Download BALANCE OF BIOMASS Plants take in CO 2

INTRODUCTION TO
RENEWABLE ENERGY
SOURCES
Energy sources which are
continuously being replenished
by nature
ATOM
ELECTRONS
PROTON
N
NEUTRON
N
ELECTRICITY
An electric current is
created when electrons
flow through a wire.
Electric current can power
things like our computers
and TV sets.
ELECTRICITY
ELECTRICITY HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN……….
G
…fueled by
coal, oil or
natural gas,
generated,
T
transformed,
and
distributed
to your house
Brainstorm sources of
electricity.
Which are renewable and
which are non-renewable?
NATURAL AND RENEWABLE
SOURCES OF ENERGY
SOLAR
Geothermal
Wind
G
T
Generator
Transformer
Distribution
Lines
Biomass
Hydroelectric
Biogas
Your Home
Solar Energy is light
and heat energy that
comes from the sun.
SOLAR
ENERGY
SOLUTIONS
SOLAR CELL
POWER LINES
TRANSFORMER
INVERTER
PHOTO + VOLT = PHOTOVOLTAIC
[LIGHT] [UNIT
[ELECTRICITY
OF
PRODUCED
ELECTRICITY] FROM LIGHT]
http://www.aps.com/
Photovoltaics: The direct conversion
of sunlight to electricity
PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER PLANTS
Glendale Airport:
Prescott Airport:
Scottsdale Covered Parking:
SOLAR THERMAL POWER PLANTS
10,000,000 Watts
Solar II Experimental
Power Plant, California
25,000 Watts
Dish/Stirling
Engine System,
Arizona
1,000,000 Watts Parabolic
Trough Power Plant,
Arizona
HOW DOES GEOTHERMAL HEAT GET UP TO EARTH'S
SURFACE?
Heat comes from hot liquid
magma.
Magma or very hot rock
Magma is Hot liquid
rock
Geysers at Yellowstone
National Park
Old Faithful
An example of how the
heat rises from the earth
Steamboat Geyser
http://en.wikipedia.org
www.nps.gov
GEOTHERMAL ENERGY IN ARIZONA
IDENTIFY THE
LOCATIONS
WHERE
GEOTHERMAL
COULD BE.
Picture from www.EnergyAtlas.org
HOW DO YOU CONVERT WIND INTO ELECTRICITY?
The wind hits the rotor, the
rotor spins the generators
making electrical energy from
mechanical energy
Gearbox Generator
Rotor
Diameter
G
Nacelle
The transformer changes
the voltage to match the
Transformer voltage on the power lines
before it is sent to your
house
T
Tower
WIND FARMS
WHERE HAVE
YOU SEEN
THESE TYPES
OF WINDMILLS?
BIOMASS ENERGY FROM ARIZONA FORESTS
2. Underburns known
as ground fires help
clear the forest floors
so that grass grows
and large trees
survive.
1. Left alone, forests
become thick with trees and
forest litter.
3. Underburns
also prevent
more damaging
fires that spread
across the top
of the trees.
THE
BEGINNING
5. Sometimes fire
makes seeds grow,
but sometimes the
forest has to be
replanted to speed
the return of trees.
4. The top of tree fires spread quickly
and are much more difficult to fight.
They leave burnt land that can take
years to replenish.
What other damage can happen from forest fires?
Wild fires and
bark beetles
create biomass
that can be used
to generate
electricity.
THE BEGINNINGS OF BIOMASS
Biomass was the first
fuel mankind used for
energy.
AVAILABLE
BEFORE
OIL
Burning wood was
used for warmth
and cooking, as
well as keeping
wild animals away
THE BALANCE OF BIOMASS
Biomass generates far less
emissions than fossil fuels
CO2
CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) is released by burning biomass and is
used by other plants to make food.
BALANCE OF BIOMASS
Plants take in CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) and
make oxygen.
When biomass is burned, it uses oxygen to
make CO2
This is the balance of biomass
BIOMASS ENERGY COMES FROM
plant, human or animal derived organic matter
that is eaten, burnt, or converted into fuel.
Wood from trees, agriculture,
wood factory waste, and the
construction industry
Burnt wood from forest fires
Animals and
animal droppings
BIOGAS
Organic
Waste
Material
Vegetation
Manure
Sewage
Landfill Garbage
+
Decomposition
Breaking down,
or changing,
from a solid
into a liquid
or a gas
=
Biogas
Methane
rich
flammable
gas
NATURE CREATES BIOGAS
Nature creates biogas
from rotting plants
around ponds and
wetlands
METHANE
Rotting
Vegetation
As this methane gas is released into the atmosphere it creates an invisible
ceiling which traps the heat from the sun.
MAN-MADE BIOGAS (LANDFILLS)
Escaping methane can
destroy nearby vegetation.
To prevent methane from
escaping into the atmosphere,
it is collected and burned in a
flare stack
What else will we lose
as a result of losing
plants and trees?
MAN-MADE BIOGAS (SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT)
Sewage treatment plants clean
sewage water
producing large amounts of
methane
Sewage Digester
Close-up of Flares
Sewage Water
that can be flared or turned into electricity
HYDROELECTRIC POWER
Hydro means water in Latin. It is the most often used source
of renewable energy to make electricity.
WATER
Water is constantly moving through a cycle: Water vapor rises into the
atmosphere through evaporation from lakes and oceans and transpiration
from plants and trees. It condenses to form clouds. Then rain or snow falls
back to the earth to the oceans and lakes.
Transpiration
Evaporation
Rain
Lake
Transpiration is the evaporation of water into the atmosphere from the
leaves and stems of plants
HOW HYDROPOWER WORKS
The energy of water moving downstream from the rain and snow to
a reservoir or lake goes to a large dam which has engines and
turbines that make electricity.
Another source of hydroelectricity is
tidal electricity which uses the tides
from the ocean to make electricity.
Pros and Cons of Renewable Energy
PRO
Solar
Wind
Geothermal
– Continuous
– Abundant
– Portable
– Modular
– Cheapest of the
renewable energies
today
– Can provide heat and
cooling
– Continuous
CON
– Need storage,
– Peaks at solar noon,
– Most expensive of renewable energy
sources
– Not always near transmission
lines
– intermittent power
– Not always near transmission lines
– Not portable
Pros and Cons of Renewable Energy
PRO
Biomass
Biogas
Hydropower
– Can be transported
to a generator for a
continuous source of
energy
– Always accessible,
can provide energy 24
hours per day
–Inexpensive
–No Pollution
–Lakes and reservoirs
can be used for
recreation
CON
– Distance to the fuel
– Not always accessible
– Sources are limited in size
–Dam construction is expensive
–Damming rivers causes changes in
ecological cycles and surrounding
landscapes
–There are a limited number of
feasible sites for large dams
solar
The final
destination
Wind
Hydroelectric
Power
Geothermal
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