(Group 4) -- Kevin, Merissa, Andrew, Andrew, Kumar

Group Members
Andrew Obrejanu

Kumar

Andrew

Kevin

Merissa Bakos

Nora

Technology and Issue
Technology: Alternative Energies

Issue: Are they really efficient?

Project Statement
To put alternative sources of energy under the microscope to truely determine their effectiveness. People are always saying how much better off all of humanity would be if we were to alter our course of action in terms of energy use and origin. To clarify, we are not agreeing or disagreeing to any previous assumption or comment; we are however giving people what we believe to be the full picture on the subject of alternative sources or energy. Biomass, solar, and wind energy will all be picked apart to give people the real picture.

Essentially everybody already knows the benefits of these certain sources of energy, thus what we will be focusing on are the problems and setbacks. The plan here is to show that altering our course of action is not as easy as it might seem. Alternative sources or energy are not as easy to adopt as one might have assumed. It is not merely the ignorance of mankind which has prevented us from becoming what has been termed a "green" civilization.

History of Solar Energy




Solar energy has been used since the dawn of civilization, though in a way that is now termed Passive Solar Energy. For example the Ancient Egyptians built their houses in such a place that would absorb solar heat during the day, and release it during the night – thus keeping cool during the day and warm at night. Early Greeks in 3rd century BC used mirrors to focus solar radiation onto a fixed position in order to set enemy sails on fire. Again such uses are termed passive (http://www.alternate-energy-sources.com/history-of-solar-energy.html).

It wasn’t until 1861 that a certain inventor Auguste Mouchout question the finite supply of coal as a source of energy to fuel the industrial revolution. Solar power became his solution and he invented the first solar motor, one which would heat water in order to drive a steam engine (http://southface.org/solar/solar-roadmap/solar_how-to/history-of-solar.htm). It was the high cost of production, in addition to the falling price of coal at the time which doomed his invention. Price, it seems will become the norm for the prevention of solar energy being used later in time. Edmond Becquerel is associated with the discovery of photovoltaics in 1839. Photovoltaics means the electric currnet in certain minerals can increase when exposed to light. 66 years later Albert Einstein clearly described the photoelectric effect, that which photovoltaics are based. In 1921 Albert Einstein received the Nobel Prize for his work on the subject (http://www.makeitsolar.com/solar-energy-information/01-solar-history.htm).

In early days, cells of 6% efficiency were deemed impressive. Today however 20% is more the norm. 20% means that of all the energy striking the surface of the panel, 20% of it is converted into useful energy. To date, higher demand for solar energy panels has been the trigger for its current boom. At first, they were developed for satellites because their simply wasn’t any other source of energy for them. This lead to large amounts of research and development into the technology, thus making them useful for individuals at home.

What is Solar Energy?


Solar energy is energy coming from the sun. In total, enough solar energy strikes the earth at any given time to supply the entire human populations energy needs thousands of times over. Solar power is the conversion of solar energy into a source that we can use (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power). This conversion is done in three major ways:

- Solar cells (panels), which are the most common turn sunlight into electricity.

- Solar water heaters use heat from the sun to heat water through glass panels, called solar collectors, installed on roofs. Solar collectors use thermal energy rather than light energy.

- Solar furnaces use reflective surfaces (mirrors) to concentrate sunlight into a single point. This creates extreme heat which can be used to make electricity, melting steel, or creating hydrogen fuel. (http://www.solarhome.org/infowhatissolarpower.html)

Problems: Solar Panels


Solar panels sound great, but there are still many problems that are associated with them. One of the major problems is the cost of production. To cost to power a singe home ranges from £12,000 to £14,000 which would be 24,000 to 28,000 CDN (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7232328.stm). This cost is so high because of the manufacturing process (thats right they dont just spawn), and because they are manufactured that means more pollution is being created. The amount of pollution the manufacturing of 1m^2 solar panel releases, amounts to "2 to 20 flights Brussels-Lissabon (up and down, per passenger)" (http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2008/03/the-ugly-side-o.html). Even worse, solar panels have a solar cell efficiency of 40.8%. That means only 40.8% of the energy taken in by the cells are created in to usable energy, and the last efficiency record came in at 40.7% two years ago... So clearly, solar panels are not evolving quickly. One more major problem with with solar panels is that they need ideal sun conditions to be creating energy. That means clear blue skys all the time. So in places like Calgary, where the sun usually appears with some heavy overcast, solar panels are clearly NOT efficient. Where they are efficient is in the desert, but even that brings more problems since large scale solar farms destroy large sections of the deserts already fragile ecosystem. Putting solar panels on your home is not much more eco-friendly since they require installation, maintinence, replacement, and generators to convert the solar energy into usable electricity. That means more and more things need to be produced, making more and more pollution. As nice as solar panels seem, they are not that great. Untill they become more efficient to make, and more efficient at capuring/converting solar energy, they are not the right option for making our environment any cleaner.

What are Biofuels?


Biofuel refers to any solid, liquid, or gas fuel that has been derived from biomass (http://www.thegreencarwebsite.co.uk/biofuels.asp). They offer an alternate to fossil fuels which emit greenhouse gases. They can be made from a variety of plants including palm oil, sugar cane and wood. Palm oil is processed to form biodiesel. Sugar crops, such as sugar cane, are turned into ethanol through a process of yeast fermentation. Wood can be used to make ethanol, methanol and woodgas (http://www.thegreencarwebsite.co.uk/biofuels.asp). The two most common biofuels available to power vehicles are ethanol and biodiesel. Ethanol is usually mixed with petroleum to create a blended fuel, but it is possible to use a blend of ethanol with up to 4% water. Biodiesel is mixed with mineral diesel to create a blended diesel. Volkswagen, SEAT, Audi and Skoda have built vehicles that are 100% compatible with biodiesel, but other manufacturers do not recommend using it (http://www.thegreencarwebsite.co.uk/biofuels.asp). Over the past decade, biofuels have increased in popularity for powering vehicles and heating homes due to global initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

History of Biofuels


Biofuels have been used since the beginning of time, starting with the burning of wood for heat and cooking. Modern use of biofuel dates back to 1898, when Rudolph Diesel invented the diesel engine, which ran on peanut oil, and showcased it at the World’s Exhibition in Paris (http://nrpw.com/history.html). It was not until 1908 that biofuels became mainstream. This was the year Henry Ford introduced his Model T engine to run on ethanol. The ethanol used to power Ford engines was made from hemp. After this, Standard Oil and Ford became partners and 25% of oil used biofuel (http://nrpw.com/history.html). Crude oil was discovered in large quantities in the United States and was cheaper to produce and more efficient than biofuel. Competition in the market caused the decline of biofuels over the next two decades and by the early 1940s they were no longer used. In the last few decades they have gain popularity due to the rising price of fuel and global initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Problems with Biofuels


There are a number of problems related to the production of biofuels. The most promenient include; rainforest destruction, rising food prices, water shortages, and the displacement of farmers from their land. Rainforests account for a large percentage of the planet’s biodiversity and they are being replaced by monocultures. Along with the loss of biodiversity, other problems that plague monocultures are soil erosion and nutrient depletion. After a few years crops grown on these lands will not be economically productive so more rainforest will need to be destroyed in order to make room for more monocultures. A related problem is that “changes in the carbon content of soils and carbon stocks in forest and peat lands might offset some or all of the benefits of the greenhouse gas reductions” (http://un-environmental-initiatives.suite101.com/article.cfm/potential_biofuel_problems). Biofuel production can create jobs for the rural poor but this comes at the expense of small scale farming. Farmers are being forced off their land by large organizations that grow crops for biofuel production. It forces people to work for international organizations that mostly likely underpay them and force them to work in unsuitable conditions. Another problem is the crops that are grown for biofuel production are replacing crops grown for food production because they are more profitable. This means that there are fewer crops grown for consumption and the price of food is increasing. This has an effect globally but is more prominent in developing countries where people already struggle to survive. For example, corn is an important food for people in developing countries and the price of corn has risen dramatically. Large amounts of water are used to grow crops used for biofuels and in the production of biofuels. There are already millions of people that do not have access to clean water and this number is bound to increase in the future if crops grown for biofuels keep increasing. The United Nations and other global organizations have expressed concern that biofuels are not being produced in a socially and environmentally sustainable way and guidelines are being developed for sustainable biofuel production.

What is Wind Energy?
Wind power is wind energy converted into electricity using wind turbines. A wind turbine is a machine that converts the kinetic energy in wind into mechanical energy using rotation of its blades. Other names for wind turbines are: wind generator, aerogenerator, wind power unit (WPU), or wind energy converter (WEC). The worldwide capacity of wind-powered generators was 94.1 gigawatts by the end of 2007. Although wind power is rapidly growing, it only produces about 1% of the over-all electricity use. Wind power is dominant in Europe in countries such as Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Ireland, and Germany. Also, in Canada, there is the potential for wind energy to meet 20% of all electricity needs. As an alternative to fossil fuels, wind energy as a power source is preferred by many environmentalists. It is renewable, abundant, clean, and produces lesser greenhouse gas emissions. Wind turbines have a relatively low maintenance cost, but has high installation costs. Wind power available is much greater than the current world energy consumption. The potential of wind power on land and near-shore is 72 watts, which is equivalent to 54,000 million tons of oil per year. Using wind power as an energy source promotes sustainable living and is virtually pollution free.

History of Wind Energy


Wind energy has been used since the beginning of time, starting with propelling boats along the Nile River as early as 5000 B.C. Followed by simple windmills in China for the purpose of pumping water(http://www1.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/wind_history.html). By the 11th century, people in the Middle East were using windmills extensively for food production. As the success of wind energy rose, new ways of using wind energy eventually spread around the world. As late as the 1920’s Americans used windmills to grind wheat and corn, to pump water, to cut wood at sawmills and eventually used small windmills to generate electricity in rural areas. The popularity of using wind energy has always fluctuated with the price of fossil fuels. After World War II, the prices of fossil fuels dropped causing an interest in wind turbines to fall. However, when the price of oil skyrocketed in the 1970’s (due to oil shortage), it created a new interest in alternative energy sources. This resulted in the re-entry of windmills to generate electricity(http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/renewable/wind.html). For more than a decade, there have been several lessons learned from operating wind power plants. In theory, this has made wind generated electricity substantially close in cost to the power from conventional utility generation in some locations. Wind energy is the world’s fastest growing energy source and will most likely power industries, businesses and homes with clean, renewable energy in the future. (http://www1.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/wind_history.html).

Problems with Wind Energy


Since the time when wind power was first used as an alternative source of energy, a number of problems have been discovered regarding it. One of which, is the vast space that is required for wind towers. Each turbine tower requires an average of 42 X 42-foot-square graveled area. This alone is not too much space, but a site needs at least 15-20 towers to make its investment worthwhile (http://www.wind-watch.org/documents/wp-content/uploads/ProblemWithWind.pdf). Another problem with wind power is the amount of wildlife it destroys each year. On average, one analysis found that 20-40 birds are killed by a single towers turbine each year (http://www.iberica2000.org/Es/Articulo.asp?Id=1253). Another study estimated that 11200 birds of prey, 350000 bats, and 3000000 small birds are killed by wind turbines and their power lines each year (http://www.wind-watch.org/documents/wp-content/uploads/ProblemWithWind.pdf). One last problem with wind power is that it creates a great deal of noise. The noise generated is so great that many people who live near wind plants have began to file law suits against the owners of the wind plants (http://www.wind-watch.org/documents/wp-content/uploads/ProblemWithWind.pdf).

Conclusion-Still needs to be completed
This page has illustrated three main forms of alternative energy and the primary issues with each of them. As the world is becoming more environmentally conscious, different sources of alternative energy have been sought out. Since these various forms of energy have only recently been discovered, there are of course many problems associated with them. It is important to spread awareness of these problems so individuals, who may not have otherwise known of them, can review and attempt to solve them. This process will undoubtedly lead to a more "efficient" environmentally conscious world.

Websites
Merissa's Websites

1. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7186380.stm 2. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18551000/ 3. http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/blog/climate/countdown-to-new-biofuels-legislation-20080324 4. http://un-environmental-initiatives.suite101.com/article.cfm/potential_biofuel_problems 5. http://biofuel.org.uk/history-of-biofuels.html 6. http://www.livescience.com/environment/071027-ap-biofuel-crime.html 7. http://nrpw.com/history.html 8. http://www.thegreencarwebsite.co.uk/biofuels.asp 9. http://www.green-planet-solar-energy.com/what-is-biofuel.html 10. http://www.bnl.gov/est/erd/biofuel/

Andrew Obrejanu's Websites

1. http://www.wired.com/science/planetearth/news/2005/10/69177

2. http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/15/new-solar-cell-efficiency-record-barely-achieved-at-40-8/

3. http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/renewable/solar.html

4. http://www.todaywasawesome.com/2008/06/17/solar-panels-suck/

5. http://www.rdmag.com/ShowPR.aspx?PUBCODE=014&ACCT=1400000101&ISSUE=0809&RELTYPE=MS&PRODCODE=00000000&PRODLETT=M&CommonCount=0

6. http://www.forbes.com/2008/06/19/natural-gas-hydrogen-biz-energy-cx_wp_0620natgas.html

7. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3601/is_/ai_n27176988

8. http://www.aweo.org/ProblemWithWind.html

9. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/08/AR2008030802595.html

10. http://environmentallegal.blogs.com/sholzer/2008/03/are-you-sure-yo.html

11. http://www.katu.com/news/specialreports/19157944.html

12. http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2008/03/the-ugly-side-o.html

13. http://www.manicore.com/anglais/documentation_a/solar.html

14. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7232328.stm

15. http://www.manicore.com/anglais/documentation_a/solar.html

16. http://www.wisegeek.com/how-do-solar-panels-work.htm

Kumar's Websites

1. http://www1.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/wind_history.html

2. http://www.telosnet.com/wind/early.html

3. http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/renewable/wind.html

4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_wind_power

5. http://canren.gc.ca/tech_appl/index.asp?CaId=6&PgId=232

6. http://www.windpower.org/en/pictures/index.html

7. http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/2-3-2005-65283.asp

8. http://www.thesolarguide.com/wind-power/history.aspx

9. http://winds-energy.blogspot.com/2007/03/history-of-wind-energy.html

10. http://www.sei.ie/Renewables/Wind_Energy/History_of_Wind_Energy/

Kevin's Websites

1. http://southface.org/solar/solar-roadmap/solar_how-to/history-of-solar.htm

2. http://www.makeitsolar.com/solar-energy-information/01-solar-history.htm

3. http://www.enviroharvest.ca/solar.htm

4. http://www.trivia-library.com/b/solar-energy-history-and-development.htm

5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power

6. http://canren.gc.ca/tech_appl/index.asp?CaId=5&PgId=121

7. http://www.newenergy.org/sesci/publications/pamphlets/passive.html

8. http://www.centreforenergy.com/silos/solar/solarHistory.asp

9. http://www.solarhome.org/infowhatissolarpower.html

10. http://www.alternate-energy-sources.com/history-of-solar-energy.html

Andrew's Websites

1. http://www.windpower.org/en/tour/grid/rein.htm

2. http://library.thinkquest.org/20331/types/wind/problems.html

3. http://www.timhunkin.com/a125_arch-windpower.htm

4. http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/eng4456

5. http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2008/09/candour-from-beeb.html

6. http://www.wind-watch.org/documents/wp-content/uploads/ProblemWithWind.pdf

7. http://www.npp.ca/images/WindTurbineNoiseIssues.pdf

8. http://robertd.wordpress.com/2008/08/23/big-problems-for-wind-and-solar-power/

9. http://www.gcse.com/energy/wind_power_problems.htm

10. http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/07/16/business/wind.php Nora's Websites

1. http://www.canadianwindpower.com/about_wind.html

2. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7727028.stm

3. http://www.forbes.com/energy/2008/09/24/energy-oceans-drilling-biz-energy-cx_wp_0924offshore.html

4. http://www.economist.com/theworldin/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12494609&CFID=31295135&CFTOKEN=32111036

5. http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/market/files/environ/windpower/index.html

6. http http://www.endurancewindpower.com/://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/engineer/facts/03-047.htm#availability

7. http://www.ic.gc.ca/epic/site/rei-ier.nsf/en/h_nz00001e.html

8. http://www.windustry.com/

9. http://www.windpower.org/composite-1918.htm

10. http://www.canwea.ca/wind-energy/index_e.php

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