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7.4 Renewable energy and conservation - Coggle Diagram
7.4 Renewable energy and conservation
No energy Using device operates 100% effeicnient: some energy is always lost as heat and other forms of energy
Energy efficieny: is a measure of how muchuselful work we can get from each unt of energy we us
improving energy effiecnieny means moe energy goes into the form we need- so less energy is needed to provide the same amount of uselful work
Improving energy efficiency
Power plants and industry: variable speec electric motrors, reduce, reuse, recycle
Transportation: CAFE vehicle fue efficienty targets. electric and hyprid vehicles, mass transit systems-discourage care use
Buildings: insulate buildings for more efficient heating and cooling, use energy efficient appliances, devices and lights, switch off unused energy-consumers, especially computers and servers
We cn also cut energy by adapting our behavior and choices
Energy conservation: mean reducing or eliminating the unnecessary wasting of energy
Energy efficency generally concerns unavoidable loss that happens as a result of inefficent technology and systems
Energy conservaation generally concers avoidable loss that happens as a result of carelessnes or ignorance
Roughly 84% of al commercial energy in the United States is wasted about 41% is energy unavoidably wasted and 43% is wasted unnecessarily
Reasinf for energy waste
The internal combustion engine: propels most mostor vehicles but wastes abou 80% of the high quality energy in its gasolina fuel as waste heat released into the atmosphere
Nuclear, coal and natural gas power plants: two-thirds of their fuel is lost as waste heat tat flows into the atmosphere through gigantiv coling towers or into waterways
Huge data centers: electronics servers processing and storing information: typically waste 90% of consumed energy as heat
Transportation
Fuel economy of a vehicle is a measure of how many miles you can travel, on average, for every gallon of gasoline that you use, miles per gallon, mpg
In 1975 the US Congrees established Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards to improve average fuel economy of new cars and light trucks, vans, and sport utility vehics (SUVS) in the US
New energy efficeint vehicles
Gasolina-electric hybrids: These cars have samll gasoline-powered engine and a battery-powered electric motor used to provide the energy needed for acceleration and hill climbing
Plug-in hybrid electirc vehiclle:
These cars can travel 48-97 on electricity alone
Then a small gasoline-poered motor kick in, recharged the batter and extends the driving range to 600 kilometeres or more
All-electic vehicle: that on a batter only without gasoline required at all
Industries and power plants
Industries: all facilities and equipments used to produce, process, or assemple goods.
Ways for industry to save money and fuel
Cogeneration: to produce two uselful forms of energy- electricity and heat, form the same fuel source
Implementing energy-effiecienty in offices: energy efficient LED lighting smart meters to monitor energy use, shutting off computers, printers, and nonessential lights at the end of the work day
Recycling materials: such as steel and other metals can also help industires save energy and money
More energy efficeint ariable speed elctric motors: run at minimum speed needed for each job. Standard electric motors run at fullspeed with their output throttled to match the task, like suing one foot to push the speed with their output throttled to match and the task.
Utilites: powerplants
Consumers and their car usage
Incentivize people to buy cars that use less gasolina: give cosumers significant tax breaks or other economic incentive to encourage them to buy more fuel-efficeint vehicles
Incentivize and make it possible for people to user their vehicles less:
Raise taxes on gasoline; so the price includes more of these hiddent costs of gasoline production/use
Improve mass transit systems withing systems- make it economical, safe and convinient for people to commute via bus, rail or tram
Build bicycle-only routes and areas
Buildings
Our biggest conservation starts at home
The biggest energy costs in the home erea: heating, cooling and elecronics and appliances
Homes requires insulation to isolate the inside from the outside, and prevent
heat escaping-energy used by heaters is wasted as it escapes
Heating entering energy used by air conditioning is wasted if heat keeps enetering
To save energy and money: Use insulated windows, seal gaps around the window frame, insulate the uilding roof and walls