EE 240

FUNDAMENTALS AND ECONOMICS

OF RENEWABLE ENERGY
Lecture 1
 TEXTBOOKS
• RENEWABLE ENERGY
– EDITED BY GODFREY BOYLE
• READ EACH CHAPTER BEFORE THE
LECTURE/DISCUSSION PERIOD
• THE GRID
– Phillip F. Schewe
• READ AND TURN IN REPORT ON 4/13/09
• REPORT – 5 PAGES (Maximum)
– 5 KEY POINTS FROM THE BOOK AND WHY YOU
THINK THEY ARE IMPORTANT FOR THE STUDY OF
RENEWABLE ENERGY
 CHAPTER 1
• IDEALLY, A SUSTAINABLE ENERGY
SOURCE IS ONE THAT IS NOT
SUBSTANTIALLY DEPLETED BY
CONTINUED USE, DOES NOT ENTAIL
SIGNIFICANT POLLUTANT EMISSIONS
OR OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL
PROBLEMS, AND DOES NOT INVOLVE
THE PERPETUATION OF SUBSTANTIAL
HEALTH HAZARDS OR SOCIAL
INJUSTICIES.
 DISCUSSION
• HOW CAN AN ENERGY SOURCE
CAUSE “SOCIAL INJUSTICES”
 FORMS OF ENERGY
• THERMAL ENERGY – HEAT
• CHEMICAL ENERGY – IN FUELS OR
BATTERIES
• KINETIC ENERGY – IN MOVING
SUBSTANCES
• ELECTICAL ENERGY
• GRAVITATIONAL ENERGY – POTENTIAL
ENERGY
• OTHERS
 EQUATIONS, UNITS
• FORCE (N) = MASS (kg) X ACCERATION
(m s-2)
• ENERGY(J) = FORCE (N) X DISTANCE
(m)
• POWER (W) = RATE AT WHICH
ENERGY IS CONVERTED FROM ONE
FORM TO ANOTHER OR
TRANSFERRED FROM ONE PLACE TO
ANOTHER.
 MORE DEFINITIONS
• ONE WATT (power) = ONE JOULE PER
SECOND
• 1kWh (energy) = 1000 w X 3600 s/h = 3.6x106 J
• ENERGY IS OFTEN MEASURED IN
QUANTITIES OF FUEL SUCH AS tonnes OIL
OR COAL (1 tonne = 2,205 pounds)
• NATIONAL ENERGY STATISTICS OFTEN USE
THE UNIT OF “million tonnes of oil equivalent”
1Mtoe = 41.9PJ = 41.9x1015J
• SEE APPENDIX A2
 FORMS OF ENERGY
• FUNDAMENTALLY 4 TYPES
• kinetic, gravitational, electrical, nuclear
– KINETIC ENERGY = ½ X mass X speed2
– THERMAL ENERGY IS FORM OF KINETIC
ENERGY – i.e. movement of molecules
– 0 degrees Kelvin corresponds to zero
molecular motion
– REMEMBER: temp(K) = temp(oC) + 273
 GRAVITATIONAL ENERGY
• POTENTIAL ENERGY
• PE = FORCE X DISTANCE = WEIGHT X
HEIGHT = m x g x h
• IMPORTANT FOR SOME ENERGY
STORAGE TECHNOLOGIES
• HYDROPOWER – PUMPED STORAGE
 ELECTRICAL ENERGY
• CHEMICAL ENERGY (BATTERY) IS
ELECTRICAL ENERGY
• CHEMICAL ENERGY FROM BURNING A FUEL
IS CONVERTED TO THERMAL (kinetic energy)
• Power (watts) = voltage (volts) x current (amps)
• ELECTROMAGNETIC ENERGY – RADIATION
(X-RAYS, UV, IR, VISIBLE, MICROWAVES,
RADIO WAVES)
– frequency x wavelength = velocity of light
– fx=c
 THERMODYNAMICS
• CONSERVATION OF ENERGY = FIRST
LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS
• SECOND LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS
= THERE IS A LIMIT TO THE
EFFICIENCY OF ANY HEAT ENGINE
(SOME OF THE ENERGY MUST BE
REJECTED AS LOWER TEMPERATURE
HEAT)
 WORLD CONSUMPTION OF
ENERGY
• IN 2002
• 451 EJ (exajoules) = 451 x 1018 J =
10,800Mtoe
• WORLD POPULATION = 6.2 billion
people
• AVERAGE ANNUAL CONSUMPTION per
PERSON = 350 GJ per year
 WORLD ENERGY
CONSUMPTION (Fig 1.1)
2%
11%

32% OIL
NATURAL GAS
NUCLEAR
22%
LARGE HYDRO
COAL
BIOMASS
RENEWABLES
6%
6% 21%
 RENEWABLES

Geothermal
57.21% 0.06%
Hydro
9.53% 0.21% Traditional Biomass
0.84% New Biomass
0.57%
2.31% Tidal
Solar
30.11% Wind
 WORLD PRODUCTION OIL AND
GAS
• SEE ESTIMATES IN FIG 1.3
• NOTE END USE OF ENERGY IN UK – FIG 1.4
• PRIMARY ENERGY – ENERGY RELEASED
WHEN PRIMARY FUEL IS BURNED (OIL, GAS,
COAL,NUCLEAR)
• DELIVERED ENERGY – AMOUNT OF
ENERGY REACHING THE CONSUMER
• USEFUL ENERGY – ENERGY ACTUAL USED
TO DO WORK
 FOSSIL FUELS AND CLIMATE
CHANGE
• PROBLEM – CLIMATE CHANGE CAUSED BY
EMISSION OF GREENHOUSE GASES FROM
FOSSIL FUEL COMBUSTION
• GREENHOUSE GASES – WATER VAPOR,
CARBON DIOXIDE, METHANE
• ATMOSPHERE KEEPS EARTH
TEMPERATURE AT 15 OC – OTHERWISE
TEMP WOULD BE – 18 OC
• WHAT ABOUT POPULATION GROWTH
 CLIMATE CHANGE
• ANTHROPOGENIC (HUMAN-INDUCED)
EMISSIONS CAUSED A 0.6 oC
INCREASE IN GLOBAL MEAN SURFACE
TEMPERATURE.
• FIGURE 1.8 IN TEXT
 POPULATION GROWTH
12000

10000 9,746
8,909
8000
MILLION

6,707
6000 5,978

4000
2,521
2000 1,650
978 1,262
791
0
1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 1999 2008 2050 2150
ENERGY RELATED CO2 EMISSIONS
COUNTRY CO2 PER HEAD GDP PER
(t CO ) HEAD ($)
2

USA 20.4 34,430

EU 9.4 23,577
UK 9.6 27,276
JAPAN 9.8 26,021
CHINA 3.0 4,379
INDIA 1.1 2,555
WORLD 4.0 7,649

http://cait.wri.org
CARBON DIOXIDE BALANCE
 RENEWABLE ENERGY
• DEFINITIONS: ENERGY OBTAINED
FROM THE CONTINUOUS OR
REPETITIVE CURRENTS OF ENERGY
RECURRING IN THE NATURAL
ENVIRONMENT
– ENERGY FLOWS WHICH ARE
REPLENISHED AT THE SAME RATE AS
THEY ARE USED.
 SOLAR ENERGY
• DIRECT CONVERSION – SOLAR
COLLECTORS, PHOTOVOLTAICS
• INDIRECT CONVERSION – HYDROPOWER,
WIND POWER, BIOENERGY
• BIOFUELS ARE A RENEWABLE RESOURCE
IF THE RATE AT WHICH THEY ARE
CONSUMED IS NO GREATER THAN THE
RATE AT WHICH NEW PLANTS ARE
REGROWN
 NON-SOLAR RENEWABLES
• TIDAL
• GEOTHERMAL
 ASSIGNMENT
• READ CHAPTER 2 FOR NEXT WEEK
• HOW MUCH CO2 DOES THE AVERAGE HUMAN
GENERATE PER YEAR DUE TO BREATHING?
– CALCULATE THE NUMBER OF TONNES BASED ON THE
DAILY RATE.
– COMPARE THIS TO THE AVERAGE ENERGY RELATED
CARBON DIOXIDE THAT A PERSON IN THE USA CAUSES
TO BE EMITTED.
– IF IT COSTS $50/TONNE TO CAPTURE CARBON, HOW
MUCH WOULD WE PAY EACH YEAR FOR CARBON
CAPTURE?
– CALCULATE THE TOTAL CO2 GENERATED BY THE WORLD
POPULATION IN ONE YEAR SIMPLY DUE TO BREATHING.