I thought I would share this photograph I found online.

David Thoreau's Thoughts

In Where I lived, and what I lived for, it is interesting how Thoreau wrote about if we stayed home then we wouldn’t want things like railroads (Thoreau 2007). The essay also had brought up how the rest of us think we need to have all these technological things, but really we don’t need any of it; we survived without them before they were invented. I think this relates to the energy predicament because we did survive before electricity, but it makes our lives easier. Also, the energy problem and protecting the earth makes some people in the world feel urged to live without any technology like Thoreau did in the essay. I personally think that the people could reduce their energy uptake instead of completely cutting themselves off. I think this essay is moving, but doesn’t make me want to go out and live in cabin. I might for a little bit, but it would just be for fun. Overall the essay seemed well put together with all the examples of technology we can live without, but it doesn’t make me want to make life changes. Also Thoreau did not live deep in the woods and even got pie frequently; according to Cohen's introduction of Thoreau (In 50 Essays-- where I found the essay--). Hearing that has a negative effect and Thoreau is looking for epiphany when they read his essay

Thoreau,D.(2007).Where I lived and what I lived for. In S. Cohen (Eds.), 50 Essays. (2nd ed., pp424-430).

Hydropower

I chose to write about hydropower because back in my hometown,in Alaska,we have a hydro power plant. I wanted to learn more about what hydro power and if it is better for the environment. Apparently it is better than using up fossil fuels, but it is also harmful to the environment in a different way than green house gases. Hydro power can be harmful to the wild life, plants, and can actually get in the way of people’s homes. Although it is harmful, it is also a good renewable resource, because it uses a dam to build up energy in the water by only letting some water pass through. When the water is released it spins turbines to create energy. The dams in the hydro power plants can hold water in so that it can build up enough pressure to create energy or it can hold water in till energy is needed. The hydro power is a good idea but it does have bad side effects. Overall it is better than using up more fossil fuels.

Hydropower.(2008). Retrieved April 4, 2010, from http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/kids/energy.cfm?page=hydropower_home-basics-k.cfm#hydropower_where-basics

Government's Plan on Biofuels

This article describes the action that the Obama Administration is taking to address the issue of climate change and use of fossil fuels. The plan is to do more research on bio fuels so that the U.S. gas industry and change over to cleaner energy resources. They are also going to have a public facility where it is open the public to use for research on bio fuels. Over all the goal of this article is to let the reader know that there is research being done and there will be a facility that is for the public to use.

Department of energy to invest nearly $18 million for advanced biofuels user facility. (2010). Retrieved April 5, 2010, from http://www.energy.gov/news/8809.htm

Paper making

The author discusses about two tests done on two methods of producing paper. The tests are conducted by using a simulator to determine which method saves the most energy throughout the production of paper. Also, the goal is to find a way save energy while getting rid of the by products from the paper making process. In all the paper is about how to save energy while producing paper. (Applied Energy, 2009)

Cardosoa, M.,Oliveiraa, K.D.D., Costaa, G.A.A., Passosb, M.L. (2009).Chemical process simulation for minimizing energy consumption in pulp mills.Applied energy, 86, 45-51. doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2008.03.021

Alternative Energy & Sources

Alternative Energy & Sources

The modern human community is depended greatly on the use of focil fuel like coal oil, gas and Nuclear fission. as sources of energy. But these sources of energy firstly polluting our the environment very fast secondly they are getting extinct and ultimately our existance in this universe is shortened.

Energy is the ability to do work. While energy surrounds us in all aspects of life, the ability to harness it and use it for constructive ends as enconomically as possible is the challenge before mankind. Alternative energy refers to energy sources which are not based on the burning of fossil fuels or the splitting of atoms. The renewed interest in this field of study comes from the undesirable effects of pollution (as witnessed today) both from burning fossil fuels and from nuclear waste byproducts. Fortunately there are many means of harnessing energy which have less damaging impacts on our environment. Here are some possible alternatives: 1.Solar 2.Wind Power 3.Geothermal 4.Tidal power 5.Hydro power 6.Bio mass


1.Solar energy:

Solar energy is one the most resourceful sources of energy for the future. One of the reasons for this is that the total energy we recieve each year from the sun is around 35,000 times the total energy used by man. However, about 1/3 of this energy is either absorbed by the outer atmosphere or reflected back into space (a proccess called albedo)1.
Solar energy is presently being used on a smaller scale in furnaces for homes and to heat up swimming pools. On a larger scale use, solar energy could be used to run cars, power plants, and space ships (like the picture you see above) .
Click to learn more………….(A)
2.Wind power:

Wind power is another alternative energy source that could be used without producing by-products that are harmful to nature. Like solar power, harnessing the wind is highly dependent upon weather and location. The average wind velocity of Earth is around 9 m/sec. And the power that could be produced when a wind mill is facing the wind of 10 mi/hr. is around 50 watts.1


How a Basic Windmill Work
The fins of a windmill rotate in a vertical plane which is kept perpendicular to the wind by means of a tail fin. As wind flow crosses the blades of the windmill, it is forced to rotate and can be used to generate electricity. Another type of wind power generator is the two hollow half-drum-type wind collectors. This wind collector rotates in a single vertical axis, making this device independent of the wind direction, which may generate more electricity.

Here some information sites:

Wind Techology
Building the Best Windmill
Windmills at Work
Kollitz Energy Systems
Frisse Wind


3. Geothermal Energy:


What is GEOTHERMAL ENERGY ???
Geothermal energy is an alternative energy source, although it is not resourceful enough to replace more than a minor amount of the future’s energy needs. Geothermal energy is obtained from the internal heat of the planet and can be used to generate steam to run a steam turbine. This in turn generates electricity, which is a very useful form of energy.

The radius of the Earth is about 4000 miles, with an internal core temperature of about 4000 degrees celsius at the center. The mantle surrounds the outercore and is only about 45 miles below the surface, depending on location. The temperature at the mantle-surface crust boundary is about 375 degrees, celsius. (This is too deep to get to…as of today)

The centre of the Earth is around 6000 degrees Celsius – hot enough to melt rock. Even a few kilometres down, the temperature can be over 250 degrees Celsius.

In general, the temperature rises one degree Celsius for every 36 metres you go down.

In volcanic areas, molten rock can be very close to the surface.

Geothermal energy has been used for thousands of years in some countries for cooking and heating.

The name “geothermal” comes from two Greek words: “geo” means “Earth” and “thermal” means “heat”.

So…what???
So, how does this help us? It turns out that if we drill down only three miles we can reach temperatures of 100 degrees, celsius, which is enough to boil water to run a steam-powered electric powerplant. Drilling three miles through the earth is possible, but not easy, so luckily there are easier routes to access this power source, known as geothermal hotspots.

What’s a Hotspot?
Geothermal hotspots are volcanic features which are found all around the world. Basically a hotspot is an area of reduced thickness in the mantle which transmits excess internal heat from the interior of the earth to the outer crust. These hotspots are well known for their unique effects on the surface, such as the volcanic islands of Hawaii, the mineral deposits and gyesers in Yellowstone National Park, or the hotsprings in Iceland. These geothermal hotspots can easily be used to generate electricity.

How do Geothermal-Energy Systems Work?
Some systems pump hot-water into permeable sedimentary hospots found underground and then use the steam to generate electricity. Then the used steam is condensed and sent back down to the permeable sedimentary stream. Another system utilizes volcanic magma which is still partly molten at around 650 degrees, celsius, to boil water which would generate electricity. Also there is a system which uses hot dry rock, which is just hardened magma, but still is extremely hot. To recover this heat from these rocks, a system is used which circulates water through the rock and transfers the heat up to a steam generator. The first system listed here is not as useful as other methods because of the acidic nature of the fluids found under the ground. These acidities require a lot of maintenance and upkeep on the equipment, and this cost reduces the economic effectiveness of the system. Therefore, geothermal energy systems are more inefficient than other alternative energy sources because of the costs required in upkeep and the shortage of potential sites.

For more information on geothermal energy we can visit the following web sites

Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium National Information Resource Center
International Geothermal Association
Geothermal Information System
Government agencies

Click to learn more about Geothermal Energy

4.Tidal Power:




Even the power of the tides can be harnessed to produce electricity.
Similar to the more conventional hydroelectric dams, the tidal process utilizes the natural motion of the tides to fill reservoirs, which are then slowly discharged through electricity-producing turbines. The former USSR produced 300 MW in its Lumkara plant using this method.
for more information..look into Sustainable Ocean Energy Sources.


5.Hydroelectricity

Hydroelectricity comes from the damming of rivers and utilizing the potential energy stored in the water. As the water stored behind a dam is released at high pressure, its kinetic energy is transferred onto turbine blades and used to generate electricity. This system has enormous costs up front, but has relatively low maintenance costs and provides power quite cheaply. In the United States approximately 180,000 MW of hydroelectric power potential is available, and about a third of that is currently being harnessed.

Here is more imformation on hydroelectricity:

Hydroelectic Home
US Army Core of Engineers
Hydro Data for Columbia & Snake River Projects
Reclamation’s Role In Hydropower
BC Hydro Power System Map

6.Biomass Energy


Biomass is plant matter such as trees, grasses, agricultural crops or other biological material. It can be used as a solid fuel, or converted into liquid or gaseous forms, for the production of electric power, heat, chemicals, or fuels. By integrating a variety of biomass conversion processes, all of these products can be made in one facility, called a biorefinery. NREL is working to develop cost effective, environmentally friendly biomass conversion technologies to reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil, improve our air quality, and support rural economies. Learn more about biomass.

The government

The author explains how the government is working on figuring out different renewable resources to replace the fossil fuels we are using up and that cannot be replaced. The author goes into details about how they want to use wind turbines and other methods to save energy. The overall goal is to find a way to reduce green house gases, but also find an inexpensive way to change over from fossil fuels to renewable energy by using wind turbines.

Casten, T.R., Smith, J.A.(2009)Finding the cheapest clean power options.The electricity journal,22, 69-76.doi:10.1016/j.tej.2009.10.014

Life cycle assessment's plan about garbage

The author discusses how the Life Cycle Assessment is planning different ways to save the earth’s nonrenewable resources. The Life Cycle Assessment committee is concerned about landfills and is interested in how they can use the gas that is created in them to make energy that is renewable. Overall this plan talks about how to deal with landfills, but also how to use the garbage for energy so that they are not using up fossil fuels.

Cherubinia, F., Bargiglib, S., Ulgiatic,S.(2009).Life cycle assessment (LCA) of waste management strategies: Landfilling, sorting plant and incineration,34,2116-2123.doi:10.1016/j.energy.2008.08.023

Desiccant Air Conditioners

The author explains how desiccant air conditioning systems work because they do not use up fossil fuels, while cooling down the air. The author also talks about how this air condition system can only work effectively in warm areas that have a lot of moisture in the air. The systems use desiccant materials so that it will lower the humidity in the room instead of, like other conditioning systems,just cooling the air that moves through the machine. The other air conditioning machines just cool the air; they ultimately use up more energy because the other system reduces the humidity.In all the desiccant air conditioning system is greener and does not use up energy like the regular air conditioning systems.

Desiccants: Because it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity.(1999).Retrieved April 4,2010, fromhttp://www.ornl.gov/info/reporter/no2/humidity.htm

Why does fuel cost so much?

Why does fuel costs so much?, The author listed and described various costs in producing and transporting fuel.The process of delivering fuel to the pump starts at being sent to a refinery and then has to be transported to the gas pumps. There are more steps that gas has to get through but I focus on the ones I found the most interesting, because every step gas goes through we get billed for. When we pay for fuel we are paying for all the transportation costs, refinery bills, and we get taxed. Hopefully, after reading this blog post and looking at the gas pump article and photo; we will realize how riding a bike will not only benefit our health, but our wallets too.

Gasoline and diesel fuel update.(2010).Retrieved April 1,2010, from http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/gdu/gasdiesel.asp

About Passive Solar Energy

About Passive Solar Energy and how does it work?
Passive solar energy works with solar panels that absorb the sun’s energy without the use of electric power. The way it works is that it moves the energy or heat throughout the house by transferring and storing the heat in objects (cement blocks, water, and solar panels) in the house.The author also adds that heat is best absorbed by dark panels, because darker colors absorb more heat than glass or opaque colors(Energy 2009). Once the heat is absorbed it is transferred to cooler places in the house until the whole housed it warmed up.There are more ways to use passive solar energy but the author focuses on how it works by using cement, water, or solar panels to store or use the energy, instead of using fossil fuels.

How a Passive Solar Home Design Works.(2009).Retrieved April 1,2010, from http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/designing_remodeling/index.cfm/mytopic=10260

What are blower doors?

The blower doors are fans that are inserted between doors. The fans also have pressure gauges on them, so that you can control the flow of air through the door way. Their use is to help determine where the leaks are in a house. The owner can get the leaks sealed up once they figure out where they all are by using the blower doors. They are useful when determining what areas do not need weatherization. As well as helping to determine if the spot you sealed was done correctly. (U.S. Department of Energy, 2008) In all blower doors help weatherization crews, because it would be hard to find leaks in a house without this technology. Plus it would be tough to know whether or not you did a good job sealing up the leak without the blower door.
I did not know anything about blower doors before reading this article. I find blower doors interesting and I always wondered how weatherization crews knew if they did a good job or not. Also, I think it is awesome that the crews can double check how well they did weatherizing the houses. Plus it is their job to make sure if they sealed up all the leaks in the house. The blower door is almost like a spell check. I also find it funny that these fans can detect leaks in a house, because I would have never thought something so non technological compared to laptop, iphones, and ipods could help weatherization crews. However, I am glad that these blower fans were created to help weatherization crews not only find leaks, but make sure they sealed up all leakks, because it lowers the households energy consumption.

Blower Door Tests.(2009).Retrieved April 1, 2010, from http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/energy_audits/index.cfm/mytopic=11190