7.4: Renewable Energy - Energy Efficiency and Conservation
Transition to Renewable energy
Improving energy efficiency
Why?
fossil fuels account for a massive amount of environmental problems
Saves money and can provide people jobs
Climate change, ocean acidification, air pollution
Upgrading the electrical grid of the US would cost 800 billion USD over the next 20 yrs but save 2 trillion at the same time
Transportation
Alternatives to combustion motor cars / How to avoid the use of them
BEVs: electric cars. They are cleaner than combustion motor vehicles, but eople are finding it hard to transition to them due to certain limitations
Lithium-ion battery is expensive
Battery takes long time to recharge
Need to be made of lighter and more durable materials
Add bicycle lanes to roads/streets
Provide incentive for public transport through its improvement or lowering the prices of it.
Gasoline-electric hybrid cars (electric and gasoline to power motor and engine), plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (electricity and then gas), all-electric vehicle
It is important to decrease dependency on nonrenewable resources and find more efficient ways of using and generating energy
Combustion cars are very detrimental to the environment due to their carbon emissions and waste a lot of energy, being inefficient
Industries and Power Plants
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Cogeneration
reduce reuse recycle
For power plants use variable speed in motors
Industries: all facilities that have equipment to produce, process, or assemble goods
Most energy consumption comes from industries that produce petroleum, chemicals, cement, steel, aluminum, paper and wood products
Buildings
Provide proper insulation to buildings to ensure that heat doesn't leave or enter, thus avoiding the use of AC's or any other cooling /heating appliance
Raise taxes on gasoline or provide tax breaks to consumers to encourage the use of more fuel-efficient vehicles
Buy/use energy efficient ppliances
Don't leave appliances plugged or on when not in use
use natural light as much as possible
Passive solar heating
Green architecture uses new and ancient tech (e.g. using straw and adobe bricks, which store heat better than regular ones)
use smart grids: they allow people to buy and connect to electricity generated by businesses or homes from wind, solar, or any other form of renewable energy
Producing 2 forms of useful energy from a single fuel source