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