PHYS 1110 Energy in the 21 st Century Lecture 1 - Introduction Professor Stephen T. Thornton

What are we going to learn in this course? What is energy? Why is energy important? How we obtain different kinds of energy. What about climate change? Is it real? And lots more…

How is this class going to operate? Website: go through Collab: go through Homework: yes, not sure how much. Midterm exams: yes Paper or project: maybe

An i>clicker remote is required for this course. You can purchase it through the bookstore.

I ask questions on the screen during lecture. You answer using your i>clicker remote. Class results are tallied. I display a graph with the class results on the screen. We discuss the questions and answers. You get points for participating and/or answering correctly! How will we use the clicker?

1. Turn on the clicker by pressing the bottom “On/Off” button. 2. A blue “Power” light will appear at the top of the remote. How do you vote?

3.When I ask a question in class (and start the timer), select A, B, C, D, or E as your vote. I may also ask you to talk about your possible choice/answer with your neighbor or in groups. How do you vote?

Check your “Vote Status” Light: –Green light = your vote was sent AND received. –Red flashing light = you need to vote again. ** Not sure you saw the light? Just vote again. ** Want to change your vote? You can vote again as long as the timer is still going. How do you know your vote was received?

Until you register your i>clicker, your responses are tied to your clicker remote ID (located on the back of your clicker), rather than to you. When you do register, your previously recorded voting responses will be assigned to you. Registering your i>clicker

1.Go to 2.Click “REGISTER.” 3.Enter these 4 details and click “submit.” IMPORTANT!! You MUST enter your UVa username (e.g. mdf5h) ID in the STUDENT ID field to ensure proper crediting. You can register more than once with different student ID.. Registering your i>clicker online at

Other tips If you bought a used clicker, replace the AAA batteries- -all of them. Do not use Duracell as they are TOO short for the casing. Do not use rechargeable batteries. They harm the clicker. Register your clicker as soon as possible. Before using a new clicker for the first time, pull the plastic tab out of the battery compartment. Bring your clicker to class every day! Make sure your remote is on when voting! Do not let your clicker get wet – disaster!! Check out for FAQs. Contact for

An Issue Other classes are also using iClickers nearby. Therefore, we will need to change frequencies. iClicker 1 (old one): Press and hold the On/Off power button on the remote until the blue Power light begins flashing. Then press BB. A green Vote Status light on your remote will indicate that you have successfully reset the remote frequency. iClicker 2: Press and hold the On/Off power button on the remote until the BB on the LCD begins flashing.

Quiz: How many years of high school or college physics have you taken? A)0 B)1 C)2 D)3 E)4

Quiz: What is your major or leading choice major? A)College – humanities B)College – social studies C)College - science D)College/Commerce E)Other

What is energy? We will learn in the first few chapters that energy is the ability to do work. Energy comes in many forms and is transferable. Kinetic, thermal, light, chemical, potential, elastic, atomic, nuclear … The joule (J) is the unit of energy in the International System of units. 1J = cal = 10 7 erg = 2.78 x kilowatt-hour = BTU 1 quad = BTU = x J

Why is energy important? Imagine life without energy sources. Storms: loss of electricity, water. National security. Economic prosperity. Quality of life.

How do we obtain different kinds of energy? This is the fun part of this course. Hydro, solar, wind, fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas), geothermal, tidal, wave, nuclear…

Three Gorges Dam on Yangtze River in China.

Example of pumped storage water facility.

Example of passive solar heating. In summer, the overhang keeps the sun from shining into the structure. Called Trombe wall.

Rooftop solar water heater in Greece.

Gemasolar power tower plant in Spain. Example of Concentrated Solar Power mirrors heat molten salt at top of tower.

Photovoltaic solar panels being installed on a roof top.

Area coal mining. Grass covering removed in 1. Overburden is removed in 2. Coal is dug and loaded in 3. Land is reclaimed in 4 and 5.

Open pit, surface coal mining

Mountaintop removal technique of coal mining – in West Virginia

Hydraulic fracturing

Hydraulic fracturing video: spx?tabid=242 - man talking spx?tabid=242 ?v=kv3cQngRPmwhttp:// ?v=kv3cQngRPmw – watered down, woman talking

Physics explains why ocean breezes come in to shore during the day and out to the ocean at night. Off shore wind turbines take advantage of this.

Wind turbine farm

Geothermal heat pump energy exchanger

Wood tipper system to deliver waster wood to the Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center in St. Paul, VA. This plant burns biomass and coal and opened in 2012.

Concept of geothermal power plant

Tidal barrage power plant for the La Rance estuary in France

Ocean tidal turbine farm

Two basin tidal power plant design.

Oscillating water column device. Ocean waves cause water to go up and down. 300 kW power plant in Spain.

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion or OTEC

North Anna Nuclear Power Plant

What about climate change? Is it real? We will not take a position on climate change. But most scientists believe climate change is being caused by human intervention and that burning fossil fuels is a major contribution. Others are convinced that the changes are not statistical and have occurred previously in nature.

What are the challenges? The political and economic threat posed by the world’s dependence on oil. Climate change. The lack of access by the world’s poor to the modern energy services they need for economic advancement.

How can we change things? Be more energy efficient. Could reduce electricity need by 15% by 2020, 30% by Develop more renewable energy. Energy policy like tax credits, policy changes. Carbon capture and storage in order to use fossil fuels. Revolutionary nuclear reactors that are simpler and safer. They probably are already imagined.

Primary fuel sources for US in 2007 (left) delivered to economy on right. Source: America’s Energy Future, National Academies, 2010.

Energy usage by the United States, Europe, and China from (ExxonMobil 2012 The Outlook for Energy)

Global energy outlook and fuel BPOE (2012)

Energy Use in the United States in 2008

Solar and wind energy did not even show up in 2008, < 1% in US. By mid-2012 wind energy had grown to 50 GW (4.5%). Solar is still way behind (~0.2%), but growing by 30% a year. Wind and energy represent the greatest potential increase of renewable energy. There are 104 nuclear reactor power plants operating in the United States, 4 in Virginia, which generates 38% of its power.

Growth of Fuel Inputs to World Power Generation

Estimates of Levelized Cost of Electricity for New Baseload and Intermittent Sources for Dashed is actual 2007 price; shaded is range in 2007.

And then there is the transportation energy problem. The United States is committed to ethanol. It has been growing for 25 years and is now a political issue. US law requires us to use 10% ethanol in our gas – 15% in some places. Ethanol use is required to increase every year. Biofuel generation has not worked, but there are strides.

The electrical distribution system is a huge problem. At least 10% of our electricity is lost. It is a patchwork and archaic system.

Quiz: Which of the following had the greatest increase in the last few years in the US? A) Concentrated solar power B) Wind C) Biomass D) Geothermal E) Hydropower

Quiz: Which of the following had the greatest increase in the last few years in the US? A) Concentrated solar power B) Wind C) Biomass D) Geothermal E) Hydropower