sustainable electric power
DESCRIPTION
Sustainable Electric Power. Scott Norr, PE EE 1001 September 25, 2012. General Electric Commercial for 2009 Superbowl:. “Ecomagination” introducing “Smart Grid” technology http://fliiby.com/file/251500/afecutko02.html. Courtesy of General Electric. GE EcomaginationWebsite – Today. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Sustainable Electric Power
Scott Norr, PE
EE 1001
September 25, 2012
General Electric Commercial for 2009 Superbowl:
• “Ecomagination” introducing “Smart Grid” technology
• http://fliiby.com/file/251500/afecutko02.html
Courtesy of General Electric
GE EcomaginationWebsite – Today
www.ecomagination.com
Electric Power Delivery and Consumption Getting More
Complex• More Environmental Issues - SUSTAINABILITY• Greater Population Density• Larger Variety of Sources, Delivery Methods and
Loads• Aging Infrastructure Undergoing Life Extension• New Technology Blended with Old – Grid is Already
Pretty Smart
ELECTRIC DEMAND
Source: Energy Information Administration’s Annual Energy Outlook 2012
Demand growing 1% per year in U.S.
World Energy Consumption
505 QuadIn 2008
Source: Energy Information Administration’s Annual Energy Outlook 2012
US – 5% using 20% of resourses
Electric Generation Changing to Meet Demand
• Large, Centralized Plants
• Small, Modular, Distributed Plants
• Also, Siting Renewable Generation where it makes Sense (and Profit)
Large Plants• Environmental Issues
• Fossil Fuels
• Location/Siting
• Outlet Transmission
HydroElectric No Longer “Clean Energy”3 Gorges Dam –
China – 20,000 MegaWatts
Hoover Dam – US – 2,000 MegaWatts
Eoearth.org
Large Plants (Cont.)
• We’ll See New Ideas for Big Plants:– “Clean Coal”– Wind,– Solar,– Geothermal,– Biomass– Gen IV Nuclear
Clean Coal 7.5% Growth in all Coal Gen, 2010 : Total Installed: 340 GW• Coal Gasification (Combined Cycle) - Low Emmissions
• Not Dead Yet on Iron Range (Excelsior Energy - Mesaba)
WIND 25% growth in 2010, 20 GW
• Wind Generators currently very popular (Several Thousand MWs in Upper Midwest
• More and more Cost Effective
(4 - 5 Cents/KWH)
• Not a Cure-All - never
windy when you need it most
• Difficult to Dispatch
Source: Town of Hendricks, MN
Solar Electricity 73% growth in 2010, 10 GW
• Photvoltaics– Electricity Directly from Sunlight– Low Conversion efficiency– Fairly High Cost
• Solar Potential:– US uses 100 Quad of Energy
each year– 38,200 Quad of Solar Energy
hits the lower 48 each year
• ONLY WHEN THE SUN SHINES …
New Solar Ideas:
• 3-D PhotoVoltaic Cells– New Breakthroughs in Nano-Materials greatly
increase the surface area of a Solar Cell and its ability to catch reflected light
– Theoretically 50%-70% efficient– Very High Cost
• Solar Concentrators– Simple Idea used in Space
– Collect More Sunlight for your Existing Cells
- Solar Electric AND Solar Thermal
Geothermal 2% Growth in 2010, 10.9GW
• Extract Hot Water from the Earth
• Use the Hot Water or Flash to Steam
• Currently 2700 MW capacity in US
• Capacity growing at 5% worldwide (5yr Avg)
• Excellent Idea for Home Use – Ground Source Heat Pumps
Binary-Cycle Plant (Geothermal)
Nuclear ….IT’S BACK…Or Is It?• Updated LWR Designs are being permitted
• March 11, 2011 – Earthquake in Japan, leading to nuclear reactor meltdown
• Next Generation Nuclear Reactors (Gen IV)– Modular (example: 25 MW Modules), add more
modules to make a bigger plant– Fuel Flexible – Uranium, Thorium (More abundant
resource)– A Promising Design: Pebble-Bed Modular Reactor
• Temperature moderated with Helium or Nitrogen
• Fuel encased in pebbles – ‘safe’, easy to handle
Pebble-Bed Reactor
Source:
Black and Veatch
Source: EIA Annual Energy Outlook 2007 19
Incremental Transmission CostsVariable Costs,Including FuelFixedCosts
CapitalCosts
2015 2030
Levelized Electricity Costs for New Plants,2015 and 2030
Houston, We Have a Storage Problem:
Courtesy of Tom Ferguson
Renewables are not “Dispatchable”
If we couldStore energywhen availablefor use when it’s not….
Energy Storage Technology:We’re not ready yet
Source: Haresh Kamath, EPRI PEAC
DEMAND SIDE
• Conservation Through:
Market Pricing
Efficient Products
Market Pricing
• Energy Prices becoming De-Regulated
• New Equipment to Automate Pricing:
• Smart Meters
• Smart Appliances
Smart Meters
• Talks to Electric Company • Talks to Consumer About
Hourly Prices and Consumption
• Tells Appliances what current Price is
• Shops Around for a Better Rate?
Source: Electric Power Research Institute and Freefoto.com
Efficient Products
• Smart Appliances run only when energy is cheapest, talk to each other and to the Electric Utility
• Passive Solar Thermal Designs and Devices
• Energy Efficient Home Designs
Sustainability
• More than Conservation
• More than Smart Energy Use
• Being Responsible with ALL resources and Preserving Them for the Future
• “7th Generation”
Sustainability at UMD
www.d.umn.edu/sustain/
CONCLUSIONSNew Social Pressures and New Technologies are
both changing and complicating the way we convert and use energy
In a World with 7 Billion People (9 Billion by 2030), We have to become more mindful of How and Why We Use Energy.
(http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/longrange2/WorldPop2300final.pdf)
WEB References• National Renewable Energy Labs
– http://www.nrel.gov/
• Electric Power Research Institute– http://www.epri.com/
• US Dept. of Energy– http://www.energy.gov/
• Energy Information Association– http://www.eia.doe.gov/