Thermodynamics & Energy Andrew Russo American Intercontinental University SCIE210-1204A-05 Environmental Science Unit 3 Individual Project 9/9/2012 Abstract The purpose of this assignment is to review the use of energy in its many different forms and to develop an energy plan within an organization with an emphasis on using as many renewable power sources as possible. The assignment will discuss the law of conservation and how this law applies to different energy conversions including those found in fossil fuels, nuclear energy, solar energy, wind power, water power, and biofuel. The assignment will also discuss two provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and how the organization can benefit from tax incentives. Thermodynamics & Energy Energy is all around us. It allows us to enjoy the amenities we relish on a day-to-day basis and gives us the strength to work, move, and think through the simple, but often neglected task of converting one energy form into another. These conversions can be electrical, mechanical, chemical, thermal, or nuclear. Even the task of eating an apple for breakfast is a complex chemical reaction that allows the human body to sustain itself by digesting the apple and turning it into simple sugars called glucose that the body needs to exert energy in the form of kinetic movement. Laws of Thermodynamics Thermodynamics is the study of the behavior or force of heat (Thermodynamics, 2003). While energy has the ability to be transduced from one form into another, one of the fundamental laws of nature is that both of these forms are equal- that is to say there is no net gain, nor total loss in the energy conversion process. This is known as the Law of Conversation of Energy and is the First Law of Thermodynamics (Wright & Boorse, 2012, pp.63-64). The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that during the process of conversion entropy, or disorder and randomness increases until a state of equilibrium is achieved within the system where the energy is being transformed and at this point, no work can be done. When heat is lost during the energy conversion process in a system the system loses enthalpy and is known as an exothermic reaction. When a system gains heat from a reaction it is known as an endothermic reaction. This also determines whether the system has the ability to work dispensing free energy, exergonic, or becomes endergonic and lacks the ability to work and cannot proceed (thermodynamics, 2004). The Third Law of Thermodynamics states that in a closed system energy is always increasing or decreasing and can never reach absolute zero (thermodynamics, 2005) Fossil Fuels Fossil fuels are a form of energy first used in steam engines during the 16th century to pump water out of coal mines using a crude engine developed by Thomas Savery as a way to improve on this industrial process. Fossil fuels are hydrocarbon deposits including oil, coal, and natural gas and are formed through the decomposition of ancient plant and animal remains and are in most cases cheap and easy to maintain. (fossil fuel, 2005). Another advantage of fossil fuels as a source of energy is their abundance in nature depending on geography. Fossil fuels are the dominant source of energy. They fulfill over 80% of the global energy demand, and will, in all likelihood, continue to supply this demand much into the foreseeable future. Power plants are the largest sources of energy for fossil-fuel power and account for over a third of all of all carbon dioxide emissions from decarbonization processes worldwide (Carbon Capture and Storage from Fossil Fuel Use, 2004). The problems with this form of energy conversion are numerous, but a few examples include the blemishes strip mines leave on mountains such as those found in Appalachia in the US mining for coal, different global conflicts arising from the demand for oil, and the effects of global climate change on the environment and the biosphere are a few. Nuclear Energy The conversion of mass into energy resulting in nuclear energy is from the nucleus of an atom and tapping this potential as a source of energy. The energy is released through fission, fusion, and results in radioactivity. The process allows a small amount of mass to be converted into energy by using Albert Einstein’s formula of E=MC^2 where E is energy, m is mass, and c is the speed of light (nuclear energy, 2008). By using different processes to manipulate heavy metals like Uranium and Plutonium, nuclear power plants can produce a sustained nuclear reaction which produces heat within a reactor which can be used to generate electricity. One of the disadvantages to this process is when isotopes of this metal become unstable they may lose their concentration and result in an accident known as a nuclear meltdown, as what was witnessed at Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Takaimura which limits this energy productions’ use due to its inherent and dangerous risk to public health because of radiation sickness, and its effects on biological mechanisms through ionization. Solar Energy Solar panels are one of the different ways radiation from the sun can be converted into a usable form of energy. These panels are black surfaces that are highly absorbent to the visible spectrum of light with the exception of infra-red wavelengths that are not visible and poorly radiated (Solar energy, 2000). The advantages of solar energy are the prospects of low maintenance costs once they are installed and low environmental impact from a free source of energy. The disadvantage of solar power is that for them to any real effect on the global energy demand there must be a lot of solar panels or photovoltaic systems to meet this need. This often becomes an economic problem as well because governments and corporations see it mostly as unattainable source of energy considering the cost and are therefore prone to go with low-cost standards such as oil and coal. Another disadvantage would be solar energy reaching its maximum potential in 30 degree latitudes where the sun is more abundant due to these areas proximity to the equator in relation to areas where the sun would not be as abundant such as North America or parts of Europe. Wind Power Wind power involves harnessing the wind to use a renewable energy source by using aerodynamic blades to allow air mass to generate electricity through kinetic motion to power a rotating shaft (Wind power, 2000). Wind power is proportional to wind speed, so area, availability, and arrangement are some of the factors affecting this source of energies potential to generate electricity. While the amount of electricity they produce is nominal compared to coal-fired power plants, the advantage is that they do less environmental damage. Water Power Water power is another renewable energy source that converts falling water into power, or hydroelectricity, by using turbines that drive electric generators (water power, 2008). This is possible because dams are created that partially block the flow of water to create a source of resistance in rivers and streams. The advantage of hydroelectricity is its potential to create electric capacities in excess of 1,000 megawatts (Water power, 2000). Some of the disadvantages of dams and hydroelectricity include the amount of money required to build them, and the potential damage they cause to aquatic ecosystems which results in further damage to other ecosystems that are dependent on aquatic species to survive, such as bears and their predisposition to salmon for example. This is a result of silt accumulating behind a dam which can have negative impacts on estuaries and tributaries further downstream, or down river, which affects fish and their spawning patterns. Bioconversion Bioconversion is a process using biofuels like methane, biogas, and biodiesel to produce energy. Crops like Oil palm, Coconut, Jatropha, Rapeseed, Peanuts, Sunflowers, Soyabean, and Maize can be harvested to use as biofuel as an alternative to fossil fuels (Biofuel, 2000). Biodiesel can be created from different vegetable oils and used in modified diesel engines. It consists of alkyl esters created from the transesterification of methyl esters and glycerine by using sodium or potassium hydroxide as a catalyst (Biodiesel, 2000). Methane is a gas that can be liquefied and can be modified to use in spark ignition engines along with carbon dioxide. Methane occurs through bacterial processes involving anaerobic digestion and decomposition and is being used as a resource in landfills when old trash sites are buried and left to decompose and rotated with different areas for disposal along with other methods including livestock and sewage sludge (Biogas, 2000). Some of the advantages of Bioconversion include less competition for resources and ecological benefits such as less acid rain in the case of biodiesel because it contains a much lower concentration of sulfur. One of the disadvantages of Bioconversion, using biodiesel again as an example, is the release of nitrogen oxide into the atmosphere because of the combustion process and the growing problem of deforestation, which would only increase in places like the Philippines and Indonesia because of the demand for Oil Palm, which is used in the manufacturing of Biodiesel. Incentives and Sustainability One of the incentives the United States has introduced to those individuals or corporations interested in reducing their ecological imprint on the environment is the Energy Policy Act of 2005 HR 6. Passed on July 28th by a congressional vote of 275 to156, and a senatorial vote of 74 to 26 in favor of the bill, President Bush signed the bill into law on August 8th of the same year. The bills primary focus is helping to reduce pollution while saving Americans money by purchasing new technology as part of an overall attempt at developing a plan of sustainability for the country’s energy needs (Energy Efficiency Provisions in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, nd). Some of the tax incentives it provided include tax credits for homes meeting Energy Star labeled product requirements, tax credits for businesses installing energy-efficient fuel cells and energy-efficient micro-turbine power plants, and tax credits for alternative motor vehicle sales to consumers who purchase vehicles using hybrid or advanced lean burn technology. Although most of these provisions have expired, it has paved the way for helping the United States develop a sustainability plan by encouraging some of the new technologies available, in combination with other renewable resources to help mitigate our fossil fuel consumption, and reduce our overall ecological imprint on the environment in the future by making it one of the top priorities on the country’s agenda with the rest of the world, hopefully, following its example one day (Sustainability, 2000). . References Biodiesel. (2000). In Dictionary of Environmental Science and Technology. Retrieved from credoreference.proxy.cecybrary/entry/wileyenvsci/biodiesel Biofuel. (2000). In Dictionary of Environmental Science and Technology. Retrieved from credoreference.proxy.cecybrary/entry/wileynvsci/biofuel Biogas. (2000). In Dictionary of Environmental Science and Technology. Retrieved from credoreference.proxy.cecybrary/entry/wileyenvsci/biogas Carbon Capture and Storage from Fossil Fuel Use. (2004). In Encyclopedia of Energy. Retrieved from credoreference.proxy.cecybrary/entry/estenergy/carbon_capture_and_storage_from_fossil_fuel_use Energy Efficiency Provisions in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. (nd). Description by US EnergyStar program. Retrieved from think-energy.net/EnergyAct2005.htm Fossil Fuel. (2005). In The American Heritage Science Dictionary. Retrieved from credoreference.proxy.cecybrary/entry/hmsciencedict/fossil_fuel Nuclear Energy. (2008). In The Columbia Encyclopedia. Retrieved from credoreference.proxy.cecybrary/entry/columency/nuclear_energy Solar Energy. (2000). In Dictionary of Environmental Science and Technology. Retrieved from credoreference.proxy.cecybrary/entry/wileyenvsci/solar_energy Sustainability. (2000). In Dictionary of Environmental Science and Technology. Retrieved from credoreference.proxy.cecybrary/entry/wileyenvsci/sustainability Thermodynamics. (2003). In Key Contemporary Concepts. Retrieved from credoreference.proxy.cecybrary/entry/sageukcc/thermodynamics Thermodynamics. (2004). In Penguin Dictionary of Biology. Retrieved from credoreference.proxy.cecybrary/entry/penguinbio/thermodynamics Thermodynamics. (2005). In The Crystal Reference Encyclopedia. Retrieved from credoreference.proxy.cecybrary/entry/cre/thermodynamics Water Power. (2000). In Dictionary of Environmental Science and Technology. Retrieved from credoreference.proxy.cecybrary/entry/wileyenvsci/water_power Water Power. (2008). In The Columbia Encyclopedia. Retrieved from credoreference.proxy.cecybrary/entry/columency/water_power Wind Power. (2000). In Dictionary of Environmental Science and Technology. Retrieved from credoreference.proxy.cecybrary/entry/wileyenvsci/wind_power Wright, R.T., & Boorse, D.F. (2011). Environmental science: Toward a sustainable future. (11th ed., pp. 63-64). San Francisco, CA: Pearson Education Inc. DOI: pearsonhighered
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