Jie Zhou: Summary of Smart Grid Presentation

Summary of Smart Grid Presentation

Jie Zhou
07/28/2011

The Traditional Grid

Some problems with the existing grid:
- getting old and worn out
- population growth cause the transmission system overused and gragile
- reliability of the grid decline








Versus the Smart Grid

The most important and distinctive characteristic of the Smart Grid is its "intelligence" and two-way communication capabilities.

Functions

• Self-healing from power disturbance events

Automatically detects and responds to grid problems, ensuring quick recovery after disturbances. The incorporation of microgrids also means that affected areas can be isolated from the main network as to cause minimal disruption to services,

• Enabling active participation by consumers in demand response

The development of the smart grid and associatd smart technologies and devices will allow users to have more direct control over the energy they use on a day-to-day basis. Like changing what they need from a power supplier, moving towards flexible energy, cheaper alternatives and the option for microgeneration

•  Variety of generation options

The current electricity grid cannot integrated well of energy being drawn from a variety of energy sources, like solar, wind turbine, etc. but this is the aim of the smart grid

• Providing higher quality power that will save money wasted from outage

Assuring more stable electricity, avoiding outages or blackouts to reduce economic loss

• Accommodating all generation and storage options

All sources will be interconnected allowing consumers to access a general and renewable generated source of energy. Energy that is generated during non-peak timses can be stored for potential usage to ensure minimal wastage.

• Enabling new products, services, and markets

Creating an open market where alternative energy sources can be sold to customers regardless of location. Microgeneration (like some large networks such as offices) can generate own power through solar panels, wind turbines and in turn can supply energy back to the central net work grid, and make some money on it.

• Optimizing assets and operating efficiently

Generate more power through the existing systems by optimizing them, allowing the reduction of power flow waste and maximizing the distribution of lower-costgeneration sources.

Major Driving Forces
Obstables

One-half of the utilities surveyed in the recent Pacific Crest Mosaic Smart Grid Survey named rate Cost as the strongest barrier to Smart Grid projects within their organization. Technology immaturity is also a key barrier to Smart Grid projects but is rated a “top” barrier for fewer respondents.

Regulatory Barriers and Lack of Open Standards are some of the other obstacles.

Smart grids by country

Australia

The Australian government has committed to investing $100 m in smart grids. They said they will build the smart grid over five sites in New South Wales

Canada

The government of Ontario, Canada, through the Energy Conservation Responsibility Act ^[3] in 2006, has mandated the installation of Smart Meters in all Ontario businesses and households by 2010.

China

As part of its current 5-year plan, China is building a Wide Area Monitoring system (WAMS). On May 21, 2009, China has announced an aggressive framework for Smart Grid deployment.

European Union

Development of smart grid technologies is part of the European Technology Platform (ETP) initiative and is called the SmartGrids Technology platform. The SmartGrids Technology Platform began its work in 2005. Its aim is to formulate and promote a vision for the development of European electricity networks looking towards 2020 and beyond

Republic of Korea

On January 2010, the Korean government has launched a $65 million pilot program consists of several programs, one of which is a fully integrated Smart Grid System for 6000 households

The Korean government seeks to complete the installation of smart grid in the country by 2030 and establish another 27,000 or more power charge stations for electric cars. A total of 27.5 trillion won will be injected according to the roadmap.

United States

Support for smart grids became federal policy with passage of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The law, Title13, sets out $100 million in funding per fiscal year from 2008–2012.

Smart grids received further support with the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which set aside $11 billion for the creation of a smart grid.

Source:

http://www.nema.org/gov/energy/smartgrid/whatIsSmartGrid.cfm

http://www.smartgridnews.com/artman/publish/Business_Smart_Grid_101_Resources/The-Smart-Grid-1766.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_grid

Morgan McCollum: Summary of Biogas Presentation

Summary of Biogas Presentation

What is biogas?

When organic waste is allowed to decompose without oxygen, it produces a gas mixture of 35-50% methane, 20-45% carbon dioxide, among other gases. This mixture is called biogas. Organic waste may include sewage, municipal solid waste, agricultural and industrial waste, and animal manure. The gas can then be used for electricity, to heat homes and buildings, and fertilizers.

Biogas and the United States

There are currently 541 landfills in the United States producing electricity onsite via anaerobic digesters. However, the EPA estimates that 510 additional landfills have the potential to do so as well. In addition, the EPA estimates that over 8,000 farms could support these digesters. Conflicts arise due to high initial costs to producing anaerobic digesters, lack of government funding, and lack of an outlet to sell generated biogas. Thus, biogas has not taken a very strong foothold in the United States.

Biogas and China

China was one of the first countries to begin using biogas. Recently, China established the National Rural Biogas Construction Plan and in 2010, aimed for a goal of 1 in 10 rural households to use biogas.

Biogas acts as an alternative to wood burning, which many rural homes use because they cannot afford kerosene or coal. This will reduce indoor air pollution, and can also decrease the time and energy required by women to gather wood and cook. With this additional time, women can obtain jobs, increasing a home’s income, and also increasing the potential for leisure time. With an increased standard of living, there will be a decrease rural to urban migration. In addition, biogas will provide a safe way to dispose of manure, decreasing the likelihood of disease caused by e-coli.

China also has no shortage of garbage, recently surpassing the United States as the largest producer of household garbage. Landfills and incinerators are consuming too much land, and incinerators can release many cancer-causing dioxins.

Is Biogas a Future?

Biogas is extremely beneficial to certain sub-sets of the population. In China, biogas is great for the rural sector, and farmers and landfills in the United States can use it on-site as well. It is particularly useful in developing countries, where fuel is mainly used during the cooking process, and small biogas units can be made solely out of plastic tank and some tubing. Biogas is not a large-scale solution, but with experts estimating a need for liquid gas to extend about 50 more years, it may be a worthwhile investment, especially in China and other developing countries.

More information can be found from the Department of Energy: “Clean Cities Now;” the American Biogas Council; www.biocycle.net

IFCE Nuclear Energy Presentation by Sarah Xiyi Chen

Sarah is giving us a presentation about Nuclear Power.

Here is the summary of Sarah's Presentation:

Overview

            Nuclear energy has enormous potential to generate electricity in a relatively sustainable manner, but it remains the most controversial energy source in the world.

            Energy is generated using uranium enriched to contain 2-3% of the unstable isotope uranium-235 and placed in a reactor, where nuclear fission occurs in a chain reaction controlled by control rods and neutron moderators like water. The fission products generate electricity by converting water to steam, which turns turbines.

            One kilogram of U-235 converted in this way can release about three million times more energy than a kilogram of conventionally burned coal and does not release greenhouse gases into the air. Because of the low-carbon nature and seeming efficiency of nuclear power and the fact that it can ease reliance on foreign energy sources, some experts believe that it is the best renewable energy source for our future.

            However, nuclear energy comes along with the tremendous dangerous of radioactive waste disposal, the threat of nuclear weapons proliferation, and disasters like Chernobyl or Fukushima.

In China

            Nuclear is only 2% of China’s current energy mix, and the country has focused more on solar, wind, and hydropower for the future. China’s 13 extant reactors have been cleared by inspectors in the wake of Fukushima, and the fate of its 79 scheduled projects is still undecided. Before the Japanese disaster, problems had already arisen due to rapid development, such as subpar facilities, lack of regulation, shortfall of fuel, low-skill workers, and the threat of natural events like earthquakes, floods, and droughts. China believes it can easily compensate for less nuclear energy in its portfolio with solar, wind, and hydropower.

In the future

            After the Fukushima accidents, the International Energy Agency halved its estimate of additional nuclear generating capacity to be built by 2035, as public opinion of nuclear energy plummeted. Politicians have been abandoning nuclear energy, and Germany and Britain are planning to shut down nearly all nuclear power plants. Perhaps one of the explanations behind the recent spotlight on natural gas stems from this spring’s nuclear fear.

Jie Zhou: Heavy Metal Pollution in China

Heavy Metal Pollution in China

In the sense of environmental pollution, heavy metals are described as metals & metalloids which are distinctively toxic to organisms and environment. Cadmium, lead & mercury are commonly cited as being of the greatest public health concern.

China’s 12^th 5-year-plan which is passed earlier this year has a concentration on tackling heavy metal pollution. According to the plan, there are 14 provinces and autonomous regions severely polluted by heavy metals, and are critical to take action immediately. Most of them are located in the southern part of China.

There are two origins of heavy metal. Geological background level of heavy metal is low in China. Most of the natural resource contains some sort of heavy metal itself. While generation of heavy metal through human activities is high, causing pollution to air, soil, and water from 3 sources:

Industry emission is the main source of heavy metal pollution in China. The emission of heavy metals is from smelting, coal burning, purification of metals, fuel burning, and tire wear.

Wastewater irrigation is another main source of heavy metal pollution. During the development of mining, zincification, stabilized compounds of dye and plastics, colorants in oil paint and the tire manufacturing industry, they produce tons of wastewater, either merge into rivers, or penetrate soil in farmlands. Wastewater irrigation is very common in China, especially in the northwestern area, where there is a lack of water resources.

The third source of heavy metal is Solid Waste referring to fertilizing sludge, usage of the chemical fertilizer, and agro-chemicals increased heavy metal pollution; wasted electronic equipment also generates emissions of different kind of heavy metal, which harm human health.

A very basic Strategy to prevent public health from heavy metal pollution is to curb the pollution source. The Chinese government has made regulations in controlling the emission of heavy metal. Corporations which have not undergone the related assessment, for example, will be forced to discontinue production until they can meet such requirements.

Controlling and improving contaminated resource is also important. Methods for contaminated soil are in 4 categories: Physical, Biological, Chemical, and Agricultural method.

China’s State Council recently passed the “Twelfth Five-year Plan to Combat Heavy Metal Pollution” requiring that pollution from heavy metal emissions in critical areas be reduced by 15 percent, compared to 2007, by the year 2015. For all other areas, the pollution levels from heavy metal emissions should not exceed the levels reached in 2007.

Haiya Zhang: Brief research into Hydroelectricity

Brief research into Hydroelectricity

Basic concept: the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water----Renewable, mostly used among all renewables

Different Sizes

Large or specialized industrial facilities: over a few hundred MW to over 10GW (10,000 MW).

There are only three hydropower station that produces more than 10GW: Three Gorges Dam (22.5 GW), Itaipu Dam (14 GW) between Brazil and Paraguay, and Guri Dam (10.2 GW) in Venezuela.

Small, micro, and pico

Advantages:

Low economic cost compare to other renewable energy generation, low CO2 emission, and multi-functional: flood control

Disadvantages:

Permanent ecosystem and land damage, siltation, short flows, methane emission, relocation (Three Gorges Dam takes 20 years), poverty and corruption, failure hazard etc.

Ten of the largest hydroelectric producers as at 2009.[31][32]
Country	Annual hydroelectric production (TWh)	Installed capacity (GW)	Capacity factor	% of total capacity
China	652.05	196.79	0.37	22.25
Canada	369.5	88.974	0.59	61.12
Brazil	363.8	69.080	0.56	85.56
United States	250.6	79.511	0.42	5.74
Russia	167.0	45.000	0.42	17.64
Norway	140.5	27.528	0.49	98.25
India	115.6	33.600	0.43	15.80
Venezuela	85.96	14.622	0.67	69.20
Japan	69.2	27.229	0.37	7.21
Sweden	65.5	16.209	0.46	44.34

In China’s 12^th five-year plan, hydroelectricity and thermal energy are on the top energy solution list.

Case study: Salween River

Origin: Qinghai, Tibetan plateau

Flow through: Yunnan, China

Significance: Battle field of World War 2

           Boundary water between Burma and Thailand

           Biodiversity and habitat of indigenous people

From the origin to the mouth: 5,400m difference in elevation--- huge potential for hydropower plant

Chinese government has proposed hydropower plant construction in 1970s. Thailand and Burma also have plans to construct dams to produce hydroelectricity. China has proposed 13 dams on the Salween through Yunnan, some of which lie within the Three Parallel Rivers World Heritage Site. Objections were raised, and construction was then suspended. Until recently, the central government announced that instead of building a 13-dam hydropower plant serie, only a 4-dam one will be constructed outside the World Heritage site.

On the Burma side, there was military offense against Local Karen people in order to start the project in 2007. Earlier in 2011, Karen people had an uprising and protested against the construction of the dam on Salween River in Burma.

Hydroelectricity: popular on energy, economical and political level; not so friendly from the environmental and social perspective. Many aspects need to be taken into consideration, but many hydropower plant constructions do not even have EIA done, or only done poorly because some are too eager to have the project built.