Using hydrogen to create electricity is an innovative process that is currently in the research and development stage. We may hear about hydrogen power being prevalent in countries like Iceland, but it will be some time before hydrogen power becomes large scale. Nevertheless, many believe hydrogen to be the major energy carrier for the future. [...]
Last year, a student send me a 12-minute bit from 60 minutes on coal power. The piece is centered on an interview with Jim Rogers of Charlotte’s own Duke Energy. Watch this, then read on: *IF the embedded video will not play, try this link: Powered by Coal (60 minutes) So…what do we do in [...]
Here is today’s presentation. While biomass is valued for being essentially carbon-neutral, you cannot ignore all the potential drawbacks to agriculture (erosion, fertilizer, pesticides, feedlots, etc…). Biomass energy View more presentations from Derrick Willard.
When you think “Modern Wind Technology”, think of Power Plants. These power plants include wind turbines that are powered by the wind in order to turn a turbine that powers a generator, and creates electricity that can be used and stored. To understand the parts of a turbine and how it works, check out the [...]
1. Power Power is the rate at which Energy is used or being created. Its base unit is in Watts where 1W=(1Joule)/(1second). Power is the basis for rating the amount of energy appliances use over time, like a 100 Watt light bulb will use twice as much energy at any period of time than a [...]
Today we took a brief look at solar power. Solar makes up a tiny fraction (<1%) of the commercial energy market, but it is doubling every two years. I tried to distinguish between solar electricity technologies and solar thermal (heat) technologies. When considering solar electricity, it can be done on a small scale (homes/buildings) and [...]
Wednesday in class we talked about the common fuels that we use. The three most commonly used fuels include Coal, Oil (Crude Oil), and Natural Gas. When comparing the percents of total energy use in the world to total energy use in the US, 76% of the world’s energy use requires fossil fuels while 85% [...]
Today in class, we discussed the properties of Uranium, as well as how it is used in nuclear power plants. Of all the naturally occurring atoms on Earth, Uranium is the largest in size. Because of its large size, Uranium is very unstable, and very reactive. In order to stabilize itself, Uranium (and any other [...]
For those who missed the first day of our energy unit, here is the kick off: Mining Practices & Impacts View more presentations from Derrick Willard. I tried to give you a sense of just how destructive surface mining can be to habitats and biodiversity. I’ve also found a great slideshow by a photographer named [...]
