energy from the sun

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LA 4755 Lecture 11:energy from heaven

S 119E010500 http://external.jsc.nasa.gov/events/ISSPhotos/

“I'd put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don't have to wait 'til oil and coal run out before we tackle that.”

-Thomas Edison (1847-1931)

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Wikipedia: Peter Corless 30 Sep 2005 Analysis of top 40 largest national economies (GDP) by plotting GDP per capita vs. 'energy efficiency' (GDP per million Btus consumed); an inverse examination of 'energy intensity.'

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Energy Efficiency

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www.cstep.in/docs/energy_efficiency_methods.png

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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

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Lighting efficiency. Source: NRC, 2009. www.nae.edu/File.aspx?ID=14897

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Key Technology Gap

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International Energy Agency, Executive Summary, Energy Technology Perspective 2008

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SOLAR ENERGY

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www.trec-uk.org.uk/images/schott_parabolic_trough.jpg

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Energy Budget for the Planet

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http://www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/plantsciences_Faculty/Bloom/CAMEL/Art/EBalanceLg.jpg

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www.cd3wd.com/cd3wd_40/vita/envegypr/GIF/ESED2110.GIF

1366 w/m2

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Global Insolation

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www.oksolar.com/abctech/images/world_solar_radiation_large.gif

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Insolation is the inverse of cloudinesskWh/(kWp·y) (kilowatt hours per year per kilowatt peak rating)

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Insolation

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Solar Chart

University of Oregon, Solar Radiation Monitoring Laboratory http://solardat.uoregon.edu/SunChartProgram.html

Optimum solar orientationImage: http://telemetryhelp.com/solar_power_design_tools.asp

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Solar Thermal

Hot water, warm air, and radiant heat

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Concentrating Solar Power I

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http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Solarplant-050406-05.jpg

Rule of thumb: one megawatt of solar-generated power requires about eight acres of land. 1mW = 1,000 homes

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Concentrating Solar Power II

Image: www.sandia.gov Sandia National Laboratory, Solar Sterling Engine Generators17 November 2010 21

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Concentrating Solar Power III

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/PS10_solar_power_tower.jpg17 November 2010 22

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Brightsource Energy –Ivanpah, CA• 370 megawatt nominal (392

megawatt gross) concentrated solar thermal complex

• Prevent emission of 400k tons/year of CO2 from other energy sources

• Provides peak power to more than 140,000 homes in California

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Downside to CSP

Requires lots of land (but less then a coal mine!)• Sites are graded and cleared - disrupting ecological habitat• Roads and fencing disrupt animal movement

Requires lots of water for cleaning and operation (typically located in arid bioregions)

Reflections and glare can be distracting or dangerousMay requires expensive connections to grid

Without thermal storage, energy production is limited to daytime and sunny days

Can disrupt scenic vistas

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Photovoltaic Efficiencies

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

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Photovoltaic Technology

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International Energy Agency: Photovoltaic Roadmap

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PV Industry Trends

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1366 Technologies

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Solar Tree

A photovoltaic system ' tree' in Styria, Austria

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Solar Canopy

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Building Integrated PhotoVoltaics (BiPVs)

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Solar Roofs

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260 kilowatt PV systemSanta Cruz, California

http://www.electroroof.com/

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Downsides to Photovoltaics

Manufacturing process (silicon) is:• Energy intensive• Uses toxic materials (silane, SiCl4, solvents and heavy metals)• Uses SF6 a very very very potent green house gas 25,000 worse then CO2• Can be a source of air and water pollution

Manufacturing Thinfilm PV cells is:• Uses toxic materials (solvents and heavy metals)• Uses nano materials with unknown environmental and health risks• Limited supplies of critical elements and minerals

Photovoltaics are a challenge to recyclable Like other ‘E-Wastes’ PVs can leach toxic materials into groundwater and air

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Algae Fuel & Bio Fuels

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Solar Chimney – hybrid solar thermal wind turbine

Image: Solar Chimney, Manzanares, Spain - © Schlaich Bergermann und Partner www.sbp.de

Location Manzanares, SpainType of structure Pilot plant: tower of 194 m height and 10 m diameter, translucent membrane / glass roof of 40,000 / 6,000 sqmOwner/Client supported by: Bundesministerium für Forschung und Technologie, Bonn

Completed 1989Scope of our work Basic research: design, construction, operation and evaluationCooperation Maurer Söhne, MünchenBalcke-Dürr, RatingenSiemens Interatom, Bergisch Gladbach

A Solar Chimney converts solar radiation (direct and diffuse) into electricity by combining three well-known principles: the greenhouse effect, the chimney and wind turbines in a novel way. Hot air is produced by the sun under a large glass roof. This flows to a chimney in the middle of the roof and is drawn upwards. This upwind drives turbines installed at the base of the chimney and these produce electricity. A 50 kWel prototype was built in Manzanares, Spain, and produced electricity for seven years, thus proving the efficiency and the reliability of this new kind of solar power generating system. Tall Solar Chimneys could produce 100 or 200 MW each and power production cost may go down below 0.07 €/kWh.

Chimney height 200 mCollector diameter 240 mTurbine 50 kWelMaterial Quantities -Chimney diameter 10 mCollector height 2 mCollector area 45,000 m²Chimney weight 125 tCollector weight 5.5 kg/m² (without glass)

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The Solar Landscape

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The next energy frontier?

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Light Pollution

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Light Pollution II

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Air Pollution Mitigation through Vegetation

Air pollution is reduced by deposition, precipitation, and wind• Plants produce Oxygen• Sequester Carbon from the atmosphere• Stomata uptake VOCs, NOx, SO2 CO & CO2, O3 Smog, and PM10

• Vegetation provide surface areas to collect particulate that can then be washed into the soil during rain

US urban trees estimated at 711,000 metric tons ($3.8 billion value). This can be modeled!

Minneapolis trees absorb 6.2 g/m2 /a (this is lower then average due to short growing season)

• Cooling/shading reduces urban heat islands and the formation of smog• Noise absorption

• Excessive pollen is an air pollutant – don’t specify all male trees

• Trees can also produce VOCs (turpentine and others) in hot weather

David J. Nowak et al, Air pollution removal by urban trees and shrubs in the United States, Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 4 (2006)

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Clean Air Materials

Titanium Dioxide – photocatalyst for VOCs• Can be an admixture in concrete and other masonry products• Common, non-toxic pigment (white)• Integrated into self-cleaning coatings • Requires exposure to UV light and water (rain or hose)

Low VOC adhesives, coatings, and other building materials available

Photo by Jvstin, http://www.flickr.com/photos/jvstin/2856180350/

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Announcements

Week 12 field trip – NO REGULAR SCHEDULED CLASSES

Monday, November 22nd10:15 to 12pm Steam Plant tour –

NO CAMERAS ALLOWED

Tuesday, November 23rd1 to 2pm St. Anthony Locks –

cameras allowed2 to 3pm SAFL tour -3 to 4:30 Steam Plant Tour

(pending) – NO CAMERAS

See MOODLE for map to tour locations.

E3 2010: November 30 & December 1, 2010

http://www1.umn.edu/iree/e3/

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ReferencesTomlinson, Technology for a Low Carbon Future. The Climate Group 2009

http://www.theclimategroup.org/assets/resources/Technology_for_a_low_carbon_future_full_report.pdfhttp://nrel.gov/

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/program_areas.html

http://www.energypulse.net/centers/article/article_display.cfm?a_id=1164

Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, Towards a Just and Sustainable Solar Industry, 2009

http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/tools_directory/software.cfm/ID=123/pagename=alpha_list

http://www2.aud.ucla.edu/energy-design-tools/

www.toolsforsustainability.com/Solar and Wind Energy Resource Assessment (SWERA), UNEP/GRID-Sioux Falls http://swera.unep.net

http://reference.findtarget.com/search/Photovoltaics/

http://www.basinandrangewatch.org/SolarDesert.html

http://www.af.net/1-1-Home.html

USDA Forest Service Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-191. 2005

http://www.awea.org/sitinghandbook

www.wind-energy-the-facts.org

2010 Creative Commons Rights Reserved by Barry Lehrman blehrman@umn.edu

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