Is there really such a thing as a clean energy source?

Author: Guest Author; Published: Mar 21, 2011; Category: Energy, Energy Conservation, Energy Education, Energy sources, Environment, Renewable energy, Uncategorized; Tags: Earth, Earth science, Education, Energy, energy challenges, Energy Conservation, Environment, natural gas, oil, Petroleum, Renewable, sustainability, Technology; Comments: Be the first

Guest Author – Mary Spruill, Executive Director, National Energy Education Development Project (NEED)

In my work, I am often asked if there is really any such thing as clean energy.  Every day there is a news story, a press release from a company or government agency talking about clean energy.  Even President Obama talked about clean energy in the 2011 State of the Union Speech.  In the 600 or so workshops the National Energy Education Development Project (NEED) provides for teachers each year, we field constant questions about what clean energy is and how can we define it. 

Truthfully, energy is complex.  Energy is complicated.  But there are some things about energy that are simple.  Energy cannot be created nor destroyed.  It can be transformed.  It is in that transformation that we harness the energy we use to heat and cool our homes, to generate electricity to power our houses, apartment buildings, office buildings, and factories, and to fuel our vehicles to move products and ourselves from place to place.  All of the energy we use requires that transformation to make it do work.  That’s what energy is – the ability to do work. 

The use of energy requires us to make some pretty complicated decisions.  For over 20 years, my experience with NEED and the people with whom we work has shown me that although some energy decisions may seem to be simple, they can be very complex.  Each decision must take into account economic, environmental, public perception and, often, available technologies and capabilities.  With all of this as background, is it really possible to say that there is a perfectly clean energy source?  Perhaps it is possible to say that an energy source is CLEANER than another, but saying that any energy source is clean really doesn’t tell the full story.  All energy sources have advantages and disadvantages.  That is why energy decisions require a deep understanding of energy. 

Development of oil and natural gas requires drilling into the earth on land, or below our oceans, refining and processing the oil and gas, and moving the resulting products to markets to use them. (pipeline, tanker truck, tanker ship, barge and more)  When we use oil and natural gas we burn it releasing carbon dioxide and other emissions.  Developing wind requires decisions on land use, the mining and development of materials to build wind turbines, the trucking and shipping of the components (the tower, nacelles, blades) to the site for installation and the running of power lines to be able to move the electricity generated from the wind to market.  Solar requires tools to capture the radiant and thermal energy. Photovoltaic cells are made from mined materials that must be manufactured into the solar cells we see on our houses, road-side signage, and elsewhere.  Large-scale solar takes a lot of land to produce large amounts of electricity.  Then power lines must be put in place to move that electricity too.

I often hear representatives of one energy source saying how different their energy source is from others.  In reality, some of the fundamentals are the same.  We have to move the energy we need to where we need it, electricity over power lines (needed equipment to harness the wind or the sun) or pipelines to move oil and natural gas.  That movement has an impact on the environment too.  When wind developers plan a wind farm, they often run into the same challenges that oil and gas developers deal with and that’s how best to use the land and to return it to as close to its original state as possible.  When native species of plants and animals are considered, wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, hydropower, coal, uranium, oil and natural gas, all can have an impact on local plants and animals.  So, all decisions have to take that impact into consideration during the planning process. 

Certainly, some energy sources do not have to be mined or drilled for, but the equipment needed to harness them comes from mined and drilled resources.   Some energy sources really are better for certain needs like bringing more work per unit of energy than others.  Some sources require us to overhaul our energy infrastructure like the power grid and pipelines or even the cars we choose and how we power them.  Some require us to find plenty of land to install the equipment and then the power lines to move the electricity to where we need it. 

Making a clean energy decision is making the choice, when possible, to use less energy by conserving it and being more efficient.    When you choose to turn the lights off when you leave the room, walk or carpool instead of driving alone, you choose to make the cleanest energy decision possible.  Energy – how we produce it, use it, and conserve it are based on our personal energy decisions. 

 If students in today’s classrooms can understand two things it would be, one, that all energy sources have advantages and disadvantages and that a specific energy need may be best met by one specific energy source and, two, that the decision making process requires energy knowledge, an understanding of technological capabilities, and the willingness to always look for a better way, a cleaner way, to meet our energy needs.

Learn more about energy and energy sources.

Santa Maria students place in the Santa Barbara County Science Fair!

Author: Guest Author; Published: Mar 14, 2011; Category: Classroom presentations, Energy, Energy Conservation, Energy Education, Energy sources, Engineering Careers, Environment, Science, SPE members, Technology, Volunteering; Tags: Children, Education, Energy, energy challenges, Energy Conservation, Engineering, Environment, Renewable, science, SPE, Student, sustainability, Technology, Volunteer; Comments: Be the first

Guest Authors – By Gayle Pratt and Kevin Yung, Santa Maria Section of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE)

Since 2009, The Central Coast Education Collaborative – a project of the Santa Maria Section of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) and the Oil & Gas Industry – has partnered with local high schools to provide 4-8 students with a five-week summer engineering internship. The purpose of the internship is to engage and provide students with a contextual view of how engineering is used to develop innovative solutions for “real world” problems.  SPE members of the Santa Maria Section and professionals within the Oil & Gas Industry mentor the students on a daily basis throughout the duration of the project.

In 2010, the engineering experience was shared with the students by having them design, build and test an ocean wave energy extraction device.  Secondarily, the students were asked to consider the potential environmental impact of placing the device into service.  Field testing was conducted at the Venoco Pier in Carpinteria, California used to support their offshore platforms.  Guest speakers provided the students with context for the project including:  “Alphabet Soup – The Regulatory Agencies, Codes and Permitting”.  The students were also challenged to research the field of wave energy and the market viability of their device using The Marine & Hydrokinetic Technology Database housed on the U.S. Department of Energy’s website.  The final stage of the internship required the students to prepare a presentation summarizing their project.  The students made the presentation at a number of venues – including SPE Santa Maria functions, school board meetings, energy-related conferences and established academic competitions.

The work of the students and support of the members of the Santa Maria Section of Society of Petroleum Engineers was well documented in 3 newspaper articles – most recently a 3rd place victory and a purse of $250.00 at the Santa Barbara County Science Fair.

Plans are already underway for the 2011 internship which includes expansion of students, mentors and projects as well as the opportunity for one team to secure college scholarships.

Learn more about this project or a career in engineering!

Join in the fun and help celebrate Engineers Week February 20-26!

Author: Heather Stanford; Published: Feb 17, 2011; Category: Classroom materials, Classroom presentations, Education outreach, Energy, Energy Education, Energy sources, Engineering Careers, Geology, Math, Science, SPE members, Technology, Uncategorized, Volunteering; Tags: Careers, Children, Classroom Instruction, Education, Energy, Energy4me, Engineering, Engineering Careers, eWeek, School, SPE, Teacher, Technology, Volunteer; Comments: Comments Off

Engineers Week is a global program that promotes math, science and technological literacy while encouraging students to consider a career in engineering by raising awareness of the positive contributions engineers make in today’s society. This year’s events will take place February 20-26, 2011, with additional events in March.

The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) is a sponsoring society of Engineers Week and hopes to attract bright young people to the exciting world of engineering. Many of SPE’s local sections use Energy4me to bring Engineers Week to their communities through activities such as:

• Giving classroom presentations

Energy – Making Our Lives Easier (elementary)

Petroleum Engineers Make a World of Difference (intermediate/secondary)

Game – Petroleum Engineers Make a World of Difference (intermediate/secondary)

Energy’s Grand Challenges (educators/adults)

Energy Sources of the World  (educators, adults, intermediate and secondary)

• Organizing student tours of interesting engineering achievements in the community
• Sponsoring materials for a teacher workshop
• Judging local Future City™ competitions
• Offering art or essay contests for students on the importance of engineering
• Purchasing Oil and Natural Gas books and Energy4me Kits to donate to schools
• Holding “Introduce a Girl to Engineering” events
• Hosting “Engineer for a Day” programs in which high school students shadow engineers for one day
• Presenting annual engineering scholarships awards banquets
• Teaming with other organizations in your community for an expanded outreach

 
Need ideas to get started? Check out the Engineers Week website for tips to jumpstart your Engineers Week celebration with special programs like “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day” and National Engineers Week Future City™ Competition.

Visit energy4me.org to learn more about engineering careers. 

Start a Local Energy4me Program!

Author: Darci Ramirez; Published: Jan 25, 2011; Category: Classroom materials, Classroom presentations, Education outreach, Energy Education, Energy sources, Engineering Careers, SPE members, Uncategorized, Volunteering; Tags: Careers, Children, Education, Energy, Energy4me, Engineering, Engineering Careers, School, SPE, Speaker, Student, Teacher, Volunteer; Comments: Be the first

If you’re an SPE member, starting an Energy4me program for your section could be a great way to connect with young people and get the word out about important energy topics. You may even inspire a talented future engineer!

Energy4me makes it easy. Start by gauging your section’s energy education interests. You can do this by conducting member interest surveys through your section newsletter or by brainstorming with section subcommittees. Are your section’s members more interested in working “behind the scenes” or interacting face to face with students? Would they rather have an energy program that is active throughout the year, or one that hosts one or two large annual events?

Once you’ve determined your section’s interests, you can put Energy4me’s resources to work. We offer tips on how to make fantastic classroom presentations, information on how to start a scholarship program, and free handouts that you can give to students (career brochures, bookmarks and more). You can even purchase Energy4me Kits, which are full of educational materials, for local teachers, and if you give a classroom presentation, we’ll donate a copy of our colorful “Oil and Natural Gas” book to the classroom in your name.

Energy4me makes it easy for SPE sections to make a difference in students’ lives! 

Energy4me’s educational materials are also available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.

France: A Nuclear Success Story

Author: Darci Ramirez; Published: Dec 21, 2010; Category: Energy, Energy Conservation, Energy Education, Energy sources, Environment, Uncategorized; Tags: Education, Energy, energy challenges, science, Technology; Comments: Be the first

Nuclear power has provided electricity around the world for decades, but it has been especially successful in countries like France, where other energy sources are scarce. In fact, when asked why the country has so much nuclear power, the French have been known to answer: “No oil, no gas, no coal, no choice.” France depends on nuclear power for 79% of its electricity generation and has more than 50 nuclear power plants. In comparison, nuclear provides less than 20% of the United States’ power.

So what makes nuclear more popular in France than in other countries? In a report for the Public Broadcasting Service’s news program Frontline, French ministry official Claude Mandil said the country is more accepting of nuclear power for three reasons:

1. They are independent and don’t want to rely on foreign energy sources.
2. They favor taking on large projects and hold scientists and engineers in higher esteem than many other countries do.
3. The French government has carefully marketed nuclear energy, its benefits and risks, and encourages people to tour facilities to learn more about them.

According to surveys, the French have the same safety concerns about nuclear power as Americans –accidents, negative health effects from radiation and more. But they also recognize that their lives would be more difficult without nuclear power. Plus, the country has a very good safety record, with just one serious accident in 1992 in which three untrained workers were contaminated and injured. — three power plant executives were jailed for not taking proper safety precautions.; This safety record also helps people feel more at ease with the country’s reactors.

Many countries have plans for new nuclear power plants in the future, including Egypt, Indonesia and Kazakhstan, all countries that have never used nuclear power before – so time will tell whether these countries welcome it with France’s enthusiasm!

See Energy4me’s energy source comparison to see how nuclear stacks up with other fuel sources.