Environmental Decisions

Efficiency of common heat engines

U.S. Emits Nearly Half World's Automotive Carbon Dioxide WASHINGTON, DC, June 28, 2006 (ENS) - The United States has five percent of the world's population and 30 percent of the world's automobiles, but the country contributes 45 percent of the world's automotive emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, according to a report released today by the advocacy group Environmental Defense.

Kilogram-force Weight is usually expressed in kilogram-force or pound- force. 1 kg-force = force of gravity on 1 kg of mass. 1 lb-force = force of gravity on 1 lb of mass. These are not SI units but they have the advantage that the magnitude of the weight is identical to the magnitude of the mass. 1 kg-force = 9.8 Newtons When you say I weight 200 lbs you are indirectly saying: I have a mass of 200 lbs and the force of gravity on me is 890 N. In the next examples all weights are expressed either in in lb-force or in kg-force and in order to calculate rolling resistance they will need to be converted to Newtons

Force to move a car at a certain speed

Energy in Gasoline 1 Gal Gasoline= 132,000,000 J

One passenger 60 mph

Car weight reduced 10 times

Speed Reduced to 40 mph

Carpool (4 passengers)

Toyota Prius Temperature: 87º F Elevation: 400’ feet above sea level Humidity: 67% Barometer: in/hg Load: 350 lbs (driver & gear) Auto AC: OFF Climate Control: 72º F Wind: NONE Wind Dir: 235º (tail wind/crosswind – slightly detrimental) Fuel: 114,500 BTU (avg Summer Blend) -- see: kWh: kWh (energy available per gallon/US) RRR: Road Rolling Resistance (smooth asphalt roads) TRR:.007 Tire Rolling Resistance Cd:.26 Aerodynamic Coefficient of Drag FA: 2.16m^2 Frontal Area in meters squared cwCd: 1.4e-5 (crosswind correction for Cd) cwFA: 8.5e-5 (crosswind correction for FA)

Toyota Prius The Prius mainly relies on two features to optimize efficiency and reduce emissions: Its engine only runs at an efficient speed and load - In order to reduce emissions, the Prius can accelerate to a speed of about 15 mph (24 kph) before switching on the gasoline engine. The engine only starts once the vehicle has passed a certain speed. And once the engine starts, it operates in a narrow speed band. It uses a unique power split device - Gasoline engines can be tuned to run most efficiently in certain speed and load ranges. The power split device on the Prius, which we'll talk about in a minute, allows the engine to stay in its most efficient load and speed range most of the time.

How MPG is calculated? The first test cycle, which sought to mimic rush- hour traffic in downtown Los Angeles with an average speed of 21 mph, is called the FTP, or city cycle, and is still in use today. This dyno test is 11 miles long, takes just over 31 minutes to complete, involves 23 stops, reaches a top speed of 56 mph, and has maximum acceleration equivalent to a lazy, 18-second 0-to- 60-mph run.

How MPG is calculated? A second cycle to measure highway driving was added in the late 1970s as part of the introduction of corporate average fuel-economy (CAFE) regulations. This 10.3-mile cycle with an average speed of a paltry 48 mph and acceleration no more severe than in the city test, may have been somewhat realistic in the days of the national 55-mph speed limit but doesn’t come close to approximating the manic highway behavior of today’s drivers.

How MPG is calculated? As a result, and even though the test figures were adjusted downward starting in the early 1980s in an attempt to produce more realistic sticker values (by 10 percent for the city test and 22 percent for the highway), the EPA numbers gave drivers too optimistic an expectation of fuel economy for decades.

Prius Aptera Insight

Hummer H2 Escape

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Hard to improve old technologies 1807: Swiss engineer François Isaac de Rivaz built an internal combustion engine powered by a hydrogen and oxygen mixture. [3] 1824: French physicist Sadi Carnot established the thermodynamic theory of idealized heat engines. This scientifically established the need for compression to increase the difference between the upper and lower working temperatures.

Hard to improve old technologies 1838: a patent was granted to William Barnet (English). This was the first recorded suggestion of in-cylinder compression : Eugenio Barsanti & Felice Matteucci invented an engine that was rumored to be the first 4-cycle engine, but the patent was lost. It does not mean “do not use old technologies”, it means use the better ones

Cell Phone Evolution

Ferdinand Porsche (3 September 1875 – 30 January , System Lohner-Porsche Volkswagen Beetle. From 1938 until 2003.

What to do? Innovate Follow good examples

EDF (Electricite de France) EDF, one of the European leaders in the energy field, operates the largest electricity generation capacity, 95% of which does not emit any greenhouse gases. The competitiveness of EDF’s generation facilities is based on diversity, performance and safety of its means of generation.

nuclear.org/info/inf40.html France derives over 75% of its electricity from nuclear energy. This is due to a long-standing policy based on energy security. France is the world's largest net exporter of electricity Due to its very low cost of generation, and gains over EUR 3 billion per year from this.

nuclear.org/info/inf40.html France has been very active in developing nuclear technology. Reactors and fuel products and services are a major export. It is building its first Generation III reactor and planning a second.

generation html Powerful, safe and efficient, nuclear power forms the basis of EDF’s power generation business. Not only does it make France independent in terms of energy supply, but also generates power without producing any greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, its plants have a high capacity rate and electricity prices are amongst the most competitive in Europe. The construction of a new EPR unit at Flamanville is part of the EDF Group’s industrial project.

generation html EDF, one of the European leaders in the energy field, operates the largest electricity generation capacity, 95% of which does not emit any greenhouse gases. The competitiveness of EDF’s generation facilities is based on diversity, performance and safety of its means of generation.

generation htm l EDF, the world’s leading nuclear power utility, operates a French nuclear fleet consisting of 58 reactors spread over 19 different sites

generation html Due to be commissioned in 2012, the EPR plant will constitute the first version of a new generation of reactors. Preparing for the replacement of EDF’s nuclear power plants, as the oldest ones could be decommissioned in around 2020.

and-power-generation html Since 1996, the EDF Group has operated the first and only geothermal power plant in the world to generate electricity on a commercial basis. The power plant is located at Bouillante in Guadeloupe.

Being Green can be Cool Nissan LEAF unveiled

Being Green can be Cool Renault Fluence EV to Cost Significantly Less Than Gasoline Version

Being Green can be Cool They will start to appear in 2012

It appears appropriated to ask? And you? What’s in your wallet?

Humanity, Nature, and Technology: The Hannover Principles The City of Hannover, Germany, was designated as the site of the world exposition in the year The city decided to directly address the difficult issue of imagining and encouraging a sustainable future.

THE HANNOVER PRINCIPLES 1. Insist on rights of humanity and nature to co-exist in a healthy, supportive, diverse and sustainable condition. 2. Recognize interdependence. The elements of human design interact with and depend upon the natural world, with broad and diverse implications at every scale. Expand design considerations to recognizing even distant effects. 3. Respect relationships between spirit and matter. Consider all aspects of human settlement including community, dwelling, industry and trade in terms of existing and evolving connections between spiritual and material consciousness. 4. Accept responsibility for the consequences of design decisions upon human well-being, the viability of natural systems and their right to co- exist. 5. Create safe objects of long-term value. Do not burden future generations with requirements for maintenance or vigilant administration of potential danger due to the careless creation of products, processes or standards.

THE HANNOVER PRINCIPLES 6. Eliminate the concept of waste. Evaluate and optimize the full life- cycle of products and processes, to approach the state of natural systems. in which there is no waste. 7. Rely on natural energy flows. Human designs should, like the living world, derive their creative forces from perpetual solar income. Incorporate this energy efficiently and safely for responsible use. 8. Understand the limitations of design. No human creation lasts forever and design does not solve all problems. Those who create and plan should practice humility in the face of nature. Treat nature as a model and mentor, not as an inconvenience to be evaded or controlled. 9. Seek constant improvement by the sharing of knowledge. Encourage direct and open communication between colleagues, patrons, manufacturers and users to link long term sustainable considerations with ethical responsibility, and re-establish the integral relationship between natural processes and human activity.