Disclaimer—This paper partially fulfills a writing requirement for first year (freshman) engineering students at the University
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SOLVING THE ENERGY CRISIS THROUGH HYBRIDIZED SOLAR ENERGY
SOLUTIONS
Spencer Zacher ([email protected])
A GLOBAL CRISIS
Society is currently undergoing a crisis that affects
everyone on the planet, despite it not being necessarily
prevalent in the normal, daily life. This crisis is regarding
civilization’s overuse of fossil fuels. Fossils fuels, such as coal
and natural gas, harm the environment and are nonrenewable
energy sources. As humanity attempts to cut back on the use
of fossil fuels, we must search elsewhere for cleaner, cheaper,
and more sustainable sources of energy, such as solar energy.
Engineers have the capabilities to develop the technology to
produce alternative energy styles, and this ought to be
supported by governments. However, many national
governments, such as the United States, are hesitant to support
alternative energy because fossil fuels produce trade in
addition to being reliable and cost efficient.
Alternative energy can be just as cost efficient as fossil
fuels but without the negative impact on the environment.
Solar energy may not be entirely cost effective and
implementable on a large scale, but it certainly has the
potential to become the one and only energy source that we
depend on. Problems such as energy storage of solar energy
can be solved by using systems that integrate pumped storage
hydroelectric power. This source of power storage can be used
on a large scale, such as the Bath County Pumped Storage
Station. Engineers have the potential to produce the
technology for a clean energy system that will help to change
the world for the better.
lights or limiting use of personal automobiles would reduce
energy consumption. However, it is only a short-term fix that
has two critical flaws. For one, it is not realistic to decrease the
use of fossil fuels to the threshold where the climate is not
effected. Secondly, fossil fuels are nonrenewable and will
eventually need to be replaced. A long-term solution regarding
renewable energy must be studied and developed on a much
larger scale than before. Engineers can help to positively
change the way that society impacts our plant. I would like to
one day make an impact on such issues, and use my skills as
an engineer to increase the standard of living.
Although renewable energy (also known as alternative
energy) can be produced, it is only a minority of the energy
currently used. As depicted in the following chart released by
the U.S. Energy Information Administration, 81% of the
energy used in 2014 was from non-renewable sources [3]. This
is mostly due to the cost involved.
STOPPING CLIMATE CHANGE:
SUSTAINABLE AND RENEWABLE
ENERGY
The demand for fossil fuels, namely, coal, was sparked in
the 1830’s, with the invention of the steam engine. Since then,
the demand for fossil fuels has only grown [1]. Fossil fuels
power much of modern society’s everyday life. In the United
States, the average household used on average 10,812
kilowatt-hours(kWh) of energy in 2015 [2]. The United States
is responsible for using 18% of the world’s energy, while only
containing less than 5% of the world’s population [2].
Certainly, an easy fix to the energy crisis is to reduce the
amount of energy that each person uses. Simply turning out the
University of Pittsburgh, Swanson School of Engineering 1
11.01.2016
FIGURE 1 [3]
The chart depicts the energy usage of the U.S. in 2014. It
is divided based upon types of energy used.
Comparatively, producing energy by burning coal is
much cheaper than producing it using solar power. However,
many nations have looked at implementing nuclear, solar,
wind, and hydroelectric power as a long-term investment.
While it is much cheaper to burn coal, investing into the
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advancement of sustainable energy sources may be more
economically and environmentally effective in the long run.
Solar energy may not be cost effective initially, but down the
road it may prove to be reliable and sustainable. In regards to
the integration of solar technology, Jeffrey Ball of Stanford
University proclaims that “Fossil fuels aren't going away soon.
But huge innovation is under way to come up with new solar
technologies that could prove game-changers” [4]. Solar
energy may be the technology that will help pioneer
civilization to even greater horizons and a more clean, healthy
environment than ever before. It is still a very expensive
technology, but it must be engineered to effectively harness the
earth’s most abundant energy source.
improve solar technology, but energy storage is also a key
technology concern that must be addressed.
ENERGY STORAGE
When I was a child, I received a solar powered flashlight
as one of my Christmas gifts. This may sound like a very bland
and boring present to most people, but to young me, it was one
of the most fascinating gadgets I had ever laid my hands on. I
spent countless hours inspecting it and wondering how the
little solar panel could trap the sun’s light inside my flashlight.
One of the most frustrating things about that solar powered
flashlight was the short battery life. As a child, I realized that
the flashlight could only keep a limited amount of sunlight
inside of it. With an overly simplified conceptualization, I was
not too far off from the real reason why that flashlight had such
poor battery life. One of the biggest debates about solar energy
is the unreliable nature of the sun as an energy source. Energy
may be stored for use during night and cloudy weather, but the
technology of energy storage has a lot of room for
improvement.
SOLAR ENERGY: THE SMART CHOICE
Solar energy is logically the next step in the solution to
our energy crisis. The sun “provides 10,000 times as much as
all the commercial energy used” and “offers an attractive
alternative. Its availability far exceeds any conceivable future
energy demands” according to the NAE Grand Challenges for
Engineering website [5]. Many experts believe that solar
energy can be the answer to all our energy needs, including
Daniel Lincot, the research director of the Institute of Research
and Development of Photovoltaic Energy in Paris. He explains
that “the solar energy resource is enormous, and distributed all
over the world, in all countries and also oceans. There is thus
an enormous resource available from photovoltaics, which can
be used everywhere, and can in principle cover all the world
energy demand from a renewable, safe and clean source” [6].
A solar powered world would have minimal adverse effects on
the environment, and the quality of living would increase
globally. Issues such as air pollution in China would become a
worry of the past, if and only if society supports engineers in
developing the technology to produce an efficient solar energy
program.
Energy storage is certainly one of the biggest drawbacks
of solar energy that needs to be addressed for the usage of solar
power to expand. Engineers may produce an energy storage
system that will work for a small scale, but does not make
economic or physical sense for a large-scale operation.
Another problem encountered is that the energy storage cells
must constantly be filled and emptied to maximize the life of
the battery. Emptying the excess energy from a battery results
in wasted energy, and a less efficient system. Industrial
engineers may work on a system that would produce the least
amount of wasted energy and thus maximizing usage of the
energy that was produced from the sun’s photons. One such
way to use excess energy in a system is to divert it to a pumped
storage hydroelectric facility. Such a facility can store energy
for use during the time that the solar energy is unavailable.
Production of Solar Energy
Pumped Hydroelectric Energy Storage
Solar energy is produced using a complex system
involving many components such as solar cells and energy
storage. The sun’s photons strike a panel filled with
photovoltaic cells, which convert the photons to DC electricity.
DC electricity is not an ideal form, so a transmitter must
convert the DC electricity to AC electricity. From there, the
AC energy can either be directly used, stored for later use, or
sent straight into the power grid [5]. Solar (photovoltaic) cells
are very complex technology, but they also have a lot of room
for improvement. They currently have 10-20% efficiency,
which contributes to the energy produced costing 3-6 times the
price of energy from a coal burning generator [5]. The current
system is inefficient and does not make solar technology
economically viable. Although it is not a good short term
investment, I believe that the long-term effects of investing in
solar energy will help to grow the technology and reduce
climate change. Improvements in solar cells will help to
In this solar-hydroelectric hybridized system, the solar
panels would collect solar energy while the sun is out and send
it to a generator. This generator would then pump water from
a lower reservoir into a vertically positioned higher reservoir
[7]. When the sun is not available to directly produce energy,
the water stored in the higher reservoir will be released and
turn a turbine as it travels into the lower reservoir. The turning
turbine will then produce electricity; this is known as
hydroelectricity. Energy may be lost through the pumping
process or evaporation of water from the upper reservoir [7].
However, this system still increases the overall efficiency of
solar energy.
Hydroelectric energy is a resource that has already been
utilized throughout the world for decades. However, there is a
limited number of locations where dams and power stations
can be built. By producing a man-made, cycled hydroelectric
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system, the energy collected from solar power may be more
effectively stored. This technology is taking the simplicity of
hydroelectric systems and solving the storage needs of the
solar energy systems. Another benefit of this hybridized
system is that the minimal carbon dioxide that is produced has
almost no negative effects on the environment. Pumping
stations like the one described are already in operation (not
necessarily utilizing solar energy), and they produce about
2.5% of the energy used in the U.S. [7]. There are 40 pumping
stations in the United States, including the Bath County Pump
Storage Station, which is the largest in the world [8].
energy only. Stations such as this one would help to solve the
problems that are connected to solar energy. A movement that
embraces both solar and hydroelectric technology would be a
large step forward for humanity. Additionally, I believe that
the concept of such station is an engineering masterpiece in
itself. When faced with a problem that effects society (energy
storage), engineers can create a system using both existing
technology (hydroelectric power) and new ideas (man-made
reservoirs) to improve the standard of living for years to come.
It is the duty of engineers to use their knowledge and skills to
help the rest of the world to evolve and improve. Without
engineers, the world would be limited to burning fossil fuels
as the sole source of energy.
BATH COUNTY PUMPED STORAGE
STATION
THE DIRECTION OF OUR ENERGY
NEEDS
The Bath County Pumped Storage Station(BCPSS),
located in the Allegheny Mountains in Virginia, began
operation in 1985(pictured below in Figure 2). It is truly an
engineering marvel and energy powerhouse, as it has a
capacity of 3,000 megawatts(mW) [8]. The larger of the
reservoirs has 555 surface acres of water, and the water may
fluctuate up to 105 feet in depth. The dam has the capacity to
release up to 13.5 million gallons of water per minute and has
a pumping power of almost 500,000 kilowatts(kW) [8]. This
station provides energy to millions of customers in six states.
If the world is to move forward from fossil fuels, it may
begin by implementing a system that uses multiple facets of
technology hybridized into one efficient system. One type of
energy cannot be the saving grace for an entire planet. Solar
energy will not work on its own, but with the addition of
energy storage using a hydroelectric pumped storage system,
the goal of 100% clean energy is more attainable. Rather than
using the already made hydroelectric storage stations to store
energy produced by fossil fuels, the United States should focus
its attention on updating and revolutionizing this system with
the implementation of solar energy. The U.S. has the available
resources to pioneer civilization into a cleaner, more
sustainable future. Pumped storage stations are already built,
and the solar energy technology is improved upon each day.
Governments must support engineers in the production of
more advanced and efficient solar energy systems in order to
stop climate change. There is still a long way to go to attain
alternative energy, but this work must be done to produce this
technology that will certainly shape the way that we live.
SOURCES
[1] Micah L. Issitt, Tom Warhol. “Alternative Energy
Exploration: An Overview.” 3.1.2016. Accessed 10.27.2016
http://web.a.ebscohost.com/pov/detail/detail?sid=acf520a9efc8-48b0-84daf5a0b2bd7e24%40sessionmgr4006&vid=4&hid=4204&bdata
=JnNpdGU9cG92LWxpdmU%3d#AN=23398068&db=pwh
[2] “How much electricity does an American home use?” U.S.
Energy Information Administration. 10.18.2016. Accessed
10.27.2016.
https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=97&t=3
[3] “What are the major sources and users of energy in the
United States?” U.S. Energy Information Administration.
12.29.2015.
Accessed
10.27.2016.
http://www.eia.gov/energy_in_brief/article/major_energy_so
urces_and_users.cfm
FIGURE 2 [9]
An overhead view of the Bath County Pumped
Storage Station, in the mountains of Virginia.
Although the BCPSS stores a significant amount of
energy, it does not operate using energy from a solar power
station. Rather it is powered from nuclear and coal power
stations. The purpose of such stations is not to generate power,
but rather to store it so other power plants can run at optimal
efficiency. One day, the BCPSS may operate to store clean
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[4] T. Myers. “The Experts: What Renewable Energy Source
Has the Most Promise?” Wall Street Journal. Accessed
10.30.2016.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB100014241278873244850045
78424624254723536
[5] “Making Solar Energy Economical.” NAE Grand
Challenges for Engineering. Accessed 10.26.2016.
http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/9082.aspx
[6] J. Hill. “Expert Says Solar Energy Can Meet All World’s
Energy Demands.” Clean Technica. Accessed 10.30.2016.
https://cleantechnica.com/2008/09/08/expert-says-solarenergy-can-meet-all-worlds-energy-demands/
[7] M. Owens. “Is ‘pumped storage hydro power’ the answer
to storing wind and solar?” Fairfax Climate Watch. 7.10.2013.
Accessed
10.28.2016.
http://www.fairfaxclimatewatch.com/blog/2013/07/ispumped-storage-hydro-power-the-answer-to-storing-windand-solar.html
[8] “Bath County Pumped Storage Station” Dominion.
Accessed 10.30.2016. https://www.dom.com/corporate/whatwe-do/electricity/generation/hydro-power-stations/bathcounty-pumped-storage-station
[9] “Locating Power Plants” Virginia Places. Accessed
10.31.2016.
http://www.virginiaplaces.org/ggs380/11powerplants.html
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thank you to my peers for proofreading my paper and
constantly helping me to use better grammar. Thank you to the
University of Pittsburgh’s Writing Center, which is always a
huge help in helping me to evaluate the content in my paper.
Thank you especially to the other Freshman Engineering
students in the Pitt Drumline, Mark, Kevyn and Mike. They
helped me immensely in the process of writing this paper.
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