Hi all- the artciles are on Blackboard and were also sent in an email
Here is the prompt:
Blog Assignment for this section: Complete both!
1. Biofuel Article *Read pages 7-20, exploring Bioenergy in context, what the term biofuel really means, and its global context.Detail how energy has changed for humans over time (biomass, renewable, etc). What significant events changed the
way humans used energy? Explain what a biofuel is. What are the advantages of using biofuel for transportation, and
which specific biofuels are used for this?
2. Energy in 2030 and Conservation
Choose one type of alternative energy from this article and briefly describe the benefits and negative aspects of utilizing
that type of energy.
Here is the prompt:
Blog Assignment for this section: Complete both!
1. Biofuel Article *Read pages 7-20, exploring Bioenergy in context, what the term biofuel really means, and its global context.Detail how energy has changed for humans over time (biomass, renewable, etc). What significant events changed the
way humans used energy? Explain what a biofuel is. What are the advantages of using biofuel for transportation, and
which specific biofuels are used for this?
2. Energy in 2030 and Conservation
Choose one type of alternative energy from this article and briefly describe the benefits and negative aspects of utilizing
that type of energy.
1. In the past 50 years, energy needed for transportation has exploded. Historic events such as war, space travel and revolutions have caused a surge in energy based vehicle needs. With the creation of more airplanes, cars, trains etc, the need for fuel has increased, and with that increase, the environmental effects are being felt. In recent years humans have felt the need to create transportation that is “greener and cleaner”. With this movement electric cars, hybrid cars and alternative fuel methods have been explored and invented. Larger vehicles are also changing. Trains are now being created to run on magnetic levitation. This is a fast, effective and clean alternative to the usual use of fuel and coal on trains. Airplanes are also starting to make the move over to clean energy. Some airlines like British Airways are using a mix of biofuel and kerosene and are exploring the field of entirely green airplanes. A biofuel is fuel made from plants. If we use these for transportation it eliminates the carbon emission entirely that is causing so many harmful effects. Plants that are commonly made into biofuels are coconut, corn, soy and palm oil.
ReplyDelete2. An alternative energy source that I am interested in is wind power. Before reading the article I didn’t understand how it was possible for wind power to work effectively because of weather patterns around the world. After reading I learned that the main problem with this method is not weather but the lack of space for the wind mills themselves. Many places around the world that need this power are too densely populated to find an open space for the mills. In the places where there is space, the transportation of the newly generated power into cities is problematic. Also, the bird population in areas that the mills are placed will drop greatly with the death of birds from the blades. Citizens in areas where the mills are projected to be placed up rise in rebellion towards them. They have the “not in my backyard” mentality as the mills are unattractive and noisy. The benefits from wind power are astonishing. Wind power is a renewable resource and completely green. Unlike a tangible object like coal or oil, wind can never “run out”. There are zero emissions given off by the turbines and the use of the energy made. Also it is one of the cheaper forms of energy. Once the actual turbine is produced, the energy costs nothing to “buy” like oil or coal does.
The invention of the steam engine directed the world into using coal for energy as the industrial revolution followed. The internal combustion engine which followed turned the focus of energy onto oil burning. Biofuels are "utilize solar energy", I could not understand from this article exactly what they meant by biofuels, but upon looking it up, I found that biomass energy is the energy from plants and plant-derived materials and biofuels is the biomass converted directly into liquid fuel. The biofuels used today are methanol, ethanol and biodiesel. Some reasons to turn towards biofuels is to reduce greenhouse emissions, and in the long run possibly become less dependent on nonrenewable energy.
ReplyDeleteAnother alternative source of energy is solar power. Some benefits of solar power are that solar energy is quiet, solar panels give off no pollution, and that besides the initial cost of the solar panel there is no cost to the energy. Some cons of solar power is that solar cells are initially expensive and that energy is only produced during daylight hours.
1. Before modern history, biomass was the major source of energy for humans. Biomass made up approximately 90% of anthropogenic energy consumption until the beginning of the 19th Century. The invention of the steam engine was an event that stimulated utilization of coal as a significant energy source. This invention additionally marked the birth of the industrial, urban, modern era and its dependence on fossil fuels. The invention of the Internal Combustion Engine around the turn of the twentieth century was what marked a move towards oil as the major source of energy.
ReplyDeleteFrom the article “Bioenergy in context”, biofuel is a specific type of bioenergy. Bioenergy is defined as the change of chemical energy stored within a biorenewable resource into heat and stationary power. Biofuel refers to a solid, liquid, or gas transportation fuel that is derived from biomass. It is important to note that although biorenewable energy sources can be grown as crop, the majority of the world’s biorenewable energy sources are cultivated from forests, prairies, marches, and fisheries.
Specific biofuels include ethanol, methanol, and biodiesel. One of the advantages of using biofuel as a substitute for transportation include a lower monetary cost per unit of energy output, such as in the case of ethanol.
Two global events have led to a rise in interest in of biofuels. Firstly, the steady rise of oil prices from 2002 to 2008 due to increases in demand of the product in China and India paired with political volatility in oil producing nations.
A second important cause of increased attention to biofuels may be attributed to the increased interest, and awareness, in climate change and its connection to human actions. Moreover, there have been numerous scientific studies that link climate change to rising global temperatures and the negative consequences and dangers increasing global temperatures have in store for humans. As evidence of this, governments have begun to take action towards reducing emissions, and there is a growing global movement towards reducing these emissions.
Although the United States is somewhat involved with the United Nations and its hope to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we are not the front runners for investment in biofuels. According to the article, Europe is the world leader in production and consumption of biodiesel. Germany is the world’s largest producer (1,920 million liters), and is followed by France with 511 liters, the United States has 290 liters and Italy produces 227 liters.
2. Hydro power, which is energy derived from water power is a form of energy where electricity is generated from moving water has various benefits, such as the fact that it is renewable. Other advantages include: green in the fact that hydro energy is not self-polluting (the only pollution is in the construction of the power plants), flexible (adjusting water flow for electricity), and that is safer than alternative fossil fuel and nuclear energy sources. Hydro power’s disadvantages include its environmental consequences of intervention in nature to damming of water and destruction of fish habitats, expensive construction (but generally low maintenance costs), chance of droughts and their effect on energy generation, and limited reservoirs of suitable areas for hydroelectric power plants.
According to Kuo, global yearly hydroelectric production amounts to about 20% of world electricity production and about 90% of total electricity generated from renewable resources. Additionally, China recently became the largest hydropower producer in the world due to its Yangtze project, according to Shanghai Daily, and its plans to produce 430 GW by 2020”. In Europe, the European Union has an order to meet 20% of its total energy consumption from renewable sources by 2020, according to Maria Barnes, editor for the British engineering firm Hydro Group.
In modern times many different events have occured, increasing the need for more energy resources.Through wars, globalization, and travel, energy resources became neccesary in daily life. The first energy based transportation was the use of the steam engine which used coals as a means of energy. This led to the creation of trains and ships as vehicular devices. This quickly transformed as the combustion engine was created for use in cars, airplanes,yand more. This type of energy is run by fossil fuels and oil. In recent years, there has been a shift in energy explorations. Scientists have tried to find more renewable resources as awareness of waste and pollution has increased.
ReplyDeleteA type of energy that I am interested in is solar power. I am interested in solar power because it is something that everyone has the opportunity to be a part of. People can install these in their homes and choose to live a more green and sustainable life. Because of government grants this is more affordable and people can play a role in the reducing their carbon footprint. This type of energy also does not cause any pollution or waste.
Biofuels are a type of energy that consists of using “organic materials of a recent biological origin” as a fuel source. Biofuels do not include coal or other fossil fuels that were biological life millions of years ago. Initially, before the use of fossil fuels, renewable energy sources were actually used. The sun, water, and other renewable sources were the only forms of energy available. With the introduction of fossil-fuel burning equipment such as the steam engine, coal had become almost exclusively used. Only recently have renewable sources such as biofuels and biomass become more widely used (but still not used as much as coal). Ethanol, methanol, and biodiesel are the main biofuels used for transportation. The advantages of using these include being better for the environment, but there are drawbacks including negative factors regarding the chemical composition of these fuels.
ReplyDeleteOne major type of alternative energy is hydro power. The benefits of using water include that it is completely clean to the atmosphere. Another benefit is that it is relatively safe to utilize when compared to other energy sources. However, there are several negative aspects of this. It requires a large amount of initial money (to build a dam) and can alter the local landscape. In some cases, rivers can be blocked off; this hurts the fish and wildlife in the area. While there are positives to hydro power and other forms of clean energy, there are also many negatives.
Biofuels are biomass that receives its energy through the absorption of sunlight. Biomasses are organic materials from forests, prairies, marshes, and fisheries that have biodegraded with the help of sunlight and therefore can be used as an energy source. It comes from plants with energy-rich components such as oils, sugars, starches, and lignocellulose. Biofuel is mostly used for the cook stoves of least developed countries as well as for transportation and heat. Biofuels can be transformed in the forms of liquid or gas. Examples of Biofuel include methanol, ethanol, and biodiesel. Specific biofuels used for transportation are methanol and ethanol. These biofuels are an advantage to us because they are available in large quantities and are therefore a more sustainable use of energy, guaranteed to be available for many years to come.
ReplyDeleteEnergy has changed drastically over the course of human history. According to Saifedean H. Ammous, biofuels were our original source of energy before the industrial revolution. Once the steam engine was invented, our new way of life demanded coal for faster and more efficient means of power. Biomass was 90% of our energy source until the early 19th century.
Wind energy is the foremost renewable energy source and would cut carbon emissions significantly if more widely used, but less than 2% of the world’s electricity comes from wind energy. The main reason for this is because many countries don’t have the space for windmills and if there is space, people aren’t willing to give up their backyards for the sake of windmills. Windmills are not only an eyesore, but are also detrimental to bird populations. Another disadvantage to wind energy is that it’s expensive and the technology for it is still immature. Because wind energy needs lots of land in order to efficiently work, by question is, in a land with so much land as the U.S. has, why aren’t there windmills in America? In China, windmills have become quite popular, but other countries haven’t caught on yet.
1. Prior to the industrial revolution in the 18th century most of human energy was the result of biomass. However, following the development of the steam engine and rapid advancements in technology, and manufacturing humans began to consume fossil fuels such as coal and eventually oil. Following the industrial revolution the world economy and population grew at an unprecedented rate; this growth combined with the utilization of electricity, cars, and other modern machines redefined the human lifestyle and made energy a necessity for humans. A biofuel is a fuel which is derived from a source of energy that was recently living (crops, trees, etc.) versus fossil fuel sources which were alive millions of years ago and cannot be renewed by humans. Advantages of using biofuels for transportation are that they burn cleaner, they come from renewable resources, and they are often less expensive than oil. Ethanol is a biofuel which is used widely for transportation demands.
ReplyDelete2. I chose to write about wind energy as my alternative energy source. Wind energy is a well-known source of green electricity and it is a popular option among many environmental groups. Wind energy works through large wind mills being placed in areas that of course typically receive high winds and thus the turbines are turned by the wind to make electricity. Wind energy has positive benefits in that it produces no air pollution and can be used in many different parts of the world. Some of the drawbacks of wind energy are that the technology is not yet 100% reliable, wind turbines are expensive to build, citizens often oppose wind turbines for their unsightly views/vibrations, and wind has trouble competing against more reliable and less expensive fossil fuels. Wind energy obviously faces many challenges but I think it is important to remember that one type of energy in particular will be able to meet the energy demands of the future yet we will have to utilize a combination of energy sources which meet our needs as a whole.
It was bothering me that for the longest time that the only means to energy are coal based fuels. These fuels are used in ever aspect of our countrys transportation. from public transportation, buses , taxis, trains. To the military all vehicles used are run off diesel, or gasoline. Even privately owned cars use gas or diesel fuel. with of technology has boomed, how is it possible that there is not a more consumer friedly way to produce a fuel. I am focusing on transportaion because that is the biggest waste of fuel in the country. there needs to be a way that a combination of electric power, solar power to run transportation. i have only touched on the fuel issuses with transportation.
ReplyDeleteone alternative enegry source i would like to here more about is the magnetic power. i know it is being used on some trains in china, but im curious how it could be used to run a power plant. or could it be used to run a power plant. i feel like this is the most effective allternative energy source, wind power need a breeze, solar power needs the sun, and water turbine needs a current. magnetic's run off the opposing forces so essentially there is no need for outside forces to effect the potential of the energy output. i would like to hear more on this
1.Biomass energy was the major energy source for all of human history until the invention of the steam engine. It began the move towards mass fossil fuel consumption and non-renewable resources. As countries become richer, they tend to use more fossil fuels and less biomass.
ReplyDeleteBiofuels are products of any sort of biomass. In other words, products of anything that is derived or grown naturally.
Biofuels used for transportation are mainly methanol, ethanol, and biodiesel. Though not as efficient as gasoline for larger cars, ethanol and methanol create less pollution and are more sustainable than gasoline.
Switching to biofuel would lessen the tensions in the global community by ending the conflicts over oil prices and territories. Many of the global conflicts of the last few decades have had an underlying intent of securing ties with oil- producing nations. Oil prices present a sticky situation for globalization. Climate change is also catalyzed by incessant fossil fuel consumption and affects the entire planet. As illustrated in the article by Brazil, these changes are feasible and will make the global atmosphere more harmonious and collaborative.
2. According to the article, nuclear energy is the most promising branch of the alternative energy field. I found it interesting that the United States has 104 reactors which provides roughly a fifth of the nation's energy. I had no idea that there was such a presence for nuclear energy. Nuclear plants cost a lot to build but are cheap to run, and it is the only source available all day. A new design (PBR) would be largely self- regulating and leave little room for human error or threats to security. There is always some potential for accident however which makes many people wary of depending too heavily on it.
The invention of the steam engine changed the way that we used energy. The steam engine was ran off of coal. In the 20th century the internal combustion engine was invented and this made a huge movement in the use of oil as a source of energy. I found it very interesting that in 1997 alone, 422 years’ worth of energy that had been absorbed by the earth from the sun. We are now using billion year old reserved fossil fuels. We obviously need other alternatives. A biofuel is any kind of fuel derived from organic matter. Biofuel is unlike nuclear and fossil fuels because it is renewable. It is good to use biofuels for transportation because we can use crops to make the biofuels. We will never run out of crops (like we eventually will with oil). Three main types of biofuels are used today: methanol, ethanol, and biodiesel. Ethanol and methanol can be substituted for gas and the biodiesel can be a substitute for regular diesel.
ReplyDeleteThe alternative energy source I find most interesting is the hydro power. Since I had a mountain house that was ran off of hydroelectric power, I know that it is very effective and reliable. Only on a few occasions was there a time when the power would go out at our mountain house, and at that time we had a backup generator that would automatically switch on once the power went out. A negative aspect of hydro power is a water scarcity that could one day arise in countries. However, hydro power is good for the environment.
Pre-modern history only consisted of the common use of Biomass up until the beginning of the 19th century. The production of the steam engine was the one of the biggest causes that shifted Americas view towards the uses of biofuels. Americans had started to have an itch for energy needs, which put them towards acting on oil. Fossils fuels became Americas crutch for a short while until we realized that most of the resources were not renewable. This is when the switch came to biofuels, it sparked an interest because of how similar it was to how we used biomasses not too far ago in the past. Biofuel is chemical energy of a biorenewable resource that is then converted into a stationary power, such as oil, sugars, starches. The main focus on biofuels though was the convertion of transportation fuel and how renewable it was. Gasoline, Diesel, and jet fuel, all transpired into ethanol, methanol, biodiesel, and synthetic jet fuel. This all greatly benefits our daily life needs through forms of transportation.
ReplyDeleteMagnetic levitation trains are what I think can be one of the more efficient ways for Americans to travel in the near future. The reason why I chose the Maglev trains is not only because it is less wear and tare on regular train tracks, it is cheaper for the average American and it is faster, the reason is because other coutries have already started capitalize on this genius idea. Not only would this benefit just America but it will be more relevant around the word for future ways of transportation. I believe this idea will be in the making sometime soon and can easily be beneficial to this country in many more ways that already know of.
Biofuel is a type of fuel derived from organic material. It is used for energy and obtained by extracting the energy contained in biomass. Biomass may be grown in the form of crops, and practically any organic waste can be converted to biofuel. The most typical biorenewable resources today include forests, fisheries, marshes, and prairies. The technical definition of biofuel is “ a term that refers to any solid, liquid, or gas transportation fuel that is derived from biomass.” A major use of biofuel is that for transportation. The large-scale, global perspective of biofuels today, or at least according to this case study, is that they are a very promising way to wean ourselves off of fossil fuels. Biofuels seem to bride the gap between burning fossil fuels and turning over to alternative forms of energy because the process of turning biomass into biofuel somewhat resembles that of burning fossil fuels for energy. This way, it is a renewable approach and a way to transition into a different approach of obtaining energy. In regard to the changes in obtaining energy over time, the biggest factor was the invention of the steam engine. This is what sparked the widespread use of coal. As a result, more attention was given to fossil fuels, and we developed a huge dependency on them that still exists today. The Internal Combustion Engine turned the energy sector over to oil at the beginning of the twentieth century. Before this use of fossil fuel, biomass and solar energy were the common ways to obtain energy. Biofuel is useful for transportation because it can exist in gaseous form or liquid form. Today, methanol, ethanol, and biodiesel are all types of biofuels used for transportation. This is convenient because these fuels can easily be substituted for gasoline.
ReplyDeleteThe type of energy I chose to explore is wind energy. Wind power is a very promising and clean way to produce energy. However, it is underutilized on a global scale due to the issue of space. Europe tends to have less wind power plants because it is densely populated and forested. The major disadvantages of wind energy have to do with aesthetics. People do not want a huge windmill blocking their view and making noise, even if it is more efficient and sustainable. Another issue is that of wildlife, particularly birds. The blades of the windmills obstruct their vision and cause crashes. Wind energy holds much promise in the United States, but the major issue associated with this is updating the power grid. There is just not enough support to gather the funding necessary to implement this energy on a widespread scale at this time.
Over the years the types of energy we use have changed. Before the industrial resolution few fossil fuels were burnt. Now we are out using our resources for energy. We must switch the type of energy we use. One option would be to switch to a biofuel. A biofuel is a fuel made of organic material. This material can include plants and crops. Many of these fuels are substituted for other fuels for transportation. Many believe that biofuels will help our society to stop using fossil fuels.
ReplyDeleteI believe that solar energy will become more prevalent in the upcoming society. This energy is collected through solar panels. The energy can then be stored and used. It not only can provide cooling for the earth, but can provide energy for the Earth. Each house could have solar panels that would provide enough energy for their house. For the extra energy "solar panel farms" could be placed in fields. Many say that solar would only work when sunny, however some rays always get through and the saved energy could be used. It is completely renewable and could stop the destruction of the Earth. However, there is still research to be done in this area. The panels are constantly becoming more improved as well as ways to transport and store the energy.