Alternative+Energy+Sources+in+New+Jersey

__BIOFUEL NOTES and such__ By Phoebe, Ridgewood High School USA


 * Note: This will be added to as I find more research. Please feel free to comment and add!

This website [] has some useful, concise information. Something to note is that ethanol is apparently difficult to use in colder climates because of its low vapor pressure; this might be a problem for using it in the Shetland Islands. ^Interesting note: I'm doing some research on biofuels for my physics class, too. Our sub says that engines can be designed to use ethanol in colder climates (and have already been in places like Alaska) so that the fuel is heated before it is burned.

Data from PDF ([] ) This contains information from the s ecretaries of energy and agriculture under Bush (Samuel W. Bodman and Edward T. Schafer) and is from 2008.

According to this PDF: -Ethanol keeps American gas prices down significantly -Biofuels also already significantly decrease American dependence on oil at their current (2008) levels of use -Biofuels reduce emissions 19% from gas (this is one of the weaker aspects of biofuels, I think; the emission levels are obviously better when you're not burning anything at all... the PDF didn't have many statistics on the actual amount of emissions. -Increase in food prices are more because of higher oil and gas, droughts, etc. Biofuels are responsible for "only a small percentage" of this increase. -The PDF also suggests using land that isn't suitable for crops to grow biofuels. This idea needs more development... maybe something else to think about. (Where/how would this be done? It's also important to be able to keep land arable; no matter what you're growing, you need soil with nutrients.

Article and accompanying graph about Kyoto not accounting for carbon emissions from biomass. The graph is here:



[] The article otherwise doesn't have very much to say other than that biofuels can be as bad (or worse) than fossil fuels if not compensated for properly. A similar article says that "Sustainable biofuels can be a reality but only in combination with reductions in fuel demand and increased productivity on existing agricultural lands..." The specifics are vague, but the article makes a point of emphasizing the necessity of implementing a certain level of safeguards against possible emissions from biofuel production/energy extraction. This and production space are probably the two largest problems with biofuel. From reading this, it seems that biofuel does have a certain level of potential, but it hasn't yet been harnessed properly. In order for biofuels to not cause more problems than they solve, we must develop some sort of system in order to a) cap emissions, b)extract fuel as efficently as possible, c)use land as efficently as possible, etc. (How to do this requires more research... there doesn't seem to really be much of a system in place now, so it might be interesting to try to develop one of some kind.)

Brief thought: What parts of crops are wasted or not used? What is thrown away? Can that be used also in place of growing new crops/destroying forest land for those new crops? (But, as Ryan said below, the emission levels are still a problem... and that's the problem we're trying to solve in the first place.)

Hi Phoebe and Victoria, I found the PDF link very interesting; especially the bit in which it was described that biofuels used today only reduce CO2 emmissions by 19% when they are used to replace fossil fuels. Although it is not a great comparison I have found out that when the full life cycle of a wind turbine is taken into account the CO2 emmissions are 98% less than natural gas and 99% less than coal emmissions. I believe this proves that even though bio-fuels are "greener" than vehicle fuels used today there are even less environmentally harmful ways of producing energy and this presents the question of how wind energy could be converted to run a vehicle? Having said all of this I am not completely against bio-fuels and I'm sure you'll get some interesting results from your experiments. I would also like to re-ask my question - Could bio-fuels be converted to make "greener" plastics? To help me answer this can you post a chemical formula for some of the bio-fuels you are experimenting on? - Ryan

Hi, Ryan: I think your analysis of biofuels is correct; however, I do think there is potential for better technologies to be developed. Since there has been so little progress in this area--most biofuel growing has just been for volume without regards to advancing/improving methodology-- I think it's still definitely worth looking into. This is especially because of the problem of using wind (or solar, actually) to power a car... unless you could "plug in" the car using a rechargable battery, I'm not sure how they would be usable. I wonder if hydrogen-powered cars are still considered a feasible option... I'll look into that. We've largely been looking at ethanol: its molecular formula is C2H5OH. It's a very simple alcohol, so it's easy to extract. The problem with a lot of biomass is that cellulose, which is... Well. I was just going to say that cellulose is difficult to break down into ethanol and use, but apparently there is a way. (Sorry to use Wikipedia, but... it's extremely convenient! [] ) Here's a PDF describing celluosic ethanol plants in the US. [] The webpage is here: [] (This is really interesting! Here's some more from the Department of Energy: "Cellulosic ethanol has not yet been produced commercially. However, several commercial cellulosic ethanol production plants are under construction, and intensive [|research and development] is rapidly advancing the state of cellulosic ethanol technology, including biochemical and thermochemical conversion processes." [] ^This seems to have a lot of good information on biomass/fuels in general. Again, more development certainly seems to be a possibility)

...anyway. A science teacher at my school also mentioned hemp (!) as biofuel. Here's some info: "Hemp seed oil can be used as is in bio-diesel engines. Methyl esters, or bio-diesel, can be made from any oil or fat including hemp seed oil. The reaction requires the oil, an alcohol (usually methanol), and a catalyst, which produces bio-diesel and small amount of glycerol or glycerin. When co-fired with 15% methanol, bio-diesel fuel produces energy less than 1/3 as pollution as petroleum diesel. Energy and Fuel from Hemp Stalks through Pyrolysis Pyrolysis is the technique of applying high heat to biomass, or organic plants and tree matter, with little or no air. Reduced emissions from coal-fired power plants and automobiles can be accomplished by converting biomass to fuel utilizing pyrolysis technology. The process can produce, from lingo-cellulosic material (like the stalks of hemp), charcoal, gasoline, ethanol, non-condensable gasses, acetic acid, acetone, methane, and methanol. Process adjustments can be done to favor charcoal, pyrolytic oil, gas, or methanol, with 95.5% fuel-to-feed ratios. Around 68% of the energy of the raw biomass will be contained in the charcoal and fuel oils -- renewable energy generated here at home, instead of overpaying for foreign petroleum." [] This site also has a list of hemp v. fossil fuels, which is interesting to look at. Here's more information from "Hempcar"... it seems that a bunch of people made a car that ran on hemp biodiesel and toured it around the US and Canada. Pretty cool... [] I'm not sure how, um, accurate this information is, though.

But, about plastics... [] And also: []

Admittedly, all of this seems a lot more... iffy than windpower. But I think it's important to think about, especially for fuel. (But if the hemp thing is possible, it seems like something worth trying.)

Signing off (finally), Phoebe

---

By: Victoria

Solar Wind Biomass Fuel Cell Hydropower Wave/tidal Geothermal

Hey guys, did I miss anything? I would love to discuss these alternative energy sources and go more in-depth with exploring the countless possibilities of improving our carbon footprint

Source: []

Hi Victoria, I'm Ryan from Shetland, in our part of the project we are trying to investigate the basics of energy sources and are investigating deeper into the subject of wind power. The Shetland group all believe in renewables and cutting carbon and are interested how this subject affects you. We obviously live in quite a wild environment so there is alot of potential for wave and wind et.c. What about you?

Hi Ryan! Here in the US, renewable energy accounts for around 7% of the total energy consumption. To compare with the statistics of your country, the United States' use of wind power accounts for only 7% of total renewable energy use. The most, about 53% of the renewable energy, comes from biomass. We are going to be concentrating on biofuels (19% of renewable energy), which are transportation fuels, like biodiesal and ethanol that are made from biomass materials. Because the US is one of the largest users of transportation vehicles, we are constantly searching for new ways to use cleaner fuels. Fortunately, as a result of higher prices for oil and gas, the production and consumption of renewable fuels has grown more quickly in recent years. It is still expected to increase significantly over the few decades. I think it would be really interesting to see what percentage of energy and renewable energy use wind power and biofuels account for in the Shetland Islands!

Hi Victoria, I can't quote statistics for the whole country but on a Shetland scale I think roughly 10% of the islands electricity comes from wind power. (I can't be sure of this because it was a reasonably long time ago when I was told this). I will try and find out for sure. Apart from fossil fuels the other main producer of energy on Shetland is a waste to heat power plant in Lerwick which converts combustable rubbish into heat which is used to heat the nearby homes. Although this plant has been good for the Shetland Islands and especially its Capital - Lerwick; I'm not sure I completely approve as it obviously produces far more emmissions than say recycling the rubbish. I wish to ask your opinions on biofuels. I'm again not sure whether I approve of this as a method for energy generation either. Obviously it is renewable energy and is therefore better for the environment. I can't make up my mind whether this is a good thing when compared with the controversial issue of the production of biofuels hampering the growing of food when the planet is facing a food shortage. What's your opinion? - Ryan

Hey Ryan! I do understand your point of view, as ethanol coming from corn does have an impact on the food industry. However, there are alternate sources of ethanol as well, such as sorghum, switchgrass, bark, other "woody crops." Plus, scientists are working on cheaper ways to utilize all parts of the plants and trees rather than just the grain. Overall, I believe that we shouldn't just view this as a food concern. Our country's excessive use of oils and gases are doing so much damage to our environment and I think that ethanol, although it takes up land for production, will set standards as a renewable and cleaner fuel, which will improve the air we breath. And another thing to add: new technology has introduced Cellulosic ethanol, which is produced by breaking down cellulose in woody fibers. This system yields more than corn, and because it requires trees and plants for production, food shortage will not be an issue. Also, this form of production requires less energy, fertilizers and water than grains and it can be processed on lands that aren't suitable for growing food.

Hi. I have a further query about the carbon output of biofuels. How does the carbon and greenhouse gas output of the production and use of biofuels compare to carbon converted to oxygen while the plants are growing? I think this would be interesting to compare to the carbon produced upon making the materials of other renewable energies with account to the carbon "saved" by using them. I think this would help us decide whether biofuels and other renewable energies are really "green". Although this is an energy project I believe that greenhouse emmissions would be a good topic to discuss as it is heavily linked to energies as a whole. With this in mind I would like to ask your opinion on carbon off-setting. In my opinion this is a false industry but it does have some good points such as the encouragement of planting trees. What do you think? - Ryan Hi, biofuels are actually carbon-neutral because even though carbon is released when the fuel is burned, a similar amount is absorbed from the atmosphere as the crops grow. I believe the biggest source of carbon emissions come from changes in land usage in association with biofuels, like converting lands used for crops into biofuel plantations. So with that, a solution can be increasing the use of agricultural biotechnology to increase the yield of both food and fuel. The biofuel industry should also search for other areas of land that aren't suitable for growing food to use for biofuel production. That way, converting cropland into fuel-land won't account for even more carbon emissions in the world. And I agree with you about carbon off-setting. Though the intentions seem good, I think it's mostly just for image. Other bad things: theres lack of regulation, and it also in a way encourages companies to pollute more just so they can get more credit. -Victoria

Hi, I allready had a suspicion that biofuels were carbon neutral but does this include the manufacture and use of fertilizers to aid the growing of the orgainic material? If you could find out all the carbon emmissions during the production and use of biofuels and all the carbon taken out of the environment in growing the organic materials it would make a good comparison. I will try and do the same for wind energy (ie. work out the carbon emmitted during the production of the wind trubine and work out the carbon "saved" during the use of the turbine) then we can see which is the "greener" technology. On a different line of thought do you think that biofuels could be used in the making of plastics? Although this wouldn't make plastics eco-friendly it would seriously reduce their impact on the environment; mybee with some serious chemistry bio-fuels could be converted into oils for making plastics? Back to the subject of carbon off-setting; to me it seems like just another way to "shunt" money around. Something to think about. - Ryan

Emily Ridgewood High School, NJ, USA

__Alternative Energy Resources in New Jersey__

1. New Jersey Audubon Society: a) solution to global warming includes energy conservation, development of renewable energy sources, reduction of greenhouse gas emission b) global warming is threatening NJ nature-based tourism industry; generated $5.6 billion in 2001 but temperature increases due to increased CO2 levels shift summer ranges, reduce aquatic habitat, cause changes in soil composition c) wind farms help reduce greenhouse gases but can harm wildlife if placed in the wrong areas d) May 4, 2005- collaborated with Princeton University The Program in Science, Technology and Environmental Policy (STEP), New Jersey Public Interest Research Group, and Princeton Environmental Institute sponsored symposium to explore environmental costs/benefits of wind energy e) Website Link: [] 2. New Jersey’s Renewable Energy Incentive Program: a) Provides rebates that reduce the upfront cost of installing renewable energy systems. These systems can be solar, win, and/or sustainable biomass projects. b) Part of the state’s efforts to reach its goals set out in its Energy Master Plan to use 30% of electricity from renewable sources by the year 2020. c) The program includes financial incentives to owners who install qualified clean energy generation systems in the state. Rebate levels depend on the technology involved, the size of the system being created, and the customer type. d) The funding level for all renewable energy projects is established at $53.25 million between 2009 and 2012. Funding cycles are implemented to make sure that financing is going to be available until 2012. e) One of the projects of New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program. f) Website Link: [] 3. Solar Renewable Energy Certificate (SREC) Registration Program (SRP): a) Program used to register the intent to install non-rebated solar projects throughout the state of New Jersey. All owners of non-rebated solar projects are required to register prior to the construction of their projects to establish that particular project’s ability to earn SRECs. b) After construction is completed and the project is approved, it is issued a New Jersey Certification Number. This number allows the project to create New Jersey SRECs. c) Established a model approach to solar development that provides energy credits and additional long-term financing to those whom invest in solar energy. They have also made it easier for system to connect to the distribution system through improved interconnection throughout New Jersey. d) The SRECs are earned each time a system generates 1,000 kWh of electricity. SRECs can be sold on the SREC tracking system and provides revenue for the first 15 years of the system. e) Electricity providers are required to pay a Solar Alternative Compliance Payment if they don’t meet the requirements. f) The SREC tracking system allows account holders to track solar energy system production from their systems. g) One of the projects of New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program. h) Website Link: [] 4. Former New Jersey’s state governor Jon Corzine signed a package of energy bills on March 31, 2009. The bills were designed to help New Jersey’ ease its dependence upon fossil fuels and promote the creation and development of renewable energy resources throughout the state. One bill permits renewable energy developers to install wind turbines or solar systems on industrial properties that are larger than 20 acres. Another bill was signed that requires developers to offer homeowners the option to install solar systems on new construction in developments of 25 units or more. A third bill gave the Board of Public Utilities the power to give grants for energy efficiency programs. These grants were created to stimulate desire to convert to alternative forms of energy at a reasonable cost. These bills are aimed to help the state to reduce its need for foreign-based oil and to foster carbonless energy sources. Ultimately, these bills will help the state of New Jersey and its residents adjust and conform to new energy requirements. However, some parts of the bill were criticized. Concerns are mounting regarded the aesthetics of wind turbines, which some consider too large for New Jersey. Others argued against the noise of the turbines, the risk of a decreased bird population, and problems with ice in the winter months.

5. The state of New Jersey has emerged as the number one purchaser of green power among all state governments in the United States. New Jersey has received the Green Power Leadership Award twice from the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy. The purchasing of green power greatly reduced the state’s carbon dioxide emissions, saving its people and the overall environment. In 1999, state governor McGreevey delivered a mandate for a minimum of 10% green power purchases for all state agencies. In result, a plan emerged that called for the purchasing of 500 million kWh of green power over the course of 52 months. Website Link: []