Month: March 2013

 

 

As the world becomes increasingly aware of the need for renewable energy, many countries have raced to become the leaders in Solar energy.  This can be seen in the competition between the United States and China. President Obama made it his mission after entering office to make the US the top country in solar powered energy. But before his first year as Presdient was  completed, China seemed to be taking the lead. The driving factor behind this is that Chinese companies such as Suntech Power Holdings are selling solar panels for less than the cost of materials, assembly, and shipping. While the federal government invests strongly in the US market, the cheap labor in China (even for engineers) is fueling their competitive advantage. In addition the Chinese government is pouring resources into projects by offering subsidies to developers which includes free land and cash for development. While these two countries may be competing in the development stage, they are still not the top dogs when it comes to countries with the most installed solar energy.

Germany, Spain and Japan are the top three users of solar energy. Germany installed 3,806 megawatts of PV solar energy capacity in 2009 while Spain installed 3,386 and Japan installed 2,633 MW. With that said, these countries are becoming a lucrative market for the Chinese companies who can offer the product at the lowest price around the globe.  It will be interesting to see how these rankings will change as the global community continues to embrace the idea of renewable energy.

Sources:

http://1bog.org/blog/top-10-countries-using-solar-power/

http://1bog.org/blog/infographic-top-ten-countries-that-use-solar-energy/

 

 

 

Natural gas production has become increasingly popular in the energy production field in recent years.  Thanks to a discovery of a deposit of shale gas that spans across several states, there has been a rapid growth of natural gas production through the process of hydraulic fracturing.  Often referred to as “fracking”, this process involves shooting pressurized water deep into the layer of the ground to release these deposits of gas for collection. While this process is gaining popularity, it is also attracting controversy. Is the use of natural gas better than the burning of coal as a means of energy production?

There are many positive factors in using natural gas instead of the burning of coals as means of energy. The most important of these reasons is that natural gas emits 45% less carbon dioxide then coal. CO2 has been proven to be a deadly Greenhouse Gas by having devastating effects on our environment and the driving force behind this gas is coal burning. In addition to being perceived as a cleaner energy source, natural gas provides an economic benefit due to record low prices and an abundant supply. While natural gas is perceived as a safer, less harmful, and more economically stimulating energy source, there are still negative consequences in its use.

Although natural gas may be marketed as a better alternative to coal, it is still a fossil fuel meaning it is nonrenewable and emits harmful gases. Not only does it still admit carbon dioxide but it also contains high amounts of methane, another harmful gas. There are also concerns with the impact of large piping systems on the ecosystem and the risk of explosion.

So the question remains: Should the United States switch from coal to natural gas? Well the answer is if there is no other option then they should.  It is picking the lesser of two evils. But with all of the technology and innovation in our world today, we should not have to settle for the second worst energy source that will destroy our planet at a slightly slower pace.

SOURCES

http://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/tag/fracking/

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=fracking-for-natural-gas-pollutes-water-wells

http://catalystnewspaper.com/2012/12/14/educate-yourself-the-pros-and-cons-of-fracking/

 

The induced electromotive force in any closed circuit is equal to the negative of the time rate of change of the magnetic flux through the circuit. – the most widespread version of Farady’s Law.

 

Essentially, any change in the magnetic environment will create a voltage among the coil. For this experiment we used a generator that by shaking it back and fourth created a voltage output.  Through comarison of the # of shakes and sum of the square of voltages, we were able to graph the correlation in a 30 second period.

Our LabView results:

# of Shakes	Sum of the square of the voltages
67	48.1505276
91	312.8672713
68	272.2310937
123	269.1242462

 

 

 

If you asked my ten years ago if I knew anyone who drove a Hummer, I could point out a few townspeople who rolled around in the living room on wheels. If you also told me that my mom was getting a Prius, I would have mapped out all the quickest routes to ride my bike to school. However in 2013, the only Hummers I have seen lately belong to small children doing doughnuts in their electric powered ones at the end of my street. As gas prices have risen dramatically and the skeptics are coming around on the Global Warming issue, the automobile industry has responded to consumer demand and government regulations.

According to the U.S Department of Energy, the 2013 most fuel efficient cars  include impressive models such as the Smart electric convertible at 107 MPGe, Scion iQ EV at 121 MPGe, Ford Focus electric at 105 MPGe, and Tesla Model S at 95 MPGe.

While these electric models sound like amazing additions to our highways, there are still many issues to work out. The two largest concerns with electric models are Price and Range. The Tesla Model S can drive for about 200 miles on a single charge which may seem like a long distance but will you be ending up near a charging station? Unlike in gasoline powered cars, drivers cannot just get off at the nearest rest stop to charge their Tesla.  Until the automobile industry makes a push for investment in infrastructure, the electric car remains a fantasy for the average consumer . However, in addition to these electric models there are many Hybrid models such as the Prius that gives 50 MPG.  Until the electric car can be produced at a lower price with an abundant supply of charging stations, these Hybrids offer the American people affordable options to increase their gas mileage and reduce their carbon footprint.

We have come a long way since the land of triumphant Hummers and embarrassing Prius’s but there is still work to be done. A Hybrid car may no longer be associated with the fanny pack anymore but that does not change how dangerous our transportation pollution is.  While many automobile companies are off to a good start, the rest better pick up the pace to meet the fuel efficiency standards of the future.

Sources:

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/best/bestworstnf.shtml

http://www.teslamotors.com/

 

 

The experimental world was a much simpler place back in the Newton days. However thanks to stored data, we were still able to apply Newton’s Second Law F=ma. The idea was to use the motor of Lego Mindstorm to slowly lift small weights to the top of a pulley system. Unfortunately, the technological equipment failed us miserably and we were given previous data to come to conclusions through graphing.

Speed (RPM		Mass (KG)		Pwer Level		Time (S)		Acceleration (RPM/s)			Height(M)
113.8889		0.25		100		1.98		57.51964			0.18
74.36472		0.25		80		2.23		33.3741			0.18
45.89059		0.25		60		3.857		11.898			0.18
14.78		0.25		40		12.558		1.178373			0.18
21.50856		0.21		40		8.454		2.544187			0.18
43.85536		0.17		40		4.093		10.71447			0.18
47.20591		0.13		40		3.746		12.60168			0.18
50.20959		0.09		40		3.658		13.72597			0.18

The race for efficiency has made everything in life more convenient from ordering pepperoni pizzas to reviewing medical scans. One of these innovations has become to be known as “Smart Grid”.  An odd concept to grasp is to think about the amount of electricity that pulsates through our nation between plants, houses, businesses, street lights, stop lights, computers, phones, televisions, sky scrapers, stadiums, airports, train stations, marinas, etc. The list could go on forever. Since Edison himself, electricity has been measured through workers checking meters and equipment.  In an age where I can turn off my kitchen lights or close my blinds with a phone, it seems outdated.  This is where Smart Grid comes in.

Smart Grid is a two way communication system between the device receiving the electricity and the centers monitoring that transfer of electricity. These data centers can be used to adjust electric output accordingly whether it be for a few consuming objects or a few thousand. This will become increasingly important as our country (with EPA fingers crossed) moves towards wind and solar power.  Luckily, the idea of Smart Grid became a reality in December 2007 it gained legislative support through the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.  This new system will have many benefits moving forward that will provide the American people with a safer and more efficient energy network.

Sources:

http://energy.gov/oe/technology-development/smart-grid

http://www.smartgrid.gov/

http://ge.ecomagination.com/smartgrid/#/landing_page