Energy 101A discussion of how much, reality checks, and
what we’re doing about it
Mickey R. Wilhelm, Ph.D., P.E.
Dean
DEFINITIONS
• Watt = equivalent to 1 joule (J) of energy per second• 1 joule = 1 newton × 1 meter = 1 watt × 1 second
– In terms of mechanical energy, one watt is the rate at which work is done when an object is moved at a speed of one meter (3.28 ft.) per second against a force of one newton (0.225 lbs).
– By the definitions of electric potential (volt) and current (ampere), work is done at a rate of one watt when one ampere flows through a potential difference of one volt
• Kilowatt = 1,000 watts• Megawatt = 1,000,000 watts• Gigawatt = 1,000,000,000 watts• Terawatt = 1,000,000,000,000 watts• Petawatt = 1,000,000,000,000,000 watts
DEFINITIONS
• Non-renewable energy sources– Energy sources that are depleted as they are
used, e.g., coal, oil and natural gas
• Renewable energy sources– Energy sources that are continually
replenished, e.g., water, wind, solar, geothermal and biomass sources
How is energy used?
Rate of World Energy Usage (Terawatts)
How is energy used?
Global Energy Usage in Detail
91% non-renewable sources
Energy Use by Economic Sector
37
2011
5
27
Industrial
Personal &CommercialTransportation
Residentialheating, lighting,appliances
Commerciallighting, heating,cooling
Loss in generationand transmission
Use of the 16 TW by sector
Where does energy come from?
• Most of the world’s energy resources come from the sun’s rays hitting the earth– Some solar energy has been preserved as
fossil energy (i.e., non-renewable)– Some solar energy is directly or indirectly
useable, e.g., via solar, wind, hydro or wave power (i.e., renewable)
Where does energy come from?
~ 89 PW of solar energy is received by the earth’s surface in a year
How does the energy future look?
• It depends upon whom you ask!• Fossil fuels and non-renewable energy
sources are under attack– Politics (Climate change, carbon footprints,
cap & trade, green energy, subsidies)– Economics (International competitiveness,
product costs, OPEC, automotive market)– Technology (clean coal power plants, carbon
sequestration, fuel efficient vehicles, energy efficiency, conservation, waste disposal)
Renewable Energy Sources
• Hydropower• Wind power• Solar power• Geothermal power• Biomass power
Hydropower• Water is the most common
renewable source of energy in the US today
• Hydroelectricity accounts for about 7% of the electricity used in the nation
• Small or micro-hydroelectric power systems can produce enough electricity for a home, farm or ranch
• Recreation opportunities• Cheap electricity attracts
“heavy” industry
• Can generate energy at night and in winter
Hydropower
• Water can never generate all of the electricity needed in the US
• Locations limited to available rivers and competition for other uses of those rivers
• Environmental concerns (down/upstream flooding, fish migration)
Wind power• Wind power currently supplies about 1% of US electricity needs, but
capacity is expanding – in fact, it’s the fastest growing energy technology
• Produces electricity without producing pollution• Must be located in the areas of the US with the strongest winds,
Alaska, western US and the Appalachians• Can generate energy at night and in winter• Can be sea-based
Wind power
• Wind cannot be expected to supply all of the US electrical needs
• Turbines can lead to wildlife deaths, especially birds and bats
• Ice forms on blades in winter and can come dislodged resulting in injury or death of humans or animals
Solar power
• Solar technologies use the sun’s energy to provide heat, light, hot water, electricity, and even cooling for homes, businesses and industry
• Solar power provides less than 1% of US energy needs
Solar power
• Solar cells can only operate in daylight
• Expensive equipment needed to convert DC to AC
• Electricity from solar cells is more than twice as expensive as electricity from fossil fuels
• Clouds and winter weather are big problems for solar cells
Geothermal power
• Uses the natural sources of heat inside the earth to produce heat or electricity
• Uses steam or hot water from underground
• Produces few emissions and power is continuously available
Geothermal plant at the Geysers, CA
Geothermal power
• Use is efficient, reliable, and environmentally friendly
• Currently meets less than 1% of US power needs
• Geothermal reservoirs are most prevalent in the western US
Biomass power
• Energy from plants and plant-derived materials such as food crops, grassy and woody plants, residues from agriculture and forestry, and the organic component of municipal and industrial wastes
• It is the second most important source of renewable energy in the U.S.
Biomass power
• Used for direct heating, biopower, and production of biofuels
• Biofuels are liquid fuels produced from plants: two most common types are ethanol and biodiesel
• Ethanol is an alcohol produced in the US mainly from corn
• Research is underway to convert cellulose (agricultural waste, forest residue, municipal waste, and energy crops) to ethanol
Biomass power
• Ethanol is a fuel additive for vehicles to increase octane and reduce CO2
• Biodiesel is made by processing vegetable oil, animal fat, or recycled cooking grease with alcohol or other chemicals
• Biodiesel can be used as an additive (typically 20%) to reduce vehicle emissions, or in its pure form, as a renewable alternative fuel for diesel engines
Biomass power
• Factory farming of biomass crops can reduce biodiversity and negatively impact wildlife habitat
• Municipal solid waste may contain toxins which can cause pollution if used as a biomass feedstock
• Use of corn and other food grain for biofuel production can increase food prices
• Ethanol is hygroscopic – can’t be piped• Biodiesel can congeal at freezing temperatures
So what?
• More energy from the sun strikes the earth in two hours (~ 20 TW) than all of the energy currently consumed on our planet in an entire year (~16 TW)
• We need something like solar house paint or solar carpet that is cheap, efficient and installable by individual home owners in order to capture this energy on an appreciable scale
• Advances in nanotechnology offer some promise in this and similar research arenas
Kentucky Comprehensive Energy Plan
• Released by Governor on Nov. 20, 2008• Seven strategies
– Improve energy efficiency of homes, buildings, industries and transportation
– Increase Kentucky’s use of renewable energy– Sustainably grow Kentucky’s production of biofuels– Develop a coal to liquids industry– Implement a major coal to gas effort– Initiate aggressive carbon capture/sequestration– Examine the use of nuclear power for electricity
Conn Center for Renewable Energy Research and Environmental Stewardship (CCRERES)
• On January 26, 2009, the Governor announced that the Commonwealth of KY will enter into a MOA with the University of Louisville for establishing a new center focused on renewable energy research
• The new center will compliment the coal-focused energy center in Lexington (Center for Applied Energy Research)
The Conn Center gift
• Henry and Rebecca Conn pledged $20+ M gift
• It is a deferred gift and will be realized in few years
• The gift will enable hiring of several eminent scientists, engineers and students at UofL
Impact on Kentucky’s goals for energy independence
• The Conn Center’s mission will help with the following goals of KY’s energy plan.• Improve the energy efficiency of
Kentucky’s homes, buildings, industries and transportation fleet.
• Increase Kentucky’s use of renewable energy.
• Sustainably grow Kentucky’s production of biofuels.
Initial phase (first two years)
• Offices/labs will be located in Ernst Hall – Funds for renovation [currently underway] come from UofL (~$1M)
• Support for initial operations will need to come from research grants and contracts
• Hire additional personnel to pursue the research agenda
Initial Organization• In April 2009, the Governor appointed a 10
member board for the Conn Center• We are searching for operating funds• We have recommended to the Kentucky
Energy Secretary that Dr. Mahendra Sunkara be appointed interim director
Initial Research Foci
• Energy storage (batteries/capacitors)• Biofuels• Smart grid• Solar energy
U of L Renewable Energy Goals• Research• Development• Demonstration• Deployment
of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies, practices and outreach activities
Conn Center
KPPC
IAM
LoDI
RPCMNTC
LEGENDCCRERES – Conn Center for Renewable Energy Research and Env. StewardshipIAM – Institute for Advanced MaterialsKPPC – Kentucky Pollution Prevention CenterLoDI – Logistics and Distribution InstituteRPC – Rapid Prototyping CenterMNTC – Micro/Nano Technology Center
Conn Center
U of L Resources• About 20 current faculty members and
new faculty lines identified• New graduate certificates and courses are
currently being offered, more in development
• Existing centers and institutes
Institute for Advanced Materials • Advanced materials for energy
technologies– Nanowires, nanotubes, thin films– Solar and thermionic energy
conversion, energy storage• Materials characterization
– Electron microscopy (TEM and SEM), – Optical spectrometry (UV-vis, IR,
Raman)– Surface science (XPS, Auger)
• Fabrication/evaluation of prototype energy components– Solar-voltaic and solar-chemical test
cells– Thermionic energy scavenger system – High-cycle lithium ion battery cells
From Lab to Marketplace• Bulk production of
nanowires– Developed and patented at UofL– Critical to solar energy
conversion and battery research
• Nanowire anode material for Li ion batteries (patent applied for)– High energy density– High cycle stability
AN EXAMPLE OF MATERIALS
MANUFACTURING R&D
2.4 GHz Magnetron,D.C. Power
supply
Plasma discharge
Collection cup
Metal powder inlet
Quartz or steel tube
Gas flow(Ar, Air, H2, O2)
Exhaust
Waveguide
3 Stub-tuner,Directional
coupler,Circulator,
Dummy load
Zinc Oxide
Materials Systems So far:
Tin OxideZinc OxideAluminaTitania
Production Capacity:
~ 1 kg/day
AN EXAMPLE OF Li BATTERY R&D
Micro/Nanotechnology Center
• Device design, fabrication and evaluation – Micro/nanoelectronics– MEMS sensors and actuators– electro-optic devices
10,000 sq. ft. microfabrication cleanroom
• Lithography, deposition, etching
• Metrology and electrical characterization
• Resource for Kentucky and region
AREAS OF ENERGY RESEARCH
1. Energy Harvesting and No Power Sensing* scavenging clean energy from the environment using vibrations, thermal gradients, solar,
etc (Alphenaar/Lin)* battery elimination or longevity (Alphenaar/Lin/Naber/Jackson)* sensors which require no traditional power sources (Gowrishetty/Walsh)
2. Integrated Microsensors for Energy Efficiency and Energy Conservation* temperarture, strain, pressure, vibration, flow, acceleration, gas sensing, wireless remote
sensors, H2 and CO2 sensing (Walsh/McNamara/Crain/Naber/Fu)
3. Renewable Energy and Novel Power Generation* Knudsen Pump – solar power to pneumatic power (McNamara)* High Efficiency Solar Cells using Black Silicon (Aebersold)* PowerMEMS – micro-heat engines, combustion, propulsion (Fu)
4. Novel Energy Storage Strategies* Electromechanical Battery (McNamara)* MEMS mechanical energy storage (Aebersold/Walsh)
5. Low Power Transportation (friction-free)* Magnetic levitation for MEMS and microfluidics (McNamara)
6. Study of Fundamental Energy Sources* Cassimer effect (McNamara)
7. Miniaturization Strategies and MEMS Platforms for Super Low Power Devices and New Energy Devices
* next-generation solar cells, fuel cells, micro-batteries, low-power electronics (Several)
UofL Micro/Nano Technology Center
Kentucky Pollution Prevention Center
• State organization for dissemination of pollution prevention and energy conservation technology
• Helps businesses and other organizations develop environmentally sustainable, energy conserving systems
• Manages and coordinates Kentucky Energy Efficiency Program for Schools (KEEPS) and the Kentucky Rural Energy Consortium (KREC)
• Led development of the Kentucky 25x'25 Roadmap
• Based at the University of Louisville J.B. Speed School of Engineering
Conn Center Engagement• Conn Center is engaged already with:
– Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet, Argonne National Laboratory and UK for development of the National Battery Manufacturing Research Lab
– We’ve submitted two ARPA-E white papers– We’ve had a number of interactions with
business and industries in metro Louisville regarding research in biofuels, energy storage and energy efficiency
Solar
• Solar Cells for Electricity
• Solar Cells for Hydrogen
• Electrochromic • Fuel Cell
Energy Storage
Lithium Ion Battery R&D
Materials Manufacturing
• Bulk production of nanowires, nanoparticles• Nanowire arrays
and thin films• Mesoporous
materials
Biomass Derived Products
• Cellulose derived ethanol
• Bio-oils for furnaces
• Bio-diesel• Bio-polymers
The Conn Center’s research facilities(Ernst Hall, 3rd Floor)
Li Ion BatteriesLi-Ion Battery Manufacturing R&D for HEV Applications
V
• No manufacturing exists in U.S.• Battery materials manufacturing R&D essential
- Hybrid-electric vehicle (HEV) manufacturers- Battery manufacturers
ElectrolyzerH2O
H2
O2
ElectrolyzerH2O
Methanol
e-
e-
CO2
Photo Electrolyzer
H2OH2
O2
PhotoElectrolyzerH2O
MethanolCO2
Holy Grail in Renewable Energy: Solar Hydrogen
Fuel CellAir
H2OFuel
e-
H2
Electric Grid
Solar heating panels for water heating
Solar panels for H2 and electricity
generation
Excess energy goes to the grid
A near-term possibility?Electric Grid
Hydrogen-powered vehicle
“They oughta do something about . . . .”
• What? Energy supplies, energy efficiency, energy conservation, energy cost, climate change, carbon footprint, green technologies, etc.
• Who? Scientists, engineers, technicians, mathematicians (STEM)
• Why? For the future of mankind, the economy, standard of living, convenience, world peace, etc.
• When? As soon as possible – NOW!
We’re working as hard as we can with the resources we have -