Northeastern University

ENGR 5670: Sustainable Energy: Materials, Conversion, Storage and Usage

Carbon Calculator: Due 9/28/15

Group Assignment: This is a team/group assignment. Teams will be split into

groups of 4-5 students. We will try to include both graduate and undergraduate
students onto each team. There must be at least 2 different majors in each
group, such as ChE and ECE. Each team should hand in only one carbon
calculator report. HARDCOPY report is to be submitted and graded.
Prizes: Be creative and unique for the HW! There will be prizes for the most unique
and creative answer!

1. Write a computer program using MATLAB, Excel spreadsheet, Java, Droid App,
Iphone app, or any other language that calculates carbon footprints based on user
input. Make sure you use the tables in your text and class slides to obtain energy
equivalence of different fuel sources, as well as other published scientific data.
Make your carbon calculator unique/special by adding features (you
decide which ones) that are not normally found on the calculator. Ideas
may be items such as i) life cycle analysis of power plants (remember it
takes a lot of energy to build a power plant that may be included in
carbon footprint), ii) types of food you eat (energy needed to produce
food), iii) subway rides, iv) other types of greenhouse gases emitted, for
example SO2 , v) any other ideas you have, or etc.
2. Write a 1-2 page summary that explains to a simple person (such as your
instructors): 1) any assumptions made, 2) how the computer program works and
how the carbon footprint calculator differs from other well known footprint
calculators on the Internet.
3. Print out and explain your own carbon footprint for your lifestyle now AND for
your lifestyle you hope to have 10 years from now. Discuss how they change and
any opinions you have about this. Hand in your program and its output results
along with your discussion.
4. Suppose that our goal is to reduce CO2 emissions by 10% in the USA within 10
years. Use your carbon footprint calculator to suggest how this might be
completed. How much solar, geothermal, nuclear, etc. should we use. What
changes would you need in transportation efficiency and usage? Make sure
you explain all assumptions/calculations.

A few references to start with:

Carbon footprint calculators
http://www.earthday.net/footprint/index.html
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ind_calculator.html
Data for calculations (you may need more than below)
http://www.ghgprotocol.org/
http://www.eia.doe.gov/
If you want, you can do a creative video (be sure to make it include technical material:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGRlo87oAUg
Grading Policy This is one of the reports that will be graded and calculated into your
final average. It will be given a numeric grade.
If you have a working carbon calculator with an understandable explanation of how it
works, then the homework is in the C. range The better the calculator and discussion,
the higher the grade.
If you are able to discuss accurately your lifestyle carbon calculator now and 10 years
from now, then the homework is up to B-. A good discussion, with honest assessment of
future lifestyle (such as increased energy use due to owning a home or farther
commute or supporting family) raises this to a B.
The more difficult part is to give real recommendations on how the USA could reduce
CO2 in 10 years by 10%. Do not make vague/general suggestions such as to change
coal to renewable (or something similar). How much reduction? Why is it reasonable?
Remember that only 40% CO2 is from electricity generation. Reducing CO2 10% from
electricity generation would therefore reduce US CO2 only by 4%. To make an A on the
homework, recommendations must be supported by some calculations or data and
cannot be just general opinions like rely more on renewable energy or drive less.
Other Comments
Avoid first person ( I multiply this number by this number and I get )
Make sure you list references at the end of the document and refer the reader to
these references within the text of the discussion.
Avoid putting overly opinionated phrases in an answer.
You may consider also the contribution to CO2 by being a student at NU.
Universities are known, also, to have a high carbon footprint, and each student has a
share in the contribution