Vampire energy is electrical power used by appliances and equipment while switched off or not performing their primary function, often waiting to be activated. This loss of energy is known as standby or vampire energy, it’s fairly small but increasing in households across the globe.

Modern appliances and electronic devices that have lights or digital displays receive signals continuously and act like vampires sucking energy even when they are turned off!

Listed are a few simple things you can do at home to cut down on vampire energy.

• unplug your appliances and portable chargers when not in use
• use a power strip for things like your computer, fax machine and printer and then turn the power strip off.
• Purchase appliances that use less energy, look for the Energy Star labels

Some of the biggest culprits that waste energy in our homes are the adapters that come with rechargeable or battery-powered devices such as cordless phones, cell phones, digital cameras, music players, and power tools. They can draw power when plugged in whether the device is fully charged or connected.

By doing these simple tasks at home, you can save energy, save money, and take a bite out of vampire energy!

Learn more ways to save energy!

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.

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!

On February 11th, three SPE members visited Thomas Jefferson High School to discuss oil and gas to two 12th grade classes, AP Environmental Science and AP Chemistry. We began by introducing ourselves explaining our individual paths leading to a career in the Petroleum Industry. Pete Lensing, who works for BOPCO, as a production engineer emphasized the benefits of working in the field as an intern and as a new hire.

Next, we presented a few power point slides from the energy4me prepared presentation. Before the presentation students were connvinced renewables would be the only source of energy in 2030. After an explanation and the World Energy Demand slide, they realized oil and coal would still be a vital source of energy in the future. Courtney Sample, a reservoir engineer for Chevron explained how Chevron and other petroleum companies have devoted whole Buisness Units to renewable energy and energy efficiency. At Chevron it is called Chevron Technology Ventures.

Sean OBoyle, a consultant for ExPert E&P talked about the opportunities in the petroleum field. He informed students about the different options for a Petroleum Engineer. He explained how he has had the opportunity to travel around the world and also live in the state of Louisiana.

The students had lots of questions about the industry and about education. One really good question was about school and life balance. We encouraged the students to pursue petroleum engineering so that the energy industry has more creative minds in the future to find innovative cost effective ways to reduce our carbon footprint.

Learn more about a career in petroleum engineering or energy sources. 

This year Engineers Week will be held 20-26 February 2011. The National Engineers Week Foundation is celebrating the 60th anniversary of Engineers Week and recognizing engineers that volunteer in their community. Engineers Week has grown to become a global event that includes an engineering challenge event for students called Future City and special activities designed to make girls more aware of engineering and technology careers.

The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) is a proud sponsor of Engineers Week and encourages members and teachers worldwide to emphasize the importance of a career in engineering. SPE sections plan local activities and outreach to schools. Energy4me will provide reports on SPE section activities and ideas for teachers. Check back for ideas and activities! SPE can provide engineers to serve as classroom speakers in areas where we have members, and educational materials that can be downloaded. 

Click here to learn more about Engineers Week or a career in engineering.

Call it the ultimate field trip for high school students considering an engineering career!

The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) conducted a Regional Education Day on 2 November 2010, giving students a chance to visit the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC). ADIPEC is one of the largest energy shows in the world, and SPE organizes the technical conference at the event. The Education Day hosted 120 high school students, representing 9 secondary schools from the United Arab Emirates.

Education Days are held at selected SPE conferences around the world to introduce high school students to the discipline of petroleum engineering, and give them a chance to learn about the oil and gas industry that produces the energy that runs our world. The hope is that some of them may choose to study engineering and join the oil and gas industry.

The day began at the Petroleum Institute (PI), an engineering education and research institution in Abu Dhabi sponsored by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and four major international oil companies. Students were welcomed by Mr. Arafat Al-Yafei of ADNOC. The program began with a video called “Fuel-less” that describes a young girl’s day when everything in her life derived from oil has disappeared: her makeup, credit card, gasoline for her car and aspirin for her growing stress headache.

Next, university students presented a brief introduction into the oil and gas industry, discussed the pros and cons of joining the industry, and showed how oil and gas affect everyone’s everyday life. PI students then provided tours of the facility’s labs so that the high school students could see what it is like to study engineering, and learn about the field of energy research. The morning program concluded with presentations from young professionals about their experiences working in the industry, with lunch provided by the Petroleum Institute.

For the afternoon session, the students and their teachers visited the exhibition at ADIPEC. The exhibition included displays of the latest technology, software and services by 1,500 local and international companies from over 59 countries.

At the end of the day, it seemed that the group of students had enjoyed their time, become familiar with the industry and made lifelong friends and memories not to be forgotten.

We offer our special thanks to the Petroleum Institute and to the Education Day organizing committee, led by Badria Khalfan, ADNOC (Co-chairperson) and Ghada Bassioni, Petroleum Institute (Co-chairperson).

The organization Engineers Without Borders (EWB), which has over 250 chapters and 12,000 members in the US, works on hundreds of projects in countries including Kenya, India and Guatemala. These dedicated engineers – both professionals and students – aim to make a more stable and prosperous world by helping people in need.

EWB’s projects are born from proposals that come directly from the communities, which ensure that the residents’ needs will be met. Engineers travel to the community, assess what the people need and want and then, during subsequent visits, implement a plan to make the community’s goals a reality! Projects have ranged from building a health clinic in Peru to restoring an ancient dam and irrigation system in Cambodia. EWB provides training for local residents so they can maintain and operate the new buildings or systems, and a financial plan is put in place to make sure the project is economically viable for the future.

The recent rescue of coal miners in Chile also highlighted the importance of engineers. The rescue efforts used technologies developed and perfected in the oil industry, including drilling equipment and gyro guidance instruments to get to the target. Several members of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, the sponsor of Energy4me, participated in the rescue.  This event shows how engineers can make a world of difference!

Think you might be a future engineer? Check out Energy4me’s careers section to find out if engineering is for you!

Many calculators have small solar panels across the top that provide power, sometimes in combination with a battery. These solar panels work just like solar panels you may see on the roof of a house or office building, collecting the sun’s energy and storing it for when you need it. The solar panels must be recharged (by being exposed to sunlight) regularly in order for the calculator to work.

Solar power is used for cell phones, too. It can be especially useful in developing countries where electricity is not always available. For example, in Kenya, mobile phone company Safaricom Ltd. released a phone in mid-2009 that charges itself using the sun’s rays, even on cloudy days. About 17 million Kenyans use cell phones, but only about 1.3 million of the country’s residents have access to electricity to charge their phones. Some people use generators powered by bicycles to charge their phones; others pay businesses a fee to charge their phones for them.1 Solar-powered technology could be a huge help for many people. Solar phones are also being introduced in India, Latin America and other spots around the world.

Today, solar vehicles are primarily demonstration vehicles and engineering exercises, or in solar car races such as the World Solar Challenge and the North American Solar Challenge. These are electric vehicles powered by solar electricity. One day, solar power may be used more in cars as technology progresses, especially in hybrid models.

Learn more about solar energy.

1. “Solar Cell Phones Take Off in Developing Nations,” Moni Basu and Faith Karimi, CNN.com, 21 Aug., 2009; http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/08/21/solar.cellphone/index.html

Geoscientists work to solve some of our planet’s greatest challenges. Climate change. The environment. Energy. Water resources. Population growth. Our changing global environment is putting geoscientists in great demand.

Many students have never considered a career in geology. They may think that geology is only about rocks but geoscientists study the Earth, its minerals, rocks, fossils, atmosphere and more! There are many disciplines within geology. Geology, geophysics, hydrology, oceanography, marine science, atmospheric science, planetary science, meteorology, environmental science, and soil science are all considered to be the main geosciences disciplines by the National Science Foundation.

Geoscientists perform many different roles. Explorers, writers, environmental consultants, and teachers are just some of the many roles they play. When working they are never board and stuck in a cubicle. The often divide their time between the laboratory, the field and the office. Geoscientists work in many different places to learn about the Earth’s environment and resources.

They have many questions about the Earth, the solar system, the environment, life on Earth and other planets! They also observe the environment and how current situations affect one another. By increasing their knowledge and understanding of the geosciences and how they relate to one another, geoscientists improve the quality of our lives.

Students who think they might want to pursue a career in geology should focus their studies on biology, science, chemistry, physics, math, and computer science. Communication and writing skills are also important, because geologists must be able to write reports and effectively communicate their scientific findings. Most university students pursue a masters or doctoral degrees while gaining experience in the field.

Students who like sciences should consider geology as a career – they might find out it really rocks! Learn more about geology careers.

Energy4me, an energy education program sponsored by the Society of Petroleum Engineers is joining in the fun! Energy4me provided an exciting learning activity called “Products from Petroleum” for the month of December in AIG’s “Energizing Education” calendar.

Energ4me’s activity “Products from Petroleum” is a great interactive lesson on products we use every day made from petroleum. The lesson demonstrates what some products are made from and the processes it goes through to create different products. After the demonstration, each student creates a list of their 10 most important products made from petroleum separating them by necessities and luxuries.

The lists are discussed with the rest of the class and the reasoning behind each choice. The lesson is followed up by discussion on what the 10 most important products should be and how life would change without those products made from petroleum. 

Energy4me provides many more interactive and fun classroom activities for all grade levels. The Energy4me kit and lesson plans are also free to download. The Energy4me kit includes hands-on experiments, ready-to-go classroom presentations, teaching aids, and speaker resources. All of these exciting classroom resources correspond with our “Oil and Natural Gas” book.

Energy4me’s educational materials all work together to make learning about energy memorable! Learn more about Energy4me!

Earth Science Week was started in 1998 and is hosted by the American Geological Institute (AGI) to create a public awareness program for the Earth Sciences. AIG encourages people everywhere to explore their natural environment and learn about the geosciences. Earth Science Week educates the public through information, activities, and resources. This event reaches more than 40 million people each year. Learn more about Earth Science Week!