Energy & Electricity

History of Electricity/Grid Electricity “system” created in US 1881

Purpose was electricity for lights 1881 cost: $0.24/kWh! (now ~$0.10) Early 1900’s: inter-city transmission lines

1930s-1950s: rural electrification, federally-run electric generating plants (hydro)

1950s- now: nuclear power, environ. controls, fuel costs, Three Mile Island

“Making” electricity

For wind & hydro, skip step 1

For PV solar skip 1 and 2 coal, natural gas, nuclear fission, wood, solar energy

steam, water, air

Boiler (1)

(2) Turbine

Generator (3)

Electricity delivery

Making electricity not efficienthttp://www.energy.qld.gov.au/

electricity/infosite/elec&env7/roleofenergy7_3/efficiencyinpowerstat/energylosses/energylosses.htm

Doesn’t include losses along transmission lines, another 5-10%

Coal-fired electricity

Pros Cheap Abundant New technologies to

help with emissions

Cons Resource finite Emissions

Carbon SOx

NOx

Particulate Matter Mercury

Mining Health & environment

Transportation

Natural gas

Pros Cleaner than coal Dispatchable “Combined cycle”

makes plants more efficient

Cons Costs variability &

uncertainty Emissions Supply questionable

Nuclear power

Pros No CO2 emissions Cheap? Abundant fuel

3% of all topsoil is U235

Cons Cheap? High impact/low

occurrence risk No closure to life

cycle Waste, Yucca

mountain Security

Hydroelectric power

Pros Emissions very low Opportunity for

storage Cheap Flood control Water supply

Cons Devastating to wildlife

and surrounding area Owner has control of the

river downstream Dependent on weather

“Renewables”Solar, Wind, Thermal, Tidal Pros

Low emissions Resource

requirements low Energy

independence

Cons Costs Intermittency Location Not necessarily

renewable

What’s your consumption mix? Consumption mix: the fraction of each

type of generation a specific region, state, business, or individual consumes

Can then figure out what the environmental impact of that entity’s consumption is

Split up into 4 groups

What information do I need?

Type of nearby generators Power plants, dams, windmills, solar arrays

Proportion – amount of total generation made up by each type

40% type A, 30% type B, 30% type C

Regions: NW, NE, SE, SW

Generation Types:CoalNatural GasPetroleumNuclearHydroelectricSolarWindGeothermalBiomassOther

Guesses for your region?

Solar Intensity

Wind Intensity

Natural Gas Pipelines

Precipitation

Coal Deposits

Northeast US

Oil, 20%

Gas, 20%

Nuc, 20%

Hydro, 20%

Other, 0%

Coal, 20%

Oil, 5%

Gas, 10%

Nuc, 24%

Hydro, 3%

Other, 2%

Coal, 56%

Southeast US

Oil, 20%

Gas, 20%

Nuc, 20%

Hydro, 20%

Other, 0%

Coal, 20%

Oil, 4%

Gas, 11%

Nuc, 25%

Hydro, 2%

Other, 3%

Coal, 56%

Southwest US

Oil, 20%

Gas, 20%

Nuc, 20%

Hydro, 20%

Other, 0%

Coal, 20%

Oil, 1%

Gas, 40%

Nuc, 12%

Hydro, 7%

Other, 5%

Coal, 35%

Northwest US

Oil, 20%

Gas, 20%

Nuc, 20%

Hydro, 20%

Other, 0%

Coal, 20%

Oil, 0%

Gas, 0%

Nuc, 0%

Hydro, 99%

Other, 0%

Coal, 1%

US Generation Mix

Coal, 52%

Petroleum, 3%

Natural Gas, 16%

Nuclear, 20%

Hydro, 7%Other, 3%

Guesses for Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania

Coal, 57%

Petroleum, 2%

Natural Gas, 1%

Nuclear, 37%

Hydro, 1%

Other, 2%

CaliforniaCoal, 1%

Petroleum, 1%

Natural Gas, 50%

Nuclear, 17%

Hydro, 19%

Other, 12%

Is that the whole story? What if power plants near me don’t

generate enough electricity to meet my needs?

Pennsylvania does, but what about California and New York?

Include interstate trading These numbers have a significant impact, so

new generation mixes, which include trading, are created for each state

CA: Where Does the Electricity Come From?

-69.1

-11.9-3.3

-3.1

1.1

4.810.2

11.8

12.320.1

29.1

2000 Net Imports (TWh)

California imports from other states

4.8

10.2

9.220.1

24.8

2.1

The California Consumption Mix

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Coal Oil Gas Nuc Hydro Other

Generation

Consumption

Electricity wrap-up Most power generated by burning

fossil fuelsThe problem is not that we will run out!Burning these things likely produces

unwelcome effects on a planet-wide level

% of electrification good proxy of level of development and quality of life25% of the world is not electrified (~1.6

billion people)

Other social costs?

Air Standard pollutants Hg, Se, Cd

Water Acid mine drainage Water system disruption Fishing

Waste Spent batteries and cells Spent nuclear fuel

Safety issues Rail Pipelines Turbines

Aesthetics Wind turbines Steam Transmission lines Smog

Externality: “Costs that society must pay which are not borne by the producers”

In green design, we try to find ways to generate the positives associated with electricity without the negatives Advanced nuclear Carbon sequestration Combined heat & power Large scale renewables Distributed generation

3 things you can do to help:1. Conservation

every unit of output you save means 3 units of input saved2. Conservation

pay attention to things around you which consume power3. Conservation

make power consumption a factor in deciding which things you purchase