Renewable Energy 1

Systems
Buchla, Kissell, Floyd

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
Chapter Outline

Energy Sources 1
Renewable Energy Systems
Buchla, Kissell, Floyd

1-1 FOSSIL FUELS: OIL, COAL AND NATURAL GAS

1-2 NUCLEAR ENERGY
1-3 THE SOLAR RESOURCE
1-4 THE WIND RESOURCE
1-5 GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES
1-6 HYDROELECTRIC RESOURCES
1-7 BIOMASS AND BIOFUEL RESOURCES

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-1 Fossil Fuels: oil, coal and natural gas

Major fossil fuels are:

• Coal
• Petroleum
• Natural Gas

All fossil fuels are considered to

be non-renewable resources
because they are being
consumed at a much faster
rate than they are replenished.

© Fatman73/Fotolia
Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-1 Fossil Fuels: oil, coal and natural gas

( Source: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Reproduced by

permission.)
4
Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-1 Fossil Fuels: oil, coal and natural gas

Coal is a hydrocarbon that formed from ancient

plant life that was buried and subjected to heat
and pressure. It formed into a organic peat in a
process called diagenesis.
Types of coal:

Heating value

lignite subbituminous bituminous anthracite

Moisture content

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-1 Fossil Fuels: oil, coal and natural gas

Petroleum (oil) was formed from organic sediments

in a two step-process:
1. Compaction and heat into a waxy material
known as kerogen and a black tar-like
material called bitumen.
2. Further chemical and physical change in a
process called catagenesis.

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-1 Fossil Fuels: oil, coal and natural gas

Natural gas is trapped underground in reservoirs.

The primary constituent of natural gas is methane,
the simplest hydrocarbon. The chemical formula
for methane is CH4.

The chemical reaction that occurs in

burning methane is:
CH 4  2O2  CO 2  2H 2O  Energy

The equation shows that for one molecule

of CH4, two molecules of O2 combine with it
to form one molecule of CO2 and two
molecules of water.
Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-1 Fossil Fuels: oil, coal and natural gas

The relative weights of the reactants is just the

molecular weight of each substance:
Carbon = 12.0 g, Hydrogen = 1.0 g, Oxygen = 16.0 g

Determine the molecular weights of the molecules

in the reaction CH 4  2O2  CO 2  2H 2O  Energy

CH4 = 12.0 + 4(1.0) = 16.0

O2 = 2(16.0) = 32.0
CO2 = 12.0 + 2(16.0) = 44.0
H2O = 2(1.0) + 16.0 = 18.0

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-1 Fossil Fuels: oil, coal and natural gas

Determine the weight of CO2 produced if one ton

of methane is burned. The reaction is
CH 4  2O2  CO 2  2H 2O  Energy

Start by putting the molecular weights below each

reactant, and multiply each weight by the number of
molecules shown in the equation.
Set up a proportion with CH4 on the left and CO2 on
the right. Solve for the weight of CO2:

x = 2.75 tons
Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-1 Fossil Fuels: oil, coal and natural gas

Environmental effects of fossil fuels are:

• Release of CO2 and pollutants such as sulfur, arsenic,
lead, and mercury
• Acidification of lakes and streams from sulfur dioxide
• Issues with obtaining fuels including spills and ash
releases.

© Leonid Ikan/Fotolia
10

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
 1-1 Fossil Fuels: oil, coal and natural gas

Another environmental disaster that has not received

much attention is coal seam fires. These underground
fires have been started by both natural means and
humans but are estimated to account for 3% of the
world’s industrial carbon emissions may come from
these fires.

One fire in India has been burning since 1916 and has
consumed an estimated 37 million tons of coal. Fires
like this have a huge impact on pollution, land
subsidence, and destruction of wildlife habitat.

11

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David
© 2015 by Pearson Higher Buchla | Thomas
Education, Inc. Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-2 Nuclear Energy

Nuclear energy accounts for about 8.7% of the world

energy supply. Nuclear reactors derive power from the
stored binding energy of the nucleus.

Think of binding energy as the energy

required to break apart the nucleus.

12

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-2 Nuclear Energy

From the binding

energy curve, there
are two conclusions
that can be drawn:
1. If a heavy nucleus is broken apart in a process
called fission, the resulting nucleus will have a
greater binding energy per nucleon.
2. If two light elements below iron are joined together
in a process called fusion, the new nucleus will
have greater binding energy per nucleon.
13

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-2 Nuclear Energy

Currently, all reactors that produce useful energy use

the fission process in which the release of neutrons
keeps the process going in a chain reaction.

14

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-2 Nuclear Energy

A basic pressurized water reactor (PWR) uses the

standard Rankine cycle to convert heat energy to
mechanical motion.

15

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-2 Nuclear Energy

Fusion reactors offer promise for the future with unlimited

fuel (from water) but have been notoriously difficult to
build. There are two approaches to building a fusion
reactor:

http://home.doe.gov/articles/lab-breakthrough-neutron-science-fusion-mission
1. Inertial method in which pellets
of fuel are dropped into
container and compressed to
ignition temperatures using
lasers
2. Containment of a super hot
plasma that has the reaction.
To date the most successful
design is a large Tokamak An artist rendition of a Tokamak
reaction chamber 16
design.
Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-2 Nuclear Energy

17
The ITER Tokamak fusion reactor (Courtesy of ITER organization)
Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
 1-2 Nuclear Energy

Environmental effects for all fission reactors include

potential and actual accidents and radioactive
waste disposal requiring very long term storage.

Water can dissolve and

transport radionuclides. By
locating waste in zones well
above the water table, water
transport of waste can be
avoided.

A double walled container for transportation and storage has a canister

with a basket assembly for spent fuel rods (end view). The canister is
surrounded by a double-walled container. Source: NREL

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-3 The Solar Resource

The solar spectrum includes a visible region and

energy above and below the visible region.
At the top of the atmosphere, the spectrum is:

19

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-3 The Solar Resource

The solar constant (in W/m2)can be calculated from

the sun’s power out by applying the inverse square
law. The solar constant is the energy per square meter
per day at the outer edge of the atmosphere. The
amount that reaches the earth’s surface is less
because some is absorbed and some is reflected.

20

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-3 The Solar Resource

The radiation reaching the earth's surface is given in

three different ways:
1. Global horizontal irradiance (GHI) is the total amount
of shortwave radiation received on a horizontal surface
2. Direct normal irradiance (DNI) is the portion of GHI
that comes in a straight line from the sun
3. Diffuse horizontal irradiance (DHI) is that portion of
radiation that arrives at the surface from indirect paths.
The GHI value includes both the direct and diffuse
irradiance. Both direct radiation and diffuse
irradiance is useful for solar applications like flat plate
collectors, but only direct radiation can be focused
using concentrating collectors. 21

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-3 The Solar Resource

A map of the average annual solar resource for the

U.S.:

Source: NREL
Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-3 The Solar Resource

A map of the average annual solar resource for the

world:

Source: Courtesy of 3TIER.

23

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-3 The Solar Resource

Environmental effects of solar energy are:

• Manufacturing including certain hazardous materials
• Disposal of panels when life of the product is over
• Certain types of solar installations have water
requirements
• Land use issues
• Effect on wildlife

Source: David Buchla

24

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-4 The Wind Resource

Global patterns of winds are driven by three primary

air cells in each hemisphere: The tropical cell, the
mid-latitude cell, and the polar cell.

When the earth’s rotation is

taken into account, the
winds are deflected by the
Coriolis force that adds an
east-west component to
the movement of the air in
the global air cells.

In the U.S., the best wind resources are on the coasts, the Great 25
Lakes and the Midwest as shown in the following slide:
Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-4 The Wind Resource

Source: NREL
26

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-4 The Wind Resource

A map of the wind resource for the world:

Source:3TIER
27

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-4 The Wind Resource

Offshore winds are generally higher because of the

clear path free of buildings and land masses.
The offshore resource is
frequently near population
centers, minimizing transmission
issues.
Some countries with the best
offshore wind resources are the
UK, Ireland, Italy, the Philippines,
Japan, and parts of the United
Source: NREL

States.

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-4 The Wind Resource

Environmental issues:
• Land use and visual “eyesore”
• Structures may create hazard for small aircraft
• Noise
• Bird strikes
• Additional power line infrastructure

Source: David Buchla

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-5 Geothermal Resources

Geothermal is heat generated within the earth primarily

from radioactive decay. The best resources are along
tectonic boundaries where it can be used for driving
steam generators and provide baseline power.

30

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-5 Geothermal Resources

Low quality geothermal heat

is available in most parts of
the world and can be used
for geothermal heat pumps
(GHP) to provide heat or air
conditioning. These are
systems that work on a basic
refrigeration cycle using heat
in the ground as a basic
resource.

Source: NREL
Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-5 Geothermal Resources

Plate tectonics is a geological theory that explains how

the earth’s surface moves and changes over time. The
outer surface of the earth is divided into plates that
form the lithosphere. The best spots for geothermal
energy tend to be near plate boundaries.

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-5 Geothermal Resources

In the U.S., the best geothermal sites tend to be in the

west as shown on the geothermal resource map.

Source: NREL
Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-5 Geothermal Resources

Environmental effects of Geothermal plants

• Low gaseous emissions including a small amount
of CO2
• Can have high volume of water requirements
• Water injection into ground to replace ground
water
• Very minor earthquakes (“micro-quakes”)

Source: NREL
34

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
34
1-6 Hydroelectric Resources

Hydroelectric resources broadly covers any source that

converts the energy in moving or falling water into
electricity. As such, the water is considered to be a
prime mover.
Water is used to
generate electricity
primarily by trapping it
behind dams and
releasing it to turn
turbines as it is needed.
Flowing water in rivers,
streams, and tides are
also used to a smaller 35
extent. Source: http://www.usbr.gov/mp/2010_accomp_rpt/highlights/index.html

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-6 Hydroelectric Resources

The location of hydroelectric power plants in the U.S.

principally is in mountainous regions.

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-6 Hydroelectric Resources

In addition to large storage dams, there are dams used

in rivers in systems called run of the river systems (ROR).
In a few coastal locations, a tidal barrage dam is used
to trap water from tides and generate power by
releasing it through turbines.

Ocean waves and natural

current from tides have been
used to generate power in some
areas, but overall have been a
small part of the energy mix.

Source: NREL
Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-6 Hydroelectric Resources

There is a tremendous reservoir of low quality heat in

the oceans. Warm surface waters can boil ammonia,
which is condensed by deeper cold water to drive a
turbine.

This technology is called

Ocean Thermal Energy
Conversion (OTEC) and
there is interest in
developing the technology.

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-6 Hydroelectric Resources

Environmental issues with dams:

• Silting problems filling in reservoirs and depriving
farmlands of the renewing effects of silt.
• Water quality and flow are affected
• Loss of fish habitat and upsetting natural
migration patterns
• Loss of scenic and wild rivers and loss of useful
land for reservoirs.

Source: David Buchla

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-7 Biomass and Biofuel Resources

Biomass fuels are fuels derived from organic matter

and they comprise the largest segment of the
renewable energy sector. Examples of biofuels are:
• wood chips
• waste from the paper industry
• agricultural waste
• organic and food waste
• various crops grown for fuels

One use for biofuels is to co-

fire it with coal in electrical
power stations to alleviate
some of their CO2 emissions.
Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-7 Biomass and Biofuel Resources

For the U.S., the crop residue resource map is:

Source: NREL
Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-7 Biomass and Biofuel Resources

Liquid biofuels include ethanol, produced from grains

such as corn. An ethanol plant:

Poet Bio Refining

An ethanol plant. Principle steps are:1) offloading 2) grinding
3) treatment with sulfuric acid to decompose into sugars
4) fermentation 5) storage of fuel
Biodiesel is another biofuel made from vegetable oil, animal fat, or
cooking grease that is combined with alcohol.
Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
1-7 Biomass and Biofuel Resources

Environmental effects of energy crops:

• Reduced biodiversity and loss of wildlife habitat
particularly as farmers plant more pristine lands
for energy crops
• Increased water requirements for irrigation and
processing, particularly with ethanol production
• Increased use of pesticides and fertilizers which
has significantly increased nitrate levels in rivers
and streams and affected drinking water
• Replacement of farmland that was used for
food crops with production of ethanol.
There are some positive benefits for growing certain

Source: NREL
biofuels, especially with switch grass and tree farming,
Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
 Selected Key Terms

Biomass Organic material that is commonly used for fuels

for heating, power generation or making liquid
fuels useful in transportation

Catagenesis The cracking process that results in the

conversion of kerogens into hydrocarbons
including natural gas and oil.

Diagenesis The process of converting constituents to a

different product through application of heat
and pressure.

Diffuse The portion of global horizontal irradiance that

horizontal comes in a indirectly (scattered radiation) from
irradiance the sun.

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
 Selected Key Terms

Direct normal The portion of global horizontal irradiance that

irradiance comes in a straight line from the sun.

Ethanol The primary biofuel used as a gasoline additive

and is a type of alcohol.

Kerogen A mixture of organic chemical that are part of

the organic matter in sedimentary rocks.

Solar constant The power emitted by the sun that falls on 1

square meter. It is generally cited as 1368 W/m2.

Tokamak A fusion reactor used by researchers to

investigate properties of plasmas with the goal
leading to a fusion energy reactor that can be
used for electrical power generation.
Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
 true/false quiz

1. The primary use of coal is for

industrial heat.

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
 true/false quiz

2. The formation of coal into an

organic peat is called diagenesis.

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
 true/false quiz

3. Burning any fossil fuel releases CO2.

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
 true/false quiz

4. The major issue with nuclear power is

the large amount of cooling water
required.

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
 true/false quiz

5. The fuel for future fusion reactors is

CO2.

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
 true/false quiz

6. The solar spectrum refers only to

visible light.

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
 true/false quiz

7. The Coriolis force adds an east-west

component to the movement of the
air in the global air cells.

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
 true/false quiz

8. Hydroelectric resources are

concentrated in mountainous
regions.

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
 true/false quiz

9. Geothermal heat pumps cannot be

used for cooling.

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
 true/false quiz

10. Biomass burning can help electrical

power stations to alleviate some of
their CO2 emissions

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved
 true/false quiz

Answers:
1.F 6.F
2.T 7.T
3.T 8.T
4.F 9.F
5.F 10. T

Renewable Energy Systems Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.

David Buchla | Thomas Kissell | Thomas Floyd All Rights Reserved