Renewable Energy Optimization: Applications on the Micro Scale

Eric Gutterson 3/19/14

Abstract Renewable energy has been a major topic of interest in recent decades with the threat of fossil fuels dissipating, in addition to the damage they cause to the environment. The solution is not as easy as replacing existing nonrenewable energy models with renewable energy models. Efforts have primarily been made toward macro applications of renewable energy. However, in its current state, renewable energy cannot compete with the cost and energy density of traditional fossil fuels in terms of generating electricity. There has been potential, though, in various micro applications in which renewable (namely, solar) energy has proved it can thrive. This paper explores the dynamics of the energy models and suggests routes to move forward to a healthier coexistence of the two, utilizing these micro applications as well as intelligent government enforcement to push renewable energy to where it can be most beneficial. Keywords: Renewable Energy, Solar, Micro Applications, Optimization, Government Policy

The need for reliable renewable energy is apparent. Fossil fuels are limited in a finite amount of time; it is essential that there is a contingency plan in the event that fossil fuels are no longer a reliable source of energy. Advancements have been made in recent decades in the form of wind farms, a wide variety of solar cell applications, biofuel, and other renewable energy applications. However, the energy density (the amount of energy accessible in a given amount of fuel) of fossil fuels is immense at a relatively low cost compared to renewable sources. In addition, the efficiency of fossil fuel processes is significantly ahead of solar and other renewable applications. This makes renewable energy seem unappealing, but it does not change the fact that fossil fuels are finite and deal considerable damage to the environment. In fact, the U.S. government has shown interest in renewable energy in an attempt to solve this issue, proposing a standard to implement more renewable applications. Current renewable energy models have, in the majority, had great focus on mass-producing energy on the macro scale, such as wind farms and solar panels. However, this model does not coexist well with the current nonrenewable energy model at its low cost and high energy density. Instead of attempting to gradually replace existing nonrenewable energy models on the macro scale, renewable energy applications should have a greater focus on reducing the footprint of micro energy consumption, with intelligent government interference to enforce. The cost to generate electricity from nonrenewable sources, such as coal and gas, tends to be significantly lower than the cost from renewable sources. This trend is shown in Figure 1, demonstrated by Holmes and Papay. The reason for the trend is partly due to the immense energy density of fossil fuels. The amount of required fuel for any given task is lower because a greater amount of energy can be retrieved from it, resulting in a lower cost. In the Levelized Cost column of Figure 1, wind is the only renewable resource that approaches the low cost of

Figure 1: Comparison of Energy Sources traditional fossil fuels. However, the location of wind farms is vital to their efficiency, and few locations exist that allow wind energy to reach its full potential. Furthermore, because the extraction of energy from fossil fuels has been happening for a considerably longer period of time, the processes for extracting that energy are significantly more efficient compared to modern renewable sources. The efficiency of photovoltaic cells, for example, has only begun its process of being perfected in recent years, and thus is relatively far off from fossil fuels. Other applications of renewable energy do make a considerable contribution to the renewable energy model as well, as Holmes and Papay (2011) explain in the following quote, Biomass (wood and waste), geothermal, and hydropower also contribute to renewable electricity generation, though these sources are not a large component of renewable electricitys current growth (p. 371). However, as they explicitly state, these sources are not currently growing and improving as much as solar and wind, so it is more useful to analyze the direction that solar and wind are currently headed. In summary, because renewable energy is not yet efficient enough to compete with nonrenewable energy on the macro scale, it should not be so heavily focused at that scale in an

attempt to replace nonrenewable energy. Instead, alternative renewable applications must be pursued. Although the efficiency and cost to use renewable resources to generate electricity is not currently satisfactory to compete with fossil fuels, there has been promise when renewables are used on a private, individual level. For example, solar water heaters have grown in popularity across the United States in recent years. Cassard et al. (2011) summarize the statistics gathered over two years for residential U.S. customers: For a typical residential customer, a SWH [solar water heater] system will reduce water heating energy demand by 50-85%, or a savings of 16002600 kWh per year this corresponds to an annual electric bill savings range of about $100 to over $300 (p. 3789). According to the research, solar water heaters have proven to be efficient in terms of both cost and energy - completely different results compared to the macro scale model of renewable energy. It is more reasonable for renewable energy to exist here because the energy is only in demand for a short time every day, and the amount of energy required is confined to a single home. Thus, renewable energy is able to thrive and the results are ultimately beneficial. There is a reduction of electricity (mostly generated from nonrenewable energy) being used at the home, resulting in a better coexistence of renewable and nonrenewable energy. They complement one another in this situation, instead of competing on the macro scale. This model does not attempt to replace nonrenewable energy with renewable energy, but rather concentrates the renewable energy to an area where it is more efficient. There are countless areas in which renewable energy could thrive on a micro scale. Remote controls, electric toothbrushes, flashlights, and clocks are some examples. One of the greatest opportunities for solar appliances is the market of smartphones, tablets, and other handhelds. Smartphones in particular have grown in popularity immensely in recent years,

making them an exceptional target for a renewable application. These appliances require a small amount of energy or only require energy for a short period of time an ideal situation for solar to thrive (much like the water heater). Implementing solar cells in these devices would ultimately reduce the amount they would need to charge from nonrenewable electricity, as well as lessen the amount of batteries used up and discarded into the environment. Devabhaktuni et al. (2013) list the possible uses of solar energy in their paper of its trends and applications, including a mention of micro-scale applications: On an even smaller level, an integrated micro power generation solution would eliminate the need to plug low power systems into the AC mains for primary power or for battery recharging or replacement and disposal. In addition, whereas outdoor solar energy has the capability of providing a power density of 15,000 W/cm3, its power density drops down to as little as 1020 W/cm3 for indoor applications. Roughly, a 100 mm2 PV cell under office lighting yields approximately 100 mW of power. Applications to date include contact and motion sensors for building applications, as well as calculators, PDAs, and wristwatches (p. 562). The authors explain that although outdoor power generation for solar energy is preferable, there is potential for indoor applications. Intuitively, the power generation would be significantly reduced indoors, which is why it is necessary to only consider devices with a low demand for power. In addition, if a device running on solar power is accidentally left on, when it should be turned off, the energy wasted is virtually free. It would not cause a spike to the electric bill or waste batteries a selling point for those interested in solar appliances.

In conjunction with solar appliances, some relatively larger applications of micro-scale renewable energy would multiply the cost and energy savings. The solar water heater system was one example of a slightly larger application, but there are more opportunities, such as pumping water. Pumping water is a process that does not take a substantial amount of energy; thus, there is potential to utilize renewable energy in that area. In addition, there is more potential for these larger-scale applications outside of residential buildings, namely in commercial establishments. Businesses, hotels, and other commercial areas should be encouraged to utilize these various examples of micro-scale renewable energy within their premises. Because the premises and energy-using processes within the premises would be dependent on the dynamics of the company, it would be wise for engineers to visit and evaluate the building. The engineers would suggest areas in which renewable energy could be utilized and beneficial for the company. The procedure would imitate DFMA (design for manufacture and assembly) where experts visit an engineering facility to analyze how their product can be improved. Rather than review the project, the renewable energy engineers would be evaluating and improving the facilities themselves (which are not restricted to solely engineering facilities). To enforce some of these changes, government assistance could prove to be beneficial. When renewable energy may appear to be too costly compared to traditional fossil fuels, government interference is a viable option to get companies thinking about reasonable alternative energy. Sanya Carley (2012) agrees with this last resort tactic as shown by the following quote from her article in Review of Policy Research: Alternatively, when the market failure is the limited ability of alternative energy technologies, such as solar photovoltaics, to compete with more conventional sources of energy, such as pulverized coal, and the objective is to increase the market diffusion and

reduce the costs of these alternatives, the best tool for the job is a policy that targets energy technology innovation and market adoption (p. 302). Carley recognizes that renewable energy in its current state is unable to compete logically with the alternative nonrenewable. In other words, unless the company is extremely concerned with reducing damage to the environment (even if only for marketing/advertisement purposes), it makes no sense for them to spend resources on energy alternatives when nonrenewable electricity is so readily available and relatively inexpensive. Therefore, a viable solution is government policy mandating that a certain percentage of energy used must come from renewable sources. In the State of the Union address in 2011, President Barack Obama encouraged Congress to institute a standard that by 2035, 80% of all energy comes from clean sources. This would greatly surpass the Chinese standard of 15% by 2020 and the European Union standard of 20% by 2020. However, the United States government should be encouraged, at the federal and state level, to be more thorough in their policies. For instance, there could be merit in mandating individual companies to seek alternative energy solutions, rather than only observing the sum of all energy used. In Japan, electricity providers are required to accumulate at least 1.35% of their sales entirely from renewable energy. This tactic could prove to be more impactful, especially if the policy extended past electricity providers and included as many major companies as possible. The pushback on individual companies would apply more pressure for the need to implement cleaner alternative energy. Due to the young age of renewable energy, the implementation of these stricter policies would need to be closely monitored because there is little history showing what is most effective. In general, the objective of government interference should be to

improve the state of renewable energy, namely on the micro scale as discussed, without being detrimental to the companies and their goals. The renewable energy model is one with many complex attributes and although it is inherently positive, guiding it through the most beneficial path is vital to its existence and success. At its current state, renewable energy has proven to be most beneficial on a micro scale. However, the field is constantly growing. Discoveries have been made in recent years utilizing nanotechnology in the solar field. This could further improve micro-scale renewable technology. However, in parallel, solar panels and ways to concentrate solar energy to those panels will be consistently improving in efficiency and reducing in cost as well, potentially making renewable energy on the macro scale viable. As the technology develops for years to come, it is essential that it is focused in an area where it is most beneficial. Concurrently, it is important that intelligent government enforcement is utilized to ensure that the technology is being used and reaching its full potential in the most advantageous manner possible.

References Cassard, H., Denholm, P., & Ong, S. (2011). Technical and economic performance of residential solar water heating in the United States. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 15(8), 3789-3900. http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.neu.edu/science/article/pii/S136403211100253X Holmes, J.K., & Papay, L.T. (2011). Renewable Electricity in the United States: The National Research Council Study and Recent Trends. AIP Conference Proceedings, 1401(1), 369-386. http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.neu.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=a84e78cef9e2-42f8-99d9-9fb4eb3edac5%40sessionmgr110&vid=8&hid=115 Carley, S. (2012). A Clean Energy Standard: Experience from the States. Review of Policy Research, 29(2), 301-307. http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.neu.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=a84e78cef9e2-42f8-99d9-9fb4eb3edac5%40sessionmgr110&vid=6&hid=115 Devabhaktuni, V., et al. (2013). Solar energy: Trends and enabling technologies. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 19, 555-564. http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.neu.edu/science/article/pii/S1364032112006363 Mahbube, K.S., et al. (2013). Materials and devices design for efficient double junction polymer solar cells. Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 108, 225-229. http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.neu.edu/science/article/pii/S0927024812001845