Electricity and Energy Assignment: Energy and Climate- Vision for the Future
Electricity consumption is a large fraction of our overall energy use. Electricity is generated using both fossil fuels and renewable energy sources. In this assignment, you'll review the basics of electricity, some energy sources, and examine electricity flow and efficiency. [40 points total]
Conceptual and quantitative problems. You will only receive credit if you show all your work and write legibly.
1. A circuit includes a 9 V battery and a copper wire of a given length and diameter. You measure the current in the wire to be 1.5 Amperes.
a. What is the resistance of the wire? Your answer should be in Ohms.
b. With this battery and wire, how much power can be provided? Report your answer in Watts.
c. What changes could you make to the wire to increase the power?
d. If you half the resistance of the wire, what is the power output?
e. If you double the voltage of the battery, what is the power output?
2. You have been using a 75W traditional incandescent light bulb in your desk lamp. However, in a SPU 25 section, you have learned about LED light bulbs and decided to replace your inefficient light bulb with a 12W LED that provides the same amount of light.
a. Assuming that you are using your lamp for 5 hours per day and the electricity rate is 15 cents per kilowatt-hour, what is your annual energy cost savings?
b. The incandescent bulb cost about $0.75, and the LED bulb cost about $6.00. Based on the energy savings, does the LED bulb save you money in the long run?
3.At the large scale, electricity cannot be effectively stored with current technology. In other words, the electricity generated and transmitted over the power lines needs to match the electricity that is being used. ISO New England is an organization that carefully predicts how much energy will be used in the New England power grid during every hour of every day. They then communicate with energy generating companies (nuclear, solar, gas-burning power plants, etc.) to supply the most economic electricity to the grid at a certain time. Visit the ISO New England website.
a. What is the current actual demand (MW) and fuel mix (percentages)?
b. Describe the daily pattern of system demand (i.e. what time of day is energy use high or low).
c. At the top of the page, click on the "About Us" tab. Under "Our Three Critical Roles," click on "Operating the Power System." Read the section "Forecasting New England's Electricity Use."
What three factors largely determine the hourly demand for electricity?
d. At the top of the page, click on the "About Us" tab again. Under "Key Grid and Market Stats," click on "Electricity Use." Scroll down and read the section "Long-Term Changes in Annual and
Peak Demand." What is the biggest determinant of electricity demand in any given year? What are three additional factors that have played a role in the decreased energy demand since 2005?
e. Read the report from ISO New England on air emissions from electricity generation. What are the top 4 factors that have contributed to a reduction in emissions from electricity generators?
III. Energy Flow
4. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory publishes flow charts for energy for multiple countries and states.
a. If the going rate for electricity is $0.15/kWh, what is the "cost" of the wasted energy from electricity? Report your answers in trillions of dollars.
c. What is the fate of most of this "rejected energy?" Energy cannot be created or destroyed, so where does it go?
5. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory published flow charts for both energy and carbon.
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2010
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2014
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Energy Use (Quads)
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CO2 Emissions (million metric tons)
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Energy Use (Quads)
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CO2 Emissions (million metric tons)
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Solar
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0.130
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0
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0.427
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0
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Nuclear
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8.40
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0
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8.33
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0
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Hydro
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2.50
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0
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2.47
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0
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Wind
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0.920
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0
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1.73
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0
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Geothermal
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0.210
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0.4
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0.202
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0.400
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Natural Gas
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25.0
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1286
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27.5
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1440
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Coal
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21.0
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1985
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17.9
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1710
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Biomass
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3.50
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0
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4.78
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0
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Petroleum
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36.0
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2362
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34.8
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2260
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Total
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98.0
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5632
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98.3
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5410
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a. Note that between 2010 and 2014, CO2 emissions decreased even though energy use increased. Look closely at which energy sources and emissions increased and which decreased. Explain the decrease in CO2 emissions based on these data and what you have learned in class.
IV. Energy Efficiency
6. According to energycalculator.com, an average 14-15 inch laptop runs at about 60 W.
a. Assuming that every undergraduate in Harvard College (about 6,700) uses their laptop for six hours per day, how much energy is consumed per day? Report your answer in kWh.
b. How much of each fuel below is needed to supply this amount of energy each day? Assume 100% efficiency. Show your work and report your answers in kilograms in the table below.
c. How much CO2 results from the needed amount of fuel each day? Show your work and report your answer in kilograms in the table below.
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Fuel
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Energy Content (kWh/kg)
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Carbon Footprint (g CO2 eq/kWh)*
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Daily Harvard College laptop use
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Fuel (kg)
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CO2 Footprint (kg)
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Coal
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8.3
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900
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Oil
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13.0
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650
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Natural Gas
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15.4
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420
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Uranium (breeder)
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2.2*107
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5
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7. What did you find most surprising or interesting from this homework assignment? Why?
8. Can you identify immigrants who had a major influence on US technology? If you have a candidate or candidates, give a brief summary paragraph on why you think they belong in this technology Hall of Fame. [4 points] We already mentioned:
a. Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922)
b. Nikola Tesla (1856-1943)
c. Elon Musk (1971- ).