Electrical Energy Conservation

Introduction

Electrical energy conservation is an important element of energy policy.Energy conservation reduces the energy consumption and energy demand per capita and thus offsets some of the growth in energy supply needed to keep up with population growth. This reduces the rise in energy costs, and can reduce the need for new power plants, and energy imports. The reduced energy demand can provide more flexibility in choosing the most preferred methods of energy production. By reducing emissions, energy conservation is an important part of lessening climate change. Energy conservation facilitates the replacement of non-renewable resources with renewable energy. Energy conservation is often the most economical solution to energy shortages, and is a more environmentally benign alternative to increased energy production. Energy conservation is the practice of decreasing the quantity of energy used. It may be achieved through efficient energy use, in which case energy use is decreased while achieving a similar outcome, or by reduced consumption of energy services. Energy conservation may result in increase of financial capital, environmental value, national security, personal security, and human comfort. Individuals and organizations that are direct consumers of energy may want to conserve energy in order to reduce energy costs and promote economic security. Industrial and commercial users may want to increase efficiency and thus maximize profit.

 

Issues with energy conservation

• Standard economic theory suggests that technological improvements that increase energy efficiency will tend to increase, rather than reduce energy use. This is called the Jevons Paradox and it is said to occur in two ways. Firstly, increased energy efficiency makes the use of energy relatively cheaper, thus encouraging increased use. Secondly, increased energy efficiency leads to increased economic growth, which pulls up energy use in the whole economy. This does not imply that increased fuel efficiency is worthless, increased fuel efficiency enables greater production and a higher quality of life. However, in order to reduce energy consumption, efficiency gains must be paired with a government intervention that reduces demand (a green tax, cap and trade).
• The use of telecommuting by major corporations is a significant opportunity to conserve energy, as many Americans now work in service jobs that enable them to work from home instead of commuting to work each day.
• Consumers are often poorly informed of the savings of energy efficient products. The research one must put into conserving energy often is too time consuming and costly when there are cheaper products and technology available using today's fossil fuels.
• Some of the energy we can use is called renewable energy. These include solar, wind, geothermal and hydro. These types of energy are constantly being renewed or restored.
• But many of the other forms of energy we use in our homes and cars are not being replenished. Fossil fuels took millions of years to create. They cannot be made over night.
• And there are finite or limited amounts of these non-renewable energy sources. That means they cannot be renewed or replenished. Once they are gone they cannot be used again. So, we must all do our part in saving as much energy as we can.
• In your home, you can save energy by turning off appliances, TVs and radios that are not being used, watched or listened to.
• You can turn off lights when no one is in the room.
• By putting insulation in walls and attics, we can reduce the amount of energy it takes to heat or cool our homes.
• Insulating a home is like putting on a sweater or jacket when we're cold...instead of turning up the heat.
• The outer layers trap the heat inside, keeping it nice and warm.

Recycling

• To make all of our newspapers, aluminum cans, plastic bottles and other goods takes lots of energy.
• Recycling these items -- grinding them up and reusing the material again -- uses less energy than it takes to make them from brand new, raw material.
• So, we must all recycle as much as we can.
• We can also save energy in our cars and trucks.
• Make sure the tires are properly inflated.
• A car that is tuned up, has clean air and oil filters, and is running right will use less gasoline.
• Don't over-load a car. For every extra 100 pounds, you cut your mileage by one mile per gallon.
• When your parents buy a new car, tell them to compare the fuel efficiency of different models and buy a car that gets higher miles per gallon.
• You can also save energy in your school.
• Each week you can choose an energy monitor who will make sure energy is being used properly.
• The energy monitor will turn off the lights during recess and after class.
• You can make "Turn It Off" signs for hanging above the light switches to remind yourself.
• Also check out our on-line pages on Saving Energy.
• You can make sure your classmates recycle all aluminum cans and plastic bottles, and make sure the library is recycling the newspapers and the school is recycling its paper

Fuel Cell Uses

Fuel cells are a promising technology for use as a source of heat and electricity in buildings, and as an electrical power source for vehicles. Auto companies are working on building cars and trucks that use fuel cells. In a fuel cell vehicle, an electrochemical device converts hydrogen (stored on board) and oxygen from the air into electricity, to drive an electric motor and power the vehicle. Although these applications would ideally run off pure hydrogen, in the near term they are likely to be fueled with natural gas, methanol or even gasoline. Reforming these fuels to create hydrogen will allow the use of much of our current energy infrastructure - gas stations, natural gas pipelines, etc. - while fuel cells are phased in. In the future, hydrogen could also join electricity as an important energy carrier. An energy carrier stores, moves and delivers energy in a usable form to consumers.

• Renewable energy sources, like the sun, can't produce energy all the time. The sun doesn't always shine. But hydrogen can store this energy until it is needed and can be transported to where it is needed.

Some experts think that hydrogen will form the basic energy infrastructure that will power future societies, replacing today's natural gas, oil, coal, and electricity infrastructures. They see a new "hydrogen economy" to replace our current "fossil fuel-based economy," although that vision probably won't happen until far in the future.

 

Solar Power Satellites

 One suggestion for energy in the future is to put huge solar power satellites into orbit around the earth. They would collect solar energy from the sun, convert it to electricity and beam it to Earth as microwaves or some other form of transmission. The power would have no greenhouse gas emissions, but microwave beams might affect health adversely. And frequent rocket launches may harm the upper atmosphere. This idea may not be practical for another century; if at all.

 

Law of Conservation of Energy

Law of conservation of energy states that the energy can neither be created nor destroyed but can be transformed from one form to another.

 

Advantages

1. Saves OUR money

• After the initial investment has been recovered, the energy from the sun is practically FREE.
• The recovery/ payback period for this investment can be very short depending on how much electricity your household uses.
• Financial incentives are available form the government that will reduce your cost.
• If your system produce more energy than you use, your utility company can buy it from you, building up a credit on your account! This is called net metering.
• It will save you money on your electricity bill if you have one at all.
• Solar energy does not require any fuel.
• It's not affected by the supply and demand of fuel and is therefore not subjected to the ever-increasing price of gasoline.
• The savings are immediate and for many years to come.
• The use of solar energy indirectly reduces health costs.

2. Environmentally friendly

• Solar Energy is clean, renewable (unlike gas, oil and coal) and sustainable, helping to protect our environment.
• It does not pollute our air by releasing carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, sulphur dioxide or mercury into the atmosphere like many traditional forms of electrical generations does.
• Therefore Solar Energy does not contribute to global warming, acid rain or smog.
• It actively contributes to the decrease of harmful green house gas emissions.
• It's generated where it is needed.
• By not using any fuel, Solar Energy does not contribute to the cost and problems of the recovery and transportation of fuel or the storage of radioactive waste.

3. Independent/ semi-independent

• Solar Energy can be utilized to offset utility-supplied energy consumption. It does not only reduce your electricity bill, but will also continue to supply your home/ business with electricity in the event of a power outage.
• A Solar Energy system can operate entirely independent, not requiring a connection to a power or gas grid at all. Systems can therefore be installed in remote locations (like holiday log cabins), making it more practical and cost-effective than the supply of utility electricity to a new site.
• The use of Solar Energy reduces our dependence on foreign and/or centralized sources of energy, influenced by natural disasters or international events and so contributes to a sustainable future.
• Solar Energy supports local job and wealth creation, fuelling local economies.

4. Low/ no maintenance

• Solar Energy systems are virtually maintenance free and will last for decades.
• Once installed, there are no recurring costs.
• They operate silently, have no moving parts, do not release offensive smells and do not require you to add any fuel.
• More solar panels can easily be added in the future when your family's needs grow.

Disadvantages

• The initial cost is the main disadvantage of installing a solar energy system, largely because of the high cost of the semi-conducting materials used in building one.
• The cost of solar energy is also high compared to non-renewable utility-supplied electricity. As energy shortages are becoming more common, solar energy is becoming more price-competitive.
• Solar panels require quite a large area for installation to achieve a good level of efficiency.
• The efficiency of the system also relies on the location of the sun, although this problem can be overcome with the installation of certain components.
• The production of solar energy is influenced by the presence of clouds or pollution in the air.

WAYS TO CONSERVE ENERGY

Sometimes, when people hear the words energy conservation, they think that it takes a rocket scientist or some super hero to make it happen. What most of us don't realize is that energy conservation is well within our reach and capability, and when done on a bigger scale and participated by more people, we can do so much positive effect to the environment and actually make it a better place for the future generation.
Energy conservation means that you are cutting back on your energy consumption and using energy-efficient products and appliances. It also means that the energy you are using is coming from other alternative energy resources that are not harmful to the environment, as opposed to the traditional sources of energy like coal and fossil fuels which are already limited.
There are a lot of simple ways in energy conservation without even spending money. These include unplugging any appliance in your home when not in use. There are people who don't realize that when only turning an appliance off, it still consumes energy, and if left all night, it can add up immensely on your electrical bill.

• Not only does this mean bigger expenses for you, but also a more adverse effect to the environment. Although unplugging the appliances, you are completely stopping to use the energy. You can also simply switch to more energy-efficient light bulbs. By doing this you can instantly cut down your electricity consumption up to 30%. Energy-efficient light bulbs are more durable, not to mention less harmful to the environment.

• We should be active with our efforts to save the environment, especially now that a lot of people worldwide are beginning to really experience the negative effects of global warming. All it takes is the first step forward and everything will else will be easy.

 

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