For our final project for science class we had to make an experiment related to sustainability.  For this project we divided by groups, and each group had to run an experiment for another group.  Therefore, our group ran the “wind turbine” experiment that was prepared by another group.  This experiment was based on converting wind energy into electricity.  Purpose of this experiment was to figure out how the distance and power of the wind affects the voltage.

For this experiment we used small turbine that we had to construct: fan, ruler, and voltammeter. Next, we made three small experiments on different distances.  In the first experiment we put wind turbine 6 inches away from the fan and used different modules with different power of the fan.  In the second experiments we put wind turbine 12 inches away from the fan and used the same tactic with changing modules.  Then, we repeated the process again, but this time with 18 inches distance between turbine and fan. Here is our data:

• Distance = 6 inches

Module 1, voltage = 5.3

Module 2, voltage = 7.5

Module 3, voltage = 8.1

• Distance = 12 inches

Module 1, voltage = 5.1

Module 2, voltage = 6.2

Module 3, voltage = 7.4

• Distance = 18 inches

Module 1, voltage = 4.0

Module 2, voltage = 5.1

Module 3, voltage = 6.5

Based on this data, we figured out that power of the wind had effect on the amount of electricity that turbine generated, because voltage increased as power of the wind increased.  The distance also had effect on the voltage .  Higher distance generated less voltage.  That change relates to power of the wind. As we put wind turbine further away, the wind power decreased because the wind needed more time to reach the turbine.

In conclusion, we found this experiment very interesting and instructive.  The set up was clear, and I learned that power of wind is really influential for generating electricity.  Overall, wind energy becomes an important and popular source of energy, because people have started seeking ways to solve environmental problems.  Wind energy is one of the alternative sources that do not emit CO. Therefore it is one of the cleanest sources of energy yet.

In my science class we had an experiment with solar cells.  This experiment was based on photovoltaic effect.  That is why sometimes a solar cell is called a photovoltaic cell.  Basically a solar cell is a device that directly converts sun light into the electricity.  Nowadays, this device is very popular, because people have become more concerned about environmental problems.  Solar cells do not produce greenhouse gases, which are very harmful for our planet.  Therefore people have started using solar panels much often to produce electricity.

For our experiment we had a solar cell, a flashlight, and different filters.  The goal of our laboratory was to figure out how the distance between the solar cell and light affects voltage, and then how filters affect voltage.  Here is the data from my experiment:

1. Experiment (Distance vs Voltage)

Distance =0, Voltage =0.40978

Distance =5, Voltage = 0.20578

Distance =10, Voltage = 0.0789

Distance =15, Voltage = 0.03876

1. Experiment (Filters vs Voltage), distance=0

Blue, voltage = 0.34765

Red, voltage = 0.23487

Yellow, voltage = 0.28796

Purple, voltage = 0.20967

In conclusion, our first experiment showed that the more far the light from the solar cell, less electricity is produced.  The second experiment showed that different filters have different effects on voltage; for example, the blue one had less resistance to the light.

Boston Museum of Science was founded in 1830 as the Boston Society of Natural History, and many collections were presented there by society.  In 1864 the museum was opened in a new building in the Back Bay as New England Museum of Natural History.  Then after the World War 11 the museum was reestablished in different place as Boston Museum of Science.  Now the museum is one of the most interesting sights in Boston.  Almost all tourists that visit Boston go to visit the museum.  It is expectable, because Boston’s Museum of Science has made its exhibits very interesting and up to date.  For example, one of the latest developments in the world is alternative energy.  Therefore, the museum has exhibit called “Catching the Wind”

Boston’s Museum of Science launched exhibit “Catching the Wind” in 2009. There are nine wind turbines, and there are five different sizes of turbines on a rooftop of the museum. Since 2009 all the data had been collected and analyzed to form statistics about the turbines. It helped and still helps to compare the performance and improve the turbines overall. All the data is being collected live, and visitors can see it right away and learn about wind turbines and energy technology. Although the turbines provide electricity for the museum, it can cover only an insignificant part because turbines are small. In 2010, the turbines produced 4,409 kWh of clean energy, which is 60% of what an average Massachusetts home consumed a year in 2009. Also, the Museum’s Wind Lab did not experience any noise issues or vibrations. Overall in past 4 years exhibit “Catching the Wind” help not only to attract more visitors, but also to collect important data, which played a significant role in turbine improvement.

In conclusion, Museum of Science in Boston is a great place with huge history and many interesting exhibits that are contemporary.  “Catching the Wind” is one of these exhibits, which not only help to attract people but also to improve turbines.

Sources

“Catching the Wind.” Museum of Science, Boston. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2013

Fukushima Daiichi was one of the two nuclear plants in Fukushima.  This plant was located on the coast, and was one of the biggest sources of energy in Japan before the earthquake.  On Friday march 11 2011 the Great East Japan earthquake of magnitude 9.0 destroyed many parts of the region, but the most important that it caused Tsunami that destroyed much more.  The epicenter of the earthquake was 130 km from the city of Sendai, and was lasted for 3 minutes.

All eleven reactors that were operated at that time were shut down automatically when the earthquake hit.  Inspection showed that earthquake did not damage any of the reactors, but then tsunami caused a lot of problems on Daiichi plant (units 1-3, and then unit 4 on fifth day).  Because of the tsunami 12 out of 13 back-up generators and the heat exchanger for dumping reactor waste were disabled.  Therefore, a lot of nuclear waste went to the ocean.

click here to view video http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/international/2011/05/05/eco.solutions.fukushima.bk.a.cnn#/video/international/2011/05/05/eco.solutions.fukushima.bk.a.cnn

This disaster had bad affect not only on Japan but also on many other countries in that region.  Here are some of the effects that are caused by Fukushima Daiichi;

• More 1000 people get the radiation
• Possibility of 130 death from cancer
• Many animals died because of the radiation
• Huge economical effect on Japan and other countries in the region, especially fish industry
• 36 % of Japanese children reported abnormal growth of thyroid

Therefore, because of this accident Japan started to develop new energy strategies.  Goshi Hosono, Japanese environment minister, recently announced that Japan will rely more on renewable sources of energy, and he also said plan how they would achieve it.   This plan focuses on achieving nuclear free society.  These are some main points that English language press discuss mostly.

• Strictly limit the operation of nuclear plants to 40 years age
• Restart those nuclear plants where safety has been reassured by Nuclear Safety Commission
•  No new construction or expansion of nuclear power station

Press mentioned that if these principles were obeyed, Japan would not have any nuclear plants soon, and last would be turned off around 2052.  However, this is not all their new strategies.  They have a lot more of strategies that do not mention nuclear power.

• Reducing electricity and energy consumption
• Promoting investments in renewable energy
• Electricity power system reform
• A planned transition from passive paying electricity bill to active interaction

Source

“Fukushima Accident 2011.” Fukushima Accident 2011. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2013.

“Constant Contact : File Not Found.” Constant Contact : File Not Found. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2013.

“Riyadh Reveals Strategy for Renewable Energy Programme.” Middle East Business News, Projects, Data and Analysis. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2013.

Nowadays people start thinking how they can reduce pollution of our planet.  It happens because many scientists have been saying that we emit too much CO2 to our atmosphere, approximately 33,500,000 thousands of CO2 per year.   Mostly all C02 emission comes from energy sector.  Therefore, a lot of people and governments in the world try to use alternative types of energy.  Solar energy is one of them.

People use mostly solar energy because it is the most available and sustainable compare to other alternative types of energy, wind and wave.  Scientists found some interesting facts about sun and solar energy.  First, the sun provides enough energy in one minute to supply the world’s energy needs for one year.  Another fact is that the quantity of energy that comes from the sun in three day period is equivalent to all fossil fuels that stored in the Earth.

Solar power was first discovered to use for heat relevantly recent.  The Swiss scientist, Horace de Saussure, created a first thermal solar collector in 1767.  This device people used for cooking and heating.  Then later in 1891 first commercial patent was given to Clarence Kemp in the US.  This device was bought by two guys from California, and then installed almost in 35 % of homes in Pasadena by 1897.

In today world many countries such as Us, Italy, Germany, and Spain use solar energy.  Solar energy Is not their main source of energy, the world use only 0.5% of solar energy of total usage of energy, but they try to increase their reliance on solar energy.  For instance, in 2009 United States goal was to increase solar energy production by adding 342 megawatts.  This energy is enough to power 3.4 million of the US homes.  Also, many governments offer tax breaks or incentives for investment in solar energy.   In some countries solar energy gets many subsidies.  However, these subsidies are much lower than subsidies for fuel energy or nuclear power.  For example, in the US between 1994 and 2009 oil and gas industries get around $ 500 billion, when renewable sector receives only 5 billion dollars.

Click here to see more information about subsidy in the US        http://www.forbes.com/sites/ciocentral/2013/02/14/government-subsidies-silent-killer-of-renewable-energy/

Sources

“Solar Energy.” Renewable Energy,. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2013.

Network, CIO. “Government Subsidies: Silent Killer Of Renewable Energy.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 14 Feb. 2013. Web. 22 Feb. 2013.

“Find a Solar Panel Professional Now!” SolarEnergynet News. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2013.

Natural gas is located all over the world in underground formations such as carbonates, shale, and sand coal.  To get this natural resource people drill vertical, horizontal or multi-lateral wells to the target formation.  Also, to provide an effective connection between the well and the targeted formation people use different techniques, and hydraulic fracturing is one of them.  Natural gas hydraulic fracturing process is the process that allows people to recover natural gas. In order to make this process a number of steps that should be done before and after it.

• After people identified the target formation and got the appropriate leases on land, environmental and regulatory test are conducted to  asses related environmental issues.
• Before drilling process begins, geoscientist and environmental workers collect and analyze information on the surface conditions of drill territory.  Based on their analyses they create a plan of working process that allows them to maximize extraction of natural gas and minimize footprint on the surface.
•  Construction of a well pad, and then they drill a big hole to a shallow depth ( 40 to 120 feet).
•  Drilling continues below the base of usable water.  During drilling process, drilling mud is pumped into the hole to cool it a little bit and remove boundaries.
• Then they remove all pipes and bits, and put a steel casing into the hole.  They pumped cement through casing to fill the annual space between the outside of the casing and wellbore.
• After this test, they start drilling until it reaches the kick off point.
• When they reach this point, drilling device is removed, and they fill out all space again with the cement again.
• Next, special devise is inserted to provide a way for natural gas to enter the casing.
• Then through this device a fluid is injected to recover gas.  The fluid penetrates the shale, and creates cracks and fractures in the rock. The sand or ceramic particles, called proppant, are carried by the fluid and deposited in the narrow fractures, creating a pathway for gas to reach the well.  This step is called hydraulic fracturing
• The gas is separated from the fluid on the surface.
• Al constructions take around two or three months.

Sources

“Drilling & Completion – There’s Power in Cooperation.” Drilling & Completion – There’s Power in Cooperation. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2013.

“Hydraulic Fracturing.” Facts. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2013.

Hydraulic Fracturing.” Hydraulic Fracturing. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2013

Today in class we made an experiment that based on Faraday’s law of induction.  He discovered it in 1831.  This law states, “The induce electromotive force in any closed circuit is equal to the negative of the time rate of change magnetic flux through the circuit.”  It is basic law of electromagnetism that shows how magnetic field will interact with circuit to produce electromotive force.  During this experiment we produced electricity by shaking device that was consisted of magnet and wires.  When we shacked this device magnet were going back and force trough the wires.  That is why we generated electricity.  In addition, almost the same technology is used by wind plants.  As the result of this lab we figured out that as faster we shake more electricity we produced.  Here is some data.

Source

Nowadays transportation is the sector which is in the second place in energy consumption. It means that it is also second place in emission of CO2. It happens because people drive their cars every day to work, fly or go by train to different countries, and ship their packages. In addition, all these types of transportation use fuel, usually petroleum, which costs a lot of money. For example, now a gallon of gasoline costs around $3.8 dollars in the US, and around $7 dollars in Europe. Therefore, many car industries have started developing new types of engines that consume less fuel, such as hybrid or electric engines.

Hybrid engines consist of two engines, one electric and the other gasoline; therefore, they combine benefits of electric motors and fuel engines, such as fuel efficiency and additional power. Some advanced technologies for hybrid engines that help to save fuel are regenerative braking, electric motor drive assist, and automatic start or shut off. With regenerative breaking, the electric motor applies resistance to the drivetrain, which causes the wheels to slow down. Then the energy from the wheels turns the motor, which functions as a generator, converting energy usually wasted during coasting or braking into electricity. This electricity is stored in batteries that use the electric motor. This function allows cars to save gasoline. In the past the electric motor charged from the gasoline one. Another function is the electric motor drive assist. Actually, the electric motor provides additional power for gasoline during acceleration, passing, and hill climbing. This is not new for hybrids; electric motor drive assist was the first feature for them. However, it saves a lot of fuel, and sometimes when you do not drive fast only the electric motor is working. The automatic start and shut off is used not only in hybrids, but also in regular engines. This relevantly new function turns off the engine when you come to a stop and starts it when you press the gas pedal. Some examples of hybrids are Toyota Prius, BMW 7, Lexus CT 200.

In addition, some cars work only on the electric engine. It makes these cars very efficient and environmentally friendly. It has the same regenerative breaking feature as a hybrid. Therefore, it converts around 60 % of electricity from the grid to power. In fact, this type of car does not emit CO2, so it is very ecologically friendly. Nevertheless, it uses electricity, which is mostly produced by oil plants, coal plants, and others. There are some advantages of the electric motor. It provides quiet, smooth acceleration, and needs less maintenance than the gasoline engine. It can be recharged from any plug; however, there are some difficulties with the charging process. To charge this motor takes from four to eight hours , depending on what kind. The big disadvantage of it is that you cannot drive for a long distance because you need to recharge the battery every 200 miles. One of the most well-known examples of this type of car is Tesla.

Click here to see video about Tesla http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOdsTuaJEfc&feature=player_embedded

Sources

“How Hybrids Work.” How Hybrids Work. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2013.

“Electric Vehicles.” Electric Vehicles. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2013.

“Transportation and Climate | OTAQ.” EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2013

This laboratory focuses on applying second law of Newton: F= m*a.  During this laboratory we made an experiment using “Lego robot”.  We put weight on one side of a rope and robot on another side of the rope.  Using different power we lifted the same weight, than we started changing weights but used the same power.  Therefore, we came to the conclusion: if we put more weight, acceleration goes down, using the same power; if we use more power with the same weight, acceleration goes up.  Therefore, we proved Newton’s second law.

The United States produced 3,836 billion kilowatt-hours (kwh) in 2002, 3,673 billion kwh comes from the electric power sector, whereas the rest comes mainly from combined heat and power (CHP) facilities in the commercial and industrial sectors.  Energy for the electric power sector is divided into a few sources: coal-fired plants 52%, nuclear 21%, natural gas 16%, hydroelectricity 7%, oil 2%, geothermal and other 1%.  Recently, the use of coal-fired plants is declining, because these plants are not efficient: they have high capital cost, and a long construction period.  Natural gas plants are more efficient, so they are growing fast.  Nuclear plants have been growing slowly, because of high initial costs.  In addition, all energy that is  generated by any kind of plants must be transmitted to consumers, for which transmission lines are used.

Transmission lines, when interconnected with each other, become transmission networks. In the US, these are typically referred to as “power grids” or just “the grid.”  The most recent news about the US grid system is that it has been changing over to a “smart grid.”  In 2009, Obama announced new plans for renewable energy, and according to his speech $3.4 billion would go toward developing the nation’s electric grid.  He said that the old system was so inefficient that it costs too much for the US.  Therefore, the old system will be changed to a “smart grid”.

“Smart grid” is basically a class of technology used for delivering energy in the 21th century.  This system is made by two-way communication technology and computer processing.  It is beginning to be used on different electricity networks that linked up power plants, homes, and businesses.  The greatest benefit of using this system is energy efficiency.  Another benefit is that companies do not need to send their workers to gather the usage data required to provide and bill for electricity.  Each device on a network can have sensors to gather the data; for example, power meter, voltage detector, fault detectors are some of these sensors.  Finally, the most important feature of the smart grid is automation technology is that it lets the utility adjust and control each individual device or millions of them from a central office.

click here if you wan more information about “smart grid” http://energy.gov/oe/technology-development/smart-grid

Sources

David, Jackson. “Obama announces $3.4 billion for ‘smart grid’.” USA Today n.d.: Academic        Search Complete. Web. 1 Feb. 2013.

“Energy.gov.” Smart Grid. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2013.

Traffic.” Washington Post. N.p., 01 Aug. 2012. Web. 01 Feb. 2013