Going Green: A Step Forward

1
Going Green A Step Forward
Nuclear
Hydro-Electric
Nuclear is a very commonly used renewable energy
source. Despite common belief, nuclear energy is
a zero carbon emission energy, making it very
clean. Nuclear is widespread in Europe, and fuels
25 of the worlds electricity. However, there
are problems due to major political constraints.
This includes the fear of spills, waste disposal,
and radiation.

• 100 Renewable Energy by 2020

Hydro-electric power uses dams that power
turbines to create electricity. Hydro-electric is
becoming more effective and efficient. A problem
with producing hydropower in NJ is the lack of a
large-scale river. Hydro-electric energy costs
about 8 cents/kWh.
Nuclear power plant with steam towers
The Hoover Dam
Another problem is its 13 cents/kWh cost, which
is high compared to coal and gass cost, which is
6-8 cents/kWh.
Tidal
Tidal power is virtually silent and capable of
providing energy to a large-scale grid. Tides are
predictable, so the high tides and low tides can
be matched with high demand and low demand,
respectively. Tidal is an extremely cost
efficient source of renewable energy only costing
3.5 cents per kWh which rivals coal and gas.
Wind Turbines
Al Gore addressing global warming
Objective
Wind turbines are a great source of renewable
energy due to their extremely low cost of 4-6
cents/kWh. Unfortunately, wind in NJ is not very
strong, except for offshore.
Inspired by Al Gores Unified Energy Grid plan to
create a national grid of 100 renewable energy
by 2020, we determined the best renewable energy
source for Princeton Township and The Borough of
Princeton, NJ (Population 31,037). Princeton
uses roughly 120 million kWh per year to power
the 9,500 homes. Comparing renewable energy
sources and the different transmission systems
that are currently active in the world, we
attempted to design an effective type of hybrid
system to create large amounts of energy while
reducing the costs of energy production, making
renewable energy more appealing for the future.
Tidal Turbine
Tidal barrages are a variation of tidal power
that uses a hydropower dam-like system, except
with water flowing in and out, rather than in one
direction. They are very large, and are prone to
causing environmental damage and impeding
shipping, two of the main problems with tidal
barrages.
Wind Energy Solar Energy in USA
A current offshore project is the Garden State
Offshore Energy Wind Park. It is located 20 miles
east of Avalon, NJ, and consists of 96 wind
turbines covering 15 square miles. This park will
cost over 1 billion dollars to make. It is a 350
MW park that will power 110,000 homes.
The PS10 currently has over 600 mirrors
reflecting light at the tower, generating about
24.3 Gigawatt hours per year, supplying
electricity for 5,500 homes in Seville, Spain. A
second tower, PS20, will produce twice as much
electricity. Currently solar thermal energy is
15-17 cents/kWh.
Solar thermal towers are a new experimental form
of renewable energy that uses heliostats
(mirrors) to concentrate energy at a central
reactor at the top of the tower, creating steam,
powering a turbine to generate electricity.
Solar Thermal Towers
Tidal Barrage
Renewable Energy Design Matrix
PS10
Solar Panels
Photovoltaic Solar Panels use the sunlight to
create electricity. Sinopuren Energy Group Ltd.
offers 280W solar panels. Solar panel energy
costs 22.5 cents/kWh, due to a shortage of
silicon.
Sponsors National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) NASA Goddard Space Flight
Center (GSFC) NASA Goddard Institute for Space
Studies (GISS) NASA New York City Research
Initiative (NYCRI) Stevens Institute of
Technology (SIT) Contributors Dr. Siva Thangam,
PI Prof. Joseph Miles, PI William Carroll,
HST Anthony Scalzo, HSS Christopher Brown, HSS
Solar thermal energy in USA
This matrix determines which renewable source is
most effective. Based on select criteria, nuclear
power and wind power received the highest scores,
but due to political issues, nuclear power is
unacceptable in NJ, making wind energy the next
choice. Wind energy is intermittent, constantly
changing its direction and speed. However, wind
energy is a 100 green, cost-effective source.
More wind parks, like the Garden State Offshore
Energy Wind Park will reduce the cost of the
energy. Also, wind energy can be made more
reliable by pairing it with another source in a
hybrid.
Solar panels on a rooftop
2
Smart Grids and Hybrids
Interconnections
Hybrids
Conventional Grids
When determining which renewable energy source
would be most efficient and effective, the idea
of hybrids seemed to be highly useful. Many
hybrids utilize wave and wind energy, while
others utilize wind and solar energy. However, we
did not find a hybrid which used solar, wind, and
wave energy all in the same system. Therefore, we
began looking at designs, like the one to the
right, and determined the best type of hybrid
system.
An interconnection is a transmission system of
multiple overlaying electricity grids. NJ falls
in the Eastern Interconnection run by the RFC
(Reliability First Corporation). The Eastern
Interconnection extends from Quebec to north
Virginia. 1,187 Gigawatts used per year. This
number is expected to grow by 32.6 in
consumption over the next 10 years. All utilities
on this interconnection are synchronized to a
frequency of 60Hz.
Currently, there are no large-scale hybrid
systems, so we decided to attempt to create one.
The picture to the left is our solar, wind, and
wave energy hybrid system using oil-rig like
platforms to support solar panels and buoys. The
top platform would be placed above sea level, so
the buoys can hang at sea level and create energy
by being moved up and down by the waves.
Power lines in the Conventional Grid
Conventional grids currently run electricity
through 157,000 miles of high voltage power lines
in the Unites States. These grids do not have
real-time pricing, causing consumers to pay for
peak hour prices even when its not peak hours.
The transmission of electricity requires many
complex network systems. These network systems
make it hard for the grid to utilize renewable
energy. Due to the inability to regulate
real-time energy, the network system can not deal
with power surges, and is therefore prone to
blackouts.
Smart Meters
Smart Meters are small household products that
can regulate the amount of electricity consumed
in a house. The digital meter was created to
better monitor a users electricity. While
development in the US is just beginning, Southern
California Edison is making a large step forward.
They have installed 5.3 million smart meters in
California, which will cost the company 1.63
billion dollars.
The Smart Meter
Electrical Grids Design Matrix
It is also beneficial to put the platforms above
the water so that the solar panels located on the
top platform would receive minimal water damage.
In the center of the platforms would be a large
hole, where a wind turbine will be placed in
order to produce wind energy. Due to the
variability of wind energy, wave/wind hybrids are
not very efficient unless paired with another
source, and we chose solar to keep the hybrid
completely renewable. A hybrid like this has the
potential to reduce costs of each energy, while
being more efficient and creating more
electricity than any hybrid on the market today.
Smart Grid
The Smart Grid is a new form of electric grid
that is more efficient, more reliable, and safer
than conventional grids. Smart grids have a
healing mechanism that trips a circuit breaker
to prevent blackouts. The Smart Grid is adept in
taking in different energy sources such as
renewable energy sources like solar and wind. For
now, however, the Smart Grid is not
cost-effective, as it would require billions of
dollars to install throughout the US.
Another possibility for a hybrid system is a
wind/nuclear or solar/nuclear system. To the
right is the Oyster Creek Nuclear Plant, which
services 600,000 homes already. By combining wind
or solar, or possibly both, with the nuclear
energy, this energy production would increase.
This would decrease demand of coal and gas energy
and would make New Jersey a more renewable energy
dependent state.
Sponsors National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) NASA Goddard Space Flight
Center (GSFC) NASA Goddard Institute for Space
Studies (GISS) NASA New York City Research
Initiative (NYCRI) Stevens Institute of
Technology (SIT) Contributors Dr. Siva Thangam,
PI Prof. Joseph Miles, PI William Carroll,
HST Christopher Brown, HSS Anthony Scalzo, HSS
To understand which grid would be the best
choice, we compared the Smart Grid vs. the
Conventional Grid in a design matrix. The
conventional grid won, mainly due to the
extremely high cost of a smart grid. Until the
government has the funding and incentives to
build the Smart Grid, the Conventional Grid will
stay as the best transmission source.