Environment

Solar Energy Morgan, Dana, Lauren, Marielle Sources of the Energy The Sun! ? available sunlight varies ? the amount of energy that can be harnassed from the sun is determined by wind, temperature, and insolation (average sunlight) State of Technology two kinds of solar power: ? passive ? active photovoltaic (PV) cells: how does it work? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mCTSV2f36A State of technology ? Crystalline-Silicon (c-Si) ? Thin film PV ? concentrating PV parabolic trough compact linear fresnel reflector power tower dish engine Feasibility ? Main problem with this form of energy is that it is expensive Political Issues/Laws and Standards ? RES - renewable energy standard ? incremental targets ? vary by state

1/10/13 1 Wind Energy By Tatiana Cherne, Dean Koman, Peter Schott What is wind and how can it be captured? Wind - flows of air created by the difference in solar heating of the earth between the equator and the poles together with the earth's rotation *Blades of the turbine harness the wind to create rotational energy* *A generator then transforms the energy into electricity* 1/10/13 2 Potential Global - Capturing 1/5 of the wind energy at the best sites could generate more than 7X the amount of electricity currently used - Possible to phase out non-renewable energy by the end of the century (coal burning and nuclear) United States - Wind farms operate in 36 states generating 1% of the country?s electricity - Lead by Texas and California