Gels.Gendrolis.Doyle.MMA.Spring2009.EnergyandWater

= Wind and Hydro Power: =

The Cleanest Way to Produce Energy
Peter Gels James Gendrolis Chris Doyle

The Problem:
The overall problem at hand is finding a renewable source of energy that is environmentally friendly. There have been many proposals and ideas on how to solve this problem; however, there lies another issue. Though we can produce ways of creating renewable energy, many of the ideas prove to be energy inefficient.

The driving force of this problem lies in the hands of consumers. Since 1900, oil and gas consumption had steadily increased and does not seem like it will decline. Based on the following graph, one can see that oil and gas demand will continue to rise.

Another driving force of this problem is that people are recognizing the consequences of the irresponsible use of our resources.

Many ideas have surfaced as to how to solve this global problem. Some of these ideas include hybrid cars, renewable energy such as wind or hydro power, nuclear power, solar energy, bio-diesel, corn-based-ethanol, and many more. The goal of this project is to focus on how Wind and Hydro Power are the best option and cleanest option to solve this problem.

The Solution:
Wind and hydro power is the solution to this problem because of many factors. Water and wind are sources of energy that can be found all over the world. Our planet, which is covered over 3/4 by water, depends on us finding a renewable source of energy, and the answer is here.

How It Works:


Both the wind turbine and the dam work similar with different sources of rotational energy. Some type of external force causes the blades on the turbine to spin, thus spinning the shaft. The shaft is connected to a generator, which then creates electrical power. For a wind turbine, wind spins the blades, and for a damn, water current spins the shaft.

Because of the source of energy there would be 0% gain of CO2. The only time that carbon emissions that would be produced would be in the building of the structure.

Finding exactly how much energy one turbine produces involves too many variables. There is the factor of how fast the wind/water current is as well as the size of the turbine. In Texas, "[|Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center in Texas, has 421 wind turbines that generate enough electricity to power 220,000 homes per year.]"

"[|In 2006, wind machines in the United States generated a total of 26.6 billion kWh per year of electricity, enough to serve more than 2.4 million households. This is enough electricity to power a city larger than Los Angeles, but it is only a small fraction of the nation's total electricity production, about 0.4 percent. The amount of electricity generated from wind has been growing fast in recent years. In 2006, electricity generated from wind was 2 1/2 times more than wind generation in 2002.]"

The Positives:

 * Environmentally friendly
 * It does not give off carbon emissions after it is initially built
 * it uses natural resources that can be found almost anywhere
 * Easy Payback
 * It will, over a few years, payback the initial investment and continue to provide energy and profit
 * There is very little maintenance
 * Few employees are needed which cuts the annual costs to keep the turbine running

The Negatives (How critics would see it):
media type="custom" key="3923375"
 * Disturbs natural habitats
 * bird migration patterns
 * fish ecosystems
 * Can be loud
 * Takes up space if it were mass produced
 * Very dangerous if it blows up:

Wind and Hydro Power do not take up much of the world's energy supply mainly because we have a functioning system and have not had the necessity of change. Now that we are aware of the consequences, such as Global warming, not enough OPECs, and slow decline of resources, renewable energy and fuel sources are on the rise. Right now Wind and Hydro Power only make up less than a percent of the nation's energy source. Some reasons as to why this is include not enough support, insufficient funds, and lack of free space.

Wind and Hydro Power are the answers to many of our energy problems. It solves the consumption of gas as well as cuts down the amount of carbon emissions. Because turbines do not produce emissions, only the fuel used to built the structures will produce emissions. Over long period of time, this will have a large impact on the Greenhouse gasses and cut down the price of oil.

In order for alternative energies like this to be used, it would need lots of initial money, support, and vacant space. This would allow for mass production of energy to be produced from nothing but our natural resources. It would however be very hard for wind and hydro power to be the only source of our energy because there is not enough space on the planet for us to generate the amount of energy we use today.



The closest to home example of where wind turbines are used if on our very own campus, MMA. MMA uses this energy as a means to have a greener campus. Along with this source of alternative energy, MMA also utilizes solar power lights, participates in Recycling competitions, and promotes using less electricity throughout the day.

After learning about the benefits of alternative energy, we believe that it would be a priceless investment for the future generations.

Commercial Wind Turbine = 1.8 Million Dollars Hydro-electrical Dam = 3.2 Million Dollars
 * Saving the world = Priceless**

To conclude our presentation, here is a word from our sponsor: media type="custom" key="3923403"

Resources: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/wind_how.html