Of all the alternate energy sources, would kinetic energy be cost effective?

Question

Of all the alternate energy sources, would kinetic energy be cost effective?

Answer 1

Global warming and what we CAN really do

as individuals to help, its a lot simpler than

it sounds simple changes make big changes

BIOMASS ENERGY

Alternative energy technologies hold the key to curbing air pollution and global warming. Biomass, while one of oldest fuels known to humankind for basic cooking and heating, has been underutilized in recent years as a modern energy source in an economic climate favoring fossil fuels. Yet improved production methods, technological advances, and political accommodations have allowed biomass power to reappear on the radar screen as a viable energy alternative. Today, biomass is poised to make a major contribution to domestic and international electricity and fuel needs while providing substantial environmental benefits. The term "biomass" refers to organic matter which can be converted to energy, either as electricity or liquid fuels, such as ethanol. Some of the most common biomass energy sources are wood, agricultural residues, and crops grown specifically for energy. In addition, it is possible to convert municipal waste, manure or agricultural products into valuable fuels for transportation, industry, and even residential use. An uncountable number of woodstoves are being used to produce heat for buildings and for cooking throughout the world, making biomass one of the most common forms of energy. Utilities and commercial and industrial facilities are also using biomass to produce electricity in increasing amounts. Unfortunately, most biomass users today rely on inefficient and often highly polluting devices. In the future, modern technology for using biomass and farms cultivating high yield energy crops, including many varieties of trees and grasses, will significantly expand the available supply of biomass energy, driving prices down and helping to create an economically competitive alternative energies market. The most commonly recognized commercial production of biomass-derived energy is ethanol produced from agricultural crops such as corn or sugar cane. Gasahol, a mixture of 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline, is widely used in parts of the Midwest and South. About one billion gallons of ethanol are produced annually in the U.S., representing about 1% of the American vehicle fuel market. At this point, however, ethanol production from corn in the U.S. is economically viable only due to a federal tax subsidy. Prospects for lowering costs on and expanding ethanol production are limited due to the high level of inputs required to produce agricultural crops (e.g., fertilizer, pesticides, tractor fuel) and the resulting high cost and substantial environmental impact. Biomass energy crops, if grown in bulk, however, could be a profitable alternative for farmers, complementing, not competing with, existing crops and thus providing an additional source of income for the agricultural industry. A substantial amount of agricultural land exists which is marginal for conventional crop production but which can be brought into productive use to grow energy crops (since perennial herbaceous and woody energy crops can be selected which provide advantages such as erosion protection or drought tolerance). The development of processes that generate multiple products for food, fuel, chemicals and fiber in an integrated system are pointing the way to more productive agriculture, generating greater revenues for the farmer. In addition to rural jobs, expanded biomass power deployment can create high skill, high value job opportunities for utility and power equipment vendors, power plant owners and operators, as well as agricultural equipment vendors. Environmental benefits of modern biomass use are manifold, especially in comparison with fossil fuel based power sources. Biomass fuels produce virtually no sulfur emissions, helping to mitigate acid rain. While carbon dioxide is emitted during biomass combustion, an equal amount of carbon dioxide is absorbed from the atmosphere during the biomass growth phase; thus biomass fuels "recycle" atmospheric carbon, minimizing global warming impacts. Additionally, the use of waste biomass reduces the volume of material sent to already bulging landfills. Biomass combustion results in less ash than coal combustion, reducing ash disposal costs and landfill space requirements. Biomass ash also is used as a soil additive in farm land. In many regions of Asia, India, Africa, Latin America and other developing areas, power demands are frequently in smaller increments and biomass resources are abundant, particularly biomass residues such as bagasse (from processing sugar cane), rice hulls, etc. As a result, biomass fuels are an excellent choice for electricity generation in the developing world, and their potential use creates significant export opportunities for U.S. technologies and component manufacturers. In the United States, grid-connected biomass electric capacity accounts for 1% of all generating capacity and about 8% of non-utility generation capability. Much of this capacity is in combined heat and power (CHP) facilities in the industrial sector, mainly in the wood products industry using process residues. To help expand biomass power production, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is sponsoring efforts to double biomass conversion efficiencies and reduce biomass power costs. If successfully implemented, these efforts would promote industrial and agricultural growth, improve the environment, create jobs, increase U.S. energy security, and provide new export markets. Despite this potential, growth of the U.S. biomass energy industry has slowed to a trickle as a result of intensified competition in the utility sector and low fossil fuel prices in recent years. The future widespread adoption of biomass energy in the U.S. depends in great part on whether the U.S. adopts policies that begin seriously to address the global warming problem by requiring reductions in fossil fuel use. Today, the success or failure of biomass as a promising, environmentally and economically sound energy source depends greatly on political factors; perhaps tomorrow, adoption of more biomass energy will be more of a necessity than a luxury as our fossil fuel-based resources continue to dwindle.

WIND POWER

Alternative energy technologies hold the key to curbing air pollution and global warming. One of the oldest forms of energy harnessed by human beings, wind power today is one of the most promising alternatives to our society's current dependence on fossil fuels. Using advanced technologies, modern wind turbines are able to produce electricity for homes, businesses, and even utilities, with much less environmental cost than traditional fossil fuels. Wind power, already one of the most widely used alternative sources of energy today, will continue to prosper as new turbine designs currently under development reduce the costs of wind power and make wind turbines economically viable in more and more places. Wind turbines are moved by the wind and convert this kinetic energy directly into electricity by spinning a generator. They use air foils or blades like the wing of an airplane to turn a central hub, which is connected through a series of gears to an electrical generator. The generator technology is identical to that employed by traditional fossil fuel generating plants. Wind turbines range from small residential systems to large utility systems; wind power systems are modular and can be scaled easily to any application. Currently, wind power is used extensively in four major types of applications: Remote Power -- Small wind turbine systems are often the most inexpensive source of power for remote sites. The turbines for this system are very simple and can operate unattended for long periods at harsh sites. Common applications include telecommunications, rural residences, and water pumping. Remote power systems using small American-made wind turbines have been installed in more than 70 countries around the world. Grid Connected -- This application of wind turbines is widely used for producing electric power on-site at homes, farms, and businesses which are already served by a utility grid. Because the average wind turbine generates electricity only 25 to 30 percent of the time, it may be important in areas where winds are seasonal or where storage systems are not cost-effective to be connected to the electric utility grid. Utilities -- Wind turbine systems are most promising as sources of centralized electric power. In the hills of Southern California, for example, thousands of turbines are installed in wind power plants, known as "wind farms."

THE HISTORY OF WIND POWER

Wind power has perhaps the longest history of any of today's mainstream or alternative energy sources. More than 5,000 years ago, the Egyptians used the wind to sail ships on the Nile. Later, people built the first turbines to grind grain.  These machines looked like paddle wheels and were used in Persia as early as 200 B.C. By the 14th century, the Dutch had taken the lead in improving the design of windmills. They invented propeller type blades and used wind power to drain the marshes and lakes of the Rhone River delta. In America, early European settlers used windmills to grind wheat and corn, to pump water, and to cut wood at sawmills. By the early twentieth century, small windmills were used for pumping water and electric power generation in Europe, the United States, Africa, and elsewhere. In addition to thousands of small wind electric generators, a few larger systems were built in North America and Europe. In the 1970s, increases in the price of oil and other fossil fuels helped wind power return as an economically viable, alternative source of energy. Governments all over the world, especially in North America and Europe, instituted research and development programs. These efforts led to the development of modern wind turbines, which have dramatically reduced the cost of generating electricity from wind power. Hybrid Systems -- Remote wind power systems often incorporate additional generating systems such as diesel generators and solar arrays. These "hybrid" systems provide improved reliability of power supply and operational flexibility. When the power from the wind turbine is not sufficient to operate the load, the alternate power source comes on-line. The alternate source is used far less frequently in a hybrid system than if the wind system were not present. While wind power may be one of the most environmentally benign sources of power, wind energy developers and environmentalists alike are concerned that bird deaths from collisions with wind turbines could pose a major obstacle to widespread deployment of the technology. In light of the problem, biologists are trying to discover which factors precipitate these accidents so that engineers can design turbines which raptors and other birds will be better able to avoid. While the overall impact may be slight, the fact that there is an impact at all shows that indeed there are costs to each and every energy option. Despite some minor bumps in the road, wind energy has received high praise overall from energy and environmental experts, and offers utilities pollution-free electricity that is nearly cost-competitive with today's conventional sources. Major utilities that implement modern wind harnessing technologies into their energy production strategies stand to gain significant economic advantages while offsetting emissions of carbon dioxide and other harmful pollutants. Wind power is just another example of how some of humankind's earliest forms of energy provide a key link to a non-polluting, economically-viable future.

FUEL CELLS

Alternative energy technologies hold the key to curbing air pollution and global warming. As a non-polluting energy source for everything from utility power to automobiles to hand-held radios, the fuel cell is one of today's most promising technologies. Today, even as fuel cells are continuing to develop, large industrial and commercial electric customers have begun to generate some of their own power using fuel cells, and auto manufacturers are taking a keen interest in using them to power the "Zero Emission Vehicles" they are required by law to produce. Similar to a battery, a fuel cell produces electricity from chemical interactions. The chemicals in this case are very simple -- basically just hydrogen and oxygen. Unlike batteries, though, fuel cells do not run down. As long as the "fuel" is supplied to the cell, it will keep producing electricity. The oxygen needed by a fuel cell is usually obtained from air, and as a rule, the hydrogen is supplied by hydrogen-rich fuels such as natural gas or even landfill or wastewater-treatment gas. The electricity is produced without rotating machines, and at efficiencies as high as those attained in the most advanced internal combustion engines. First used in the U.S. space program in the 1960s, fuel cells can now be found in many ordinary applications, although they are still not widespread. While they are expensive, they have low operating costs and produce very reliable power, making them a good investment for high tech facilities, such as hospitals and computer labs, that must ensure an uninterrupted power supply. And because fuel cells are silent and clean they can also be located in basements and residential neighborhoods where noise and pollution would make traditional generation unattractive. What's more, the costs are coming down as more and more are manufactured. Environmentalists are also looking to the fuel cell as a key to the acceptance and eventual widespread use of pollution-free, electricity-powered automobiles (otherwise known as Zero Emission Vehicles, or ZEVs). In the U.S., thirteen state governments have passed legislation requiring that an ever increasing percentage of new car sales must be ZEVs, which in practice means electric. While the current generation of electric vehicles relies on rechargeable batteries, efforts are underway to develop fuel cells for use in automobiles. Buses are in many ways even better candidates for fuel cell power than cars, since the weight and size of a fuel cell and its fuel tanks are not as big a challenge for buses. Trials of prototype fuel-cell buses are currently underway in a number of transit authorities across North America, and it is expected that commercial production will begin in 1998. Whether they are used in spacecraft, power plants, buses, cars, or household appliances, fuel cells are providing more power every year. As their usage becomes more widespread, they will be cheaper to produce. Industrialists and environmentalists keeping an eye on the fuel sources of the future will be focusing clearly on fuel cells.



thank you

Answer 2

yes.

Answer 3

LMAO  That's FUNNY!

Of course, you know kinetic energy is a scientific term, and not an energy source.

Now hydroelectric. THAT'S KINETIC!

Answer 4

Kinetic Energy = Dynamic Energy

If you are refering to wind and Wave Energy; it does take quite some resources and material to create the hardware and infrastructure to make this work. The cost recupreation per kilowatt is available at several energy company web sites.

Besides considering the Cost per Watt generated; it would be interesting to consider the enegry and environmental impact of creating these sources.

For Example how much energy would it take to construct a solar panel that outputs a kilowatt of energy. Cost Effectiveness would include the one time capital cost + operating cost per kilowatt of energy.

I think Hydro Electric Energy would be the most cost effective and secondly Wind mill energy.

Answer 5

If you're talking about kinetic energy relation to alternative fuel vehicles, they have tried mass flywheel kinetic energy starage a few years ago and it didn't work too well.  The other type of KE I can think of would be HPV energy, which I like a lot!

HPV is Human Powered Vehicles.  I would love to be stuck in traffic and be able to pedal my way along until I need to go fast enough to need to start the engine.

Answer 6

If kinetic energy could be developed that would provide enough power and regenerate itself fast enough.... it would be perfect!

Answer 7

Kinetic energy is less efficient because you have to consume

potential energy (like gas or diesel) to get it.

Answer 8

The answer is yes. Currently two of the most cost effective ways to produce electricity are hydro and wind. They only require one major investment and can work for several decades.

Answer 9

Kinetic energy like a flywheel?  I seem to recall they were looking at it in the quest for a 300-mile battery for an electric car.  But they had issues, mainly if anything fails internal to it, it would release all its energy in a rather catastrophic fashion.

Answer 10

kinetic energy is just an idea of something in motion. kinetic energy must be stored or captured to be of use. an example is hydro electricity, the water going down niagra falls is kinetic energy, the water pushes the turbines at the bottom of the fall which is turned into electricity. there are many energy sources, nuclear is by far creates the most energy so far.