...renewable energy alternatives to compete with fossil fuels are described. Among them presented in this video were wind power, solar energy, and biomass fermentation. Although each of these energy sources provides efficient energy without extensive harm to the environment from byproducts, they each possess their own challenges while using and managing them. Wind power is generated through the use of a turbine, usually mounted on a tower. The turbine collects wind energy and converts it to electricity which is transferred to your houses breaker pane. Energy from wind powered devices depends on strong enough winds to move the large turbines, which makes the turbines create energy. Without wind to spin the turbines, energy would not be created through this method. Solar energy is energy produced from the sun using panels. Solar panels are very expensive to purchase and maintain. A challenge with using solar panels is the intensity of sunlight affects the output of energy. If the solar panels do not receive enough sunlight, they will not produce enough energy for use. Biomass Fermentation involves converting biomass into ethanol. The fermentation process converts sugars into ethanol using yeast or bacteria which feed on sugars. Ethanol and carbon dioxide are produced as the sugar is consumed. A challenge with using biomass fermentation as a means of energy is getting farmers to collect the material after harvesting to convert it into fuel. In addition to the renewable energy resources...
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...Energy Resource Challenges SCI/275 Joshua Dodson 11/04/11 Renewable energy alternatives have many challenges, and managing these resources has become a nightmare. Renewable alternatives such as wind, solar, biofuels, and hydroelectric have become very popular as an alternative to nonrenewable energy resources. The first renewable energy alternative is wind energy. Because wind will always be around, the use of wind turbines is an energy alternative. A big challenge is that we cannot control the wind; some days it is strong and other days it is calm. Solar energy is another energy alternative. Photovoltaic solar electricity is the technology that is most cost effective to consumers in the United States. The greatest challenge to solar energy is that for 12 hours a day we do not have any sunlight, and there are days when it is to cloudy. Biofuels are derived from biomass (organic material) plants and animal waste. With today’s technology we can gather the leftovers from a harvest of corn such as, stalks, and stubble to produce ethanol. The challenge with this process is that it takes a great deal of organic material to produce a small amount of biofuel. Another renewable alternative that was not mentioned is hydroelectricity. The use of dams to produce electricity is very costly, and it takes a great deal of water to generate a small amount of electricity. Nonrenewable energy resources include coal, oil, and natural gas, which pollute our environment. The...
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...Week Eight Checkpoint Energy Resource Challenges SCI/275 Cindy Walker Conserving energy is a key factor in the improvement of the planet in which we live. I practice conserving energy by doing little things such as turning lights off when I leave the room and turning the heat or the air conditioner down a little lower than I normally would. I believe if everyone in the world would take these little steps we can make a momentous impact on the environment. Natural gas and oil are the most common natural resources used to run our homes efficiently. Consequently, these natural resources can and will run out in the future if we do not begin to conserve today. I have challenged myself to reduce the size of the ecological footprint which I put on the earth. I am proud to say that I am a recovering shopaholic. You see, I am a mother of three little girls and love for them to look their best at all times. So, I would go out and buy them new clothes for just about every occasion. During this time I thought I was being resourceful by purchasing cheap trendy clothes for them to wear instead of the more expensive higher quality clothing. However, after completing an environmental science course, I realized I wasn’t being resourceful; instead I was being quite wasteful. I realized that buying a large amount of cheap trendy clothes was costing me more money and creating more trash than buying higher quality clothing. I noticed that the cheap clothes could only be worn a couple...
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...What energy resources do you currently rely on in your everyday life? List and discuss at least three energy resources being utilized in your regular routine. Be sure to consider the energy that you use at home, during travel and at work or school. What are the origins of the energy sources? Are they renewable or non renewable? What impacts have been observed on both humans and the environment as a result of increasing energy needs and use? Be sure to discuss both short term and long term impacts. If you were to seek a new energy resource for your home, what would you choose? List specific reasons to justify your choice of an alternative energy resource? What challenges do you anticipate in implementing energy resource? How can simple changes make a big impact? Discuss three ways to conserve energy in your routine life. Consider home, work, transportation, and consumption of food and goods. Include supporting evidence from documented sources on how these methods for conserving energy will help reduce overall consumption of energy. The first energy resource would be Nuclear Energy. I use electric every day, we all do. We turn on lights, use heat or air conditioning. We also watch television listen to music or charging our cell phones and computers. We have to have electric to do that. This source of energy is renewable. The Origin of Nuclear Energy comes from power plants all over the U.S. "Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear...
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...Constructing Change: Energy Efficiency and India’s Buildings Sector “The urban sprawl is creating unique challenges and opportunities related to natural ecosystems. As a result, policy makers need to think innovatively about a range of issues from land-resource planning to broader ecological and energy implications. The resulting challenges include reducing pollution, increasing biodiversity, managing peak energy demand and cost, heat-stress health implications, and ensuring an adequate supply of water and nutrients.” Radhika Khosla February 21, 2012 In 2008, for the first time ever, the urban population of the world outnumbered that of the rural. This visible trend has escalated over the last couple of decades; projections suggest that by the end of the twenty-first century, 80 percent of the world’s population will live in cities (which occupy 0.05 percent of the Earth’s surface). Rapid urbanization is creating vast opportunities through an unprecedented demand for the construction of buildings, which already account for more than 30 percent of India’s total electricity consumption. In line with expanding development, the country’s buildings sector is expected to increase five-fold from 2005 to 2050. India is at a unique crossroads where two-thirds of the commercial and high-rise residential structures that will exist in 2030 are yet to be built. Implementing energy efficiency in buildings that are being constructed in the next ten years thus presents a singular...
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...AN ASSESSMENT OF ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES IN ACHIEVING ENERGY SECURITY FOR EFFECTIVE OPERATION OF HOMES, SCHOOLS AND HEALTH FACILITIES IN KAJIADO COUNTY, KENYA BY ONYANCHA MORARA GEORGE A Research Project Submitted to the Graduate School in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Conferment of the Degree of Master of Business Administration DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS FACULTY OF COMMERCE KISII UNIVERSITY 2014 DECLARATION DECLARATION BY CANDIDATE This research project is my original work and has not been submitted for the award of a diploma or degree in this or any other institution/university. Signature……………………………….. Date…………………………… Onyancha Morara George CBM12/10003/10 DECLARATION BY SUPERVISORS This research project has been submitted for examination with our approval as University Supervisors. Signature:………………………………… Date:………………………… Dr. Nemwel N. Bosire Lecturer, Department of Business Signature:………………………………… Date:…………………………. Mr. Martin O. Lumumba Lecturer, Department of Business COPYRIGHT All rights reserved. No part of this report may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by means of mechanical reproduction including photocopying, recording or retrieval from systems without express permission of the researcher or Kisii University on his behalf. ©2014 DEDICATION This research project is dedicated to my father, the late Onyancha Michieka and mother...
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...the uncertainty over future global sources of energy supply With the worlds primary energy needs set to grow by 55% by 2030, and electricity consumption expected to double over the next few decades, managing future need is a global challenge, perhaps one of the most significant of our time. The international energy authority or the IEA estimates that $22 trillion of new investment will be needed by 2030. At the same time, there is the global challenge of climate change and the need to develop cleaner sources of energy in order to improve, or at the very least not worsen, the health of out environment. As oil and gas supplies become scarcer an more expensive, the hunt for new reserves is creating political alliances and the danger of fresh conflicts. China is moving aggressively to find sources of energy imports, potentially setting up a confrontation with the USA over the dwindling resources of the Middle East and Africa. As fossil fuel prices rise, the option of exploiting resources previously considered uneconomic becomes more attractive. It is now possible to pull carbon out of the ground in forms that were once too expensive or too technically difficult to compete with cheap oil and gas. Governments around the world have re-examine their energy supplies, looking particularly at possible indigenous sources of 'unconventional oil'. Canada's oil-sands seem to offer a vast energy resource, but it can only be exploited at considerable cost to the environment. This...
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...Introduction: Energy is a global matter and energy policy is at focus of some of the hardest challenges that the world encounter. National governments play the main role in energy governance, the challenges fronting policy makers are beyond the range of any sole national government to succeed, making energy policy a key component of global governance and international relations. The global energy landscape has transformed radically in recent decades. The instability of energy markets is a distinct worry for both developed countries and those countries facing rapid economic growth. II. Objectives of global energy governance: Markets necessitate governance appliances that can impose contracts, define and apply property rights, control...
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...Introduction Energy is a vital element in all countries’ development. Considering the importance of energy for sustainable development, the United Nations (UN) introduced a global plan in 2012 called “sustainable energy for all (SE4ALL)” to involve all societies in providing global sustainable renewable energy by 2030. The term sustainable development has been defined in different ways, but the most commonly quoted definition is “the development that meets the needs of current generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (cited in Soubbotina, 2004, p. 9). The renewable energy plays a crucial role in contribution to sustainable development to satisfy the needs of the future generations. This paper...
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...access, as the easiest and highest-quality resources are depleted first, and many non-fossil fuel resources will remain costly to produce at scale. Sustainability – action is needed to limit carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted through fossil fuel use. Supply security – more than 60% of the world’s known reserves of natural gas are in just five countries, and more than 80% of global oil reserves are located in nine countries, often distant from the hubs of energy consumption. Continued advances in technology and energy-industry productivity are required to deliver affordable, sustainable and secure energy. The shale gas revolution demonstrates the potential impact of such developments. Effective policy We believe governments must set a stable framework to encourage private sector investment and to help consumers to choose wisely. This includes secure access for the exploration and development of energy resources; mutual benefits for resource owners and development partners; and an appropriate legal and regulatory environment with an economy-wide price on carbon. Energy efficiency Greater efficiency helps with affordability – because less energy is needed; with security – because it reduces dependence on imports; and with sustainability – because it reduces emissions. Innovation can play a key role in improving technology, bringing down cost and increasing efficiency. For example, we believe that energy efficient technologies and biofuels could offer...
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...Universal Energy, Inc. The Oil & Gas Crossroads Steve Ferris is sitting in his new office at Universal Energy, Inc. contemplating the importance, as well as the complexity, of his first assignment. Steve has recently joined Universal Energy, Inc. as Vice-President, Business Development after spending the past ten years at British Petroleum. He is excited, and just a bit overwhelmed, with the first task given him by Universal’s CEO. His job is to conduct a thorough environmental analysis that will be used as the foundation for the later development of a competitive land lease proposal for oil and gas production on a plot of land in Colorado owned by the state. The CEO has hired him for his strategic background and reputation for leading teams. Because the bid has a tight time schedule, the CEO has already formed the team Steve will be working with. There are representatives from a cross section of the company including finance, engineering, human resources, management, government affairs, legal, and the relatively new corporate responsibility/sustainability areas. The team’s task is to use secondary sources (no time for primary research) to inform the proposal development team around six basic environments—political, social, economic, regulatory, competitive, and technological. Besides describing the issues, they have been asked to provide conclusions and recommendations going forward to the proposal group. The results of this analysis will be used by the proposal...
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...5. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES IN SOUTH AFRICA Challenges of Sustainable development like in any other country are also faced in South Africa. At the moment we are facing a major crisis in the electricity department where demand of electricity has exceeded what South Africa can supply. Numerous interventions have been implemented by South Africa but it does not seem that those were enough. Some of the challenges may be seen below: “A target of 10 000 GWh” of contribution of renewable energy contribution to energy consumption by year 2013 (The White Paper policy, 2003). The challenge is that the policy did not specify the percentage target credited to municipalities and other sectors and therefore municipalities and other sectors...
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...Environment and Development Department of Policy Studies, The Energy and Resource Institute (New Delhi) Submitted on 9th December 2012 Table of Contents Executive Summary 1 Literature Review 4 Scope 6 Conclusion 10 Works Cited 11 Executive Summary The gradual shift of the US gas sector- from one of deficit to one of surplus has gathered appreciative appraisals from the rest of the world and initiated talks about the prospect of harnessing shale gas in other countries, as US reached the lowest CO2 emission level in the last 20 years due to shift to natural gas. It has been referred to as “the biggest energy innovation of the decade”, in light of the growing need for suitable alternatives to conventional oil and gas with increasing pressure on energy over time. 90% of global shale gas is currently produced by the US. India meets two-thirds of its petroleum requirements by importing of fuels that include coal, and this figure is expected to rise in the future in spite of India being a coal-rich country. Even with introduction of more efficient technologies and cases of higher CO2 emission reduction, our country’s import dependence on petrol, oil and gas will significantly rise in the future, raising the pressure on the resources. This concern for energy security calls for further research in technological solutions for greater efficiency and control. With that backdrop, India’s Integrated Energy Policy (IEP) in its policy proposal has stressed heavily on the...
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...Infrastructure Design Green Maturity Model for Virtualization Application Patterns for Green IT Architecture Journal Profile: Udi Dahan Profiling Energy Usage for Efficient Consumption Project Genome: Wireless Sensor Network for Data Center Cooling Green IT in Practice: SQL Server Consolidation in Microsoft IT Contents Foreword by Diego Dagum 1 18 Environmentally Sustainable Infrastructure Design by Lewis Curtis A comprehensive understanding of environmental sustainability needs for IT infrastructure system design. 2 Green Maturity Model for Virtualization by Kevin Francis and Peter Richardson The authors present a study on the maturity of virtualization practices and offer a sustainability roadmap for organizations planning a green agenda. 9 Application Patterns for Green IT by Dan Rogers and Ulrich Homann A complete analysis on power-efficient applications design, considering tools that help the architect achieve scalability without deriving in energy waste. 16 Architecture Journal Profile: Udi Dahan For this issue’s interview, we catch up with Udi Dahan, noted expert on SOA and .NET development, and four-time Microsoft MVP. 22 Profiling Energy Usage for Efficient Consumption by Rajesh Chheda, Dan Shookowsky, Steve Stefanovich, and Joe Toscano This article suggests that tracking energy consumption at every level will become the factor of success for green architecture practitioners. 24 Project Genome: Wireless Sensor Network for...
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...Holderbank in the Swiss canton of Aargau. 100 The new Ste. Genevieve plant of Holcim US in Missouri. Contents Introduction Performance against targets Chairman’s statement CEO interview Vision and strategy Q “Delivering value to your stakeholders is part of your mission. How do you achieve results while operating with sustainability and integrity? Are incentives for sustainable practices integrated into performance compensation plans?” SD challenges Sustainable solutions and construction Q “What is Holcim’s contribution to improve efficiencies in the building materials industry?” Energy and climate Q “Holcim appears to be ahead of its competitors with regards to its level of carbon emissions. How does Holcim plan to further reduce its CO2 footprint, while providing the construction materials for the schools, hospitals, homes and infrastructure the world needs?” Biodiversity and water Q “Reducing energy use will in turn reduce CO2 emissions and water consumption. How can Holcim ensure that the overall synergies between energy, climate, biodiversity and water are taken into consideration?” Our people Q “There have been complaints from unions regarding labor issues. What kind of measures is Holcim taking to prevent unfair labor practices?” Social commitment Q “How is Holcim’s business model able to improve the quality of life of the poor?” Performance data Methodology and assurance 30 36 28 22 18 14 10 10 2 3 4 6 Key to symbols: CR ARA see page in this report see our...
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