History of Science Course

Prof. Mika Sillanpää

ADVENTURE IN ENERGY

presented by Thuy Duong Pham

Mikkeli, 17.07.2008

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 ADVENTURE IN ENERGY

 I. A Brief History of Energy

 II. Energy Issues of Contemporary Age

 III. Towards a Sustainable Energy

Future

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I. A Brief History of Energy

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Our first energy sources

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 Coal

Coal powered-steam engine 1880: Coal powered a steam

provided a landmark in industrial engine attached to the world’s
development in Europe. 1st electric generator.

 1885 -1950: The Golden Age of Coal

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 Hydropower
 1882: The first hydroelectric station opened in Wisconsin.

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 Petroleum oil

 1859: Edwin Drake first drilled for oil in U.S.

 Kerosene used for lighting had been the main oil product.

 1890: Mass production of automobiles began, creating

demand for gasoline.

 1951-present: Oil has given us most of our energy.

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 Nuclear power (fission)
 1942: Scientists produced nuclear energy in a sustained
nuclear reaction.
 1957: The first commercial nuclear power plant began
operating.

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II. Energy Issues of Our Age

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Energy consumption per capita through history
(unit: kcal/day)

Source link: http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/jwh/14.4/images/christian_fig01a.gif

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World primary energy use, by energy sources (2007)

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Source link: http://www.interacademycouncil.net/Object.File/Master/12/027/LTW1-3.jpg
:

Source link: http://www.urbanoptions.org/RenewableEnergy/FossilFuelsAShortBlip.htm 12

Coal formation

Fossil fuels
formation
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The Olduvai Theory of Industrial Civilization

From the caves, to the Moon, to the caves

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Source link: http://dieoff.org/page125.htm
 Current Energy Issues
Fossil fuel related issues:
 Resource depletion
 Environmental pollution
 Climate change
 Acid rain

Nuclear power related issues:

 Safety of operation
 Plant decommisioning cost
 Radioactive wastes disposal
 Thermal pollution
 Threat of nuclear weapons
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 Something to think about…

 Is there still any hope for future?

 How can we make a transition to a more

sustainable energy future?

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II. Towards a Sustainable Energy Future

 Reducing energy waste (conservation)

 Improving energy efficiency

 Using renewable energy

 Shifting from large, centralized macropower systems to

smaller, decentralized micropower systems.

* Hydrogen - fuelcell, fusion, Earth resonance?

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 Reducing energy waste

Four widely used devices waste large amounts of energy:

 Incandescent light bulb: 95% is lost as heat.

 Internal combustion engine: 94% of the energy in its fuel

is wasted.

 Nuclear power plant: 92% of energy is wasted through

nuclear fuel and energy needed for waste management.

 Coal-burning power plant: 66% of the energy released

by burning coal is lost.
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(G. Tyler Miller Jr., 2007)
 Improving energy efficiency
Benefits:

 Prolongs fossil fuel supplies

 Low cost

 Reduces pollution and environmental degradation

 Buys time to phase in renewable energy

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Saving energy and improving energy efficiency

 Producing both heat and electricity from one energy

source (industry)
 Using more energy-efficient electric motors and lighting.
 Increasing fuel efficiency and making vehicles from
lighter and stronger materials (transportation).
 Getting heat from the sun, superinsulating them, and
using plant covered green roofs.
 Saving energy in existing buildings by insulating them,
plugging leaks, and using energy-efficient heating and
cooling systems, appliances, and lighting.

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 Using renewable energies

 Solar power
 Bioenergy
 Wind power
 Hydropower
 Geothermal energy

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Renewable energy revolution

 The European Union aims to get 22% of its electricity from renewable
energy by 2010.

 Costa Rica gets 92% of its energy from renewable resources.

 China aims to get 10% of its total energy from renewable resources by
2020.

 In 2004, California got about 12% of its electricity from wind and plans
to increase this to 50% by 2030.
 Denmark now gets 20% of its electricity from wind and plans to
increase this to 50% by 2030.

 Brazil gets 20% of its gasoline from sugarcane residue.

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Heating buildings and water with Solar energy

 We can heat buildings by orienting them toward the sun (passive) or

by pumping a liquid such as water through rooftop collectors (active).
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Cooling house naturally

Taking advantages
of breezes.

Shading them.

Having light colored

or green roofs.

Roofs covered with plants, built from a blend of light-

weight compost, mulch and sponge-like materials that
hold water. 24
Generating electricity with Solarcells

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 Nanosolar powersheet
The new dawn of solar
Revolution solar energy:

 One of the largest inhibitors

to cheap solar power has
always been the high cost
of solar panels (due to their
thick glass, framing, and
expensive silicon).

 San Jose-based Nanosolar,

Inc. appears ready to
eliminate these barriers with
solar technology that
utilizes thin sheets of non-
silicon components that
reduce the production costs
by over 90% and decreases
the thickness by 99% (the
Nanosolar PowerSheets are
thin enough to be rolled up).
Innovation of the year 2007 26
Link: http://www.nanosolar.com
Nanosolar is on track to make solar electricity:

 cost-efficient for ubiquitous deployment

 mass-produced on a global scale

 available in many versatile forms. 27

Generating electricity from Wind
 Wind power is a promising energy resource
because it is abundant, inexhaustible, widely
distributed, cheap, clean, and emits no greenhouse
gases.

 Much of the world’s potential for wind power

remains untapped.

 Capturing only 20% of the wind energy at the

world’s best energy sites could meet all the world’s
energy demands.
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Generating electrictity from Wind

 Wind turbines can be used individually to produce electricity.

They are also used interconnected in arrays on wind farms. 29
Producing energy from biomass

 Plant materials and animal

wastes can be burned to
provide heat or electricity or
converted into gaseous or
liquid biofuels.

 The major advantages of

biofuels are:

 Crops used for production

can be grown almost
anywhere.
 There is no net increase in
CO2 emissions.
 Widely available and easy
to store and transport.
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 Make fuel from wastes

 Transform landfill methane,

animal manure, or straw
and other agricultural
wastes into fuel.

These produce energy

without competing with food
production.

Methane capture reduces

emissions of a greenhouse
gas 25 times more potent
than CO2.
Waste recycling/incineration plant
at Cergy Pontoise, near Paris, France
SourceLink:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/energy_transport/atlas/htmlu/munwaste.html
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Biogas production from wastes

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Source link: http://www.makinemekanik.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/biogas-cycle.JPG
Hydropower

Microhydropower

Source link: http://hydropower.inel.gov/hydrofacts/hydropower-facilities.shtml

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Geothermal energy

 Geothermal energy consists of heat stored in soil, underground

rocks, and fluids in the earth’s mantle.
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 We can use geothermal energy to produce electricity.
Source: Micropower-The Next Electrica Era
Worldwatch, 2000

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Future Energy Systems for the 21st Century

Future energy technology?

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Source link : http://www.ihi.co.jp/ihi/technology/cleanenergy/21century-e.html
Hydrogen from Renewable Sources
Source link:
http://www.aacg.bham.ac.uk/images/hydrogen/H_from_renewables.JPG
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Hydrogen and fuelcell
 Fuel-efficient vehicles
powered by a fuel cell that
runs on hydrogen gas are
being developed.

 Combines hydrogen gas

(H2) and oxygen gas (O2)
fuel to produce electricity
and water vapor
(2H2+O2  2H2O).

 Emits no air pollution or CO2

if the hydrogen is produced
from renewable-energy
sources. 38
Nuclear Fusion

 A possible source
of energy in the
distant future:
clean and
abundant.

 Fusion could
become the
dominant source
of electricity on
Earth in a century
or so.
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Source link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6165932.stm
JET and ITER
JET (Joint European Torus )
The star of Europe that can
produce plasma.
http://www.jet.efda.org
ITER
The International Thermonuclear
Experimental Reactor project
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http://www.iter.org
Cold electricity – Tesla’s lost dream
Earth Resonance Technology
Free energy for people

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Link: http://fuel-efficient-vehicles.org/tesla-flying-machine/Tesla-biography-Nikola.php
What can we do, individually?
 Buy the most energy-efficient homes,
lights, cars, and appliances available.
 Look for electronics that are
rechargeable.
 Turn off lights, TV sets, computers, and
other electronic equipment when they are
not in use.
 Walk or ride a bicycle for short trips, or
take public transportation for longer ones.
 Use natural cooling (shading tree,
opening window…)

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Efficiencity (UK)

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Link: http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/files/efficiencity/index.html
The RuralZED Zero Emission Home

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Link: http://www.ruralzed.com/
 MASDAR
City of the future

 Zero-carbon
 Zero-waste
 Sustainable transport
 Local, sustainable materials
 Sustainable food, water
 Habitat and wildlife
 Equitty and fair trade
 Health and happiness
 Culture and heritage

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Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWVsi0UtmgI
Thank you for your attention!

Together, we build! 46
 References
 Energy Information Administration
http://www.eia.doe.gov/
 MAST Workshop, Energy http://matse1.mse.uiuc.edu/~tw/energy/energy.html
 A short history of energy
http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/fossil_fuels/a-short-history-of-energy.html
 The Olduvai Theory: Sliding Towards a Post-Industrial Stone Age
http://dieoff.org/page125.htm
The Olduvai theory and catastrophic consequences
http://www.energybulletin.net/node/45518
 G. Tyler Miller Jr. Sustaining the Earth: An Integrated Approach, 2007
 Sustainable Energy Options: http://eeru.open.ac.uk/natta/energy.html#7
 Micropower-The Next Electrica Era Worldwatch, 2000
 Nanosolar: http://www.nanosolar.com/
 Hydrogen from renewablesources
http://www.aacg.bham.ac.uk/images/hydrogen
 Horizon fuelcell: http://www.horizonfuelcell.com/
 ITER http://www.iter.org/
 RuralZED: http://www.ruralzed.com/
 Efficiencity: http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/files/efficiencity/index.html
 Masdar – Green Utopia in the desert
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWVsi0UtmgI
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