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dpurdy

Renewable Energy, Other sources of Renewable Energy - 0 views

www.altenergy.org/...other.html

wave infrastructure

shared by dpurdy on 22 Oct 12 - No Cached
  • "Worldwide, approximately 3000 gigawatts (1 gigawatt = 1 GW = 1 billion watts) of energy is continuously available from the action of tides.
  • The best areas are on the eastern sides of the oceans (western side of the continents) between the 40 and 60 latitudes in both the northern and southern hemispheres.
  • While the "wave power at deep ocean sites is three to eight times the wave power at adjacent coastal sites," constructing and mooring the site and transmitting the electricity to shore would be prohibitively costly.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • There is a handful of wave energy demonstration plants operating worldwide, but none produces a significant amount of electricity.
  • dpurdy on 31 Oct 12
     
    While the "wave power at deep ocean sites is three to eight times the wave power at adjacent coastal sites," constructing and mooring the site and transmitting the electricity to shore would be prohibitively costly.
bannonmel99

Uses of Wind Energy | eHow.com - 2 views

www.ehow.com/_4911458_uses-wind-energy.html

use

shared by bannonmel99 on 22 Oct 12 - No Cached
  • For hundreds of years mankind has been making use of the energy and power generated by wind. Whether it has been to travel the world, manufacture products, or in the modern age to generate electricity, wind has provided the means. And while there have been dozens of different methods over the years, new technology is still being invented to make even further use of this ancient power source.
  • Windmills were one of the second most widespread uses of wind energy. The variety of uses that windmills were put to included grinding grain, as well as pumping water, up until the industrial revolution where the windmill was mostly replaced by the steam engine.
tavarreskat99

Tidal power (tidal energy) facts - Interesting energy facts - 1 views

interestingenergyfacts.blogspot.com/...-power-tidal-energy-facts.html

tidal energy

shared by tavarreskat99 on 22 Oct 12 - Cached
  • Tide mills, in use on the Spanish, French and British coasts, date back to 787 A.D.
  • Tidal energy is a type of energy that produces electricity and other forms of power through the use of water.
  • The tide moves a huge amount of water twice each day and although the tidal energy supply is reliable and plentiful, converting it into useful electrical power is not easy.
  • ...6 more annotations...
  • The first involves converting the power of the horizontal movement of the water into electricity. The second involves producing energy from the rise and drop of water levels
  • Although the technology required to harness tidal energy is well established, tidal power is expensive, and there is only one major tidal generating station in operation. This is a 240 megawatt station at the mouth of the La Rance river estuary in France.
  • There are three prototypes of tidal energy devices: horizontal axis turbine, vertical axis turbine, and oscillating devices
  • Tidal energy is not on the list of sustainable energy technologies the UN agencies even though for islanders it is our best hope for large amounts of affordable clean power.
  • Turbines, similar to wind turbines, can be anchored to the sea bed to generate electricity from tidal currents
  • Tidal energy has an efficiency of 80% in converting the potential energy of the water into electricity
cottonetar98

Montana Environmental Information CenterCost of Wind vs. Fossil Fuels - MEIC - 0 views

meic.org/...cost-of-wind-vs-fossil-fuels

wind cost

shared by cottonetar98 on 22 Oct 12 - No Cached
  • Wind energy is cost-competitive with fossil fuels, especially coal. In Montana, wind energy is less expensive than coal for NorthWestern Energy--the state's largest utility.
  • ccording to the EIA, the total cost of wind energy without federal tax and other financial incentives is about 9.7 cents/kilowatt-hour. The total cost of conventional coal without federal tax and other financial incentives is about 9.4 cents/kilowatt-hour.
  • here are integration costs associated with intermittent renewable energy but unlike fossil fuels, wind (and solar and many other renewables) the fuel price stays the same: Zero.  Plus, wind-power technology has rapidly evolved. Turbines are much larger, growing from an average of 1.2 megawatts to 1.6 megawatts (a 33% increase in average capacity) in just three years.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • When comparing the cost of wind vs. fossil fuels its important to consider  fuel costs, integration costs, operating costs, and the cost of tax incentives. Wind energy is cost-competitive with fossil fuels, especially coal. In Montana, wind energy is less expensive than coal for NorthWestern Energy--the state's largest utility. The graph below from the Montana Public Service Commission, compares the costs of various resources in NorthWestern's portfolio. Judith Gap wind facility is about $47.00/Megawatt-hour (or 4.7 cents/kilowatt-hour) and Colstrip Unit 4 is $68.00/Megawatt-hour or (6.8 cents/kilowatt hour).
  • Today's typical new turbine has a 2.3-megawatt capacity; 7-megawatt turbines will be available soon.  The newer turbines can wring more electric power out of the wind (especially at lower wind speeds) than older turbines could. The combination of greater output and greater capacity nearly offsets the materials and labor cost increases plaguing traditional resources.
  • mcdermottaar99 on 11 Mar 13
     
    wind to fossil fuels 
stockmanchl99

History of BioFuel | www.stillisstillmoving.com - 0 views

stillisstillmoving.com/...history-of-biofuel

biofuel

shared by stockmanchl99 on 22 Oct 12 - No Cached
  • Fueling up with ethanol and vegetable oils  was common long before the development of the internal combustion engine. Vegetable and animal oil lamps have been used since the dawn of civilization. Increasingly efficient heaters and lamps meant that higher quality fuels were developed.  For example, small alcohol stoves (also called “spirit lamps”) were commonly used by travelers in the 17th century to warm food and themselves. One of Ben Franklin’s spirit lamps is on display in a Philadelphia exhibit.
  • Fueling up with ethanol and vegetable oils  was common long before the development of the internal combustion engine. Vegetable and animal oil lamps have been used since the dawn of civilization. Increasingly efficient heaters and lamps meant that higher quality fuels were developed.  For example, small alcohol stoves (also called “spirit lamps”) were commonly used by travelers in the 17th century to warm food and themselves. One of Ben Franklin’s spirit lamps is on display in a Philadelphia exhibit.
  • At the end of WWI, gasoline quality was declining, and Detroit dropped the standard compression ratio to 3.8 to one. According to Scientific American in 1919, there were to options. One, lower the compression ratio even further, sacrificing efficiency but allowing the continued use of low-grade petroleum.  Or two, use more ethanol in the fuel mix in order to conserve petroleum and allow the creation of more efficient, higher compression engines.  The choice was further skewed in the direction of ethanol when the US Geological Survey announced, in 1920, that oil was running out.[20]
  • stockmanchl99 on 08 Mar 13
     
    "Around the 1850s, lamp fuels in the US and Europe were usually made from animal and vegetable oils, often combined with alcohol.  "Camphene" (a camphor oil scented blend of turpentine and ethanol) was by far the leading fuel in the US with at least 90 million gallons sold per year.[14] But a tax on all alcohol in the US, including industrial alcohol for lamps, meant that other sources of illuminants were needed.  The kerosene industry arose as a direct result of this tax on its competitor - and not because whales were running out, as the "whale oil" myth would have it. "Kerosene" was named as the solar (keros) fuel in imitation of  "camphene." The highly volatile byproduct, called "gasoline" in the hope it would be used in municipal gas light systems, was usually blended unsafely into lamp fuels, or just poured into streams or burned off."
pettitmat99

Biofuels - 0 views

www.voxsolaris.com/biofuels.html

cost

shared by pettitmat99 on 22 Oct 12 - No Cached
  • Biofuels are basically any fuel that can be burned in air to produce heat that is produced by biological means, normally by plant growth. Currently the most prominant biofuels are ethanol and bio-deisel because these can be burned in existing internal combustion engines and are thus a direct replacement for oil. The most important biofuel historically is wood with oth
  • Biofuels are currently cheaper than oil although this is only because we are seeing very high oil prices at the moment. Under what might be termed more 'normal' market conditions, biofuels lack any meaningful price advantage. Biofuel production is very labor intensive and very land intensive. Production of ethanol from sugar cane was pioneered by the Brazilians in the 1970's as a solution to an oil import bill they could ill afford. It worked for them as they have plenty of land they can convert to growing sugar cane and at the time, plenty of cheap labor with which to harvest it.
  • he simple truth is the world does not have enough land to produce anywhere near the quantity of biofuels we need to make any dent in our oil consumption. They are only in fashion now oil prices are high and it is cost effective to produce them. Sooner or later food prices will rise to such a point that biofuel production will cease to be economic.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • In any case the current price of oil is unlikely to be sustained. Much of today's oil prices can be attributed to the geopolitical situation in the Middle East and the hording of oil both for security of supply and more recently as a hedge against the falling dollar.
  • e they cheaper than oil? That depends how you calculate the cost!
  • pettitmat99 on 22 Oct 12
     
    "But herein lies the first problem with biofuels. They may be carbon nuetral but they are certainly not as green as they might be. Not if the land to grow sugar is coming from cutting down the Amazon jungle and not if vast quantities o"
pettitmat99

2 studies conclude that biofuels are not so green after all - The New York Times - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...07iht-biofuel.5.9849073.html

pollution

shared by pettitmat99 on 22 Oct 12 - No Cached
  • most all biofuels used today cause more greenhouse gas emissions than conventional fuels if the pollution caused by producing these "green" fuels is taken into account, two studies published Thursday have concluded.
  • The benefits of biofuels have come under increasing attack in recent months as scientists have evaluated the global environmental cost of their production. The new studies, published by the journal Science, are likely to add to the controversy.
  • When you take this into account, most of the biofuel that people are using or planning to use would probably increase greenhouse gasses substantially," sai
  • ...5 more annotations...
  • t even that equation proved overly simplistic because the process of turning plants into fuel causes it own emissions - through refining and transport, for example
  • If vegetable oil prices go up globally, as they have because of increased demand for biofuel crops, new land is inevitably cleared as farmers in developing countries switch production. Crops from old plantations and fields go to Europe for biofuels, but new fields and plantations are created to feed people at home.
    • pettitmat99
      pettitmat99 on 22 Oct 12
       
      GR8 info on pollution of biofuels
  • ut the new studies suggested that when land use is taken into account few, if any biofuels, will be acceptable.
  • d: "If the whole point of biofuels directives was to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we've found out that most biofuels are not really better than conventional fuels at that."
giumarraant99

http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/foresight/docs/energy/hydrogen-and-fuel-cells-towards-a-su... - 1 views

www.bis.gov.uk/...wards-a-sustainable-future.pdf

CO2 pollution use

shared by giumarraant99 on 22 Oct 12 - No Cached
    • giumarraant99
      giumarraant99 on 22 Oct 12
       
      Read abstract.. why hydrogen and fuel cells
  • giumarraant99 on 22 Oct 12
     
    CO2 pollution use (sticky note)
pettitmat99

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Biodiesel Production and Distribution - 0 views

www.afdc.energy.gov/...biodiesel_production.html

all

shared by pettitmat99 on 22 Oct 12 - No Cached
    • pettitmat99
      pettitmat99 on 22 Oct 12
       
      great photo on the production of biodeisels
  • he production process converts oils and fats into chemicals called long-chain mono alkyl esters, or biodiesel. These chemicals are also referred to as fatty acid methyl esters, and t
  • Biodiesel is produced from vegetable oils, yellow grease, and tallow.
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • Raw or refined plant oil, or recycled greases that have not been processed into biodiesel, are not biodiesel and should be avoided
  • Fats and oils (triglycerides) are much more viscous than biodiesel, and low-level vegetable oil blends can cause long-term engine deposits, ring sticking, lube-oil gelling, and other maintenance problems that can reduce engine life
  • Biodiesel is distributed from the point of production to retail fueling stations by truck, train, or barge.
  • pettitmat99 on 22 Oct 12
     
    good website to find most information on biofuels
hughesacam99

Wave Energy Pros and Cons - Tidal and Ocean Wave Power Still Niche Technologies | Green... - 2 views

www.greenworldinvestor.com/...power-still-niche-technologies

pros wave energy

shared by hughesacam99 on 22 Oct 12 - No Cached
  • Wave Power is quite immature,costly and unproven in large scale. While some companies have made good progress, the technology remains largely unproven and has only been put to actual test in pilot cases.
  • While Wave Energy has been known since the 1700s the progress has been extremely slow.
  • One of the biggest problems of Renewable Power is that it is intermittent in nature as it generates energy only when there are waves. This problem can be solved with energy storage however this leads to additional costs.
  • ...8 more annotations...
  • Severe Weather like Storms and Typhoons can be quite devastating on the Wave Power Equipment especially those place on the Sea Floor.
  • This is a disadvantage which is common to all  the 3 types of Water based Energy that is Tidal, Hydro and Waver Energy. Some forms of Energy are just better suited to some places.
  • Wave Power generate power quite far away from the consumption of electricity. Transportation of Wave Energy can be quite cumbersome and expensive. Some Wave Energy Generators are converting power at the bottom of the ocean or far away from the shoreline. Moving that power towards where it is used can be difficult.
  • The sight of wave generators around the shoreline can look quite ugly and cause loss of tourism potential around shorelines. Also local residents can have problems even with wave power equipment which is not far offshore. The Cape Wind Energy project off the shore of Massachusetts has been delayed by over 10 years as it has drawn serious objections from the owners of coastal homes about loss in their property values.
  • A Wave Power Plant can cost around$6-10 million million to be spent in building 1 Megawatt.
  • Waver Energy does not require any fuel like most other sources of energy
  • Wave Energy is powered by the waves of the ocean which are totally free just like Wind and Sunlight.
  • Wave Energy Generators can be installed in various sizes with as little as 1 MW. This is not possible for other energy forms which require a minimum large size such as Coal, Nuclear etc.
janosjus99

My Library - 0 views

www.diigo.com/janosjus99

biofuel

shared by janosjus99 on 22 Oct 12 - No Cached
logansar99

Wave (geography) - GCSE Wiki - 0 views

gcse.wikia.com/...Wave_(geography)

wave energy location geography

shared by logansar99 on 22 Oct 12 - No Cached
  • Wave energy is generally affected by three main factors: Wind speed - higher wind speed means more wave energy, because the energy is transfered from the wind to the wave. Fetch - the distance of open water over which the wave has travelled across makes a big differenece on wave height and wave energy, as a longer fetch gives the waves longer to 'grow'. Wind duration - with a longer storm, the waves will be bigger.
morehousejam98

Tidal Wave Energy - Quick Guide to Costs,Investment and How Tidal Generators Produce Ti... - 1 views

www.greenworldinvestor.com/...generators-produce-tidal-power

tidal converted

shared by morehousejam98 on 22 Oct 12 - No Cached
  • .In this form of Tidal Power,a Barrage is built near the coast where water is collected during the periods of high tides.During low tide the barrage allows the water from the reservoir to move towards the ocean or sea.The potential energy of the water at a higher level is converted to electricity using Turbines.
troisichr99

Research Report: does solor powers pollution than CO2 when compared to fossil fuels? - 0 views

ultimate-research-assistant.com/ResearchReport.asp

pollution

shared by troisichr99 on 22 Oct 12 - No Cached
  • But as much as it poses a health risk, a group of researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory point out that the relative risks are still light when compared to the use of fossil fuels
rodriguezjos99

Is Tidal Energy a sustainable way to produce power? | GreenAnswers - 4 views

greenanswers.com/...-sustainable-way-produce-power

tide sustainable

shared by rodriguezjos99 on 22 Oct 12 - No Cached
  • It does not create any emissions that may contribute to global warming.
  • Tidal energy is most sustainable and beneficial as a tool in a larger tool belt of renewable energy sources needed to meet our energy demands.
  • albrechtjen99 on 08 Mar 13
     
    "tidal power is a renewable source of electrical power that is used in addition to other sources of energy. It does not create any emissions that may contribute to global warming. Tidal power is not entirely the most consistent source of electricity though, as it does not adhere to peak usage schedules, due to daily tidal cycles (differing energy harnessing potential between Ebb and Flood tides). Tidal energy is most sustainable and beneficial as a tool in a larger tool belt of renewable energy sources needed to meet our energy demands."
  • rodriguezjos99 on 11 Mar 13
     
    "Yes, tidal power is a renewable source of electrical power that is used in addition to other sources of energy. It does not create any emissions that may contribute to global warming. Tidal power is not entirely the most consistent source of electricity though, as it does not adhere to peak usage schedules, due to daily tidal cycles (differing energy harnessing potential between Ebb and Flood tides). Tidal energy is most sustainable and beneficial as a tool in a larger tool belt of renewable energy sources needed to meet our energy demands."
dpurdy

Tidal Energy Pros and Cons - Energy Informative - 0 views

energyinformative.org/tidal-energy-pros-and-cons

tidal advantages disadvantages cost

shared by dpurdy on 22 Oct 12 - No Cached
  • This ultimately reduces the cost these power plants can sell their electricity
  • It is important to realize that the methods for generating electricity from tidal energy is a relatively are relatively new technologies
  • Tidal Energy is a renewable energy source. This energy source is a result of the gravitational fields from both the sun and the moon, combined with the earth’s rotation around its axis, resulting in high and low tides.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • In addition to being a renewable energy, it does not emit any climate gases and does not take up a lot of space
  • buherjac99 on 22 Oct 12
     
    pollution
baileyamb99

How Is Wave Energy Used to Generate Electricity? | eHow.com - 0 views

www.ehow.com/sed-generate-electricity_.html

converted

shared by baileyamb99 on 22 Oct 12 - No Cached
  • Earth is composed mainly of bodies of water---about 71 percent of the earth's surface is water. Ninety-seven percent of that is found in the oceans. Because the earth's surface is curved, the sun heats it unevenly. This causes winds to blow across the water and generate waves. The sun and moon also exert their gravitational pull on the earth, triggering wave-producing tides. Wave motion energy can be harnessed and generated into electricity.
ackleysam99

Solar energy 'cheaper than fossil fuels in 5 years' - 0 views

www.lowcarboneconomy.com/...3442

cost

shared by ackleysam99 on 22 Oct 12 - No Cached
  • Speaking to Silicon.com, the author of The Age of Intelligent Machines, said that nanotechnology could help solve the world's energy crisis and make solar technology cheaper.
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