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The Keystone Pipeline is a oil pipeline system that runs from Alberta, Canada to Cushing Oklahoma. The Keystone XL Pipeline proposal to expand the keystone pipeline in two parts:

1. The first part would be to connect the end in Oklahoma to the Gulf of Texas, and

2. The second part would consist of a new portion of the pipeline that runs from Alberta to Kansas.

The portion that connects Oklahoma and Texas has been completed. The Canadian company that runs, and expands the pipeline is focused on gaining the necessary permits from federal and local governments. The expansion of the pipeline has been marred in controversy. Finding information on what the pipeline is was a challenge. Most sources only spoke about pros and cons of the pipeline without providing tangible information. The pipeline’s official website says that the keystone pipeline will support the crude oil production in the USA.
Homeowners and environmentalists are vehemently opposed to the expansion. They have blocked TransCanada from acquiring the many permits they need to expand the pipeline.

Pros: 

1. The project is estimated to create 20,000 jobs in the USA, other reports have estimated 500,000 jobs being created around it.

2. Since Canada and the USA have always been on friendly terms, it would boost oil production in the gulf coast of texas and give its energy sector security.

3. Another potential benefit would be the tax revenue, which is estimated to be a total of 100 million dollars for the regions surrounding the project. This would only apply if general tax evasion was not practiced.

4. It is one of the safest methods to transport oil.

Cons:

1. Leaks and past leaks have wreaked havoc on the environment and the people surrounding the pipeline. Oil leaks create ridiculous amounts damage to ecosystems, they poison water supplies and destroy human and animal populations alike.

2. The pipeline would cause environmental damage equal to adding more than 5.6 million new cars to our roads. Instead of investing into an environmentally unfriendly fossil fuel, we should be investing in clean renewable energy that would pay off in the long term.

3. The jobs created would be short term and would cause economic distress in the surrounding areas. A major employer no longer bringing in money after a project is destructive to economic environments

https://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/tag/keystone-xl-pipeline/

http://keystone-xl.com/about/the-keystone-xl-oil-pipeline-project/

http://keystone-xl.com/five-reasons-why-keystone-xl-benefits-the-u-s/

http://heavy.com/news/2014/11/keystone-xl-pipeline-facts-map-news-senate-house/

We wanted to understand the relationship between light intensity and voltage output and  the relationship between the wavelength and the voltage output of the cell. We used legmindstorm to measure the energy levels for 30 seconds.

We measured the energy output of a flashlight based on distance, we would put the light one CM away each interval and the further the light was, the less output we had. We measured the light for 30 seconds

On March 11, 2011 an earthquake occured that killed 20,000 people in Northern Japan. The quake created a tsunami. A natural disaster of this level led to a breakdown in civil services such as public transport and electricity. The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was effected because of this.

Fukushima Daiichi Disaster

Without any power, there was no water to cool the power plant, creating the high temperatures which lead to explosions that released radioactive debris into the air. Contaminated water was leaked into the sea for months.

A large amount of steam was produced because and the pressure began rising. The temperature kept rising rapdily and the cooling system had failed because of the tsunami.

Effects

The people surrounding the reactor were very quickly evacuated, minimizing the effects of the radiation of human life. Certain areas were quarantied for a short time until the radiation faded, while some areas are still under quarantine.

Radioactive material still spills into the sea because the fences that were present before the accident had faield. They are being consumed by species of fish that are consumed for food. The food in Japan is now being mointored to avoid the consumption of radioactive fish.

Continued nuclear reliance

Without access to natural resources Japan will continue to rely on nuclear energy, although continiously trying to develop renewable energy they have had trouble leaving nuclear power.

http://fukushima.ans.org

http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/safety-and-security/safety-of-plants/fukushima-accident/

http://www.wsj.com/articles/japan-struggles-to-find-balanced-energy-strategy-1431545581

In 2009, President Obama announced that that by 2020 US greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by 17%.  The s Climate Action outlined three major goals to complete the

1. Cut Carbon National Carbon Output by Increasing Fuel Economy Standards:

The amount of carbon released into the air would be regulated by the government to help protect the health of the American people. In 2012 carbon emission levels. If we decide to focus on reneweable energy as a country, we would be able to reduce emissions even more and create jobs to boost the economy since importing energy is difficult.

Fuel standards have been set for heavy duty vehicles for the first time in the country’s history. They are the second largest source of greenhouse gases because of transportation. An estimated 270 million metric tons and 530 million barrels of oil will be saved.

2. Create a National Infastructure that can Withstand Climate Change: 

While trying to prevent climate change (which is already occurring) steps are being t taken to prepare the country for its effects. The creation of stronger roads,  shorelines, and bridges has been promised to better shield the populace from the effects of climate change.

Prepration for the consequences of greenhouse gases and climate change have begun. Hospitals will need to be able better serve patients during heatwaves and keep the temperature reasonable. Agencies and taskforces have been developed to pinpoint the proper investments, which can be done privately or through federal agencies, for different facilities in the country . The goal of the agencies and taskforces is to create an infastructre that can last against the tide of climate change.

3. Spearhead the Fight Against Global Climate Change and Prepare for its impact on an international level through Long Term Investments In clean Energy 

No lone country can counter a global issue of this scale, the goal of the USA will be to lead the world in combatting any effects of climate change and pollution that have already occurred while

One of the first goals of the initiative is to increase the use of clean energy. The plan wants the Gov to research, develop, and deploy clean energy. This will be done with a 30% increase of budget across all agencies.

Robert Stirling invented The Stirling engine  in 1816 to create a safer alternative to the steam engine. Steam engine boilers would explode due to high pressure combined with low quality parts, killing and injuring many operators. The Stirling engine operates by cycling the compression and expansion of gasses. The gasses used never leave the engine, so it has no exhaust valves that can explode and cause injuries and deaths. They have been used to run refrigerators, fans, cars, and sewing machines.

Modern Day Uses: 

Modern ingenuiety has created other alternatives to the Stirling heat engine, but ti is still used in solar power generation for being very efficient in converting solar energy to electrical energy and

The Peltier effect is a temperature difference created by applying a voltage between two electrodes connected to a sample of semiconductor material. This phenomenon can be useful when it is necessary to transfer heat from one medium to another on a small scale. A Peltier device is a heat pump that uses the Peltier effect to move heat.

http://www.mpoweruk.com/stirling_engine.htm

http://stirlingshop.com/html/applications_.html

http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/definition/Peltier-effect