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