2012 NIPSCO Energy Symposium October 10, 2012 · PDF file• Milling – expose starch,...

2012 NIPSCO Energy Symposium

October 10, 2012

Renewable Energy Tracy Hall, LEED AP®,

NABCEP® Certified Solar PV Installer

What is Renewable Energy?

• renewable energy

Any naturally occurring, theoretically inexhaustible source of energy, such as biomass, solar, wind, tidal, wave, and hydroelectric power, that is not derived from fossil or nuclear fuel.

• Biomass

• Wind

• Solar

Source: Dictionary.com

What is renewable energy?

Source: Obscure...

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Conversions

• 1,000 watts = 1 kilowatt (kW)

• 1,000 kW = 1 megawatt (MW)

• 1,000 watt-hours = 1 kilowatt-hour (kWh)

• 1,000 kWh = 1 megawatt-hour (MWh)

• 1,000 MWh = 1 gigawatt-hour (GWh)

• 1 mile per hour = 0.447 meters per second (mps)

• 1 mps = 2.24 mph

• 1 meter = 3.28 feet - 1 foot = 0.305 meter

• 1 square meter (m2) = 10.76 square feet (ft2)

• 1 ft2 = 0.093 m2

Pros and Cons

• Good for environment

• Good for economy

• Security

• Clean, Non-Polluting

• Free or cheap fuel

• Infinite supply of fuel

• Incentives and some grants available to help reduce costs

Pros and Cons (continued)

• Not In My Backyard Yard (it’s ugly, noisy, kills birds, etc…)

• Expensive initial investment

• Incentives are sporadic, lacking, or non-existent

• Resources may be intermittent

• May produce an unusable voltage

• Energy storage

• Finding competent installers/maintenance

The actual costs of traditional energy fuels may not be accurately reflected

in the price we pay for them…

Source: Fuelfix.com

Source: eia.gov

Biomass

• Plant material, vegetation, or agricultural waste used as a fuel or energy source.

• includes transportation fuels such as biodiesel and alcohol fuels like ethanol and methanol, methane gas from garbage and human or livestock waste.

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• Organic materials, such as . . - Wood - Wood chips - Yard waste - Paper waste - Agricultural crops - Agricultural crop waste - Animal waste - Wild grasses - Other wild plant material - Municipal wastes - Human waste? - Cultivated algae - etc.

Biomass – What is it?

• Are converted into fuel by . . . - Mechanical means - Fermentation - Digestion - Pyrolysis

• To produce fuels such as . . - Direct combustion feed stock - Ethanol - Bio-diesel - Hydrogen

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Source: James T Gill, Wilbur Wright College

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Biomass – The Current Bio-fuels industry (a schematic diagram)

Fuels:

Ethanol

Renewable Diesel

Hydrogen

Power:

Electricity

Heat

Chemicals

Plastics

Solvents

Chemical

Intermediates

Phenolics

Adhesives

Furfural

Fatty acids

Acetic Acid

Carbon black

Paints

Dyes, Pigments, Ink

Detergents

Food Feed Fiber!

Livestock

Human

Bio-gas

Synthesis Gas

Sugars and Lignin

Bio-Oil

Carbon-Rich Chains

Plant Products

Hydrolysis

Acids, enzymes

Gasification

High heat, low

oxygen

Digestion

Bacteria

Pyrolysis

Catalysis, heat,

pressure

Extraction

Mechanical,

chemical

Mechanical Separation

Feedstock

production,

collection,

handling &

preparation

Processes Products The Benefits

Slide courtesy of Jim Spaeth USDOE

Biomass Sources

C

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Biomass – The Current Bio-fuels Industry (a more detailed schematic diagram)

Slide courtesy of Jim Spaeth USDOE

Luckily, Jim Spaeth

at the U.S. Department of Energy office of Energy

Efficiency and Renewable Energy (known as EE/RE)

assembled a Flow Diagram that helps explain the

complexity of the new world of Biomass Energy.

Let’s take a few moments to study it so we might better

understand “Bio-fuels.”

If you gain a complete understanding of this diagram,

chances of employment will be . . . great!

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Biomass – Energy Conversion

• Direct combustion of biomass . . .

• Convenient fuel commodities from biomass

- Liquid & gas extraction . . .

- Capture from microbial decomposition . .

- Capture by pyrolytic decomposition . . .

Understanding bio-mass may be simpler than it may first seem!

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2

3

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Image sources: http://grassroutesjourneys.blogspot.com/2008/07/camping.html,


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Biomass (1) – Direct Combustion

• Human use of fire is pre-historic

• FIRE! requires the right mix of 3 things; fuel

(biomass), heat (heat), and air (oxygen).

NOTE - The fire “triangle”

• Used when & where heat (or light) is needed

immediately.

– Space heating

– Food preparation/cooking

– Other “process” heating

– Lighting (Leading 3rd world light source!)

C1

Image Sources: rabenseiten.de, spitjack.com,

goodtimestove.com, uncyclopedia.wikia.com/

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Biomass (2) – Seed Oils

• Seed Oil is the oil that can be squeezed

out of seeds.

– Many of these oils may be used “as is” for

fuel or converted into what is known as

“bio-diesel.”

– Viscosity is an issue: Most oils can be

“thinned” or heated to be made less

viscous.

– Ideal viscosity is equal to that of #2 Diesel

oil for use in ICE (internal combustion

engines).

To learn more about Bio–fuels and Bio-diesel Seed Oils, visit:

http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_yield.html

• Ideas to learn:

- SVO/WVO = un-used Straight Vegetable Oil / filtered Waste Vegetable Oil.

- “Un-thinned” oil requires being “atomized” as in mist-injection and/or specially

designed fuel injection engines

C2

http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_yield.html

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Biomass (3) – Anaerobic Microbial Decomposition

• Methane = 98% of Natural Gas

• Methane = CH4

• Methane = a common anaerobic

digestion bio-material generated from

a 2-step process:

– Acid-forming bacteria break down

organic matter creating simple

acids:

• acetic (vinegar),

• butyric,

• formic, and

• propionic.

– Methane-forming bacteria make

“bio-gas” which is:

• methane,

• hydrogen sulfide,

• ammonia,

• CO2 , and

• water vapor.

• Methane from such sources is

known as Bio-gas!

C4

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• C2H5OH = Ethanol = Ethyl Alcohol!

There is long and deep tradition in many

places and times in

Ethanol Fermentation and Distillation!

An old and tested recipe and a long

standing Chicago tradition –

making Moonshine! It involves:

• Milling – expose starch, increase

surface area

• Cooking – amylase conversion of

starch to sugar

• Fermentation – yeasts consume sugar

and excrete CO2 and C2H5OH as

metabolic wastes – BEER!

• Distillation – boiling the beer, and re-

condensing the C2H5OH at its precise

boiling point…makes an

azeotrope…95% C2H5OH = 190 >>

Proof Everclear!

• Azeotropic Distillation – A special,

involved process – not easy at

home!

• Waste Disposal – “every moon-

shiner” must deal with the left overs!

C4

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An old and tested recipe and a long

standing Chicago tradition –

C4

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Biomass (4) – Pyrolitic Decomposition

• Pyrolysis is heating organic material in the absence

of oxygen.

– Heat drives off volatile gasses, and this leaves behind

“char” material.

– The volatile gases being driven off are combusted

immediately and used as fuel.

• The solid char is stable so can

be stored and used later as a

solid fuel.

C3

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Biomass Evaluation – by Energy Content

Percentage of U.S. crop land required to meet half of U.S. fuel demand.

Table from Groom, Gray & Townsend in Conservation Biology

Biofuel

Source

Water

Fertilizer

Pesticides

Percentage of

land required

Energy

Content

Corn

Medium

HIGH

HIGH

200%

HIGH

Sugarcane

HIGH

HIGH

Medium

50%

Medium

Switch

grass

LOW

LOW

LOW

80%

LOW

Wood

residue

Medium

LOW

LOW

200%

LOW

Algae

Medium

LOW

LOW

2%

HIGH

Which of these appear to be the most promising?

D2

Algae Bioreactor

Source: energy.ca.gov

25 Content source: TurboSteam.com Sean Casten

Biomass: Using it for Combined Heat & Power

Fuel

(Coal, oil, nuclear, gas, etc.)

High Pressure

Steam

Heat lost to atmosphere

Low Pressure

Steam

Low Pressure

Water

Pump

Boiler

Cooling Tower

High

Pressure

Water

Electricity

to Grid

Steam Turbine

Generator

Conventional Fuel

Power Plant

E

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Pressure

Reduction Valve

Mill waste

High Pressure

Steam

Heat to more lumber

Low Pressure

Steam

Low

Pressure

Water

Boiler Pump

Boiler

Dry Kiln

High

Pressure

Water

Content source: TurboSteam.com Sean Casten

Conventional

Lumber Mill Plant

Biomass: Using it for Combined Heat & Power E

27 Content source: TurboSteam.com Sean Casten

Steam Turbine

Generator

Boiler Pump

Boiler

Dry Kiln

Electricity

to Plant

Isolation

Valve Isolation

Valve

Mill waste

Specialized Lumber

Mill Plant

Heat used for more lumber

Biomass: Using it for Combined Heat & Power

The opportunity:

Convert

conventional

wood kiln drying

plants into CHP

plants!

E

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“Fuel versus Food” is one of at least three issues developing at the intersection of Agriculture and Global Warming. Perhaps the biggest of these three issues is how climate change is changing so many aspects of agriculture, with areas facing unprecedented rainfall and drought.

Biomass – Fuel versus Food B

“PRICE SPIKES: Have increased the number of hungry people worldwide in recent years, and led to food riots in several countries.” (Sunday New York Times, June 5, 2011)

International Food Policy Research Institute: Biofuel production will push global corn prices up 41%, oilseed costs up by 76%, and wheat prices by 30% by 2020.

http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/UN-FAO-food-price-chart.gif

What about the Carbon?

• Biofuels are considered carbon neutral

– What goes into the atmosphere is recaptured by the next generation of biofuels

• Fossil fuels not so…

– Billions of years of carbon pressurized and buried in the earth are reintroduced into the atmosphere

– How long will it take to recapture it?

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Biomass – The Carbon Cycle

Image source; Wikipedia Commons

• “Fossil” carbon is carbon from

Earth’s ancient atmosphere,

currently “sequestered” in the crust

of the earth.

• When we use fossilized carbon as

a fuel source, we are helping

restore the ancient atmosphere,

which was very, very hot.

• Solution: Use “short-cycle carbon”

fuel resources.

• These return to the atmosphere

carbon that was only recently taken

out of the atmosphere by biological

organisms.

• “Short-cycle carbon” is referred to

in this case as “biomass.”

Image source; princeton.edu

A


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Carbon_cycle-cute_diagram.svg

Regional examples of Biomass

• Munster landfill

• Fair Oaks Dairy Farm

• Gary Sanitary District

• Culver Duck Farm

WIND Energy

• form of energy conversion in which machines convert the kinetic energy of wind into mechanical (windmills) or electrical (wind turbines) energy

2/27/2008 Wind 101 Workshop

©Illinois Solar Energy Assn.2008 www.illinoissolar.org

33

What will wind power do for you?

• The “Big” Picture – Big Wind

• Average homeowner electric consumption 7,600 kWh/yr = 7.6 MWh/yr

• Big wind – 1 MW turbine in a 30% capacity location – 1 MW * 8,760 hrs/yr *0.30 = 2,628,000 kWh/yr or 2,628 MWh/yr

• 2,628/7.6 ~ 345 houses’ of electricity/year



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What will wind power do for you?

• The “Little” Picture – Small Wind

• Average homeowner electric consumption 7,600 kWh/yr = 7.6 MWh/yr

• Small wind – 5 kW turbine in a 20% capacity location – 5 kW * 8,760 hrs/yr *0.20 = 8,760 kWh/yr or 8.8 MWh/yr

• 8.8/7.6 ~ 15% excess generation of electricity for the year

Drag and Lift Devices

• Drag devices: typical VAWTs (not all VAWTS)

– 15% of wind power can be captured

– Windmill (Windmills and wind turbines are NOT the same thing)

• Lift devices: typical HAWTs (not all HAWTs)

– Use aerodynamic foil like airplane wings

– Operate at several times wind speed that propels them

– Very high lift-to-drag ratio

– 59% of wind power can be captured (Betz’s Law)



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Comparison of Different Axis Systems

VAWT’s Vertical Axis Wind Turbines

Source: Google.com

HAWT’s Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines

Source: Google.com

Not windmills…

Source: http://worldenergyintel.com

Don’t be fooled by ridiculous claims…

Wind Energy

• Wind turbines typically rated by size of generator

• A 100kW generator with 4’ rotor blades is still considered a 100kW wind turbine

• Power is a square function of diameter of windswept area – Double the rotor blade length= 4X power

• Moral: Use longer rotor blades, but not necessarily more rotor blades…



41

Wind swept area for horizontal axis

• The wind swept area of a horizontal axis turbine is what the blades cover, or more simply, r2

• A 40 foot diameter blade system covers four times the area as a 20 foot diameter one.



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Wind swept area for vertical axis

• The wind swept area of a vertical axis turbine is what the blades cover.

• In the case of this Darrieus Rotor, it would be the radius * ½ the height.

http://www.energy.iastate.edu/renewable/wind/wem/images/wem-08_fig03.gif

Wind energy

• Power is a cubic function of wind speed

– Double the wind speed= 8X power

– P2/P1 = (V2/V1 )3

P2 = (12/10) 3 P1

P2 = 1.73P1

• Moral: Get the turbine in the higher wind; use a taller tower!

• Air density is directly proportional to power



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Height does matter

www.omafra.gov.on.ca

Wind Turbine Design factors

• Stay away from building mounted designs – Stress factors, noise, turbulence

• Use taller towers

• Use turbines with longer rotor blades

• Lower RPM turbines tend to last longer/have less maintenance

• Watt hours/$ is bottom line

• VAWTs typically more $/Wh; more materials used in manufacturing…

Site Analysis

• 12-24 months on-site data monitoring best

• Consider using a small wind turbine instead of anemometer…

• Wind ordinance maps online (Purdue)

• National Renewable Energy Laboratory-NREL (http://www.nrel.gov)

• American Wind Energy Association-AWEA (http://www.awea.org/)

• 3 Tier (http://www.3tier.com/en/)

• AWS Truepower (http://www.awstruepower.com/)

http://www.nrel.gov/

http://www.nrel.gov/

http://www.awea.org/

http://www.awea.org/

http://www.3tier.com/en/



http://www.awstruepower.com/

http://www.awstruepower.com/

Siting Factors Rules of Thumb

• Average wind speed and wind speed distribution (wind rose)

Siting Factors • Stay away from building mounted designs!!! • Municipal ordinances on tower height • Rotor assembly should be minimum 30’ above

tallest obstruction within 300’; I.e. 60’ trees, 90’ tower (minimum!), the higher the better

• Top of hill if possible • Consider conduit/cable lengths • FAA • Small Wind Toolbox : Mick Sagrillo

http://www.renewwisconsin.org/wind/windtoolbox.htm




Siting Factors

STAY AWAY FROM BUILDING MOUNTED DESIGNS!!!

Do Your Research!

• Don’t believe manufacturers’ claims • Until recently, no certifying body; apples to oranges

comparisons for manufacturer’s ratings • AWEA.ORG • Anything written by Paul Gipe (wind-works.org) • Home Power Magazine • Midwest Renewable Energy Association • Renewwisconsin.org/(small wind toolbox) • Purdue University website • http://extension.purdue.edu/renewable-energy/wind-

energy.shtml (7 hours of video)

http://extension.purdue.edu/renewable-energy/wind-energy.shtml






Cost/payback

• The next several slides are included as examples of cost vs. payback analysis

• They are not meant to be exact figures, but rather approximate estimates to give you an idea of the return on investment of a small wind machine

• Costs do not include annual (or more…) maintenance expenses

2/27/2008

Wind 101 Workshop ©Illinois Solar Energy Assn.2008

www.illinoissolar.org 52

Example of output by wind speed 1 kilowatt nominal turbine

Wind power

class

Speed

mph

Average

power

(watts) per

hour

KWh per year

(Whr * 8,760

hrs/yr)/1,000

Whr/kWh

1 9.8 100 876

2 11.5 150 1,314

3 12.5 200 1,752

4 13.4 250 2,628

2/27/2008



Example of output by wind speed 1 kilowatt nominal turbine

Wind power

class

Speed

mph

Average

power

(watts) per

hour

KWh per year

(Whr * 8,760

hrs/yr)/1,000

Whr/kWh

1 9.8 100 876

2 11.5 150 1,314

3 12.5 200 1,752

4 13.4 250 2,628

2/27/2008



Return on Investment 1.8 kilowatt nominal turbine

Wind power

class

Speed

mph

KWh per year

(Whr * 8,760

hrs/yr)/1,000

wh/kWh

Return on

investment at

$0.12/kWh

per year

1 9.8 1,576 $189.12

2 11.5 2,365 $283.80

3 12.5 3,152 $378.24

4 13.4 4,730

$517.60

2/27/2008



“Payback” of 1.8 kilowatt nominal turbine

Wind power

class

Speed

mph

Return on

investment at

$0.12/kWh

per year

“Payback” on

post-incentive

installation

cost of $6,000

1 9.8 $189.12 32 years

2 11.5 $283.80 21 years

3 12.5 $378.24 16 years

4 13.4 $517.60 12 years

2/27/2008



Cost of electricity generated by 1.8 kilowatt nominal turbine

Wind

power

class

Speed

mph

KWh per

year

Cost of electricity/kWh over

the following years @ $6,000

post-incentive installation

-$6,000/(KWh-yr * yrs)-

10 years 20 years 30 years

1 9.8 1,576 $0.381 $0.190 $0.127

2 11.5 2,365 $0.254 $0.127 $0.085

3 12.5 3,152 $0.190 $0.095 $0.063

4 13.4 4,730

$0.127 $0.063 $0.043



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Other ways to think about costs

• Cost per kilowatt-hour

• System cost/number of kilowatt hrs generated-year * number of years of expected life of system

• 10kW system costing $30,000 after incentives, generates 17,000 kWh-year

• 10 year cycle - $30,000/170,000 kWh = $0.176/kWh





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http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/engineer/facts/03-047f12.gif

Wind turbines are noisy?



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Midwest Avian Impact Studies

• Five studies

• Impacting 254 MW

• Average 2.2 fatalities/turbine-yr

• Average 3.5 fatalities/MW-yr

http://www.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/windpoweringamerica/ pdfs/workshops/2006_summit/kerns.pdf

Wind turbines kill birds?



60

Keeping things in perspective

www.thegreenpowergroup.org

Energy Storage

• Batteries

• Compressed Air

• Water Pumping

• Hydrogen/Electrolysis

• Super Capacitors

• Flywheels

• Energy derived from the sun in the form of solar radiation

• Solar thermal

– Conversion of sunlight into heat

– Usually heating a fluid such as water or air

• Solar photovoltaics

– Direct conversion of solar energy to electricity using the photovoltaic effect

Solar Thermal

Sun heats a fluid which is circulated through a

heat exchanger where it

preheats water, typically

for domestic hot water

or space heating.

Source: Google images

More solar thermal

Air heating

Solar Electric: Photovoltaics (PV)

• Direct conversion of sunlight into electrical energy

• Creates Direct Current (DC) electricity; like a battery

Source: Tim Wilhelm, PE

Solar Cell Model

• Notice the split between two different types of silicon. N-type silicon on the top, and P-type silicon on the bottom.

• A solar cell is a type of diode – this is the p-n junction.


Let’s Talk Sunlight

• Light is composed of tiny packets of energy called photons. Photons may have different masses and carry varying amounts of energy.

• When a photon strikes an atom, it can interact with the electrons, and the photon’s energy can be absorbed (heat).

• The additional energy can drive an atom’s outer electrons off. An electron freed in this manner is called a conduction electron because it is free to move about.

• This is how sunlight stimulates an abundance of electrons to be present on the N-type side of the silicon.


What solar looks like in NW Indiana


Typical Grid-tied PV System without battery storage

PV has many uses

• Grid tied

• Back-up power

• Water pumping

• Remote power for anything w/ enough batteries

• Some experiments with solar power to produce hydrogen through electrolysis to be used in a fuel cell. Unlimited potential, but extreme costs…

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Maybe no uses are as dramatic and important as the portable PV panels and small refrigerators carried around Africa on the backs of camels.

Source: Tim Wilhelm PE

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Refrigerators like this, carried on the backs of camels and powered by PV panels, allow vaccines to be kept in good condition and transported to remote villages where medicines are needed.

Source: Tim Wilhelm PE

Sources:1.Illinois Solar Energy Association http://www.illinoissolar.org/ 2.NREL

PV Works Well in Illinois

0

25

50

75

100

125

150

175

J F M A M J J A S O N D

87

100

131

148

167 161

169 160

147

117

76

64

131 139

159 163

147

131

143 146

132 138

125 131

kil

ow

att

-hrs

/mo

nth

Illinois Miami, FL

A solar electric system will work about as well in Illinois as one in Miami, Florida, around

90%. A PV system in Illinois can out-produce a Miami system in the summer.

PVWATTS simulation – Natl Renewable Energy Lab, 1 kW AC, 30 degrees fixed angle due south

Sizing a PV system

• About 85-100 ft2 per kW of PV

• 12 months energy bills to estimate actual energy usage

• Divide 12 months kWh by 365 to find average daily use

• Divide by 4.4 average sun hours per day

• Divide by 0.8 for efficiency losses in DC-AC conversion, and other factors

Sizing (cont.)

For example, you use 12,000 kWh/year:

12,000/365=33

33/4.4=7.5

7.5/0.8=9.375

You would need a 9.5 kw PV system to produce all of your electrical needs for the year. You would approximately 800-950 ft2 of south facing roof top or other space for the array.

Costs

• Currently grid tied system about $5-$6 per watt installed

9.375 kW * $5 = $46.875

Ooops!!!

That “k” means 1000!

$46,875.00 (pre incentive)

Advantages over wind

• Little to NO maintenance • Greater longevity • Generally easier overall installation • No towers • Can be mounted on roof using otherwise more or less useless square

footage • No noise at all • No bird kills • No urban restrictions/set backs • Smaller residential size system cheaper per installed watt than wind • Easier to site (is there any shade?) and estimate annual output and

perhaps the most important…. • Your children and grandchildren will think you are cool!*

*disclaimer-you have to be cool already for this to work properly.

Disadvantages…

• The fuel source goes away every day

• Shade is extremely detrimental to output

• Expensive up front investment

• Low density power per sq ft

• Improperly installed systems can create potential severe hazards (fire, roof leaks)

• Can alter building appearance negatively

BIPV

source: Google Images

Resources

• Photovoltaic Systems by Jim Dunlop

• Photovoltaic Design and installation Manual by Solar Energy International

• MREA https://www.midwestrenew.org/

• SEI http://www.solarenergy.org/

• Indiana Renewable Energy Association http://www.indianarenew.org/

• NABCEP.org

https://www.midwestrenew.org/

http://www.solarenergy.org/

http://www.solarenergy.org/

http://www.indianarenew.org/

Questions? Feel free to contact me

2012 NIPSCO Energy Symposium October 10, 2012 · PDF file• Milling – expose starch,...

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Transcript of 2012 NIPSCO Energy Symposium October 10, 2012 · PDF file• Milling – expose starch,...