainable to use one vehicle type for a whole journey (car in a city centre congestion)
What is a better inner city transport option over cars?
Park and ride
Trains where people can lock their bike
What do SMART motorways do?
Relieve congestion by making the hard shoulder available for use by traffic
What does the technology on SMART motorways do?
Monitor traffic levels
Change the speed limit to smooth traffic flow , reduce frustrating stop-start driving and improve journey items
Activate warning signs to alert drivers to traffic jams and hazards up ahead
Close lanes
How can the end of life environmental impacts of vehicle design be minimised?
Using recycled materials where possible
Easy identification of components and their composition (code numbers)
Easy dismantling and separation of components
Use of reusable components for use in new vehicles
Use of compostable materials for components that can’t be recycled
what is one of the most important aspects for energy saving house design?
Orientation- the way the house faces