Gas to Energy and the Sao Joao Landfill

Arial View of Sao Joao Landfill 

Unfortunately, I caught a cold and was unable to attend the trip to the Sao Joao landfill.  This landfill is one of the largest in all of Brazil, collecting the 15,000 ton daily trash production of Sao Paulo.  The landfill is an exploratory project in alternative energy generation, producing energy through the combustion of methane gas.  It is currently at full operational capacity and has 24.64 MW of installed capacity spread among 16 turbine-generator systems.  The project consumes a fair amount of energy, and some energy loss is expected during transmission to the grid.  Thus, about 20.9 MW of energy will be transmitted to the Sao Paulo grid after the transmission lines are commissioned.

Generator Room at Sao Joao

There are also environmental and social implications to this project.  Methane gas that would normally contribute to greenhouse gas emissions is now combusted and thus destroyed.  This is done through what is referred to as a LFG (landfill gas) recovery system.  There are also stacks included in the plant design to burn of leftover methane, further preventing emissions.  The link below contains formulas for verifying the greenhouse gas reduction potential of the landfill.  In terms of social value, construction of the plant provided temporary jobs for workers in the area.

Schematic of Methane Gas Energy and LFG Recovery System

The gas is collected from the ground and taken through a condensate knockout step.  This removes water and other contaminates to prepare the gas for use as a fuel.  If the amount of gas coming from the landfill is greater than the generator capacity, the gas is burned of via flare stacks.  This is done rather than retaining the gas because buildup can cause the landfill to explode.  Compressors and coolers are also utilized to condense the gas to a level usable by the internal combustion engines.  

http://cdm.unfccc.int/filestorage/8/O/0/8O01DQS97FACYKBE6LJWNUGVX52ZPM/PDD.PDF?t=RkN8bXFtNzM0fDCrFXbzW35ZMKwT7ufAjtC3     

Lecture from Dr. Milton Flávio Lautenschlager-Sub Secretary of Renewable Energy

On the 23rd we received a lecture from Dr. Milton Lautenschlager, Sub Secretary of Renewable Energy for Sao Paulo State. He is a PhD in experimental surgery, and is also a state representative. Early in the lecture, he stated his goal as Sub Secretary is to make Sao Paulo 69% renewable energy dependent by 2020.

Moreover, this goal is a moving target, because the developmental of Sao Paulo will continue to progress. One idiom that Lautenschlager shared with us is "Sao Paulo is the locomotive of the train", signifying that the state is the driving force behind Brazil's economy. He supported this claim with several statistics. For example, Sao Paulo produces 33% of the national GDP, contains, 22% of the total population, and has a 50% higher GDP per capita compared to the rest of the country. Due to Sao Paulo's importance to the Brazilian economy, the state must not be allowed to stagnate developmentally if Brazil is to progress as a whole. This is why Lautenschlager's goal must account for a growing energy supply demand for Sao Paulo state.

Dr. Milton Lautenschlager

Dr. Lautenschlager then went on to outline his strategy for obtaining this goal. The plan relies on three pillars; biomass, wind, and solar energy. In his opinion, hydraulic energy potential has already been fully tapped for the state. Something I found very impressive about this multi-faceted solution is that it is conducive to consistency. When precipitation begins to decline in April, it has a negative effect on hydroelectric energy production. Fortunately, this coincides with the biomass harvest season, which makes up the deficit. Solar energy production peaks in September right before biomass energy production begins to decline. Wind power remains fairly consistent over the course of the year. I found this diversified plan and the statistics proving its benefits to really impressive.

Renewable Energy Generation by Month Directly from Dr. Lautenschlager's Presentation

Sao Paulo is already heavily reliant on biomass. 10.6% of the world energy production comes from biomass sources. Brazil receives 17% of its total energy from biomass, while Sao Paulo generates a whopping 33% of its energy from this source. It is Lautenschlager's conviction that expanding the biomass profile will require cooperation on all levels; the government must produce the policies, agricultural sectors must designate the land, and industry must produce the energy from the biomass.

Currently, Sao Paulo is recycling bagasse by combustion. This means they are simply burning the material to power steam engines. One scientific endevour explored by Sao Paulo is converting this bagasse to sugar, and then by fermentation to ethanol for transportation purposes. Also, there is a plan in the works to expand the biomass profile beyond bagasse by combusting / converting the peels of citrus fruits.

One student asked Lautenschlager if biomass is cutting into the food supply of Sao Paulo. He says this problem is not apparent (as with United States corn-ethanol production) because bagasse is a byproduct and Brazil already has extensive agricultural areas. My question to Dr. Lautenschlager was if he sees biomass as being always the key pillar to Sao Paulo's alternative energy production. I found his response quite amusing; "God is Brazilian, but I am not a prophet". In other words, he has no ability to predict these thing, affirming the need to invest in all alternative energy options. However, Brazil continues to be a country on the cutting edge of biomass utilization and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future.

  Total Energy Production for the World, Brazil, and Sao Paulo

A vast majority of Brazil's wind energy potential is situated in the north-eastern region of the country. However, Lautenschlager's team has been able to identify three areas where wind energy utilization is feasible. These three areas are Sorocaba, Bauru, and Campinas. Each area has its challenges and benefits. For example, Sorocaba is isolated from the Sao Paulo energy grid network, and an estimated 10% loss of energy would occur in transfer. In Campinas, which is an urban area, the price and availability of land is the main issue.

SoliClima Solar Water Heater

The solar energy potential of Sao Paulo is greater than that of the entire country of Germany, yet this potential is far from being utilized. The opportunities to use solar energy is focused in the north-western regions of Sao Paulo. Lautenschlager's strategy also includes using solar energy on the local level. In other words, buildings will be fit with solar panels for their own energy consumption. Lower income areas are being targeted for solar-thermal, which directly converts sunlight to heat from the water supply. Their are other sets of criteria for being on the solar energy target list. For example, buildings that have high roof surface area but low energy consumption could supply energy to the grid while fulfilling their requirements. These include supermarkets and the fast food supply chain Habib's. Public parks could also be explored as an option. Lautenschlager believes that success stories in these target areas will increase the public support and awareness of solar panels as an alternative energy option. One student brought up the question of who will pay for the solar panels on the FIFA stadiums. Lautenschlager says that only time will tell, and that asking for public money in the presence of the protests is unthinkable.

Solar Panels on Maracana Stadium 

Dr. Lautenschlager also covered biogas production and remaining untapped hydroelectric in his presentation.  He candidly denounced hydraulic fracturing for natural gas as a solution to Brazil's energy demands.  As a land of rivers, Brazil contains a large portion of the world's potable water shelf.  Lautenschlager sees contaminating this as an enormous moral crime.  He also boldly stated that the United States should serve as a warning to other countries not to do this.  This was a popular opinion among my peers, as we have all seen the Gasland documentary.

The Pinheiros River in Sao Paulo

To conclude his presentation, Dr. Lautenschlager opened the floor for questions. After an hour or so of answering our inquiries, he complimented us on the number of questions we asked.  He said that he doesn't remember ever answering so many questions, and that this is the best thing that could happen to a professor.  

To follow up, he asked us what we thought about his alternative energy plans and the current state of alternative energy in general.  My response that was as Americans, who rely mostly on imports, natural gas, and other environmentally unfriendly fuels, we are thoroughly impressed.  Lautenschlager replied that, for the sake of the truth, the Pinheiros river is as contaminated as it is today because the hydroelectric plant reduced the flow of the river.  This comment really impressed me; politicians get a bad reputation, and having a state representative point out an unfortunate truth when he could have otherwise brushed it under the rug was surprising and reassuring.  The alternative energy future of Sao Paulo is in good hands, and I look forward to seeing how the state progresses over the next few years.

 

  

Mercado Municipal Paulistano

Mercado Municipal Paulistano

Caju-Cashew Fruit from which Cashew Nut is Wrought 

Abacaxi Cristalizado-Candied Pineapple

I bought several candied fruits from a stand called Banco Do Ramon.  The only one I recognized was pineapple.  Candied pineapple has a slightly tougher exterior with an sort of fibrous center.  It has a slight pineapple taste and is not overwhelmingly sugary.

Amendoa Confeitura Prata-Chocolate & Silver Covered Almonds

I bought 4 of these for 2 Reais at a stand with a variety of nuts.  When I first tried to bite it I wasn't totally sure it was food.  I later discovered you have to suck the silver poisoning off the exterior and bite into it with your back teeth.  They did in fact taste like metal but weren't too bad.  I would recommend these sem prata...  

Rambutans-Lichas 

These fruits are red and covered with spiny protrusions that make them look like land urchins.  These spins are not sharp and you have to peel the skin off.  The salesperson did this by spinning it through a knife.  

Open Licha

The fruit of the Rambutan is very similar to a grape, but maybe a little sweeter. It is gummy with a pit on the inside. I recommend these and bought 5 for R$ 5.

Nespera-Loquat

Granadilla-Similar to a Pomegranate

Roxo Mangosteen-Purple Mangosteen 

Mangosteen has a purple skin that has to be cut off.  Inside is a white gelatinous fruit with pits.  It was very sweet and I would recommend them.  The salesperson let us try them por gratis.

Rosellia (phonetically)-Red Berries

These berries had a very earthy/grassy taste with a cranberry sour aftertaste.  I got the platter of them for R$ 15 and I think they were my favorite fruit from the mercado.

Linguica-Pepperoni

I'm not sure if this meat was either linguica or pepperoni.  It was spicier than both with allot of fat chunks in it. The samples were chewy but would probably be a good addition to mortadella sandwiches.

Salada de Fruita (Pote Pequeno)-Fruit Salad (Small Bowl)

This was served to us with condensed milk for R$ 3.  There were kiwi, mango, strawberries, and several other anonymous fruits.  It was very good and probably easy to make yourself. 

Hydroelectric Power-Henry Borden Power Plant

Henry Borden Power Plant-Generator House and Water Feed Pipes

In my opinion, the Henry Borden Power Plant was the most interesting excursion thus far.  The tour started with a brief history of the plant, along with a schematic description of the elevations used in the design.  The plant receives its energy from the natural height of the Tiete River. 

Smaller Scale Model of Turbine Apparatus

Smaller Scale Model of Turbine and Generator

An interesting Fluid Transport principle was used in the design for the turbine injector nozzles.  The cross sectional area of the pipe is decreased just before reaching the turbines.  This increases the flow rate of the stream due to the conservation of matter.  It also increases the pressure of the water just before it hits the turbine blades.

  Injector Needle Visible

The nozzle itself has a pointed needle sticking out of it.  This directs the flow of water into a straight line due to adhesion to the needles surface.  The water molecules want to hug the surface of the needle, and thus the water shoots like a jet off the point of the needle.

Actual Size Injector 

I was really interested in the shape of the turbine blades.  We did a classroom exercise where we designed turbines, and the question of optimal blade shape was considered.  The blades are concave, and I am assuming this is to catch as much water as possible.  The blades also include a pointed slant in the center.  I am guessing that this is to allow water to drip off the blade.  Once the energy in the water is spent, it would be undesirable to let the stagnant water sit in the blade cup.  This is because it would absorb some of the energy and cut the rotor efficiency.  I think optimizing the exact geometry of the blades could be an interesting way to improve hydroelectric technology.

Actual Size of One Turbine Blade

 Point on Turbine Blade

 Turbines (Not in Use)

 Turbines (Not in Use)

 

Generator and Turbine In Use

Hydraulic Fluid and Lubricant Tank

Jump-Starter System for Turbine Activation

Control Panel and Gauges

Close up of Penstocks

Entrance to The Cave

The second area of the power plant is referred to as “The Cave”.  During a revolt against the federal government in 1920, the military attempted to bomb the power plant.  This is because it is a strategic energy generation site for Sao Paulo.  The Cave was designed as a back-up power plant that would be less susceptible to bombings.  However, the revolt ended before it could be built for this purpose.  Instead, The Cave was built three decades later in order to satisfy higher energy demands as well as unemployment issues.

Generator in The Cave

Turbine in The Cave

Hydraulic Fluid and Lubricant in The Cave

In a presentation on Monday, I attempted to calculate the height of the damn using the flowrate and an estimated turbine efficiency. 

• Given: P=880 MW power (8.8*10^8 Watts), Flowrate=395 cubic meters/s
• Formula: P=phrgk
• Assumptions: k=.4 (40% efficient turbines)

• 8.8x10^8=1000*h*395*9.8*.4

• h=568.32 m =.35 miles=5.2 football fields with end zones

The actual height of the damn is however 718.5 meters. I can now use this number to calculate the actual efficiency of the turbine-generator systems.

• 8.8x10^8=1000*718.5*395*9.8*.k
• k=.316 or 31.6% efficient
This can also be expressed as 2.2 MW of power / cubic meter

EnerSolar Brazil Conference

I spent a fair amount of time looking through the presentation by Ecoprogetti.  Ecoprogetti is an Italian based company that sells solar panel production lines.  They are hoping to sell several manufacturing systems in Brazil, thus decreasing the country’s dependence on imported panels.  Personally I hope Brazilians invest in these production line systems, because tariffs on imported panels seem to be a major hindrance on solar voltaic development in this country. The piece of machinery on display was a quality control system used to test solar panels after manufacturing is complete.  A panel is placed face down over a series of LEDs, and a computer measures the amount of energy from the LED absorbed by the panel.  Unfortunately I was not permitted to take a photograph.

Power Inverter by Kehua Technologies

Another piece of technology that I continued to come across at the convention is power inverters.  These systems take the DC current from the solar panel and convert it to AC current.  This allows the energy to be fed into the grid, thus making net metering possible.  Net metering is a process that allows consumers to sell their excess solar energy to power companies.  Optimizing power inverters is an effective way of increasing solar panel system efficiency overall.

1KW Wind Generator for Residential Use

During our visit to CPFL Energia, we learned that the company is integrating wind power with photovoltaic power.  A few of the solar panel companies had wind turbines on display to demonstrate that they are following the same strategy.  Discovering which wind systems work best with which photovoltaic systems in what regions is a key element of optimizing alternative energy generation.

Flex Fuel Engine Production-Bosch Engineering

Robert Bosch GmbH is a company that develops flex fuel engines.  Flex fuel engines are engines that seamlessly utilize different binary mixtures of gasoline and ethanol.  In Brazil, the mixture is anywhere from E22 (22% ethanol) to E100.  In the United States, Flex Fuel engines are designed to run from E0 (no ethanol) to E85.

Bosch carries out calibrations on the engines to determine the amount of fuel injection needed as a function of ethanol content in the fuel (and of course, the engine being used).  This process starts in a Dyno room that spins the engine electronically.  Air is pulled from outside the testing room and fed directly into the system.  Emissions are also measured to help check the combustion efficiency.  The engine is then mounted in a car and taken to a cold room.  The cold room includes rotating cylinders on the floor that turn the wheels and simulate driving.  Here, the temperature can be brought down as low as -20°C.  This allows the engineers to verify that the engine will start in colder temperatures.  Afterwards, the car is brought to another room where a fan capable of simulating 120 km/h driving speeds blows air directly into the car intake.  This is the final step before taking the car to the test track.

The purpose of all these tests is to calibrate the engine.  Adjustments need to be made in the electrical logic systems of the engine in order to make sure fuel injection rate is correct for the fuel mixture being used.  After this programming, sensors in the gasoline tank or in the exhaust outlet tell the computer what fuel injection rate is appropriate.  Without this step, the engine may backfire. 

This brings up an interesting economic-societal aspect of the design process.  The ethanol content gauge in the fuel tank was deemed too expensive for the Brazilian market.  An acceptable amount of these engines could not be sold with enough overhead to Brazilian customers.  Bosch’s solution was to integrate the exhaust sensor into the computer system, allowing the program to back-calculate the ethanol content.  This calculation is based on combustion reaction stoichiometry.  In the United States however, many customers see this method as fallible, and prefer to pay for the fuel tank sensor.  

Another interesting difference between the United States and Brazil is awareness of flex fuel engines.  About 2/3 of US customers with flex fuel engines are not aware that they have the capacity to use ethanol fuels.  The engineers at Bosch believe that increased awareness will lead to more pumping stations across America.  This in turn will increase flex fuel vehicle sales.

One key challenge that Bosch has solved is known as “Cold Starts”.  Ethanol is more difficult to evaporate than petroleum.  This means that at cold temperatures ethanol-petroleum mixtures would not achieve the required vaporization with conventional fuel injection designs. 

Fuel Injection Quality

Bosch’s first solution was to use pure gasoline injection on start-up, then allow heat from the engine to fix the ethanol evaporation problem.  However, this required customers to keep a reserve tank of pure gasoline in their vehicle.  The new solution is a heating manifold that heats the gasoline-petroleum mixture just before injection.  This vaporizes enough of the ethanol to start the car in cold climates.

Example of a Fuel Injector-Metal Bar is Heating Element

A key selling point for Bosch is that flex fuel engines give off less greenhouse gas emissions.  This is based on the fact that the ethanol molecule has fewer carbon atoms than the octane molecule, resulting in less carbon dioxide product.  This shows how environmental factors coupled with social awareness can be economically beneficial for a corporation.

During the presentation, a concept from my Transport Principles class was brought up.  A question was posed as to whether or not switching from one ethanol content to another (ex. using E22 and then E85) would shock the system.  The answer was that the computer waits for the piping to reach steady state in the fuel lines.  Also, mixing within the fuel lines causes the effective ethanol content to change over time rather than instantaneously.  The system only calculates the ethanol content about 3 minutes after start-up.  This makes sense because ethanol content will not change while the customer is driving, only after visiting fuel stations.

Links:

http://www.bosch-engineering.de/de/de/home/startpage.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Bosch_GmbH#Locations

Photovoltaic Power Plant-CPFL Energia

On Tuesday we visited CPFL Energia in Campinas, Brazil.  CPFL Energia is the largest privately owned power generation company in the country.

Panel Pose-Outside the Control Room of the Power Station

Antonio Roberto Donadon (Innovative Technology Analyst and Director of Innovative Strategy) did an exceptional job of presenting both general information and in depth technical detail.  One interesting tidbit he shared with us was the concept of integrating solar power with wind power.  This is based on the idea that windy days are usually cloudy and sunny days are rarely windy.  So, one technology can compensate for the other when conditions are less than optimal (ex. wind power generation on cloudy days).

The photovoltaic plant we visited had an experimental aspect to it.  There were two types of panels being compared; amorphous silicon and polycrystalline silicon.  The amorphous configuration has a 9% conversion rate, while the polycrystalline silicon modules achieve about 15%.  However, the benefit to using amorphous silicon plates is consistency; polycrystalline models do not perform as well in very high temperature weather.  Overall, Donadon’s conviction was that the polycrystalline version is the most beneficial.

The panels also have two types of configurations.  There are stationary mountings that are always at the same angle, and tracking system mountings that follow the path of the sun from east to west.  In Donadon’s opinion, the tracking system is well worth extra investment and operation costs in terms of energy output. Several rows of solar panels are all rotated by a single (US Manufactured) motor, no larger than a lab scale vacuum pump.  This was a really impressive innovative feature.

Motor for the Tracking System Mounts

Donadon also provided us with some economic information regarding supply chain in Brazil.  The panels themselves are imported from China because Brazil does not currently have the manufacturing capacity necessary to meet their demands.  Unfortunately, importing these panels incurs huge import tariffs for the company.  It would be encouraging to see Brazil expand its solar panel production capacity within the next five years.

Gasland: How is this legal?

1.  Do you think the Halliburton added the exemption clause to the Clean Water Act with the knowledge that there process was harmful to the environment?

2.  Are you skeptical of any of the information presented by Josh Fox?  Do you think he has motivations outside of being a whistle-blower or that he skewed some of the information?

3.  How do you feel about the Pennsylvania politician's conviction that there is no clean solution to the energy problem?  Is shale gas a necessary evil in order to reduce our dependency on foreign oil?  Would it be worthwhile to develop environmentally friendly adaptations of fracking, or is the process inherently dangerous / insolvable?

Brazilian and United States Energy Policies

United States Energy Policies:

The Significant New Alternatives Policy Program (SNAP) is an Environmental Protection Agency undertaking to reduce United States Chlorofluorocarbon (CFCs) emissions.  This program gives the EPA the authority to compile lists of ozone-depleting substances to be phased out of industrial practices such as air conditioning and aerosols.  Furthermore, the EPA will publish lists of alternative chemicals that can be used in place of the current environmentally harmful CFCs.  This is important because mandating industrial sectors to change their practices without providing actual solutions to the issue could be harmful to US manufacturing capabilities.[i]

However, the Federal Government does not see the need to always provide solutions to environmental issues.  The Better Buildings Challenge relies on placing incentive in the hands of CEOs, state governments, and University presidents.  This is a good strategy in my opinion because private sectors should be efficient at enacting change in a capitalist economy.  This was a logical request from the federal administration because non-residential buildings account for 50% of energy consumption in the United States.[ii] 

Brazil has not yet implemented a similar strategy for improving the energy efficiency of commercial buildings.  However, a suggested course of action for developing these standards in Brazil is addressed in section 3.3 of “Policies for Advancing Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Use in Brazil” (Howard Gellera et. al.).  It appears that commercial building energy code efforts in Western countries such as the United States are the inspiration behind these considerations for Brazil.  According to the Journal Article, educating engineers to have an efficiency mindset is crucial to the success of such a project.  I agree with this sentiment, but also believe a federal policy is necessary to prompt private sectors to invest resources in these undertakings.

The Climate Plan Adaptation Plans were developed to prepare the United States for the effects of global warming in case policies to halt damage to the environment fail.  This inter agency approach focuses on the most vulnerable regions and infrastructure within the country.  Some examples of these susceptible areas are coastal highways, heat-wave susceptible cities in arid regions, and wildfire prone forest regions.  The plan aims not only to retrofit existing structures to be more resilient, but to incorporate resilience to natural disasters into new designs.[iii]

Developing alternative energy solutions is an absolute must for the United States.  An inability to fuel our industries and military equipment is a threat to national security.  On the other hand, the United States has several oil reserves that would be excellent for these situations.  An example is the Bakken formation in the Dakotas and Montana.

Even if dependence on foreign oil is not a huge threat, it still serves as an excellent "excuse" to explore alternative energy options.  Global warming may not be threat enough to the average person in society to make these technologies appear worth wile.  The raw statistics are however undeniable; the United States exports 1/10 of the oil it imports.

From Wolfram Alpha

Brazilian Energy Policies:

One Brazilian alternative energy policy that I found particularly impressive is PRODEEM.  Photovoltaic energy systems were purchased by the Brazilian government and implemented in Northern Brazil at absolutely no cost to end users.  This seems far more effective than subsidizing the technologies and hoping that this is incentive enough to get private companies to adopt them.  I wonder if the roadblock to doing this in the United States is a general dislike of the government taking tax payer’s dollars and distributing them to specific organizations.  PRODEEM specifically benefits agricultural sectors, and industrial companies may be adverse to the US government “playing favorites” with this type of funding.  However, if the United States government provided equal funding for alternatives to both industrial and agricultural sectors, the movement would instantly have enormous support.  In my opinion, it would likely not be difficult for the government to convince the populous as a whole that this is a sound investment for the country overall.[iv]

PROINFA (Incentive Program for Alternative Sources of Energy) was designed to help Brazil capitalize on energy potentially available from wind.  Investing in this energy will also help Brazil move away from its dependence on large scale hydroelectric power.  This makes sense to me because putting all the alternative energy eggs in one basket is a poor strategy.  It would force Brazil to redirect streams and displace river-side towns every time they wish to expand energy capabilities.  It is important for Brazil to invest in other sources so that they can be optimized.[v]

A Brazilian alternative energy program known as PROCEL can be compared to Energy-Star appliance ratings implemented in the United States.  The policy both rates appliances by efficiency and mandates minimum efficiency standards.  Awards are provided by the PROCEL organization in order to further promote technology companies to invest in energy efficiency.[vi]

Questions:

1.   What policies are in place for each country for fuel sources (oil, natural gas, ethanol, biomass)?     What changes do they propose for fuel sources?

     In the article describing United States policies, the plan of action is to switch from oil to natural gas or renewables.  This idea comes from the fact that natural gas is cleaner in terms of greenhouse gas emissions.  Action to implement biomass as a significant energy resource is also underway.  The Department of Defense is planning on using biomass as part of its 3 gigawatt alternatives target.

     The Brazilian energy policy currently in place is to expand domestic oil production.  However, this policy failed to produce sustainability, denoted by the fact that petroleum imports are still increasing. There is a Brazilian policy proposal under consideration that will lead to increased ethanol vehicle sales. 

2.   What policies are in place for renewable energy sources?  What changes in policies do they propose for renewables?

The Obama administration set a goal to implement 10 gigawatts of publicly available energy from renewable resources in 2012.  This goal was accomplished and the new goal is to implement an additional 10 gigawatts of energy by 2020. 

Brazil already has successfully implemented policies that provide 84% of the gross energy consumption from renewable resources.  The Brazilian strategy focuses mostly on improving technologies currently in place.  This means engineering the technologies to be more efficient.  Also, Brazil plans to expand alternative energy capabilities simply by building more facilities.  Furthermore Brazil will diversify its alternative energy sources so they become less dependent on large hydroelectric power.  This is because hydroelectric power is susceptible to droughts.

3.   What do they say the current impact these policies have on the environment, society and economy?

Moving to alternative energies or towards natural gas will reduce CO₂ emissions, thus curbing global warming.  Global warming could lead to the natural disasters that absolutely devastate society.  This in turn would lead to significant economic investments to repair the damages.  Developing and building the energy facilities will provide jobs that benefit society and the national economy. 

4.   What do they suggest will be impacted or improved with these new energy policies on the environment, society and economy?

New energy policies are being put in place to increase the drive towards implementing alternative energy.  This will hopefully decrease US dependency on foreign oil.  Moreover, it provides the United States with an opportunity to stay in the lead of technological advancement.  For the Brazilians, alternative energy is an incredible opportunity to develop the nation as an industry leader and benefit the economy as a whole.  This will improve the standard of living in both countries.  At the same time, these policies reduces greenhouse gas emission

---

[i] http://www.epa.gov/ozone/snap/

[ii] http://www4.eere.energy.gov/challenge/

[iii] http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ceq/2011_adaptation_progress_report.pdf

[iv] http://projects.wri.org/sd-pams-database/brazil/national-programme-energy-development-states-and-municipalities-prodeem

[v] http://www.mme.gov.br/programas/proinfa/

[vi] http://www.eletrobras.com/elb/procel/main.asp

Power Surge-Strategy to Fill the Energy Gap

Watch Power Surge -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m66BDGXZwRo

What does the documentary propose the solution to the energy crisis is?

The documentary insists that the solution to the energy crisis has multiple parts.  All alternative energies; solar, wind, ethanol, etc. should be explored, developed, and implemented.  No single energy solution satisfies the 7 billion tons per year (over 50 years) target lined out by Stephen Pacala. 

During the introduction to the video, they explain that Richard Branson is using his entrepreneurial prowess to promote alternative energy efforts.  The narrator then references scientists developing these solutions in the lab.  I think this is a very important aspect to keep in mind; engineered solutions and financial motivations have to support one another.  They both must contribute to the solution because the business cannot work if the technology fails and the technology will not be employed if it is not profitable.  The exception is of course subsidized technology implementation.

Pacala also mentions emissions reductions as a viable means of reducing the energy problem.  It is important to remember that a simple change in societal attitudes, such as Americans adopting higher fuel efficiency vehicles, can have a large impact on the issue of global warming.  To me this is a much easier to implement solution than developing clean technology itself.  However, carbon dioxide emissions will never be reduced to zero.  This is why the documentary supports a multi-technology solution.

Brazilian Energy Consumption by Source

2.       Do you agree or disagree with their assessment of how to solve the problem?

I strongly agree with their assessment of how to solve the problem.  The energy gap that will be left by fossil fuels will be too large to fill with one solution standing alone.  Also, all of the alternative technologies are still being developed.  To give up on any one solution now would mean foregoing any optimization or cost reduction advancements that would come out of further engineering. 

Each alternative energy method has its own pros and cons.  For example, nuclear energy is functional, but not sustainable.  It can also have horrible effects on the environment if the reactor is damaged by natural disasters.  I think nuclear energy should be reserved for low natural disaster occurrence areas.  It is also important to understand that each region has different potential to employ each strategy.  Biomass is best employed in areas with high agricultural production.  This is because the woody biomass from trees, corn cob, grains, etc. can be transported to the incinerator with low transportation costs.  Only certain areas experience wind speeds that make wind farms worth the cost of construction.  In my opinion, nuclear energy is best employed in regions that rarely experience natural disasters.  To focus on any one method could impede alternative energy progress for certain populations in the world. 

From the National Renewable Energy Laboratory

3        Do they accurately address the effects of the environment, society and economy when they consider what alternative energies to use?

The documentary accurately addresses the different facets of the energy crisis.  Societal, environmental, and economic roadblocks to implementing solution are all explained.  For example, carbon scrubbers could effectively remove carbon dioxide from the air and thus reduce humanity’s carbon footprint.  However, there is no money to be made in carbon scrubbers because there is no end product.  Since there is no economic incentive, carbon scrubbers are not employed on a wide scale.  Similarly, solar panels have high production costs making them a less attractive investment even though they effectively provide energy with little societal or environmental detriments.  Capital investment is also the reason why we cannot easily retrofit transportation vehicles to be green technologies.

Economics is not always the primary downside to an alternative energy technology.  A prime example of this is nuclear facilities.  When engineering systems within nuclear reactors fail, release of harmful radiation can occur.  This is what happened in Fukushima.  With the unpredictability of natural disasters, I personally disagree with strategies focusing on nuclear reactors.  The harmful effects that could be unleashed, especially over the course of several decades or even centuries, is far too concerning. 

I think it is interesting that society is never mentioned in the video as something inhibiting alternative energy technologies.  This is probably because the producers wanted the documentary to remain positive.  However the bottom line is quite simple; alternative energy will not develop if nobody cares about it.  There is an “out of sight, out of mind” sentiment that could prevent the average citizen from caring about climate change and sustainability until it is too late.  One thing I did like about the video however is that Richard Branson was brought in to show his support of alternative energy.  This helps glamorize the movement which can prevent people from seeing it as something just for scientists and engineers to worry about.