Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Practical Energy Production and Conservation - A Working Outline

Energy Production and Conservation.
Dr Abe V. Rotor 
Living with Nature School on Blog 
Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio
738 DZRB AM Band, 8-9 evening class, Monday to Friday

Let’s all do it not only for the sake of providing energy, but for a better quality life for future generations. It is our legacy for our children and their children. 

Trivia:

• Do you need less energy to boil water in the highland than in the lowlands? True, vice versa, same. (At sea level – 100C; 3,000m – 90C; 6,000m – 81; 9,000m – 75C)
Water turbin e
• When water boils it is 100C, burn more fuel and the temp increase above 100C. (Inside a pressure cooker it does go to 121C at sea level)

• Why is it cooler on the mountain top than on the lowland, when it should be the other way around. You are closer to the sun at higher elevation? Find out the answer and report in class. 

NOTE: Half of the energy we use for heating, electricity, machines is lost. These fuels are oil and gas 60 %, coal 35%, nuclear 5%.

1. Rural area, back to firewood, build dirty kitchen. Smoke drives mosquitoes and other vermin, natural smoke is not harmful to health.

2. Firewood farming –madre de cacao, ipil-ipil, aroma, acacia – 24 species cited in new firewood farming in the tropics. Firewood farming integrated with forestry program, mixed tree farming. Stripe and contour farming, helps reduce erosion and siltation, supports SALT..

3. Save trees, plant trees: Forest increases O2, absorbs CO2, creates miniclimate. Attracts cloud increase rainfall, give food, energy, shelter and clothing. Restores wildlife, ecological sanctuary, reduces smog (suspended layer of fog and smoke).

4. Biomass fuel: farm waste, oil from plants, gasohol or alcogas, Jatrophaconsuelda, castor bean, lumbang, bitaog.

5. Car maintenance: proper tire inflation, engine displacement, regular maintenance, carless day, planned route, car pool, 1 B cars in the world by 2018 (now 600 m) required $20 m barrels a day. Reduce driving speed – best way – on the highway. 500 people travel on 125 cars, 10 buses, 1 train.

6. House plan and design: environment friendly, natural ventilation, insulation during cool and windy months, low energy consumption, proper maintenance.

7. Measure the energy you use, monitor monthly consumption. Trace excess consumption. Target reduce to as much as 50 percent. (1T watts = 1 kw; 1m watts = 1 MW; 1 b watts – 1 gigawatt (1GW) Example. 25ww, 50w, 100w – you need only 25w.

8. Practice recycling to reduce energy requirement – water, re-heat food, waste utilization (wood), scrap metal, used tires, plastics, metals (bauxite most efficient in recycled metal).

9. Austerity in electric energy consumption, Philippines among the highest in electric energy cost, yet among the lowest in GDP per capita. Solutions: fewer and more efficient light bulbs, limit laundry (ex. sun dry, bulk washing and ironing), forego using electricity in bath, pressurized water system)

National and Commercial Energy power generation

1. Dams: Ambuklao, Binga, Pantabangan, Chico, Angat, La Mesa. Reforestation of watersheds resucs siltation, enhances life of dam.

2. Nuclear power? No, thanks, with the catastrophic nuclear incident in Japan caused by an earthquake of 9.0 magnitude, and the Chernobyl and 34-mile island nuclear incidents. There are 500 nuclear plants all over the world – now there is a slowdown for new ones, hazard , increasing investment and maintenance cost. Sweden the first to stop building nuclear reacors, US has no new nuclear plant, but France, Germany, Belgium and Japan will produce more electricity from nuclear reactors.

3. Energy of falling water: gravitational energy. Hydroelectric plant, loss of land by gain in water, salt water intrusion problem. SWIP for power and irrigation, also fisheries and forestry

3. Energy efficiency in agriculture and industry, part of sustainable productivity. Take advantage of the greenhouse effect.

4. Cars, cars, cars – increase people and car ratio: US 1.8, 2.9, Russia 24, Peru 52, China 1374, Philippines ? electric cars, hydrogen powered, 100,000 car are manufacture everyday, 80 bought ib developed countries.

Pioneer energy projects

1. Wind power farm, re-inventing the Dutch windwill (Don Quijote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes), farm type wind mills tp generate electricity and ground water pump. Winmd turbine generators (WTGs) there are only 20,000 WTGs in the world, 15 t in California. Total production is 5,000 MW.

2. Ethanol from sugarcane, sugar beets and root crops (cassava) – competes with human food and other uses.

3. Biogas: home type (China and India models), farm model (Madamba Maya Farms), community (energy from garbage), commercial types, mainly methane.

4. Composting – production of organic fertilizer, soil conditioners..

5. Solar energy: reflected light (mirror concentrator), desalination, direct drying, solar panels, solar battery/cell, Ex. Telephones tap power of sun, solar car (Sunraycer GM crossed Australia on a desert route at ave 24 miles per hour
Sugar mill fueled with sugarcane bagasse, Calatagan, Batangas

6. Fire in the Earth: geothermal energy; hot rocks. Water is pump to a depth up to two miles (Britain), circulates in crack, becomes hot up to 200 centigrade and comes through a borehole which then turns a turbine. Anglo-French link Old Red Sandstone 76 centigrade hot enough to heat buildings. Trapping volcanic heat. Hot water in island, Los Baños.

7. New sails for sea vessels (Back to the time of sailing ships.

8. Surging energy of the sea: waves, tides, heat content, salty water itself, ocean currents.
(gully wave generator, wave power, OTEC Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion, CLAM – British wave pressure system, Japanese osmosis system at estuaries. .

9. Biodegradable plastics for biogas and compost production

10. Energy from garbage dumps and landfills.~

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