The Fukushima nuclear disaster was a devastating accident that occurred recently in March of 2011 in Japan. It was the worst accident to occur that involved nuclear technology since Chernobyl in 1986. The Fukushima power plant when operational had six nuclear reactors and was a well functioning machine. The problem that arose was due to climate issues. The Fukushima power plant was forced to bear the wrath of a severe tsunami during a storm. This deadly tsunami originated from a previous earthquake that was given the name “Tohoku”.

When the tsunami hit the plant it caused three of the six nuclear reactors to meltdown. Now the worst part about this incident wasn’t that the machine was broken, the main issue here was that the three reactors were outputting extremely dangerous radiation into the environment. This created a harmful environment for those directly in the area, but even worse, it made the water radioactive. So, Japan was then faced with broken machinery, lack of energy output, staff injuries/deaths, clean up process/cost etc. When considering all these problems that were created practically out of nowhere from a factor of the climate it is easy to label this a major disaster. Just under 20,000 fatalities occurred due to the earthquake and tsunami. It is said that the levels of radiation exposure were so low that no lives could have been taken as a result from it.

Sources:

– http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/nuclear/safety/accidents/Fukushima-nuclear-disaster/

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

– http://www.newscientist.com/special/fukushima-crisis

Iceland has a rare geological environment that they use to their advantage. The country is located in an area with a high level of volcanoes. This also causes geysers, which help Iceland bring in tourism. They use the volcanoes to there advantage through geothermal technology. With geothermal technology the can use the volcanoes as natural resources to create heat and energy. In fact, they have been using this method for quite some time now and are actually leading the way in its development. To do this Iceland has developed five geothermal power plants, which account for around 26% of the nations total energy production. On a side note, all other electricity is created from hydro power except about a tenth of a percent, which is created using fossil fuels. The largest of the five is known as the Hellisheioi Power Station and puts out 303MW. The other locations, going from highest output to lowest, put out a lesser amount and are called the Reykjanes, Nesjavellir, Svartsengi, and Krafla Power Stations. Many Icelanders use the geothermal technology to create energy for their greenhouses.

Sources:

– http://waterfire.fas.is/GeothermalEnergy/GeothermalEnergy.php

– http://www.nea.is/geothermal/

– http://iceland.ednet.ns.ca/schedule.htm

The Stirling Engine is a heat engine that was created by Robert Stirling in 1816. The way it works revolves around the compression and expansion of air or a gas. They call the air or gas portion of the machine the “working fluid”, because it is what allows the machine to function and do work. Now there are two different types of Stirling heat engines. There is the Alpha and the Beta versions. The Alpha edition separates the working fluid into two different sections. In one section the working fluid is heated at a high temperature, while in the other it is cooled. This process of temperature change onto the working fluid causes expansion and compression of the sections, in turn moving the regenerator in a cyclical fashion. The Beta edition differs from the Alpha because it only has one section where the working fluid is held. One side of the section is heated, while the other side is cooled. Inside of the Beta machine there is a cylinder shaped tube the loosely fits in the section with the working fluid. As the working fluid adjusts in temperature it moves the tube, which runs the regenerator. AS technology advanced the Stirling engine lost popularity to the electric engine. The main issue with the Stirling model is that it has an external heat source. This makes it so that the engine takes time to warm up and it can’t change the power output level quickly. The machine doesn’t get as much use as it could because there are better alternatives. With that being said there are still modern day uses for the stirling engine. Some of these uses include powering a cordless hair dryer, powering exploration submarines, powering the militaries quietest subs, powering residential areas in Las Vegas and parts of the Netherlands, and even powering research stations in Antarctica.

A Peltier device uses thermoelectric cooling technology and can be used in three different ways. Theres the Peltier heat pump, Peltier solid state refrigerator, and the Peltier thermoelectric cooler. All types use the concept of the Peltier effect. The Peltier effect is made when there are two different conductors that heat and cool. The difference between the models is what the machine does with this effect. Once the current goes into the junction between the two conductors the machine can either eliminate, increase, or lower the heat level. Modern day uses of these machines include air conditioning units for residential and larger scale buildings or to generate electricity.

Sources:

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

– http://www.discoverthis.com/article-stirling-engine-top10.html

– http://www.heatsink-guide.com/peltier.htm

In our modern world one of our current dilemmas is how to create clean, sustainable, and efficient energy. While there are several methods to do so, one of the most promising options is the use of solar energy. Right now only about one tenth percent of the worlds energy is captured through solar technologies. Some scientist believe that the amount of energy expended to the Earth from the sun in one hour could satisfy the worlds needs for a year if captured. Solar energy is captured heat and light from the sun through passive and active solar technology. A passive collector would be something you would see attached to a building or home and a active collector would be something seen in a field or solar farm.

There are many developed countries around the world trying to innovate or put research into solar energy. For example, on March 21st, 2012 in Boulder City, Nevada President Obama announced that he will “double down” in funding for solar energy efforts. He continued his announcement adding that he plans to open a solar power plant there and that it’s just one of the ways he plans to bring about the movement of clean and efficient renewable energy. The purchasing of solar energy technologies has shown an increase by US consumers. Also, through innovation and research from Solar Energy USA and others the price of solar technologies is decreasing. In another case outside of the US a solar boat, funded by a German entrepreneur, departed from Monaco. The ship plans to collect renewable energy while it sets course to travel across the globe. In China, they are leading in solar water heating technologies for residential uses. Germany is a leading contender in solar technologies. They have the record for most solar energy captured per hour and have put a good amount of funding towards solar energy research. One more example is that of Japan. They are currently positioned to move up the ladder of solar energy leaders through a large increase in solar energy funding. With the right plan they are projected to surpass Italy, which is currently the second most leading solar energy producer.

A few notable innovations in solar energy technologies have been made as of recent. One being the creation of thin solar collecting film that takes a way the restrictions that come with large solar panels. Another cool innovation is the creation of solar windows that capture the sun energy through small solar cells. There has been other advancements made by the creation of a solar balloon, which basically is a blimp absorbing solar energy through solar cells. 

Sources:

– http://sites.suffolk.edu/pierpaolo19/2012/10/20/solar-energy-efforts-around-the-world-and-the-wisdom-of-clean-energy-subsidies-in-general/

– http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/03/21/president-obama-doubles-down-on-efforts-to-boost-solar-industry/

– http://www.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/6-innovations-solar-power.htm#page=3

Hurricane Sandy was the most damaging superstorm to come out of the Atlantic area in 2012. It was classified a category three storm when it was at its worst. It was later declared the second most expensive hurricane to hit the US. The damage was mostly dealt to the New Jersey and New York areas, but it ran through 22 other states. I can’t forget to mention that this deadly hurricane went through seven different countries. No question this hurricane was horrific, but how did global warming play a role in its creation?

After doing some research I found that there is no factual evidence the directly correlates global warming and Hurricane Sandy, but there are factors created from climate change that some believe could have had an influence on the hurricane. One of these factors was an odd push of the storm west towards New Jersey. The push was created by a high pressure area in the North East Atlantic Ocean near Greenland. The reason why climate change played a part here is because this movement went against usual weather patterns. This point leads me to the second condition that possibly affected the storm, which is the high sea level. The raise in sea level contributed to increasing the amount of flooding and damage that is associated with that. During that year the sea level was slightly higher than average due to its slight raise in temperature. Hurricanes are more common and usually more severe when the ocean it originates from is warmer, which is the third factor of climate change.

Sources:

– http://www.climatecentral.org/news/how-global-warming-made-hurricane-sandy-worse-15190

– http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/06/hurricane-damage-climate-change_n_2081960.html

– http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/30/did-global-warming-contribute-to-hurricane-sandys-devastation/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

An energy grid is an interconnected network that delivers energy in the form of electricity to society. In the US, the process of distribution begins at the power plants. The USA is a developed nation, so we have access to different methods to create energy from power plants. These methods include using coal, gas, nuclear power, solar power, wind power, and even hydro power. After the power plants convert the energy into electricity, the electricity is transported to substations through large power lines called transmission lines. The substations are responsible for taking all the high voltage electricity from the transmission lines and converting it to a lower voltage so that it can be run through smaller power lines. The next step involves transporting this lower voltage electricity from the substations through above/underground smaller power lines called distribution lines. These distribution lines are the ones you would see more commonly on the side of the street and in neighborhoods. The distribution lines are the power lines responsible for getting the electricity to your home, buildings, and businesses.

The US is covered with over 450,000 miles of transmission lines. They have broken up the nation into three subsections to help accommodate demands. These three smaller grids, or interconnections, were broken up geographically into the western, eastern, and Texas interconnections. The system goes further to classify smaller local grids into microgrids. While we have top of the line equipment there are still major issues with energy grid and the weather. Bad weather, rain/wind, is responsible for the most power outages.

Most recently the US has made moves to enhance cyber security and have actually already invested 100 million dollars to this. Also, the dependence on the energy grid is growing. This is a result of technological advancements, easy accessibility, population increase, etc. With that being said the level of output is meeting demand.

Sources:

– Class Notes

– http://www.cpsenergy.com/Services/Generate_Deliver_Energy/Energy_Delivery/

– http://energy.gov/articles/top-9-things-you-didnt-know-about-americas-power-grid