Energy and the Environment Exam 2
Conduction
heat transfer by the direct sharing of kinetic energy by molecular collisions between materials in contact Think of a cool pan sitting on a hot stove burner. The burner's high temperature means that molecules in the burner have greater kinetic energies. When these molecules collide with those in the pan, they transfer kinetic energy. As a result, the pan warms. EX: flow of heat through the walls of a house - air molecules in the house collide with the wall, transferring kinetic energy. Molecules at the indoor edge of the wall transfer their energy to molecules deeper within the wall, and eventually the energy gets the outdoor edge of the wall where it is transferred to the exterior air. The temperature difference between the warmer inside and cooler outside ensures that collisions, on average, transfer energy in the direction from warmer to cooler. Conduction is largely responsible for energy losses from buildings, and the vast energy resources devote to heating attest to these losses. Conduction also transfers energy from the sunlight-warmed surface of Earth into the atmosphere. The other heat-transferring mechanisms then carry the energy to higher levels of the atmosphere.
Sensible heat
heat you can feel; latent heat contrasts with sensible heat because latent heat is associated with molecular kinetic energy- as measured by temperature.
Endangerment Finding
in 2009, government declared that CO2 and five other greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare. regulation that would fall under Clean Air Act
Thermal conductivity, k
in buildings, we want to avoid energy loss by conduction through walls - do this with insulting materials which by virtue of their structure, are poor conductors of heat. A given material is characterized by its thermal conductivity, k Heat flow through a given piece of material is determined by its thermal conductivity, area, thickness, and the temperature difference from one side of the piece to another H is the heat flow measured in Watts. Thermal conductivities of the materials comprising a building's walls and roof determine the rate of heat flow out of or into the building, and therefore its energy requirements for heating and cooling. Building or retrofitting with insulating materials that have low conductivity is a critical step in reducing overall energy consumption, especially the nearly 40% that occurs in commercial and residential sectors
What is bitumen?
it is too heavy and thick to flow easily and to be produced through normal techniques. It is one of the rarest forms of oil. Bitumen is immature so you have to add something to get something out.
difference between thermal conductivity and r-value
k is an intrinsic property of a given material while R characterizes a specific thickness of a material R=d/k where d is thickness
R value
measures the material's resistance to the flow of heat and is closely related to thermal conductivity if you go to your local building-supply outlet and buy a roll of fiberglass insulation or a slab or rigid foam, you'll find it's marked with an R-value measured English units
Studying the _____________ emission gives astrophysicists detailed info about the structure and evolution of the universe.
microwave; The entire universe is at an average temperature of only about 2.7K with its radiation primarily in the microwave region of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Does the US have federal RPS?
no, a bill hasn't been passed
What does energy efficiency mean?
obtaining more energy from the resources that are used. No negative environmental consequences for energy conservation and energy efficiency.
Explain what remote frontier sources for unconventional oil/natural gas production are and where this takes place.
occurs in Arctic and deepwater
Natural convection
occurs naturally when there's a vertical temperature difference
Forced convection
occurs when we use fans or pumps to move fluids Hot-air and hot-water heating systems generally use forced convection to move fluid from the furnace or boiler into a living space where natural convection in the air then takes over. Forced convection also moves heat-transfer fluids through solar energy systems and through boilers of fossil fuel and nuclear power plants Force convection is an important process in many energy technologies!
Electric force
part of electromagnetic force acts between matter articles carrying the same fundamental property we call electric charge (electric charge is what binds atoms and molecules, and is involved in chemical reactions)
Magnetic force
part of electromagnetic force also acts between electric charges but only when they're in relative motion - in this sense, magnetism is intimately related to electricity That complementarity has much to do with the ways we generate and transmit electrical energy; thus electromagnetism is vitally important to our energy technologies.
Carbon tax (an emission tax)
price instrument because it fixes the price while the emission level is allowed to vary according to economic activity. The environmental outcome is not guaranteed.
What happens in phase 3 of hydraulic fracturing?
production
Would an environmentalist group be more in favor of a price instrument or quantity instrument?
quantity instrument because price instrument doesn't guarantee environmental benefits.
Centralized power
refers to the large-scale generation of electricity at centralized facilities. These facilities are usually located away from end-users and connected to a network of high-voltage transmission lines. The electricity generated by centralized generation is distributed through the electric power grid to multiple end-users. Centralized generation facilities include fossil-fuel-fired power plants, nuclear power plants
What are downstream environmental impacts?
refinery, petrochemical plant, distribution to transit network
What are conventional oil & gas sources?
reservoir made from sandstone sandstone has high porosity and high permeability. High permeability enables easy rate of flow. If we drill into sandstone, it's conventional. If we go straight down to the source, it's unconventional oil/gas. From the source, we get shale oil which is unconventional.
Electromagnetic force
responsible for the structure of matter at the molecular level; the associated potential energy is released in chemical reactions such as those that occur in burning fuels. Electromagnetism is also involved in the production and transmission of electrical energy. Electromagnetic force comprises two related forces involving electricity and magnetism. All forces other than gravitational forces that we deal with in everyday life are ultimately electromagnetic, including the forces in spring, bungee cords, and rubber bands, and the associated potential energy The energy stored in the food we eat and in the fuels we burn is fundamentally electromagnetic energy.
What is tight gas/oil?
sandstone with low permeability
What are unconventional oil and natural gas sources?
shale oil, coal bed methane, shale gas, methane hydrates, oil shale, tar sands (oil sands), remote frontiers
latent heat
sometimes added in front of heat in the heats of transformation because a substance in, say, a gaseous state contains more energy than the same substance in a liquid state, even if they're at the same temperature. The extra energy is latent in the higher-energy state and can be released in a change of state. Specifically, water vapor contains more energy than liquid water. When water vapor condenses, energy is released. Hurricanes are powered by condensation of water vapor that rises into the atmosphere above warm tropical oceans. On a larger scale, transfer of energy by water vapor rising in the atmosphere plays a significant role in Earth's global energy climate. In the context of weather and climate, we refer to energy associated with water vapor as latent heat, again because the energy is latent and can be released by condensation to liquid water.
Heat
the energy that if flowing as a result of a temperature difference; always refers to a flow of energy from one place to another, or one object to another; not just any flow, but a flow that occurs bc of a temperature difference It doesn't matter where an object's internal energy comes from, whether by heat transfer or a combo of the two. EX: cup of hot water --> whether its temperature increased because of heat flow or because someone shook it violently makes no difference, that heat or energy flow can go either way, into or out of the object, respectively raising or lowing its internal energy
Why is the inside of a thermos vacuum bottle shiny?
the resulting low emissivity cuts down on energy transfer by radiation.The vacuum between the walls of the bottle ensure that there's no conduction or convection either. That's why your coffee stays hot for hours. Ex 2: the low-E windows are coated with a thin film that reduces emissivity and thus lowers energy loss by radiation.
What are properties of Utica shale?
total organic carbon, wet gas with some oil in it mainly in Point Pleasant, Lexington,and Logana
What are midstream environmental impacts?
transport oil and gas (pipelines for most liquified natural gas and some oil), large trucks and tanker, trains
Radiation
type of heat transfer, energy flow by electromagnetic waves
Convection
type of heat transfer, the bulk motion of a fluid, driven by temperature differences across the fluid. Generally occurs in the presence of gravity, because as fluid becomes less dense when heated, it rises, gives up its energy, then sinks to repeat the convective circulation Home heating systems often exploit convection. Baseboard water pipes or old-fashioned radiators heat the air around them, which then circulates about the room in a large-scale version of convection patterns Convection carries heated air near Earth's surface higher into the atmosphere. The violence of a thunderstorm results from vigorous convective motions within the storm and on a planetary scale, convection produces large atmospheric circulation patterns that transfer energy from the tropics toward the poles. On a much larger scale, convection carries energy from the Sun's interior to just below is surface - energy that becomes the sunlight that ultimately powers life on Earth Convection is also responsible for energy loss. Although air is a good thermal insulator, its convective motion between the panes of a double-glazed window can still result in heat loss. For that reason, a narrower air space that inhibits convection is actually better than a wider one. Insulating materials such as fiberglass and foams work because the interstices between glass fiber or tiny bubbles in the foam trap air or gases and prevent convective motions from developing.
What does energy conservation mean?
using less energy No negative environmental consequences for energy conservation and energy efficiency.
Issues with surface mines?
water runoff, big downsides for local environments
What is public policy?
whatever government chooses to do or not to do. • The policy is made in the "public's"name. • Policy is generally made or initiated by government. • Policy is interpreted and implemented by public and private actors. • Policy is what the government intends to do. • Policy is what the government chooses not to do. "...This definition means that policies are not just contained in laws and regulations; once a law or rule is made, policies continue to be made as the people who implement policy- that is, those who put policies into effect-make decisions about who will benefit from policies and who will shoulder burdens as a result. In studying policy, then, we look at the broader sweep of politics, not simply the written laws and rules themselves."
What is our current dominant energy policy?
• Large scale (centralized); • Capital intensive; and • Largely based on fossil fuels. • Oil; • Natural gas; • Coal; • Nuclear power; and • Electricity generated by fossil fuels and nuclear.
What is public interest?
"...when policy advocates seek to induce the government to make policy (by taking an action or refusing to do so), proponents of the new policy will claim that the government does so in the "public interest." • "...controversies arise because there is disagreement over what constitutes "the public interest."
How can public interests lead to conflicts?
"There are multiple public interests at the local, regional, national, and even international levels." • "When different groups or communities define differing interests, conflict is likely to ensue."
Micropower
(aka distributed power) - It is likely that sustainable energy management will include the emerging concept of micropower - smaller, distributed systems for production of electricity.
Phase change
- Supplying heat to an object usually raises its temperature, but not always. • Sometimes the energy goes into a change of state instead, as when ice melts or water boils. • What's happening is that the added energy is breaking the bonds that hold molecules into the rigid structure of a solid or in close contact in a liquid. • Different materials change state at different temperatures and require different amounts of energy to make those changes.
What are forms of renewable energy sources?
- Wind - Offshore wind - Geothermal - Hydro-electric § Solar
What takes place in phase 2 of hydraulic fracturing?
- takes ~3 days to frack a well (always fracking more than 1 at a time). A single frack job uses 65,000 to 13 million gallons of water. - half of water comes back as "flowback"-->excess water is a big issue with fracking - injection wells-places where water disposal is put back into old fracking sites -->can cause earthquakes - recycling water costs more than injection wells
Energy Fuels vs. Energy Flows
1. Energy flows - streams of energy that arrive at or near Earth's surface at a more or less steady rate, bringing energy whether it's needed or not 2. Energy fuels -represent energy that's stored in one form or another - most commonly in the chemical bonds of molecules or in atomic nuclei (fuel usually remains stored energy until a deliberate act liberates it)
Potential Energy
1. Gravitational potential energy- an object that has been lifted against Earth's gravity 2. Elastic potential energy - involves changing the configuration of an elastic substance
Water's specific heat
4184 j/kgK is large so that's why it takes a while to heat water and why large lakes heat or cool slowly and exert a moderating effect on local climate.
How is energy primarily used in homes?
42% spent on space heating
What percent of total energy consumption was fossil fuels (2016)?
80.8%
What is the daily global oil production?
96 million barrels of oil per day
Emissions Trading
Also called Cap and Trade. • An administrative approach used to control pollution by providing economic incentives for achieving reductions in the emission of pollutants. • Government sets a cap, which is a limit on the amount of a pollutant that can be emitted. • Companies or other groups are issued emission permits and are required to hold a given number of allowances or credits. • Companies that need to increase their emission allowance must buy credits from those who pollute less. • The transfer of allowances is referred to as a trade. • So the buyer is paying a charge for pollu7ng, while the seller is being rewarded for having reduced emissions by more than was needed. • Ac7ve trading programs for greenhouse gases - Largest is the EU-ETS (European Union Emission Trading Scheme) • Carbon offset: a unit of carbon dioxide-equivalent that is reduced, avoided, or sequestered to compensate for emissions occurring elsewhere (Source: WRI). • What is the goal? - Answer: To reduce emissions. • The cap is lowered over time, with the aim being the national emissions reduction target. • In some systems, every time a trade is made you must "retire" some of the credits. • In some systems, other groups such as environmental groups can buy credits and hold them. They drive up the price that way.
Why was the article claiming that the solar industry employs more people than coal and oil false?
Because 50% of our energy comes from coal and oil.
Why is US doing exports when we have so few imports?
Can be more locally efficient, it's cheaper to export to Mexico b/c it's easier to export to.
As of 2017, what country was the #1 importer of oil?
China; it used to be the United States
How are coal, oil, and natural gas formed?
Coal - formed from dead plants, as layers of these plants form and pressure and temp increases, coal is formed Natural gas and oil - formed from oceanic plankton, as layers of these oceanic plankton form and pressure and temp increases, natural oil and gas are formed
What are the trends in the world for our types of energy sources consumed?
Coal and natural gas about the same. is different compared to US because in the US we have fracking which makes natural gas cheaper than coal. This fracking hasn't been done much in other countries.
What are problems with CO2 emissions? Gases released from cleaning off coal?
Coal was the source of about 30% of the electricity generated in the United States in 2016. Power plants make steam by burning coal, and the steam turns turbines to generate electricity. Sulfur dioxide, Nitrogen oxides, and mercury were key issues with coal emissions because they were taken off the coal and dumped into the atmosphere Sulfur dioxide (SO2), which contributes to acid rain and respiratory illnesses, Nitrogen oxides (NOx), which contribute to smog and respiratory illnesses, Mercury and other heavy metals, which have been linked to both neurological and developmental damage in humans and other animals
Describe coal bed methane.
Coalbed methane (CBM) is methane gas that can be extracted from coal beds. Large quantities of CBM are available from coal beds beneath public lands in the western states, with most of the current development in the Powder River Basin of eastern Wyoming and Montana. CBM production is a new and major onshore source of natural gas for the Nation, but with it comes a new set of major environmental problems. The key environmental issue with it is potential groundwater contamination Coal bed methane is close to the surface, making it easy to get to and drill.
What is the bulk motion of water and vigorous boiling motion that carries energy to the water's surface known as?
Convection
What takes place in Phase 1 of hydraulic fracturing?
Derrick and lots of pipe, putting in casting, takes 15-45 days (no production or fracking in this phase)
potential energy
Each of the fundamental forces has associated with it a kind of _________ energy. The energy stored in a molecule of gasoline, for example, is associated with arrangements of electric charge that result in electromagnetic __________ energy. - in these cases, the energy is essentially all electrical energy; magnetism plays no significant role in interactions among atoms that are at the basis of chemistry and chemical fuels
What is a byproduct of tar sands?
Elemental Sulfur is a byproduct of tar sand processing; large sulfur 'pyramids'
Clean Energy Policy
Enabling the transition to a clean energy, low carbon future. • A future where renewable energy and energy conservation and efficiency are an important part of our lifestyle and our society. • Promote and use our abundant renewable energy sources: - Solar - Wind - Water - Geothermal • Free? Costless ... Inexpensive ... ? - Cost is in the generation and delivery. • Relatively environmentally benign ... Alternatives to the dominant energy policy. Reduced scale of energy production (less centralized, more local) • Made portable; • Generated locally; • Distributed power; micro power • To achieve this alternative path (i.e., turning away from our heavy reliance on fossil fuels and nuclear power and moving toward renewable energy and energy conservation and efficiency), government support will be necessary. • Energy policy. • Thissupportcancomeinmanyforms: - Legislation specifically addressing particular resources; - From tax and other financial incentives; - From increased federal R&D investments. •Support will need to come from our USCongress, through legislation and largely implemented through our administrative agencies. •It can also come through state and local government policy.
Energy subsidies
Examples - Grants - Tax methods - Trade restrictions - Direct government investment - Choose to not impose external costs Environmental externalities
What is flaring? When is it utilized?
Gas flaring is a combustion device to burn associated, unwanted or excess gases and liquids released during normal or unplanned over-pressuring operation in many industrial processes, such as oil-gas extraction, refineries, chemical plants, coal industry and landfills. Gas flaring is a significant source of greenhouse gases emissions. It also generates noise, heat and provided large areas uninhabitable used to dispose of natural gas when no pipelines are available
Specific Heat
If, instead of water, you were heating oil for deep-fat frying,you would find the oil warms faster than an equal amount of water. In this case, we are describing a material property rather than the amount of the material itself. This property is known as the material's specific heat, which measures the heat capacity on a per-unit-mass basis. In SI system, units are (J/Kg/K)
Paris Climate Agreement
In short, the world's governments have already committed to curbing human activities such as burning fossil fuels that release the gases that interfere with the climate. But that isn't problem solved. The difficulty comes when you try to get 195 countries to agree on how to deal with the issue of climate change. Every year since 1992 the Conference of the Parties (COP) has taken place with negotiators trying to put together a practical plan of action. This year's COP21 in Paris is the last chance for this process. Negotiators agreed in 2011 that a deal had to be done by the end of 2015. Critics would say the problem of climate change mustn't be that urgent if it takes 20 years to agree on a solution.
What are the trends in the US for our types of energy sources consumed?
In the US, petroleum and natural gas are the top used sources, and coal has fallen.
Where can you get carbonate from?
It can be conventional or unconventional. Found in caves. Depends on how accessible the carbonate is.
What does it mean if R-value of 1-inch slab of "blueboard",a foam insulation often used in basement walls, is equal to 5
It is easy to make sense of R considering its inverse, whose units are BTU's per hour per square foot per degree Fahrenheit It means that each square foot of bluebird loses 1/5 BTU of energy per hour for every degree Fahrenheit temperature difference across the insulation If it's 70 degrees F inside your basement and 45 degrees F outside and your basement wall area totals 1000 square feet, the rate of energy loss though the wall is 5000 BTU/h which is 1500 Watts (=1/5x25 degree differencex1000 ft^2)
Why are we currently consuming more natural gas than coal?
It's cheaper and because of fracking. Additionally, coal production has been declining because of renewables.
Describe Deepwater Oil and Gas 'Remote Frontiers'.
Located in Arctic and deepwater regions Think about the ships that go into ocean and get oil from the under the seafloor (look at seismic wave patterns to determine prime oil spots) - then drill in those locations - Issue example is the Deepwater Horizon which exploded and contaminated surrounding water
Explain Hubbert's peak. What country does it apply to? Is the peak completely accurate?
Made in 1970's. Showed that oil production would follow a Bell Curve with a peak in 1970 and would be depleted by 2020's approximately. It isn't entirely accurate though because we have found a new resource for oil, shale oil and deepwater oil from shale. So we now know that we won't run out of oil anytime soon.
Describe methane hydrates
Methane hydrate is a cage-like lattice of ice inside of which are trapped molecules of methane, the chief constituent of natural gas. If methane hydrate is either warmed or depressurized, it will revert back to water and natural gas. When brought to the earth's surface, one cubic meter of gas hydrate releases 164 cubic meters of natural gas. Hydrate deposits may be several hundred meters thick and generally occur in two types of settings: under Arctic permafrost, and beneath the ocean floor. While global estimates vary considerably, the energy content of methane occurring in hydrate form is immense, possibly exceeding the combined energy content of all other known fossil fuels. However, future production volumes are speculative because methane production from hydrate has not been documented beyond small-scale field experiments.
What are the different types of coal?
Most mature: peat (liquid, most mature, least carbon, least expensive), lignite(more solid, second most mature, 2nd least carbon), sub-bituminous, bituminous, anthracite (most expensive, most carbon, most mature) Wyoming has the most anthracite and sub-bituminous coal
Does the US have federal cap and trade for greenhouse gas emissions?
No
What are the top producing coal mines in Wyoming?
North Antelope Rochelle and Black Thunder Mines
What is the largest place for shale oil production in the United States?
North Dakota -->The Bakken; as oil production here increased, local population skyrocketed
What does it mean if an unconventional oil source is immature?
Oil shale and tar sands are examples of immature sources. This means that you have to put energy in to get energy out.
What is the difference between oil shale and shale oil?
Oil shale is not mature Oil shale can be burned like coal whereas shale oil cannot. Shale oil, which is liquid oil trapped in shale rock, is commonly extracted by fracking.Oil shale is shale that contains solid petroleum precursor kerogen. It is much more laborious and energy-intensive than shale oil. It involves heating the rock until the chemical changes result in liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons being released.
What are ways we refine coal?
Open cut, open cast, open pit or strip mining, surface mining, mountaintop removal Open mines and surface mines are most commonly used today to extract coal Mountaintop removal becoming more rare because it is impossible to completely remediate the area and you damage topography
What is OPEC?
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries - mostly Middle East countries. The US is importing more from Canada to get more control over market prices.
What are remaining elements after we burn fossil fuels with Oxygen gas?
Our byproducts are CO2, H20 and energy. - CO2 has been increasing along with temperature. - CO2 has been increasing because of fossil fuels and because carbon in the atmosphere is getting lighter and lighter(organic source) - We know the greenhouse effect is a mechanism; excess carbon in atmosphere comes from Carbon-12 source
What is the importance of the Stefan-Boltzmann law for radiation? (P=e*sigma*A*T^4)
P is in power, emitted by an object at temperature T, A is the object's surface area, and e is its emissivity Shows that the total radiation emitted by a hot object increases dramatically as its temperature rises. Something else changes too- namely the wavelength range in which most radiation is emitted. At around 1,000 K, the stove burner glows red, although in fact, most of its radiation is invisible infrared mixed with some visible light. A light bulb filament heats up to about 3,000 K and it lows a bright yellow-white light. The Sun's surface is about 6,000 K so its light is white than that of the light bulb. On the other hand, a much cooler object such as Earth itself with a temp around 300K emits essentially all of its radiation at infrared and longer wavelengths. This distinction between the 6000K Sun radiation primarily visible light and 300K Earth radiating primarily infrared plays a major role in establishing Earth's climate.
How do pipelines, trains, and trucks compare in terms of price, CO2 emissions, safety, and their overall environmental impact
Price: pipeline is cheapest CO2 emissions: pipeline is lowest, trucks and trains are both high Safety: pipeline is safest, leaks/derailments often explode, and have low safety, trucks have low safety due to possibility of explosions Environmental impact: pipeline is worst because tar sand production would increase and it's a bad environmental impact.
What are pros and cons of conventional oil and gas?
Pros - easiest and cheapest way to get out of the ground Cons - flowback fluid contaminating ground water, leading issues, light pollution, trucking, noise
What are pros and cons of shale oil and gas?
Pros: US has been able to increase production and reduce imports, increased imports, lower prices Cons: lowers and reduces incentive to move off of fossil fuels, flowback fluid contaminating groundwater, requires a lot of water/ can be serious issue in dry arid regions, legal issues, light pollution, noise, trucking, flaring
Formula to calculate heat energy needed to raise the temperature of a given was of material by a specific temperature amount
Q=mcdeltaT m=mass of material, c=specific heat, and delta T=temperature change
Renewable Portfolio Standards
RPS is a regulation; It stipulates that there must be more energy generation from renewable energy sources; - Private companies that generate electricity must generate a certain percentage of their electricity using a renewable (or alternative) energy source; -27 states plus District of Columbia have passed RPS; Countries include Italy, UK, and Belgium; -This is at the State level; US doesn't have a federal policy for RPS.
What type of heat transfer do you get when you stand near a hot wood stove and feel heat coming from the stove to your skin? Or around a campfire when you're warmed by heat from the fire on a cold evening? Or when you lie on the beach and your body is heated by energy from the Sun?
Radiation- in particular, electromagnetic radiation. As long as a material is above absolute zero, its atoms and molecules are in random thermal motion, moving about in gases and liquids or vibrating in place of solids. Because, atoms and molecules consist of electronically charged particles, those random motions result in electromagnetic radiation. *So, as long as they're above absolute zero temperature, all object emit energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation. They may also gain energy from their surroundings so their isn't necessarily a net energy loss. If an object is hotter than its surroundings, it emits more energy than it absorbs: if it's cooler, it gains energy. So the net flow of electromagnetic energy to or from an object is driven by the temperature difference between the object and its surroundings. The temperature-driven flow of electromagnetic radiation therefore qualifies as a mechanism for heat transfer. The total energy radiated increases rapidly with an object's temperature. It also depends on the object's surface area and emissivity Conduction and convection aren't involved in these cases since the air between you and the heat source itself isn't being warmed (no air between Sun and Earth)
What is hydraulic fracturing? What unconventional source is obtained through this method?
Summary: hole is drilled laterally, pipe run in hole, casing set & cemented in place (don't want oil and gas put in groundwater system), water shoved through system
What are tar sands? Where are they found? How are they extracted and used to provide an oil source?
Tar sands are also known as oil sands. They are a mixture of sand, clay, and bitumen. Tar sands are recovered through mining and drilling. They are prominent in Alberta, Canada. It takes 2 tons of tar sand to make a barrel of oil.
Clean Air Act
The Clean Air Act is a United States federal law designed to control air pollution on a national level.[1] It is one of the United States' first and most influential modern environmental laws, and one of the most comprehensive air quality laws in the world. identifies 6 substances known as criteria pollutants and establishes national standards for their maximum concentrations in ambient air.
Kinetic Energy
The energy of motion K=1/2mv^2
Mass-energy
The stuff that the universe is made up of
What unconventional is being produced in Ohio? (provide name, location, and type)
Utica Shale, used for natural gas production-->so it's shale gas Most highly produced Utica shale is in Point Pleasant, Ohio
Heat Capacity
When you put a small amount of water in a pan on the stove to steam veggies, it doesn't take long to reach the boiling point. But put a big pot of water on the same burner and bring it to a boil for cooking spaghetti, and it takes a lot longer. This is happening because energy is going into the water at the same rate in both cases (you're using the same burner), but there's a lot more water to be heated for the spaghetti. Moreover, the larger amount of water has a higher heat capacity, which is the energy needed to cause a given temperature to rise.
What are the windiest spots in the US
Windiest spots: § North Dakota § Wyoming § Montana
What is the energy policy on renewable energy?
Within the more general topic of energy policy, we are concerned with those policies that are used, or that can be used, to: - Promote renewable energy generation, distribution, and use. - Combat global climate change
What are the top 5 coal producing states?
Wyoming (#1), West Virginia (#2), Pennsylvania, Illinois, Kentucky
Does the US have state level and regional level cap and trade level cap and trade programs for greenhouse gas emissions? What are examples?
Yes State Level: California's AB-32 Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
Does the Ohio have a form of RPS?
Yes, Ohio law contains a renewable energy portfolio standard that requires that 12.5 percent of electricity sold by Ohio's electric distribution utilities or electric services companies must be generated from renewable energy sources by 2027. Additionally, of the 12.5 percent, at least 0.5 percent must come from solar sources.
Temperature
a measure of the average thermal energy of the molecules in a substance Temperature measures the average of the quantity 1/2mv^2 (KE) associated with individual molecules "Average" is important because thermal motions are random in both direction and speed (at lower temperature, molecules of gas have lower kinetic energy and move more slowly) (at higher temperatures, molecules have higher kinetic energy and move more quickly)
Emissivity
a number between 0 and 1 that describes a material's efficiency as an emitter of electromagnetic radiation Materials that are good at absorbing radiation are equally good at emitting it. Ex: a black object (which looks black because it absorbs all colors of light incident on it) is in principle a perfect absorber. Therefore, it's also a perfect emitter and has an emissivity of 1. Ex: a shiny material such as a metal reflects nearly all the light incident on it and therefore it's both a poor absorber and a poor emitter, with an emissivity close to 0.
Force
a push or a pull
Cap and trade (an emission cap and permit trading system)
a quantity instrument because it fixes the overall emission level (quantity) and allows the price to vary. So the cost of compliance is unknown and it will vary over time.
What happens to coal after it is mined/extracted?
after you get coal, usually truck takes coal to train and the train takes coal to power plant to generate electricity
Internal energy
also called thermal energy; consists of kinetic energy associated with the random motions of the atoms and molecules that make up the object The only difference between thermal energy and kinetic energy is that in a moving car, thermal energy is random, with the individual molecules moving in different directions at various speeds. In contrast, all parts of the moving car participate in the same motion. Both are examples of kinetic energy, but the difference between random and directed motion is a big one, with serious consequences for human energy use.
Feed-in-Tariffs
an arrangement whereby utilities agree to pay a fixed rate, generally above prevailing market rates, for energy from renewable sources (Wolfson). -Grid parity -Guaranteed grid access -Long term contracts for electricity -Purchase prices that take in energy generation costs
How much oil do we consume in the US per day?
around 20 million barrels per day
Nuclear force
binds protons and neutrons to make atomic nuclei; associated potential energy is the energy for nuclear power plants the STRONGEST of the three forces - a fact that accounts for the huge difference between nuclear and chemical energy sources We can thank nuclear forces acting deep inside the Sun for the stream of sunlight that supplies nearly all the energy arriving at Earth
Describe oil shale
can be burned like coal but is immature so it requires energy input to get energy output. Oil shale is often mined in China, parts of US as well. Can be found in Colorado and Wyoming.
What are the two types of carbon offsets?
cap and trade
Clean Water Act
carbon regulation Established the basic structure for regulating pollutant discharges into the waters of the United States. Gave EPA the authority to implement pollution control programs such as setting wastewater standards for industry. Maintained existing requirements to set water quality standards for all contaminants in surface waters. Made it unlawful for any person to discharge any pollutant from a point source into navigable waters, unless a permit was obtained under its provisions. Funded the construction of sewage treatment plants under the construction grants program. Recognized the need for planning to address the critical problems posed by nonpoint source pollution.
What energy source gives off the most CO2?
coal; switching to natural gas would greatly reduce emissions.
Heat transfer mechanisms
conduction, convection, radiation
First law of thermodynamics
energy can be, and often is, converted or transformed from one kind to another, but the total energy is always conserved (aka. energy cannot be created or destroyed but is always conserved)
Infiltration
energy loss in buildings also results from infiltration, as winds (themselves large-scale convective flows) drive cold air in through cracks, especially around windows and doors Infiltration is exacerbated by mechanical systems that vent air from a building, reducing the interior pressure and encouraging infiltration from outside. The strength of convective flows, and therefore the rate of energy transfer, depends on the temperature difference across a convecting fluid.
heat of transformation
energy required to change the state of a unit mass of material heat of fusion- transformation from solid to liquid heat of vaporization - change from liquid to gas
The efficiency of absorption and emission are __________ at any given wavelength or radiation but may ______________ with wavelength
equal, vary; An object that looks black to the eye has high absorption and therefore high emissivity for visible light, but it might behave very differently for infrared, ultraviolet, or other forms of electromagnetic radiation. The difference between emissivity for visible and infrared wavelengths has great practical significance; for example, low-E windows manage to minimize heat loss via infrared radiation without cutting down too much on the visible light they admit. The same difference between visible light and infrared emissivities plays a major role in climate, especially in the greenhouse effect and role our fossil-fueled society plays in altering climate.
What are upstream environmental impacts?
exploring for oil and gas, drilling, production-hydraulic fracturing
2015 Clean Power Plan
first nationwide standard for carbon emissions from power plants. The Clean Power Plan was an Obama administration policy aimed at combating global warming that was first proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in June 2014. plan to lower the carbon dioxide emitted by power generators. A program under the Clean Act Act On February 9, 2016, the Supreme Court stated implementation of the Clean Power Plan pending judicial review. The Court's decision was not on the merits of the rule. EPA firmly believes the Clean Power Plan will be upheld when the merits are considered because the rule rests on strong scien<fic and legal foundations. For the states that choose to continue to work to cut carbon pollution from power plants and seek the agency's guidance and assistance, EPA will continue to provide tools and support. We will make any additional information available as necessary.
Carbon as a pollutant?
for centuries, CO2 considered benign product of fossil fuel since the gas is nontoxic and its concentration in the atmosphere is normally too low to have an effect on air's breathability.But the reality of CO2-induced climate change has altered that view. The deleterious effects of climate change-both present and future- are myriad and well-documented, so from a climate change standpoint, and other climate-damaging greenhouse gases qualify as pollutants.
Gravitational Force
governs the large-scale structure of the universe; holds you to Earth and keeps the satellite in orbit. Gravitational potential energy is the energy source for hydroelectric power plants We store gravitational energy any time we lift something or climb a flight of stairs. We gain kinetic energy from gravity when we drop an object, take a fall, or coast down a hill on a bicycle or skis We exploit gravitational force and gravitational energy when we generate electricity from falling water.
3 Fundamental forces that govern all interactions in the universe
gravitational force, electromagnetic force, and nuclear force
