Energy Independence in SLO County: A Hybrid Solution for a Hybrid Problem

Energy Independence in SLO County:

A Hybrid Solution for a Hybrid Problem

Presents

Welcome to the year 2050…

The engineers who graduated in the year 2005 are reaching retirement.

What does SLO county look like?

What are the energy usage needs, and how are they being met?

A Complex Solution to a Complex Problem The engineers at the turn of the 21st

century faced a monumental challenge. No Trival “fix all” solution Multifaceted approach:

New technologies for efficient usageClean, renewable and localized generationFocus on end use specific energy sources

The Big Breakthrough:

Engineers of the turn of the century focused on searching for a single solution for all energy needs.

Fundamental paradigm shift occurred when engineers realized that the solution was to apply solutions specific to the energy need

SLO County in 2050 looks much like Santa Barbara County did in 2005

Population doubled to 500,000 2.5 people per home => ~200,000 homes Small but growing industries Extensive agriculture, especially wine Busy localized commercial centers Transportation along 101 corridor and

within town

Energy Usage of SLO Country in 2050

Residential

Commercial

Industrial & Agriculture

Transportation

Lets take a a closer look around the year 2050 to see how these needs

are being met

Transforming the Face of Residential Building

• Overview– Zero Net Energy Buildings– Building Integrated Photovoltaics and integrated Climate Control– Policy and Business Trends

Zero Net Energy Buildings:The mantra of the 2010s

http://www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/building_america/pdfs/35851_ba_puts_research.pdf

•Incremental improvements in building energy use in terms of thermal insulation, lighting and appliance efficiency converge with onsite generation yielding zero net energy buildings

Multiple Approaches to reducing Residential Energy Consumption

• Solar thermal collectors– Hot water and radiant space heating

• Structurally insulated panels and composite materials• Passive and solid-state lighting

PV- Where we stood in 2005

•2nd generation PV technologies were moving along at a rapid clip.

•University and private sector laboratories were already demonstrating working examples of 3rd generation technologies.

•Thermophotonics •Enhanced electron-hole generation•Hot electron carriers•Organic semiconductors

•We reach the DOE target of $0.33/W by 2014

Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV)• Cost effective thin-film and organic photovoltaic applications drive a whole new

technology sector.

• The progression solar shingles standing seam PV panels entire building skins made entirely BIPV material

Important business trends change the face of residential homes

In 2018, SLO County Entrepreneurs Winton Salisbury and Ai Lacson patent a revolutionary vapor-deposition technique creating a durably encapsulated organic solar cell that cells for $50 a square meter at 20%

• California Energy Commission sets the stage with the Emerging Renewables program

• The county stimulates this transition with regulations and incentives– PV Cost & Profit Share program is a huge success

• Surprisingly, governmental agencies are the first to show that PV pays. – By 2020, virtually all SLO County public schools, courthouses and

federal buildings are ZNE

Policy

• By 2050, the many communities of SLO County eliminate their residences from the larger energy burden.

Unfortunately, by 2050, 70s fashion is back…yet again.

SLO Business and Offices in 2050

Source:www.voicenet.com/ ~rbbb/aTele.html

Energy Use in Offices and Retail Stores back in 2005

• Spent nearly ¾ of energy in heating, cooling, and lighting

• These are the areas that we needed to work on

[2] Energy consumption in retail buildings, by end use, for climate zone 4Source: NSTAR http://www.nstaronline.com/[1] Source: Laurence Livermore National Laboratory

Energy Use

Office[1] Retail Store[2]

Heating, cooling, ventilation

43% 30%

Lighting 31% 42%

Proposed energy solutions for commercial buildings

• Photovoltaic as building material

• Solar water heating

• Geothermal heat pumping

• Cogeneration

• Solid state lighting (LED)

• Energy efficient high performance buildings

Let’s look at following three technologies:

• Geothermal heat pumping

• Cogeneration

• Solid state lighting (LED)

Geothermal Resources• State of California

has a large geothermal resource

• The Geysers Plants in Lake county - the largest geothermal electricity producer in the world

• SLO county makes direct use of hot springs

California Geothermal ResourcesPublication No. - INEEL/MISC-03-01044 Rev. 1November 2003The U.S. Department of Energy Office ofEnergy Efficiency and Renewable EnergyGeothermal Technologies Program

Types of Geothermal Use• Geothermal electricity generation

– Large scale power plant exploits heat energy in deep underground

– In year 2005, SLO county was not a location of pick due to a lack of large high heat reservoir

– But, by year 2050, a technology break through made this feasible also in SLO county

• Direct use– Hot springs, swing pools, and fish farming– Heating of buildings and green houses

• Geothermal heat pumps– There is no geothermal reservoir necessary– Applications for home, businesses, and offices

Geothermal Heat Pump

• It takes advantage of the stable underground temperature (typically 50F – 60F) all year around

• The vertical boreholes are typically 100 to 400 ft. deep

• As a heat source, it warms buildings in winter

• As a heat sink, it cools them in summer

.

Source: http://www.nrel.gov/clean_energy/geoheatpumps.html

Geothermal Heat Pump• Advantages

– 35-50% of electric energy saving compared to conventional heating & cooling systems

– Because of a closed loop circulation, it saves water (that would have evaporated in chilled water AC system)

– Heat goes into underground, thus alleviates the heat island problem

– No emissions

Source: http://www.nrel.gov/clean_energy/geoheatpumps.html

Court St. Downtown Shopping Center

• Copeland Sports Corp– built a multi-commercial complex (including shopping,

restaurant, office and parking garage) in Downtown SLO in 2005

– Geothermal heat pump (GHP) facility is located in the parking garage which was bought by SLO county

• GHP assists heating and cooling needs of office spaces– 16 pumps circulate water through the system of looped

piping placed in 50 vertically drilled boreholes 300 ft deep

– Underground temperature is around 62°F all year around

Source: Mechanical Engineering Magazine, June 2004

Court St. Downtown Shopping Center

• Economically feasible– The system cost $218,000, but the annual

savings made it a 16-year payback

• Environmentally friendly– Save 20,000 lbs of CO2 in the air annually– Save18,000 lbs of SO2 in the air annually – Save about 10,000 gal. of water annually

Source: Mechanical Engineering Magazine, June 2004

Cogeneration

• Also known as CHP (Combined Heat and Power)– Natural gas turbine turns a generator to produce

electricity– High efficiency up to 90% (by reuse of exhaust heat)

• 25% electrical generation• 65% heat generation• 10% energy loss

– Exhaust heat is be recycled for hot water and heating during winter time

Source: Building for a Future Magazine, http://www.newbuilder.co.uk/bffmag/winter03/1-21.pdf

County Gov. Campus

• Cogeneration power plant started operating in 2005:– located in a county administration building in

Monterey St– Serves the old courthouse, the annex, and the library

• Three 200KW units, fueled by natural gas, provide 45 to 55% of all electricity needs

• The exhaust heat is reused to provide hot water and heating during winter to the campus

Source: Mechanical Engineering Magazine, June 2004

County Gov. Campus

• The system costs $1.7 million

• Public Utilities Commission gave the county a $500K rebate

• With rebate the payback is 7 to 9 years

• $200K annual saving in electricity bill

Source: Mechanical Engineering Magazine, June 2004

Bio-Cogeneration• Cogeneration by renewable fuel

– Natural gas is still fossil fuel even though it produce less CO2 than oil or coal

– In year 2050, a cogeneration technology of 2005 was replaced by bio-cogeneration

http://travel.howstuffworks.com/stirling-engine1.htmSource: Building for a Future Magazine, http://www.newbuilder.co.uk/bffmag/winter03/1-21.pdf

Stirling engine–External (rather than internal) combustion engine–Capable of using a wide range of different fuels: hydrogen; natural and LP gas; bio-gas (methane); bio-diesel; ethanol; woodchip; straw; or even cow dung, with modification of course

Bio-gas from Landfill

• In year 2050, SLO county has more facilities producing more bio-gas

• Example: Cold Canyon Landfill in 2005– Collecting gas and selling to a nearby oil field– The gas consists of 50% methane and 50% CO2

– The oil field facility uses it as fuel for steam powered oil pumps

– Replaced about 20% of the fuel used – The money earned from the sale of the gas is used to

pay for the gas collection systemSource: http://www.coldcanyonlandfill.com/gassystem.htm

Solid State Lighting

• Realistic expectation of 50% reduction in used power for lighting, leading to 10% reduction of total electricity use

• Significant increase in device lifetime compared to incandescent bulbs

• Independent control of mixing colorshttp://lighting.sandia.gov/Xlightingoverview.htm

SLO Business and Offices in 2050

• Photovoltaic in building walls and roofs

• Geothermal heat pumps for heating and cooling

• Bio-cogeneration

• Solid state lighting replaced all incandescent and florescence lightings

• Energy efficient high performance buildings

Agriculture and Manufacturing Industries in 2050

Agriculture and Manufacturing in 2050

• More people = more jobs

• Sources energy: biodiesel, geothermal energy and photovoltaics.

• Agriculture:– fruit and nut crops – Vegetable crops – Field crops (mostly grazing land)– Animal industry

• Maufacturing: – Over 500 establishments– Food, printing and related support activities, chemical mfg, etc.

Agriculture:energy usage

• On farm irrigation• Field equipment

– Tractors, tillage equipment• Greenhouses

– Heating and cooling systems• Ranch water hole

– Water pumped from a well

Agriculture: Biodiesel

• Biodiesel:– Farmers use biodiesel to run the field equipment, pumping

systems for irrigation, and the greenhouse cooling and heating

systems (in the evening). – Algae :

• A portion of the land is used for the algae ponds.• Algae farms are constructed to use waste streams (either

human waste or animal waste from animal farms) and sea water as a food source.

• Nutrients are extracted from the algae for the production of a fertilizer high in nitrogen and phosphorous.

Agriculture: Biodiesel contd.

• Mustard seed:– Wine producers grow mustard in the off season in

between the vines. – A growing demand for organic pesticides provides

the primary incentive to farmers and crushers. – The mustard oil is a low value waste product

because it's inedible. – Mustard oils contain as much as 90%

monosaturated fatty acids.

Agriculture: Photovoltaics

• Photovoltaics are a natural fit for agriculture due to their existence in rural areas.

• Solar heat collectors are used to dry crops and warm homes, livestock buildings, and greenhouses.

• Solar water heaters provide hot water for dairy operations, pen cleaning, and homes.

• Photovoltaics (solar electric panels) power farm operations and remote water pumps, lights, and electric fences.

Manufacturing

Transportation

• Transportation history (in 2005)

• Need for change

• Alternative Technologies

• Hydrogen fuel cells

• Transportation today (in 2050)

SLO Transportation in 2005

Nearly half of populationin SLO commute to work(107,000 people in 2000)

http://factfinder.census.gov

Employees and Students(20,000 people in 2004)

http://www.afd.calpoly.edu

Commute to Work

Private (88%)

Public (1%)

Walk (4%)

Non-Commute (6%)

Commute to Cal Poly

Drive (45%)

Walk (38%)

Public (7%)

Carpool (7%)

Vanpool (2%)

Why change?• Yesterday’s cars relied on gasoline from petroleum

oil, a fossil fuel– Became more expensive and less available– Not sustainable– Produced toxic emissions

• Transportation accounted for two-thirds of U.S. petroleum use

• Driving 14,000 miles in a car getting 20 MPG, the average Californian used 700 gallons of fuel annually

Sustainable Alternatives

• Hydrogen Fuel Cell– Requires hydrogen fuel (natural gas, biomass, water)– 40-60% efficient, twice that of combustion engines– Almost zero toxic emissions

• Bio-Diesel– Requires bio-fuel (algae, vegetable oil, animal fat)– 35% more efficient than standard gasoline– Very little toxic emissions

• Electric and Hybrid Cars– Runs with battery, requires electricity for charging– Almost zero toxic emissions

http://www.eere.energy.gov

Fuel Cell Technology

http://www.greenjobs.com

Hydrogen containing liquid or gas enters anode catalyst, and splits into a proton and electron.

Proton passes through electrolyte to combine with oxygen and form water.

Electron leaves anode in form of electric current.

Creating Hydrogen Fuel

• Convert natural gas/methane into hydrogen and carbon monoxide by catalyst reactions

• Breaks down biomass into hydrogen using gasification

• Split water into hydrogen and oxygen– Electrolysis uses electrical current – Steam Electrolysis uses heat and electrical current– Thermochemical systems use heat and chemicals– Photolysis uses photovoltaics and sunlight– Photobiological systems use microorganisms and sunlight

http://www.eere.energy.gov

Implementing Hydrogen Fuel Distribution System in SLO

• Storage issues– Low volumetric energy density – Flammable

• Delivery issues– Compressed gas pipeline distribution system– Gas truck tankers – Liquid trailers

• Need– 140 million gallons/year of Hydrogen fuel

• 500,000 people * 14,000 miles/person / 50 miles/gallon

Cost of Hydrogen Fuel Distribution in 2005

Water

Biomass

Coal

Natural gas

http://www.eere.energy.gov

SLO Transportation in 2050

• Eco-friendly automobiles– Hydrogen fuel cell, Bio-diesel Hybrid cars

• Public transportation– Bio-diesel bus system

• Biking & walking– Extensive biking and walking trail system

(the weather really is quite nice)

In Summary…

• Residential sector has moved entirely to zero net energy buildings.

• Commercial buildings significantly improve efficiencies for lighting, heating & cooling, reducing dependency of the power grid by more than 50%.

In Summary…• Industrial & Manufacturing – Biodiesel cogeneration,

along with other technologies, further reduce dependency on the electrical grid.

• Agriculture – local power generation, local fuel production, and clever use of local resources usher in a new age of large scale sustainable agriculture.

• Transportation – Hydrogen fuel cells and biodesiel eliminate the need for a fossil fuel based transportation industry. Significant improvements in public transportation a wider network of biking/walking routes further reduce the need for motorized transport for short commutes.

Additional Larger Scale Generation Sources Sources Fill The Gaps

• Geothermal Potential in SLO county

• Natural Gas (methane) from the Landfill

• SLO Hydro-Power Plant - 640kW for free

• Microturbines burning biomass fuel

Public Policy Leads the Way…

• Government study to accurately profile how energy is used in SLO county

• Offer tax benefits / rebates for new construction incorporating green technologies

• Offer information about energy options that are best suited for a users needs

Most importantly!

• Remember and emulate the spirit of those brave engineers who, while beginning their careers 45 years ago in the year 2005, set a local agenda that ended up leading the nation towards energy independence that we enjoy today in 2050.

• These technologies were developed by them, because they were the visionaries who accepted the challenge.

Any Questions?