Energy+Shift+Challenge

===The challenge is set for students to investigate "emerging" technologies available to provide energy for transportation and electricity generation. Each student in Environmental Science will research emerging technologies, comparing their benefits and drawbacks, and settle on the one that they think will be the best investment for our future. Their thoughts are posted below and include a brief overview of the technology, challenges and opportunities of the technology, images, reference links, and discussion of why they think it's the best option for our future.===

__Transportation__
Hybrid cars are cars that can run on electricity or gasoline (like a normal car). A common way for charging and recharging the motor are plugging it in to a normal outlet. Hybrid cars can also recapture lost energy when idle, instead of just continuing to release harmful greenhouse gases.
 * Hybrid Electric and Gas Cars**

These cars are the future because -  The car can run either fully electrically or on gas. -  Cars are easily recharged, just plug them in  -   If used in conjunction with a renewable resource that creates energy it’s super AWESOME -  Fuel efficiency rating of up to 150 miles per galloon -  High gas prices = more people will want to buy hybrids -  It’s hip

Problems: -  Kinda ugly, sometimes -  Lots of bias against them, they say they are not reliable or very powerful -  Some car companies and oil companies are resistant to their widespread use  L

http://globalwarming.house.gov/issues/energyindependence?id=0003 http://auto.howstuffworks.com/hybrid-car1.htm http://www.plug-in-hybrid-cars.com/



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__**ENERGY SHIFT CHALLENGE** Compressed Air Car__ Using compressed air as an energy vector can also by applied to a hybrid vehicle, with cylinders functioning on compressed air and an additional battery working on electricity, creating a vehicle powered solely on electrical-pneumatic propulsion.

The car is powered by a two-cylinder, compressed air engine. The compressed air is stored in carbon or glass fiber tanks at a pressure of about 4351 pounds per square inch. This air is put through an air injector to the engine and flows into a small chamber, which expands the air. The air pushing down on the pistons move the crankshaft which gives the vehicle power.
 * How it works:**
 * Benefits:**
 * Air is abundant, economical, storable, and nonpolluting
 * The technology involved with compressed air reduces the production costs of vehicles with 20% because it is not necessary to assemble a refrigeration system, a fuel tank, spark plugs or silencers
 * Air itself is not flammable
 * The design of the motor is simple and strong
 * Less manufacturing and maintenance cost
 * Tanks in an air compressed motor can be recycled with less contamination than batteries
 * Tanks used in the air compressed motor have a longer lifespan in comparison with the batteries
 * Efficient and clean and economical.

** The process to produce electricity is based on installing a ramp with an angle of around 45 degrees that descends every time a vehicle drives over it. As the ramp comes down a system of plates is activated that compresses the leftover air and impels it towards a tank where it is collected. The compressed air is then lead towards the deposit through a system of pipes. Once the air is stored, it is injected towards a pneumatic turbine which puts a belt in motion that is connected with a generator. This is where the electricity is produced and distributed to the network.
 * Energy Storage:
 * Power collecting system by vehicle traffic:**

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/air-car2.htm http://www.theaircar.com/acf/air-cars/energy-storage.html

__**Electricity Generation**__
Geothermal power involves harnessing the power held within the earth’s surface. Under the surface is heat and this heat can be used to create electrical energy using geothermal generators. Oftentimes, generators are placed near steam geysers. Geothermal can also be used to cool and heat houses and not only as an electricity generating resource.
 * Geothermal Heating and Cooling**

Advantages:
 * Large supply (especially in the US)
 * Relatively cheap
 * Scalable
 * Very efficient
 * Very flexible
 * Hardly any environmental impact
 * It is estimated that as early as 2025, the United States could have 100,000 Megawatts of energy available though geothermal sources.

Disadvantages:
 * C an affect land stability.
 * C an emit small amounts of carbon dioxide and other gases.
 * Some places may cool down after much use.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/renewable/geothermal.html [|http://anonymouse.org/cgi-bin/anon-www.cgi/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal_power] http://geothermal.marin.org/pwrheat.html

[|The Islay Wave Bus]
It is powered in Scotland by the LIMPET wave machine. **How does it work? watch the animation**

The Islay Wave bus is one of the only seven electric buses being driven around the UK at the moment. It recharges overnight from the wave-generated electricity supplied by the power station. Because it gets teh electricity it needs in this way, the bus is much cheapter to run than an ordinary one. The fuel for the bus costs 8 pence a mile, compared to 23 pence a mile for a bus that runs on diesel fuel.
 * Benefits**
 * The devices could attract and promote a biodiverse marine environment, as offshore wind turbines have been shown to do.
 * Any noise from wave power would be mostly associated with the turbine used in shoreline oscillating water columns and offshore applications are virtually silent in operation.
 * By incorporating radar and visual warning devices into the technology the risks to shipping are minimal. One of the main issues would be transmitting the electricity generated offshore to the grid.

Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the lightest gas in the universe with only one proton and one electron. It is a viable fuel option because it is a clean-burning fuel. The only products of burning hydrogen are thermal energy and water vapor. However, its low melting and boiling points (at -259 Celsius and -253 Celsius respectively) means that it is difficult and rather expensive to store as a liquid. It is often used in the form of a highly compressed gas. Also, the extraction methods are not desirable. Hydrogen is either electrolyzed from water, or it is derived from fossil fuels. The former uses energy to operate; the latter involves carbon emissions. Hydrogen can also be used in the form of fuel cells. More information on fuel cells can be found [|here].
 * Overview**

The advantages of fuel cells are that they are clean and efficient. They do not contribute to global warming, and it is a likely reality that they will displace fossil fuels in the future. However, there are several problems with hydrogen. There are issues regarding cost, durability, stability, storage, and infrastructure.
 * Pros and Cons**

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-cell.htm https://www.hfpeurope.org/uploads/59/hydrogen-vision-report_HLG_2003_en.pdf
 * Sources**

=BIODIESEL= -- Jen Wang Biodiesel is a clean burning alternative fuel that is produced from renewable resources, mainly corn, sugarcane and soybeans. It contains no petroleum but can be blended with petroleum to create a biodiesel blend. It can be used in a compression-ignition (diesel) engine with no, or very little, modifications. Biodiesel is made through a chemical process called transesterification, which splits the oil into two parts: alkyl esters and glycerine. the alkyl esters are used for fuel and the glycerine is usually used to make soap and beauty products. The oil used to make biodiesel can either be new or used (collected from restaurants). Biodiesel fuel is non-toxic and biodegradable and produces 60% less net carbon dioxide emissions than petroleum-based diesel.

Pros:
- CLEAN! CO2 emissions are bad! - More efficient than gasoline engines - Can be made from waste oil from restaurants that would have been thrown out - Some people report there is a French-fry like smell when they drive - Can help support domestic farmers (also means less dependence on foreign imports of oil) - Supported and promoted by many influential people: Morgan Freeman, Julia Roberts, Dave Matthews Band, Guster, Willie Nelson and MORE!

Cons:
- Can turn gelatinous at low temperatures (can be solved though by using a mix of biodiesel and petro diesel) - Not available everywhere yet so hard to come by, but there has been an increase in availability (map shows locations where biodiesel stations are) - Opportunity cost of using crops on fuel rather than helping to eradicate poverty and hunger in LDCs Sources: http://www.biodiesel.org/resources/biodiesel_basics/default.shtm http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/07/green-basics-biodiesel.php 

