Academic Contributions to Renewable Energy

Charles StanierUniversity of Iowa

Betsy WeatherheadUniversity of Colorado

CENTER FOR GLOBAL AND REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH

• Major Renewable Energy Sources– Biomass– Solar

• Photovoltaic• Thermal / thermal concentrating

– Wind– Geothermal– Hydropower

• Major Renewable Energy Sources– Biomass– Solar

• Photovoltaic• Thermal / thermal concentrating

– Wind– Geothermal– Hydropower

Technologically most developed and currently the most cost effective non-hydro renewable

Receiving largest fraction of energy-related R&D efforts

• Electricity from Renewable Resources: Status, Prospects and Impediment– National Academy of Sciences, 2009

• Key results: most renewable technologies are technically “ready to go” but require:– Additional R&D for lower costs– Cost incentives, from internalization of carbon

emission costs and other societal impacts– Transmission capacity to move power from source

regions to demand centers

• For the predominant market penetration of renewable technologies (e.g. >50% of energy after 2035)– Significant, sustained, and greatly expanded

R&D is required in renewable technologies, particularly in

• Solar PV, distribution and transmission technologies, large-scale and distributed energy storage

Most of this will not fall to earth scientists, but rather to bio- and materials-related scientists and engineers, and electrical and computer engineers

Source, NAS 2009

• Earth science disciplines: key supporting roles– Life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of renewable

energy technologies• especially important for biomass where C-balance is not that

favorable and additional factors come into play, e.g. N2O and CH4 emissions are important, and albedo changes

– Managing the environmental impacts associated with the large land areas required for solar, wind, and biomass

– Continued improvements in climate science and climate prediction, necessary for energy policy development

– Avoidance of unanticipated negative consequences of new technologies

• E.g. Can we predict and avoid the equivalent of a CFC-induced ozone hole before it happens?

Additional role

• Academia in particular has key role for workforce development and training

University of Iowa scientists and engineers are active in all three of these supporting areas

- GHG Accounting

- Environmental Impacts of Renewables

- Climate Science

Mesoscale Met Model

(e.g. WRF)

Prior CO2 Flux Estimates

Air Quality Simulation

Optimization Cycleswith Adjusted Fluxes

Additional Constraints

(Gases, Isotopes,Plot-Data, Remote

Sensing)CO2 Observations

Met and CO2 measurements on 379 m tower, Eastern Iowa

(NOAA Carbon Cycle Gases)Focu

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At IowaCharles StanierNovel Constraints on Carbon Fluxes

At IowaGregory Carmichael- Chemical Weather Forecasting- Application of 4dVar and EnKF Techniques to Air Quality

Ozone Forecasts

Without Assimilation With Assimilation

CO Forecasts During NASA ARCTAS

• Photosynthetic Control of Atmospheric Carbonyl Sulfide During the Growing Season.” Science, Vol. 322, 2008, pp. 1085-1088.

• Analysis of Anthropogenic CO2 Signal in ICARTT Observations Using a Regional Chemical Transport Model and Observed Tracers,” Tellus B. 59B, 2, 2007, pp. 199-210.

• Modeling of In-situ Ultrafine Atmospheric Particle Formation in the Eastern United States,” Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, Vol. 110(D07S12), 2005, doi:10.1029/2004JD004683.

• Global and regional climate changes due to black carbon, Nature Geoscience , Published online: 23 March 2008 | doi:10.1038/ngeo156

• Trans-Pacific Transport of Black Carbon and Fine Aerosols (D < 2.5 mm) into North America, J. Geophys. Res., 112, D05309, doi:10.1029/2006JD007632, 207.

• Modeling Study of Air Pollution Due to the Manufacture of Export Goods in China’s Pearl River Delta, Environ. Sci. and Technol., doi:10.1021/es051275n, 2005.

• Impacts of Asian Megacity Emissions on Regional Air Quality during Spring 2001, J. Geophys. Res., 110, D20301, doi: 10.1029/2004JD004921, 2005.

At IowaRepresentative Publications

• NSF Awards with “solar energy” in title or abstract– 2007 72– 2008 118– 2009 270

• NSF Awards with “wind energy” – 2009 76

• National Science Foundation Program in “Energy for Sustainability”– Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and

Transport Systems– Program Director: Trung Van Nguyen– http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pi

ms_id=501026– 93 awards since 2007, many to young

scientists and engineers

• Many awards are in the area of biomass to energy conversion, fuel cells, and battery technologies– Solar and wind relevant awards in the energy

for sustainability category ~12, for example• Space-time Loadings on Wind Turbine Blades driven by

Atmospheric Boundary Layer Turbulence: Coupling LES and DES, James Brasseur, Penn State

• Probing and optimizing quantum dot confined states for next generation intermediate band solar cells, Harley Johnson, University of Illinois

NCSU, Rusty Haynes: Renewable Portfolio Standards

State renewable portfolio standard

State renewable portfolio goal

www.dsireusa.org / June 2009

Solar water heating eligible *† Extra credit for solar or customer-sited renewables

Includes separate tier of non-renewable alternative resources

WA: 15% by 2020*

OR: 25% by 2025 (large utilities)

5% - 10% by 2025 (smaller utilities)

CA: 20% by 2010

☼ NV: 25% by 2025*

☼ AZ: 15% by 2025

☼ NM: 20% by 2020 (IOUs)

10% by 2020 (co-ops)

HI: 20% by 2020

☼ Minimum solar or customer-sited requirement

TX: 5,880 MW by 2015

UT: 20% by 2025*

☼ CO: 20% by 2020 (IOUs)

10% by 2020 (co-ops & large munis)*

MT: 15% by 2015

ND: 10% by 2015

SD: 10% by 2015

IA: 105 MW

MN: 25% by 2025(Xcel: 30% by 2020)

☼ MO: 15% by 2021

IL: 25% by 2025

WI: Varies by utility;

10% by 2015 goal

MI: 10% + 1,100 MW by 2015*

☼ OH: 25% by 2025†

ME: 30% by 2000New RE: 10% by 2017

☼ NH: 23.8% by 2025☼ MA: 15% by

2020+ 1% annual increase(Class I Renewables)RI: 16% by 2020

CT: 23% by 2020

☼ NY: 24% by 2013

☼ NJ: 22.5% by 2021

☼ PA: 18% by 2020†

☼ MD: 20% by 2022

☼ DE: 20% by 2019*

☼ DC: 20% by 2020

VA: 15% by 2025*

☼ NC: 12.5% by 2021 (IOUs)

10% by 2018 (co-ops & munis)

VT: (1) RE meets any increase in retail sales by

2012; (2) 20% RE & CHP by 2017

29 states &

DC have an RPS

5 states have goals

KS: 20% by 2020

Washington State University

• Northwest Solar Center / Shoreline Community College– Supports RE Education– Works with Legislators– Assists Utilities

U. Oklahoma, Dept. of Meteorology

• Home page cites: “Emphasis on interdisciplinary projects involving geographers, meteorologists, and our students will allow the College to address the challenges we face as a society in areas of renewable energy, weather hazards and climate change.”

U. Illinois

• Strong engineering and atmospheric science components

• Competitors in efficient housing competitions

• Installed recent wind tower

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US Universities with Research Programs in atmospheric sciences

Air Force Institute of TechnologyArizona State UniversityCalifornia Institute of TechnologyColorado State UniversityColumbia UniversityCornell UniversityDrexelEmbry-RiddleFlorida Institute of TechnologyFlorida State UniversityGeorge Mason UniversityGeorgia Institute of TechnologyHarvard UniversityHoward UniversityIowa State UniversityJohns Hopkins UniversityLouisiana State UniversityMichigan TechnologyMITNaval Postgraduate SchoolNew Mexico Institute of Mining and TechnologyNew York UniversityNorth Carolina State UniversityNova Southeastern UniversityOhio State UniversityOld Dominion UniversityOregon State

Pennsylvania State UniversityPennsylvania State UniversityPrincetonPrincetonPurdue UniversityPurdue UniversityRiceRiceRutgersRutgersScripps Inst. Of OceanographyScripps Inst. Of OceanographySouth Dakota School of Mines and TechnologySouth Dakota School of Mines and TechnologySt. LouisSt. LouisStanfordStanfordStonybrookStonybrookTexas A.&MTexas A.&MTexas Tech.Texas Tech.U. of Albany (SUNY)U. of Albany (SUNY)U. of HuntsvilleU. of HuntsvilleU. of Alaska, FairbanksU. of Alaska, FairbanksU. of ArizonaU. of ArizonaU. of UC BerkleyU. of UC BerkleyUC DavisUC DavisUC IrvineUC IrvineUCLAUCLAU. of ChicagoU. of ChicagoU. of ColoradoU. of ColoradoU. of ConnecticutU. of ConnecticutU. of DelawareU. of DelawareU. of DenverU. of DenverU. of GeorgiaU. of GeorgiaU. of HoustonU. of HoustonU. of HawaiiU. of Hawaii

U. of IlllinoisU. IowaU. of KansasU. of MarylandU. of MassachusettesU. of MiamiU. of MichiganU. of MinnesotaU. of Missouri – ColumbiaU. of Missouri – RollaU. of NebraskaU. of NevadaU. of New HampshireU. of North DakotaU. of OklahomaU. of Rhode IslandU. of TexasU. of UtahU. of VirginiaU. of WashingtonU. of Wisconsin-MadisonU. of Wisconsin-MilwaukeeU. of WyomingUtah StateWashington StateWoods HoleYale

US Universities with Research Programs in atmospheric sciences & UCAR affiliates

Air Force Institute of TechnologyArizona State UniversityCalifornia Institute of TechnologyColorado State UniversityColumbia UniversityCornell UniversityDrexelEmbry-RiddleFlorida Institute of TechnologyFlorida State UniversityGeorge Mason UniversityGeorgia Institute of TechnologyHarvard UniversityHoward UniversityIowa State UniversityJohns Hopkins UniversityLouisiana State UniversityMichigan TechnologyMITNaval Postgraduate SchoolNew Mexico Institute of Mining and TechnologyNew York UniversityNorth Carolina State UniversityNova Southeastern UniversityOhio State UniversityOld Dominion UniversityOregon State

Pennsylvania State UniversityPennsylvania State UniversityPrincetonPrincetonPurdue UniversityPurdue UniversityRiceRiceRutgersRutgersScripps Inst. Of OceanographyScripps Inst. Of OceanographySouth Dakota School of Mines and TechnologySouth Dakota School of Mines and TechnologySt. LouisSt. LouisStanfordStanfordStonybrookStonybrookTexas A.&MTexas A.&MTexas Tech.Texas Tech.U. of Albany (SUNY)U. of Albany (SUNY)U. of HuntsvilleU. of HuntsvilleU. of Alaska, FairbanksU. of Alaska, FairbanksU. of ArizonaU. of ArizonaU. of UC BerkleyU. of UC BerkleyUC DavisUC DavisUC IrvineUC IrvineUCLAUCLAU. of ChicagoU. of ChicagoU. of ColoradoU. of ColoradoU. of ConnecticutU. of ConnecticutU. of DelawareU. of DelawareU. of DenverU. of DenverU. of GeorgiaU. of GeorgiaU. of HoustonU. of HoustonU. of HawaiiU. of Hawaii

U. of IlllinoisU. IowaU. of KansasU. of MarylandU. of MassachusettesU. of MiamiU. of MichiganU. of MinnesotaU. of Missouri – ColumbiaU. of Missouri – RollaU. of NebraskaU. of NevadaU. of New HampshireU. of North DakotaU. of OklahomaU. of Rhode IslandU. of TexasU. of UtahU. of VirginiaU. of WashingtonU. of Wisconsin-MadisonU. of Wisconsin-MilwaukeeU. of WyomingUtah StateWashington StateWoods HoleYale

Potential Future Contributions to Renewable Energy from Universities

• Improved Boundary Layer parameterization• Improved Radiative Transfer Models• Improved Forecasting Models• Impartial evaluation of model improvements• Impartial assessment of RE effects• Development of the next generation of scientists who

can work on Renewable Energy• Assessment of effects of conventional versus renewable

energy on the environment• Provide credible analysis of impacts