Topics for Environment Project:

Ozone Air Pollution Water Cycle Drought Floods Acid Rain Water Pollution

El Nino Hurricane Tornado Tsunami Recycling International Space Station/ Future of Space Travel Space/ShuttleProgram

Volcanoes Earthquakes Landslides Wild Fires Coal Mining Oil and Gas Hydrofracking Nuclear Power Wind Power

Green Alternatives Recycling Solar Power Fuel Cell Vehicles Electric Vehicles Alternative Fuel Vehicles Hydropower Geothermal Biomass

-Avalanches -Buildings of the Future -Environmental Disasters

Green Energy

1st Generation Technologies: 1800’s Geothermal Biomass Hydropower

Geothermal Energy - -Heat generated and stored in the Earth (<1%)

The Geysers in the Mayacamas Mountains, California

Naturally-occurring steam fields Video

Biological material from living, or recently living organisms that is converted into energy, like electricity. (4% in 2010). Biomass

Energy Crops: Switchgrass

Corn Stalks

Sugarcane fields in Brazil

Sugarcane plant in Brazil, Producing electricity.

Clean Municipal and Industrial Wastes methane can be captured from landfills

Biomass: Controversial? Whole tree harvesting (use the entire tree). Removes nutrients from the soil?

It’s goal : “Ensure the ability of the Earth to nurture life in all its diversity." International: 3 million members

Hydropower = Energy From Moving Water

6% of renewable energy in USA is Hydropower: #1 source!

Hoover Dam:1942 (Nevada)

3 Gorges Dam in China= World’s largest hydropower plant

Second-generation technologies: Started in the 1970’s (energy crisis). Solar Wind Power

Solar Power: Convert sunlight to electricity Spain

CSP Systems: (Concentrating solar power) Use lenses/mirrors to focus a large area of sunlight into a small beam of sunlight. The heat is then converted to electricity.

Cresent Dunes project in Nevada: power up to 75,000 homes

SEGS : 9 sites in Mojave Desert, California: World’s Largest CSP Solar facility

Photovoltaic Solar Power A solar cell that converts light into electricity (Germany) video

Copper Mountain facility in Nevada

Wind Power: Electricity from moving air

Wind turbines in the ocean.

Wind Turbine: Switzerland

Roscoe Wind Farm, Texas = World’s largest (100,000 acres)

3 rd generation technologies:

Ocean Current Energy

Fuel Cell Vehicles Converts the chemical energy from a fuel (Hydrogen) into electricity.

Fuel Cell Bus: London, England

Fuel Cell Boat: Germany

Fuel Cell Car: Honeoye Falls (plant relocated to Michigan 2012)

Plug-in Hybrid (Prius) $32, mpg

$28,800 (2013) All electric Nissan Leaf

The Leaf actually costs $21,300! The government gives REBATES to people who purchase this vehicle!

Welcome to Buy Green, Save Green NYS High-Efficiency Appliance Rebates! If you are a resident of New York State, you can receive a cash rebate of $350 by purchasing an eligible CEE High Efficiency Tier 2 or 3 refrigerator, or $250 by purchasing an eligible CEE High Efficiency Tier 2 or 3 clothes washer!eligible Purchases must be made on or after March 19, 2012.

$3.5 million in rebates were offered. This money disappeared in 2 days!

Qualifying factors — Exterior windows and doors must have a U factor and SHGC equal to or less than ENERGY STAR products qualify for this credit. Credit amount — Exterior windows and skylights, storm windows, exterior doors and storm doors : 30% of cost: 2009