Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Monday’s Class : Chris Read, future SLO Sustainability Czar is healthy again, and will speak with us. Please go back to last week and read about him again if you are able.
Before Class
- No problem set due today, but I’ll collect your midterm corrections Wednesday. Please redo your midterms. Make sure you understand everything you missed. If I still have your midterm, please come get it in my office. I’ll be there from 9-10 and noon – 5:00.
- Please see Lighting Efficiency and Slides
- Could it be that our electricity use is decreasing???
- If you like this class and especially the global development facet, please consider taking a project-based class, PSC-392, Appropriate Technology for the World’s People, Development. You can find the course description on the department website.
During Class
Chris Read, future SLO Sustainability Czar is healthy again, and will speak with us.
After Class
Chris sent the following information:
- CPUC / CCA Discussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSL3XlCcHqs&index=2&list=PLWtQT7lkGHzfP2bcZ0MQIHsZQvII-xK9L&t=887s
- Brooklyn Microgrid: https://www.dnvgl.com/energy/publications/podcast/pc-the-brooklyn-microgrid.html
- CCA presented to SLO County Supervisors (click on item 35): http://slocounty.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=42&clip_id=2821
Chris Read
Senior Energy Program Coordinator
County of San Luis Obispo
805-781-1172
cread@co.slo.ca.us
Wednesday’s Class
Before Class
- There will be no (3:10) office hour today. I apologize for the inconvenience.
- Rather than drying your clothes with heat, why not just blast the water out of them with sound waves? Come to class prepared to tell me why ultrasonic drying are 4 times as efficient as conventional driers.
- See video: Heat Pump Efficiency and slides
- Note: Heat pumps don’t pump hot air from cold to hot, they move thermal energy to a hotter place. Can you explain the difference?
- See this professional video about setting up an OTEC facility in Hawaii by Makai
- See this 2 minute summary where I discuss OTEC from Wikipedia
- What about Geothermal Power? What’s happening today?
- Did climate change keep you from skiing this year so far? They claim it’s costing the industry $1 billion
After Class
- Please finish your empathy intervention statement.
Friday : Chris Read comes to talk about community choice aggregate.
Before Class
- Chris Read the new SLO sustainability Czar will be here to talk to us at 4:00 PM. Please read the following to prepare: Diablo Findings – exciting 60 page document, but you can just read the findings and conclusion, starting on page 57.
The Climate Action Plan for San Luis Obispo, authored by a group of Cal Poly Students with Professor Adrienne Grieve in CRP. At least read the executive summary. Renewable Portfolio Standard:http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/RPS_Homepage/. I encourage students to use the google machine to figure out how RPS is attached to the state’s climate goal (as codified in AB32 and SB32) and how related legislation helps (e.g., SB350) (related: should energy efficiency be counted as an energy resource?).
Demand response (demand side management or shedding or shifting load) This is a good start: https://www.caiso.com/1893/1893e350393b0.html
Please read just the summary from this article by Christopher Weare to understand the cause of the Cal Electricity Crisis and how to prevent it.
Please know what Community Choice Aggregation is when you come into class. You can read about it on Wikipedia, or see Lean Energy’s Description.
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- Please read Jevon’s Paradox
- Please read Helicopter Date , Yes, you may ask yourself “why did we read this?”… “what does it have to do with the previous article?” See if you can come up with a good answer.
- California is considering outlawing gasoline garden equipment. Please read the article on NPR. Note the last two sentences: They bring up environmental justice, and finances.
- Please see Cool Roofs and Paradox. Slides: see the very end of efficiency slides
- The ultimate cool roofs material has just been invented. Please see from Feb. 27, Physics Today a surface coating that emits more heat than it absorbs even under strong sunlight. Is that possible?
- Please see Wind Power and slides
- If you like, read about a transition from rancher to wind farm technician.
- When I was at Berkeley 2006 – 2007, we looked at Tethered Wind Energy Systems – could you fly a turbine at the end of a long kite string higher so that it received more consistently strong wind…. even up into the Jet Stream? It seems that people are working on this on a smaller scale now. Here’s an interesting short video if you’re interested.
- Please read through the self interventions of your colleagues, link on the main class website.
During Class
- We’re going to the chill water facility at 3:10 PM, Long pants, close toed shoes please.
After Class