Iceland is aptly named because of its location and typical climate; however, it is also resting on a hotbed of fiery roc and water that allows the country to produce a majority of its heat, hot water, and electricity from geothermal energy. They pride themselves highly on their ability to create such a sustainable form of energy in such a clean and environmentally friendly way.

Geothermal energy is simply the energy and power drawn from the Earth’s internal heat and the heat stored in the rock and water beneath the Earth’s crust. Iceland is able to use this geothermal energy to heat and produce hot water for about 87% of their country’s needs as well as 25% of the electrical needs. They are able to drill into the surface of the Earth to release the hot steam and water trapped in the rock and sediment that are used to propel the blades in large turbines connected to generators to convert this immense heat energy into useable electrical energy.

All of this can be accomplished without emitting the harmful emissions that come from fossil fuels which is why it is a much better and cleaner alternative to energy production. Although, it does have an environmental effect because of the release of hydrogen sulfide as well as the disposal of some toxic fluids and gasses brought up from beneath the Earth’s surface.

http://www.nea.is/geothermal/

http://blog.renewableenergyworld.com/ugc/blogs/2013/03/geothermal-energy-in-iceland-too-much-of-a-good-thing.html

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/geothermal-profile/

Stirling Heat Engine: This engine, invented by Robert Stirling, is a much different and more efficient engine than what is in any gas or diesel powered car on the market today. The reason for this potential of such a greater efficiency in the Stirling Engine is that all the gasses used to power the engine never actually leave the engine; therefore, there is no exhaust and the engine runs very quietly. This process is called the “Stirling Cycle,” and uses an external heat form from gasoline to solar power. This engine operates on a mechanical cycle created by the external heat source being converted into the mechanical energy. Because the engine operates on a completely closed cycle, it is able to regenerate the heat energy that it needs to power the mechanical spinning of the engine. Some of the main applications of the Stirling Engine are for marine vehicles and solar power generation because each use the heat energy to create either mechanical power to drive a marine vehicle, or the generation of solar powered electricity.

Peltier Device: The Peltier Device is simply a thermodynamic cooler that operated based on the Peltier effect. This effect is a theory that states that a cooling effect, as well as a heating effect, occurs when an electrical current passes through two dissimilar conductors. The voltage applied to the ends of these conductors is what creates the temperature change because the heat is forced to move from one end to the other.Usually these coolers are comprised of  range of different elements that make up the two dissimilar conductors, typically connected through two ceramic plates that give off the temperature change.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/stirling-engine.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stirling_engine

http://www.marlow.com/resources/general-faq/6-how-do-thermoelectric-coolers-tecs-work.html

Electric cars are quickly becoming the staple of the modern car industry. Car companies have began to successfully build and market engines and cars that are electrically powered. While most cars are still a “hybrid” between gas and electric powered, there are cars that are being produced that are completely electrically powered. Many of the major car companies are now producing these fully electric cars, but there is one company that stands out among the rest: Tesla. Tesla’s cars combine the luxury and power from a gas powered car with the environmentally cleanliness of the electric car.

The conventional combustable engines have no been replaced with an electric motor. These motors convert electricity into mechanical power, while simultaneously acting as a generator. These motors have only one moving piece, the rotor, which spins and has little to no mechanical issues in its way. Tesla’s motor is one of the most efficient and powerful motors with an efficiency of about 88%, nearly three times the conventional engine. As the motor simultaneously acts as a generator, the car is able to recharge itself by collecting the energy while the accelerator is pressed.

The Tesla motors are comprised of two components: the rotor and the stator. The rotor is a rotating shaft with copper wiring running through it that, while it rotates, rotates the wheels.The surrounding stator does not actually come into contact with the rotor, but is creates the rotating magnetic field around the rotor and induces the current of electricity. The torque is created from the second magnetic field in the rotor which chases the rotating stator field.

As the accelerator (gas pedal) is pushed by the driver, the “Power Electronics Module” is told how much power and torque are being requested by the pressure put on the accelerator. So, if I floor the accelerator, the module knows I want full torque from the motor put into the wheels. If I remove my foot from the accelerator, the module then knows to begin the re-generation of electricity.

What do you do when you need to recharge? Simple, recharging stations. Just like your phone or laptop, you can plug the Tesla into a charging station and “refill the tank.” These charging stations are much more convenient and take much less time. You also don’t have to breath in all those toxic fumes like at a gas pump. Levels of charging range from plugging your car in at home to on the go at a charging station. Now, because the Tesla has around a 240 mile range when it is fully charged, you do not need to charge it every time you go out and it takes around 3-3.5 hours to fully charge the motor from a completely empty position. Depending on the type of outlet and the amount of electricity conducted from the outlet to the car, the charging times will vary, but you can recharge anywhere you can find an outlet which makes for a very simple process.

http://my.teslamotors.com/roadster/technology/motor

http://www.pluginamerica.org/drivers-seat/understanding-electric-vehicle-charging

http://www.teslamotors.com/models-charging#/highpower

In today’s society, electricity is an absolutely necessary component to our daily lives. Almost everything we use and almost every activity we do requires some sort of electricity. This necessity for electricity calls for the production of electricity to be high and seamless. A few ways we mainly produce electricity are with coal, natural gas, and nuclear power plants. Each has their benefit and they each differ from one another in multiple ways; from products used to the way the electricity is produced, these three forms of electricity production power our society day in a and day out.

Coal-Fired Plants: These electricity power plants are based on a system of creating steam to drive the turbines which produce the electricity. First, the coal is broken down into a fine powder which is then mixed with hot air. After that it is blown into a firing station where the main source of heat is created due to the combustion of the burning coal. Inside the boiler, the water is then turned into steam from the heat of the firing of the coal, followed by the steam being piped from the boiler to the turbine because of the high pressure of the steam. Once it is piped into the turbine the pressure pushes against the turbine shafts, connected to the generator, and forces the magnets to spin within the coils which produces the electricity. Once the steam is finished turning the turbine, it is pulled into a condenser where it is converted back into clean water and cooled to be put back into the cycle.

Natural Gas: Electricity production by natural gas is the cleanest and most efficient way of producing electricity. Its process is quite similar to the process of coal firing electricity production. The gas is pumped into the turbine where it is mixed with air and burned, thus creating the heat energy from its chemical energy. Along with the heat, combustion gasses are created from this burning of the gas and air mixture, which expands and causes the pressure within the turbine to build up. This pressure causes the blades of the turbine to spin, and the generator is connected to the blades of the turbine which converts the heat and mechanical energy into electricity. The combustion gasses are then piped into another generator where it is used to heat another set of pipes full of water, creating steam and then released through an exhaust stack.

Nuclear Power Plants: Similar to both of the forms of electricity production I described above, nuclear power plants create electric power by using steam to power a turbine which further powers a generator creating the electricity. In this process, however, uranium is used as the fuel. The uranium atom is split in a process called “fission,” where this split releases energy in the form of heat and radiation. First, the uranium is formed into pellets and then stored in long control rods which are kept cool by submerging them into water. Once they are removed from the water the nuclear reaction takes place which causes heat. This heat is transferred into a steam generator where heat is forced through water creating the steam. The pressure from the built up steam is then forced into the turbine where is turns the blades which are connected to the generator, thus creating the electricity. The steam is then cooled and converted back into water which is put back into the cycle to be used again.

https://www.duke-energy.com/about-energy/generating-electricity/coal-fired-how.asp

http://www.edfenergy.com/energyfuture/generation-gas

http://www.technologystudent.com/energy1/nuclear1.htm