Alternative Energies

MVZ Carinthia Zapata

Alternative Fuels Options
 Outline:

• Reasons
• Alternative Fuels
– biodiesel, hydrogen, ethanol, solar and
nuclear power.
• Advantages and Disadvantages
• About Mexico

Alternative Fuels Options

 Alternative Energies Facts:
• Industrial Revolution, humans have been dependant on
using energy in order to fuel their economies and make
their lives easier.

• Environmentally, types of energy such as those that burn

fossil fuels have been greatly affecting and damaging our
planet.

• Now, the sustainability of humans on Earth is threatened.

• Economically, we need to use new and renewable types of

energy.

• Thus, it is important to compare all types of energy, in

order to determine the best ones, economically and
environmentally, short term and long term.
Alternative Fuels Options
 • These Alternative Fuels include biodiesel,
hydrogen, ethanol, solar and nuclear
power.

http://www.smartcommute.org/AltFuels.htm

http://www.cordis.lu/cost-transport/src/cost-304.htm

http://www.cordis.lu/cost-transport/src/cost-304.htm
http://www.cordis.lu/cost-transport/src/cost-304.htm Alternative Fuels Options
 Vegetable options: About
Biodiesel..
• Biodeisel is made from
vegetable oils. It does not
release much pollution.

• When burning, it smells

like french fries are
• cooking!
• Biodiesel could be used
in a special diesel engine
that uses 20% biodiesel
and 80% diesel fuel.

http://www.cordis.lu/cost-transport/src/cost-304.htm

Alternative Fuels Options

 About Hydrogen
• Hydrogen can be used in
vehicles that have fuel
cells.
• These vehicles are
powered by electricity that
is produced when
hydrogen and oxygen, fed
into a proton exchange
unit, combine to produce
electricity.
• This form of hydrogen
power has only two by-
products, water mist and
heat.

Alternative Fuels Options

 About Ethanol..
• Ethanol is made by fermenting and distilling
starch crops (corn and potatoes) and can
be used with gasoline to improve car
emissions.
(See: http://www.bayer.com/annualreport_2003/feature/cropscience.php)

Alternative Fuels Options

 Solar Energy..
• Solar energy can also
provide electricity to
power a car.
• This fuel is renewable
and produces no
emissions.

Alternative Fuels Options

 General Related Problems..
• There are some problems with alternative types
of energy:
• First, they are still more expensive than
petroleum. (Currently)

• Second, vehicles powered by electricity can

produce shocks. And ethanol fuels can corrode
some materials.

• But still gasoline and diesel can pose threats too

because they pollute the air we breathe... This
damages the environment. ….Let´s talk about
Nuclear options….
Alternative Fuels Options
 Fusion
• When two molecules are combined with one another
into plasma, it often produces extra energy.

• Fusion, as this process is called, produces large

amounts of clean and efficient energy by converting
matter into energy.
• It is the power source of stars such as the sun, which
combines hydrogen atoms to form helium atoms and
extra energy.
• Humans have not yet figured out how to produce
sustainable fusion, because the high amounts of energy
and heat involved cause instability. ….Estimates range
on when this new technology will be available.

Alternative Fuels Options

 Uses

• Because fusion is not yet available on earth, it

does not currently have any uses for us.
• It is used in stars, however.

Alternative Fuels Options

 Nuclear Power : Fission
• Nuclear power plants utilize nuclear fission, a
process by which an atom is split into two smaller
atoms with less mass total, producing energy.
• A common reactant used to produce this is
Uranium-235, which when bombarded with a
neutron produces two smaller atoms, neutrons,
which keep the chain reaction going, and energy.

• Other isotopes such as Plutonium-239 can also be

used in nuclear fission, but Plutonium-239 is
believed by many to be too dangerous.

Alternative Fuels Options

 Fission, Uses
• Nuclear fission is used in nuclear power
plants to generate electricity, which is
widely used in homes and appliances.
• It produces approximately 16% of
worldwide energy use.

Alternative Fuels Options

 Fission, Efficiencies
• Nuclear power is extremely energy
efficient, as uranium is cheaper than oil
and coal and one kilogram of uranium
typically produces 500,000 MJ of
electricity (3 to 20 million folds than coal).

Alternative Fuels Options

 Disadvantages
• Cancer and leukemia rates for local residents,
occurring at Tokaimura, Japan, with hazardous
health and environmental effects, and
Chernobyl, causing massive health and
environmental effects.
• Nuclear disposal is another significant issue,
with several radioactive isotopes being created
by the nuclear process.
• These isotopes have a very slow rate of
radioactive decay, and currently we sometimes
dispose them in large amounts of bedrock.

Alternative Fuels Options

 Solar Energy
• Solar energy is energy from sunlight. One widely used
system of capturing solar energy is in photovoltaic solar
systems.
• 1. These systems have modules PV cells, in which the
sunlight knocks electrons, which then move systems to
produce electricity.
• 2. Another type of solar powered system is a
concentrating solar power system, in which sunlight is
collected and concentrated by mirrors to produce a high
intensity heat source that is then used to produce steam
or mechanical power which will run a generator.

Alternative Fuels Options

 Efficiencies
• Solar energy is very efficient regarding its
renewability, as it will not run out for
billions of years until the sun burns out.
• The sun currently sends to Earth more
energy in an hour than is used by humans
in a year.
• Currently, It is only cheaper to use solar
energy for people than normal electricity if
they live more than 1 km away from the
local power grid. (Technological Designs)

Alternative Fuels Options

 Disadvantages
• Again, solar energy's major disadvantage
is its cost, causing most power grids to
use other types of energy such as nuclear
energy, hydroelectric energy, or the
burning of fossil fuels.
• Still, energy consumption is projected to
increase by 59% by 2020 and demand for
solar energy is projected to increase
greatly.
• New Technologies are required

Alternative Fuels Options

 About Mexico… (2005)
GRID SUMMARY
“Mexico has installed electric power generating capacity of
38.9 million kilowatts and since 2000 generated 194 billion
kilowatthours (bkwh).
Oil-fired power plants make up the largest share of
Mexico's electricity generation, and thermal (oil, gas,
and coal) electricity generation in 2000 accounted for 76%
of total generation.
Hydropower accounted for 17%,
nuclear power 4%, and other renewable sources (wind,
solar, biomass) 3%.
Mexico's industrial energy policy calls for the conversion of
many oil-fired power plants to natural gas by 2005.
Most new power plants will be run on natural gas.”

Alternative Fuels Options