Energy and Construction - Clima2007

Herman Said:

Can we get builders to build homes that don't need much energy?

We Answered:

Here's an example for a warm climate: http://www.livinghomes.net/primer.html

Try Google for "green architecture" "green building" "sustainable architecture" and "alternative architecture". For prefab projects, try fabprefab.com. Consider green roofs, also.

Try architecture.com.

Look up "small houses".

Just because contractors won't do it, doesn't mean you can't. Look up "natural building" to see how people are using their own hands and ancient techniques to minimize impact and energy expenditure, increase quality of life, reduce building costs by orders of magnitude, and generally deal with the issue directly.

So glad you asked.

Fernando Said:

How can I compare the the total net energy when using small wind turbines on the grill of a car?

We Answered:

This is pretty complicated. You can measure the output if the turbines with a voltmeter and ammeter to get watts. That part is easy. Make measurements at various speeds and altitudes. You will need load resistors, their value picked for optimal power transfer.

To measure the change in MPG you need a reference, an exact measurement without the turbines, ie, with the standard equipment installed. But the differences will be small, and depend on temperature, humidity, altitude, and lots of other factors, down to how smooth the paint job is on the cars.

Since the numbers have so many variables, you will need two autos, identical in every way, running the same path, the same day, when the wind is still. One with the turbines, one without.

You might be better off with a wind tunnel.

I realize all of this is outside the scope of this experiment, but your goals are very ambitious, and you need to match that with rigor of the experiment.

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Warren Said:

science help?

We Answered:

science help?
1. __________ energy comes from the natural flow of sunlight, wind, or water around the Earth.

C. Renewable

2. In the energy industry, ______ refers to wood, straw, biological waste products such as manure, and other natural materials that contain stored energy.

A. biomass

3. Hydroelectric generation does not produce significant greenhouse gas emissions, but does have other major environmental impacts.

A. true

4. The wind has been used by humans for thousands of years, first to carry ships across oceans and, later, to pump water and grind grain.

B. TRUE

5. Our large, untapped supplies of wind, sun, water, and biomass can power our society indefinitely.

A. true

6. Some energy sources are considered __________ because once they are removed from the ground and used, they are not immediately replaced.

A. non-renewable

7. The energy of falling water is used mainly to drive ___________ at hydroelectric dams.

A. electrical generators

8. The energy stored in biomass can be released by burning the material directly, or by feeding it to micro-organisms that use it to make _______, a form of natural gas.

B. biogas

9. ________ collectors are designed to capture some of the sun's energy and change it from radiation into more usable forms such as heat or electricity.

B. Solar

10. Fossil fuels are not limited and will become increasingly less costly.

B. false

Donald Said:

How can I measure the amount of energy I am producing?

We Answered:

Your question is rather vague. Or you are combining several questions into one.

Amount of energy produced by what?

Amount of power (energy per unit time) produced by a generator is easy to measure, it's voltage x current, and they can be measured by meters, even digital ones with a digital output that can be connected to a computer. And the voltmeter and ammeter can be combined into one meter, a wattmeter.

I don't know if that answers your question...

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Fred Said:

Can Anybody Find Anything But Hot Air in the Climate Bill?

We Answered:

Yes. For example, it will help increase fuel efficiency by 25% by 2020.
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/paltma…

It requires that utilities produce 20% of their energy from renewable sources and increased efficiency by 2020.

It invests $90 billion in energy efficiency and renewable energy by 2025.

It establishes new standards for building efficiency, requiring new buildings to be 30% more efficient in 2012 and 50% more efficient in 2016.

It directs EPA and the State Department to use 5% of the allowances to secure agreements from developing nations to prevent tropical deforestation.

It's certainly not a perfect bill, but it's pretty good, and it's the best we're going to get in the forseeable future. Plus it's much better to have a framework in place which we can improve upon in the future than to have nothing at all.

See the link below for a useful summary.

Rick Said:

How can I measure the total energy gained when using a small wind turbine?

We Answered:

You'd be using the turbines to generate electric power? It's easy to measure electric power. Current x Voltage = Power. That is to say, if you multiply the instantaneous voltage between the two terminals of the generator by the current flowing through the generator in that same instant, then the result is the power in that instant. Current is measured in Amps, voltage in Volts, and power in Watts.

One thing to be careful of, if there is a battery or other potential power source in the circuit, then you'll have to pay attention to whether the generator is GENERATING power, or USING power. Most "generators" can function as motors and vice versa. If you hook up a simple DC motor to a battery, the motor will try to spin in a certain direction. If you force it to spin in the opposite direction, then it will generate power and charge the battery. If you let it spin in the direction that it wants to turn, then it will USE power and deplete the battery.

The formula, current x voltage = power, is the same in either case, but current, voltage, and power are all signed quantities. Hooked up to a battery, the voltage will be pretty close to constant (that's what batteries do), but the current will flow one direction if the device is acting as a motor, and it will flow the other direction if the device is acting as a generator. That is to say, the sign of the current changes, and consequently, so does the sign of the power.

Oh, one other thing. Don't spend any more money on your project than you can afford to throw away. I'm not sure exactly what you are hoping to accomplish, but I have a strong feeling that you will be disappointed by the result. An electrical generator does not generate energy: All it does is to CONVERT mechanical energy into electrical energy. Where does the mechanical energy come from? Well, in your case, there's a long answer and there's a short answer. The short answer is that your turbines will be robbing it from the kinetic energy of the forward motion of the car.

You can't get more out than what you put in.