Griffin+and+Chris

Powerpoint link =Chris and Griffin Science project (top of page)= toc =Ignorance Crisis= media type="youtube" key="-fVI3BRBC6o" height="344" width="425"

=Fossil Fuels= Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons formed from plants and animals that lived in oceans and swamps. The remains of these animals and plants were buried and exposed to high pressures and temperature. This changed the remains of the animals and plants into hydrocarbon mixtures, which we know as fossil fuels.

Coal
Coal is a solid fossil fuel. It was formed about 300 million years ago in swamps. It is a hydrocarbon made from the remains of tree ferns and other small plants that lived near swamps. It is mostly an aromatic hydrocarbon, meaning it is a type of hydrocarbon that has a distinct smell, and has a high molar mass. Coal produces more soot into the air than the fossil fuels and has a bigger impact to air pollution. Coal is mainly used for electricity. It is turned into electricity by combusting it until a large amount of heat is produced. The heat evaporates water in boilers, turning it into steam. The steam expands, causing pressure which turns a large electromagnet. Electrons are captured from the spinning magnet and sent where ever they are needed.

Pro/Con
Coal has a low cost and is apparently plentiful. It is said that the reserves we have could last up to a century. On the down side, coal requires 1.7 million liters of water for each gigawatt hour of electricity, produces the most carbon dioxide of any fossil fuel, coal mining can be damaging to the land, large amounts of ash and smoke are produced, and coal burning creates sulfuric acids which causes acid rain.

Natural Gas
Natural gas is a hydrocarbon formed from the remains of ancient marine organisms living in the ocean. It is mostly composed of alkanes like methane, ethane, propane, and isomers of butane. Recently, natural gas is used for many purposes such as heating, cooking, and some of the electirity you use. It is usually found around deposits of coal and petroleum. It is used for engines because of its quick starting, even in low temperatures, and good combustion efficiency.

Pro/Con
Natural gas also has a very low cost. Gas also produces the least carbon dioxide of any fossil fuel. On the down side, natural gas is in limited supply and still produces greenhouse gases. Gas is probably the best fossil fuel option.

Petroleum or Crude Oil
Petroleum is also formed from the remains of marine organisms. It is found deep in the earth's surface. Petroleum is a complex mixture, mainly composed of long alkanes and alkenes. Because of the complexity, petroleum must be separated into simpler mixtures, or fractions. Some fractions are gasoline and heating oil. To separate the fractions, petroleum is heated until it evaporates. It is than placed into a tower where it cools as it rises up the tower. The compounds cool down at certain heights and are placed in different storage containers based on when they cooled down and turned into liquids. Here are the mixtures that are separated from petroleum.

C5-C12 Gasoline turns to liquid at 40-200C C12-C16 Kerosene, jet fuel turns to liquid at 200-250C C15-C18 Heating oil turns to liquid at 250-300C C19 Lubricating oil turns to liquid at 300-370C

Pro/Con
Oil also has a low cost and produces less carbon dioxide than coal. On the down side, it produces carbon dioxide, requires a large amount of water to cool, the reserve is limited, it produces sulfur which causes acid rain, and oil spills are dangerous to the enviorment.

Combustion
Combustion of fossil fuels is to break apart the many hydrocarbon bonds in a fossil fuel. When the bond is broken, chemical energy is released in the forms of light and heat.

Refining
There are a few ways in which mining and refining the oil and other fossil fuels can be made easier. The method with petroleum that I described earlier is one way. For oil, miners will either put water under the oil or pump gas into the oil chamber. When the water is constantly poured underneath the oil, the oil rises through toher pipes which are placed towards the surface. If gas is pumped into the chamber, the pressure builds and the oil is displaced by the gas. The oil than rises up through pipes also placed to collect the oil.

Fossil Fuel energy released
Kerosene- 1661.7129 kilowatt hours per barrel Coal- 6220.1404 kilowatt hours per short ton Crude Oil-169.9789 kilowatt hours per barrel Natural Gas-0.300834 kilowatt hours per cubic ft A normal 100 watt light bulb uses 73 kilowatt hours A compact fluorescent light bulb uses 18 kilowatt hours

Exports
America does almost no exporting of oil. The only exporting we do is to Canada from an oil field to an oil refinery 200 miles away. The closest oil refinery in America is about 1500 miles away. The export is for the convenience of shorter transporting. The oil comes back to us in a refined state afterwards. The other exporting we do is selling unwanted petroleum products to Mexico.

Imports
America is the greatest fossil fuel consumer in the world. We consume 20 million barrels of oil a day and importing 11.1 million barrels a day. The second highest oil consuming country is China using 5.6 million barrels of oil a day. The second highest fossil fuel importing country is Japan with 5.3 million barrel a day. We do almost no exporting but import oil from many other countries. Of our total fossil fuel importing, 19% comes from Canada 10.5% comes from Saudi Arabia 10.3% comes from Mexico 9% comes from Nigeria 9% comes from Venezuela 5% comes from Iraq 4.7% comes from Algeria 4.5% comes from Angola 3% comes from Russia 87% comes from 18 countries

=U.S. Iran and Middle Eastern Relations= Here is a brief look at U.S. Iran relations 1979-1981- Iranian students take 63 hostages of the U.S. embassy and hold them for a period of 444 days. During this event, diplomatic ties were dropped and Iran remains isolated until Iraq invades Iran. 1995- President Clinton imposes oil and trade sanctions on Iran for their alleged sponsorship of terrorism 2000- Clinton extends oil trade ban for Iran's support of terrorism 2000-Sanctions are lifted by U.S. Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright 2001-CIA reports that Iran has an active nuclear development programs 2002-Russian scientists build Iran's first nuclear reactor in Bushehr. Two other nuclear construction sites are found. 2003-Washington says that Iran must end their nuclear program by October and allow surprise searches of their nuclear facilities. 2004-The IAEA gives a November deadline for the end of the nuclear program. Iran ignores the resolution and continues. U.S. intelligence suggests Iran might be making nuclear weapons. 2005-Iran says they will not stop the nuclear program but stresses that it is for peaceful purposes. 2005-Bush offers economic incentives for the stop of nuclear programs in Iran. Iran is no longer blocked from the World Trade Organization 2005-Iran violates the Nuclear Non-Proliferation treaty.

Click the link below for a full time line. [|Click here for full timeline] =Wind Energy= Wind energy is completely harmless to the environment, and completely renewable. The average price for large, modern wind farms is around $1,000 per kilowatt electrical power installed, but installation costs vary. Installation costs include foundations, normally made of reinforced concrete, road construction (necessary to move the turbine and the sections of the tower to the building site), a transformer, telephone connection for remote control and surveillance of the turbine, and cabling costs. In economic terms, wind power has an extremely low marginal (over time) cost and a high proportion of up-front (money for installation, etc) costs.

The most important factors in determining the cost of wind-generated electricity from a wind farm are: (1) the size of the wind farm; (2) the wind speed at the site; and (3) the cost of installing the turbines. Each of these factors can have a major impact. Generally speaking: The larger the wind farm, all other factors being equal, the lower the cost of energy; The higher the wind speed, the lower the cost of energy; The less expensive construction costs are, the lower the cost of energy.

There are no Wind Farms in Georgia right now.

Pro/Con
Pros- Wind Energy is completely clean. It produces a decent amount of energy  Cons- Wind Energy is not usable everywhere. Some places don't have enough wind to make this effective. It is also not a very cheap energy. =Solar Energy= Kyocera solar panels- almost maintenance free, cells in solar panel protected between tempered glass. The entire laminate is installed in an anodized aluminum frame providing structural strength and ease of installation. $535  || **Watts **  || **Amps **   || **Volts **   || **Size (Inches) **
 * **<span style="color: rgb(3, 3, 3);">Model **<span style="color: rgb(3, 3, 3);">

|| ||
 * KC 130TM || 130 || 7.39 || 17.6 || 56.1x25.7x2.2 5ft x 2ft

**Solar Satellites**
Collecting solar energy in space and transmitting it to earth via microwave is another long-range possibility. Due to the large size of the required collector, current launch and deployment costs make this type of solar energy not economically probable. However, future advances in space equipment may change this assessment.

Pro/Con
Pros- Solar energy is moderately cheap and is usable in most places. It is completely clean. Scientists are on the brink of a huge improvement in the photovaic cells. They hope to increase the amount each cell can hold at a time. Cons- Solar energy not as effective as conventional fuels.

[|Here] is a 9 acre property, with the owners asking for $765,000 ($85,000/Acre). The government could be using to make solar powered energy (wind would be inefficient). Solar Insulation in Decatur is right in the middle of effectiveness, so it would be an effective place to have a solar powered farm. =Government Incentives to use Renewable Power=

Colorado Springs Utilities - Residential Energy Efficiency Rebate Program Last DSIRE Review: 02/19/2009 Windows: $50, $100 or $200, varies by purchase price Multi-Family Windows: $9, $19, or $37 per unit, varies by purchase price Furnace: $150 Programmable Thermostat: $15 Clothes Washer: $75 || All other measures: must be ENERGY STAR rated ||
 * Incentive Type: || Utility Rebate Program ||
 * Eligible Efficiency Technologies: |||||| Clothes Washers/Dryers, Lighting, Furnaces, Programmable Thermostats, Caulking/Weather-stripping, Duct/Air sealing, Building Insulation, Windows ||
 * Applicable Sectors: |||| Residential ||
 * Incentive Amount: || Insulation and Air Sealing: $50, $100 or $200, varies by purchase price
 * Equipment Requirements: || Insulation and Air Sealing: various R-Values depending on the location within the house
 * Expiration Date: || 12/31/09 ||
 * Project Review/Certification: || Installation site may be subject to inspection by Colorado Springs Utilities staff. ||

Georgia Credits
Clean Energy Tax Credit (Personal) Last DSIRE Review: 04/20/2009 PV, active space heating, wind energy: $10,500 Energy Star-certified geothermal heat pump: $2,000 ||
 * Incentive Type: || Personal Tax Credit ||
 * Eligible Renewable/Other Technologies: |||||| Solar Water Heat, Solar Space Heat, Photovoltaics, Wind, Geothermal Heat Pumps ||
 * Applicable Sectors: |||| Residential ||
 * Amount: || 35% ||
 * Maximum Incentive: || Solar hot water: $2,500
 * Carryover Provisions: || Excess credit may be carried forward for five years from the close of the taxable year in which the installment of the clean energy property occurred ||
 * Equipment/Installation Requirements: || Solar thermal collectors must meet SRCC certification OG-100 or FSEC-GO-80. Solar thermal residential systems must meet SRCC OG-300 or FSEC-GP-5-80. ||
 * Project Review/Certification: || Taxpayer must prove eligibility for credit and credit amount. Taxpayer must maintain adequate records and make system available for inspection. ||
 * Website: || [| http://www.gefa.org/Index.aspx?page=423] ||
 * Authority 1: || [|O.C.G. § 48-7-29.14] ||
 * Date Enacted: || 5/14/2008 ||
 * Effective Date: || 7/1/2008 ||
 * Expiration Date: || 12/31/2012 ||

Sawnee EMC - Solar Photovoltaic Rebate Program Last DSIRE Review: 04/02/2009
 * || Incentive Type: || Utility Rebate Program ||
 * Eligible Renewable/Other Technologies: |||||| Photovoltaics ||
 * Applicable Sectors: |||| Commercial, Industrial, Residential ||
 * Incentive Amount: || $300/kW-DC ||
 * Maximum Incentive: || $3000 ||
 * Eligible System Size: || Up to 10 kW for residential and 100 kW for non-residential ||
 * Website: || [| http://www.sawnee.com/Energy/incentives.htm] ||  ||

Biomass power plants
On March 17, 2009, the Georgia Public Service Commission approved the Georgia Power Company to change one of its coal power plants into a biomass power plant. The plant will be completed June, 2012. It will produce 96 megawatts once it is complete, making it one of the biggest biomass energy plants in the United States.

Alternative fueled vehicles
In Georgia, a new program has been made. Alternative fueled vehicles will have a license plate which will designate them for the HOV lane. Hybrid vehicles are not eligible.

Alternative Fuel
The ownership of the tag cannot be transferred or relinquished. Verify eligibility with the Georgia Dept.of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Division at: (404) 363-7028. || =What Lovett Does= Lovett started researching green options in 2000. In February of 2009, Lovett participated in the Green Cup Challenge. Our baseline energy use is 4,790,000 KwH. We reduced it by 11.88%, which is equal to $4500 of electricity saved. Here at Lovett, we have a biodeisel plant. It produces 1000 gallons in a year and a half. WE also have a windmillm which requires 5mph to move, and 8 mph to produce power.
 * **Manufacturing Fee:** || None ||
 * **Annual Registration Fee:** || $20.00* ||
 * **Annual Special Tag Fee:** || None ||
 * **Ad Valorem Tax Required:** || Yes ||
 * **Required Forms:** ||  ||
 * **Special Qualifications:** ||  ||
 * **Where do the funds go?** || State Treasury ||
 * **Is the county name decal required?** || Yes ||
 * **Additional Information:**
 * If the vehicle is powered by electricity or electricity from solar energy, an annual $25.00 highway user fee will be collected at the time of registration.
 * If the vehicle is powered by electricity or electricity from solar energy, an annual $25.00 highway user fee will be collected at the time of registration.

About our Middle School
Our New Middle School will be the 1st LEAD certified Middle School in Georgia. 75% of the waste was recycled after the MS was torn down. All the steel and concrete recycled can be used again, reducing pollution by reducing the need (and creation) for more steel and concrete. The flooring will be linoleum, which takes little energy to produce. We will have 21% less energy consumption than a similar building. We will have double insulated windows with Argon glue/seal holding them in place. Both of there reduce the need for heat and A/C. We will have Daylight sensors, which will turn lights on and off automatically, depending upon the light coming into building. Motion detectors where there is no light (bathrooms etc) to save even more energy. On the roof, there will be a green roof, with plants on the roof. The plants will absorb the rainwater. There will be waterless urinals. Each urinal will save about 40,000 gallons per year! We will have solar panels on the roof. Our school will also be the 1st Audobon sanctuary school in Georgia.

Lovett's Vision
Lovett hopes for more motivation in he community to save money. Another goal is to be able to harness the power of the Chattahoochee. At the moment, the local government is preventing individuals from harnessing the power. = =

Sources [|http://www.umich.edu/~gs265/society/fossilfuels.htm] http://www.gravmag.com/imports.shtml [|http://dsireusa.org/] http://www.geocities.com/daveclarkecb/ElecGenProsCons.html#Coal http://www.dot.state.ga.us/travelingingeorgia/hovlanes/Pages/AlternativeFuelVehicles.aspx http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/states/state_news_detail.cfm/news_id=12363/state=GA