Creating Electricity Is as Easy as Piezo
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“It is evident that the fortunes of the worlds human population, for better or for worse, are inextricably interrelated with the use that is made of energy resources”.
-M. King Hubbert, 1969
People on this planet need electricity for everything they do. The air conditioner in the summer, the heater in the winter, gas for vehicles and batteries for cellphones are just a few examples. This electricity comes from many different sources. At present, coal is being mined, crude oil and natural gas are being pumped, and uranium is being leached from the earth; however, these natural resources are not going to last forever. There are many other ways to make electricity. Solar power, wind power, geothermal, hydroelectric, and nuclear power are all newer, cleaner ways that are being utilized. There are advantages and disadvantages to each one, but one of the best ways is one that not many people know about. Piezoelectric energy is on its way to meeting us in the future. We need to find ways to include the technology of piezoelectric energy in our everyday lives because it will help to save our natural resources and the environment.
Energy usage is constantly on the rise. Because electricity is a secondary energy source, some other energy source must be burned or consumed to generate it. This is where coal, oil, and natural gas come in. When burned, these natural resources produce enough steam to spin a turbine connected to a generator that turns it into electricity. Only about 1/3 of the fuel used to generate electricity actually winds up as electricity. Most of the rest winds up as waste heat. The usage of coal, crude oil, petroleum, natural gas and uranium (used for nuclear fusion) is going up. “Coal consumption in the electric power sector grew by 4.5 percent in 2010, primarily the result of higher electricity demand during the summer” (U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2011). According to the United States Energy Information Administration, the costs of all of these energy sources will go up this year except coal, which is expected to be stable through 2011 (U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2011). Coal-burning produces acid rain, sulfur oxide emission, carbon dioxide emission, poorer land, hazardous waste, and other problems. The emissions given off from the burning of coal, oil and gas are causing climate changes (global warming). Before the coal can be burned it needs to be strip mined from underground and washed. Strip mining defaces the land and renders it useless unless the companies put some money back into repairing it. Unless the mines are properly reinforced, there is always the threat of collapse and that can cause earthquakes for miles around the mine. Washing the coal leaves behind traces of coal in the wastewater which is often piled up and forgotten about. Accidental fires in coal mines can burn for years.
A cleaner alternative to coal, wind power has been around for centuries. It has been used to lift water from the ground and grind corn and other grains. Wind turbines have a large initial cost and annual operating costs can be over $40,000 (Pimentel, et al., 2002). Wind turbines need plenty of room, almost two hundred acres for one, and plenty of wind. They will only be efficient if they are located in an area with sufficient wind. Many opponents of wind power claim that the turbines kill too many birds (Pimentel, et al., 2002). The turbines are often noisy and, because they use rotating magnets to produce electricity, can interfere with television and radio signals.
With no threat to birds, solar powers one main advantage is that it is available to anyone and can be gathered anywhere you can see the sun. Initial costs for putting together a solar energy collector are usually pretty high due to the materials needed because solar cells need to be produced in a special environment. Scientists are looking into nanotechnology to improve costs and efficiency. “Ten thousand times thinner than even a strand of hair, this light absorbing nanomaterial carry better capacity to be used in higher efficiency devices due to its microscopic size” (The Good, the Bad, 2011). These thin strands of light catching technology are still not durable enough to be used uncomplicatedly. “At four percent efficiency, much needs to be done before these nano solar cells replace the existing conventional solar panels” (The Good, the Bad, 2011).
Geothermal energy is another alternative energy source. Geothermal energy is taken from the heat that the earth holds underground. Geysers and hot springs like those in Yellowstone National Park are examples of geothermal energy. The hot water and steam are pumped to the surface to be used to heat greenhouses or pumped directly into geothermal power plants where it is put through a turbine connected to a generator (Union of Concerned Scientists, 2010). The power plants can send the water, still warm, back into the earth. Some plants use a water cooling process to pull the steam through the turbine, “but this process loses 60 to 80 percent of the steam to the air, without re-injecting it underground” (Union of Concerned Scientists, 2010). This can cause heat loss under the ground. The steam can cause greenhouse gasses. “Hydrogen sulfide–a toxic gas with a highly recognizable rotten egg odor–along with trace amounts of arsenic and minerals, is released in the steam” (Union of Concerned Scientists, 2010). The areas in the United States with the most geothermal energy sources are California, Nevada and Utah. Only those plants operating near a source of geothermal energy will be able to use power from it. Initial costs can be high because in order to get to the hottest parts of the earth, a well must be drilled several hundred feet down. There is also the threat of earthquakes because of the drilling just as in the case of coal mining. Even though the water is reintroduced back to the earth, the temperature difference can cause a disturbance and possibly earthquakes.
Electricity produced from hydroelectric power is made in much the same way as it is when coal is burned. The water is put through a turbine connected to a generator. Hydroelectric power does not create air pollution but has other disadvantages. A dam needs to be built, preferably on a river with a slope in elevation. With all the planning and amount of materials needed to build a dam the startup costs are very high. Building a dam can cause great harm to the area, especially the wildlife. Fish and other animals that live in the river would not be able to get to their spawning habitats. There is no guarantee that the dam will hold and if large amounts of rain are expected, they might have to flood surrounding areas to save the dam.
Nuclear fission