1. Sustainable Electric Power Scott Norr, PE EE 1001 September 25, 2012

2. General Electric Commercial for 2009 Superbowl: • “Ecomagination” introducing “Smart Grid” technology • http://fliiby.com/file/251500/afecutko02.html Courtesy of General Electric

3. GE EcomaginationWebsite – Today www.ecomagination.com

4. Electric Power Delivery and Consumption Getting More Complex • More Environmental Issues - SUSTAINABILITY • Greater Population Density • Larger Variety of Sources, Delivery Methods and Loads • Aging Infrastructure Undergoing Life Extension • New Technology Blended with Old – Grid is Already Pretty Smart

5. ELECTRIC DEMAND Demand growing 1% per year in U.S. Source: Energy Information Administration’s Annual Energy Outlook 2012

6. World Energy Consumption US – 5% using 20% of resourses 505 Quad In 2008 Source: Energy Information Administration’s Annual Energy Outlook 2012

7. Electric Generation Changing to Meet Demand • Large, Centralized Plants • Small, Modular, Distributed Plants • Also, Siting Renewable Generation where it makes Sense (and Profit)

8. Large Plants • Environmental Issues • Fossil Fuels • Location/Siting • Outlet Transmission

9. HydroElectric No Longer “Clean Energy” 3 Gorges Dam – China – 20,000 MegaWatts Hoover Dam – US – 2,000 MegaWatts Eoearth.org

10. Large Plants (Cont.) • We’ll See New Ideas for Big Plants: • “Clean Coal” • Wind, • Solar, • Geothermal, • Biomass • Gen IV Nuclear

11. Clean Coal 7.5% Growth in all Coal Gen, 2010 : Total Installed: 340 GW • Coal Gasification (Combined Cycle) - Low Emmissions • Not Dead Yet on Iron Range (Excelsior Energy - Mesaba)

12. WIND25% growth in 2010, 20 GW • Wind Generators currently very popular (Several Thousand MWs in Upper Midwest • More and more Cost Effective (4 - 5 Cents/KWH) • Not a Cure-All - never windy when you need it most • Difficult to Dispatch Source: Town of Hendricks, MN

13. Solar Electricity73% growth in 2010, 10 GW • Photvoltaics • Electricity Directly from Sunlight • Low Conversion efficiency • Fairly High Cost • Solar Potential: • US uses 100 Quad of Energy each year • 38,200 Quad of Solar Energy hits the lower 48 each year • ONLY WHEN THE SUN SHINES …

14. New Solar Ideas: • 3-D PhotoVoltaic Cells • New Breakthroughs in Nano-Materials greatly increase the surface area of a Solar Cell and its ability to catch reflected light • Theoretically 50%-70% efficient • Very High Cost • Solar Concentrators • Simple Idea used in Space – Collect More Sunlight for your Existing Cells - Solar Electric AND Solar Thermal

15. Geothermal2% Growth in 2010, 10.9GW • Extract Hot Water from the Earth • Use the Hot Water or Flash to Steam • Currently 2700 MW capacity in US • Capacity growing at 5% worldwide (5yr Avg) • Excellent Idea for Home Use – Ground Source Heat Pumps

16. Binary-Cycle Plant (Geothermal)

17. Nuclear ….IT’S BACK…Or Is It? • Updated LWR Designs are being permitted • March 11, 2011 – Earthquake in Japan, leading to nuclear reactor meltdown • Next Generation Nuclear Reactors (Gen IV) • Modular (example: 25 MW Modules), add more modules to make a bigger plant • Fuel Flexible – Uranium, Thorium (More abundant resource) • A Promising Design: Pebble-Bed Modular Reactor • Temperature moderated with Helium or Nitrogen • Fuel encased in pebbles – ‘safe’, easy to handle

18. Pebble-Bed Reactor Source: Black and Veatch

19. Levelized Electricity Costs for New Plants,2015 and 2030 Incremental Transmission Costs Variable Costs, Including Fuel Fixed Costs Capital Costs 2015 2030 Source: EIA Annual Energy Outlook 2007

20. Houston, We Have a Storage Problem: Renewables are not “Dispatchable” Courtesy of Tom Ferguson If we could Store energy when available for use when it’s not….

21. Energy Storage Technology:We’re not ready yet Source: Haresh Kamath, EPRI PEAC

22. DEMAND SIDE • Conservation Through: Market Pricing Efficient Products

23. Market Pricing • Energy Prices becoming De-Regulated • New Equipment to Automate Pricing: • Smart Meters • Smart Appliances

24. Smart Meters • Talks to Electric Company • Talks to Consumer About Hourly Prices and Consumption • Tells Appliances what current Price is • Shops Around for a Better Rate? Source: Electric Power Research Institute and Freefoto.com

25. Efficient Products • Smart Appliances run only when energy is cheapest, talk to each other and to the Electric Utility • Passive Solar Thermal Designs and Devices • Energy Efficient Home Designs

26. Sustainability • More than Conservation • More than Smart Energy Use • Being Responsible with ALL resources and Preserving Them for the Future • “7th Generation”

27. Sustainability at UMD www.d.umn.edu/sustain/

28. CONCLUSIONS New Social Pressures and New Technologies are both changing and complicating the way we convert and use energy In a World with 7 Billion People (9 Billion by 2030), We have to become more mindful of How and Why We Use Energy. (http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/longrange2/WorldPop2300final.pdf)

29. WEB References • National Renewable Energy Labs • http://www.nrel.gov/ • Electric Power Research Institute • http://www.epri.com/ • US Dept. of Energy • http://www.energy.gov/ • Energy Information Association • http://www.eia.doe.gov/