Month: January 2013

In the Robotics Activity we did we had built a car out of legos and used it for the experiment. We started with measuring the diameter of the wheels. We found the circumference of the car and measure the speed and rotation of the wheels by connecting the car to the computer to collect the data. We recorded the wheel rotation, the time it took to rotate and the distance it went. At lower powers the car struggled to move and at higher speeds it skidded to stop, which could explain the discrepancies in the data.

Our Car: 

Our data:

Power Setting	Time(s)	Number of Turns	Left Wheel Rotation	Right Wheel Rotation	Velocity (m/s)	Distance Calculated (m)	Distance Measured(m)	Percent Error
75.00	1.00	1.52	552.00	546.00	0.27	0.27	0.28	2.50
75.00	1.00	1.53	554.00	549.00	0.27	0.27	0.29	5.34
75.00	1.00	1.52	551.00	546.00	0.27	0.27	0.29	5.86
50.00	1.00	0.95	345.00	342.00	0.17	0.17	0.19	10.00
50.00	1.00	0.93	338.00	335.00	0.17	0.17	0.19	11.84
50.00	1.00	0.95	345.00	341.00	0.17	0.17	0.18	5.28
25.00	1.00	0.39	143.00	142.00	0.07	0.07	0.08	5.33
25.00	1.00	0.39	140.00	139.00	0.07	0.07	0.08	13.13
25.00	1.00	0.36	130.00	132.00	0.07	0.07	0.08	13.33

The U.S. Energy Grid consists of wire interconnected systems that supply and carry electricity throughout the nation.There is no actual national power grid, but three separate systems that run through the different states. The systems run electricity through wires that are high voltage to move faster, but become lower voltage when they are transferred to our homes. The power grid began in the 20th century. The interlinked systems now include over 3,200 electric distribution utilities, over 10,000 generating units, tens of thousands of miles of transmission and distribution lines, and millions of customers. The national reliability organization for the power grid system is the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, established after the 1965 blackout that shutdown the East Coast. Although pretty reliable the grids do need to be updated and enhanced for improvement. This includes:

• new transmission lines
• assessing the cost of construction and payment of construction in one state, when the site provides electricity out of state.
• trying to have high quality concentration of voltage be able to reach the greater demand
• who is going to pay for the new lines?

 

The “Smart Grid” allows people to receive and communicate through digital messages passed through the grid. This allows people to become aware of a bug in the grid and send instructions to fix it. It also allows uses to adjust the amount of electricity their appliances are using with smart devices attached to the grid in the home.

The issue with these system is getting clearance {zoning, finance} for additions to the systems to bring more electricity and efficiency to the power grid. The question remains though that if Americans become more eco friendly will they need to innovate the power grids?

 

Resources:

http://www.eia.gov/energy_in_brief/article/power_grid.cfm

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103713402

http://www.smartgrid.gov/the_smart_grid#smart_grid

It has been predicted that renewable energy has been growing faster and account for more than half of the Germany’s electricity within a decade. This is due to their innovative Green Energy Policy. With the rise of greenhouse gasses occurring throughout the world, Germany has taken steps to use renewable resources such as solar power and wind in their electricity grid to reduce the effects they have on the atmosphere. In 2000 the Renewable Energy Sources Act was passed and in 2010 Germany adopted its new Energy Concept document that would be carried out until 2050.The Germany are:

• primary energy consumption is to fall by 20 percent from 2008 levels by 2020, and at least 50 percent by 2050;
• renewable energy is to account for 18 percent of final energy consumption in 2020, and at least 80 percent of electricity consumption in 2050;
• and greenhouse gas emissions are to see cuts of 40 percent by 2020 and at least 80 percent by 2050, both relative to 1990 levels.]

Positive affects of the plan are

• The country has experienced a 3% decrease in carbon dioxide emissions
• There has been an increase in jobs, due to the employment needed to maintain renewable energy power sources
• the creation of greenhouse infrastructures in buildings and homes that use renewable resources to power daily electrical and gas usage.
• The reduction of car usage with the implementation of greater public transportation and encouragement of bicycle usage

They began funding the project with tax increases on citizens.  A dilemma in this policy is that the sounthern part of the nation requires the most energy, but the power is concentrated from the north.

Unfortunately there are many downfalls to this plan. These policy changes require huge investments and national financial support. New gas-fire powered plants would need to be created as backups for when the renewable resources are unavailable (no wind, cloudy days, etc.).

Although the cost and innovation may be hard on a nation and it’s citizens, Germany has proved that the implementation of these policies does have an effect of our global warming, reducing emissions the harm they cause. They are a model for avoiding anymore damage done to the earth by greenhouse gasses that damage it.

Resources:

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-10-29/german-official-renewable-energy-beats-forecasts

http://www.thesolutionsjournal.com/node/981

http://blogs.worldwatch.org/revolt/the-enthusiasm-gap-how-to-improve-energy-efficiency/