Combustion and Efficiency
Monday’s Class
Before Class
- Please see video: TransportationA and Slide
- Show down between California and Scott Pruitt’s EPA: Will we get the waiver in April? If we don’t, what hell will break loose?
- How about riding bikes? City congestion? Bike Shares: please read this article and make note of some of the market mechanisms and similarities with the smart grid incentives to level the load with demand response. Should we do it in SLO?
- Please read about Outlawing Diesel in Germany?
- Another video: TransportationB and slides
- Please see Feedback, Week 8, posted on main class website.
- Please see Problem sets #7 and #8, both of which are due next Monday because I failed to assign PS#7 last week…. don’t worry – they are both short.
Here’s a great article about a new regulation in European cities. Please read it and come to class ready to discuss the following questions:
- Banning Diesel is a command and control regulatory mechanism. Are they also trying market mechanisms?
- What about the timing in your opinion is good? What is bad? – where do you see this leading?
- Do you recognize any EJ (Environmental Justice) issues arising?
- SUPER NEWS! The 2017 Renewable Energy Report is out! Please see it here. At least read the executive summary and look at the graphs and pictures. You may also want to take a brief look at the section titles and graphs and decide where and when you might like to read more some other time.
Wednesday’s Class
Before Class
- We know that the permafrost sequesters lots of carbon (potential methane), but studies in Physics Today indicate that there may be more Mercury stored in the permafrost than in all over soils and the ocean combined.
- See this hour long video about the future of transportation in USA. This isn’t a “graded video”, so you could skip through it. Please watch the first 5 minutes, and I bet you watch the whole thing…. if you decide not to, you could skip through it.
- Please read a story about a WHO report of 1.7 million children deaths due to environmental causes. Please at least read the the first and the last two paragraphs.
- While we’re at it, we don’t have to go to other countries to see environmental health problems. How about a poor town next to a chemical factory that has cancer rates 700 times the national average. Consider the environmental justice issues… Are you a beneficiary of this environmental damage… you do if you have a wetsuit (like I do).
- Optional: read this article about recycling car batteries published April 2017 by the American Physical Society.
- Please see LCA and Biofuels and Slides
- Please see Problem sets #7 and #8, both of which are due next Monday because I failed to assign PS#7 last week…. don’t worry – they are both short.
- You can Email Roger at rogersburton@gmail.com as some of you have expressed an interest in further communication.
During Class
- Transportation discussion.
- Projects discussion
After Class
Friday
Before Class
- The project!!! There’s something I am going to add to the project. Each presentation must have at least:
- One calculation related to the class material
- One environmental concern, effect, benefit, or insight
- One issue of societal transformation
- One policy arguent
- One economic insight, calculation, or impact
- One concept of equity, developing country, or environmental justice.
- Please see video: Solar PV , and slides
- Please read our PV research webpage. Please understand the cost/price trends and implications for continuation into the future. You don’t need to click on each project, but you’re welcome to.
- Please see video: Concentrated Solar and slides
- Work on your project: Research it more online. Meet with someone in the field. Get together with your group.
During Class
We go to Cal Poly’s Solar Farm. We will have class at the regular time, and then car pool over to the solar farm. Four students and I can meet outside of building 70 at 3:00 PM to drive in the van with Eric Veium.
After Class:
- Each person in the class should send me an Email describing their experience in their group. The email can be very short, as simple as “we’re great working together.” or “we’ve never met, I forget who’s in my group.” or “It’s OK, except that Pete never shows up and when he does, he’s on his cell phone or complaining about something.” Whatever your experience is.