Improving Nanowire Perovskite Solar Cells via Material Substitution and Geometric Modification Luis Umbarila, Kayla Ho EENG-489 Senior Design Project Proposal Dr. Azhar Ilyas December 9, 2016 Introduction The primary source of energy in the United States is fossil fuels – for heating, power, and electricity generation – but we have a limited supply [1]. In addition to limited quantity, the burning of fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming as well as pollutants that cause asthma, acid rain, smog, and more [1]. Alternate sources of energy generation have been studied – among them hydro, tidal, wind, biomass, geothermal, and of course solar energy – to reduce dependency on fossil fuels, to have “clean” energy sources, and because they are all unlimited resources [1]. Solar energy comes from the sun and is the most readily available source of clean energy [2]. This energy is part of the solar electromagnetic spectrum, with wavelengths of 102 nm and higher actually penetrating the earth’s atmosphere [3]. Of this spectrum, we have the following: ultraviolet (UV) radiation (100–400 nm), visible light (400—700 nm), and infrared (IR) (700—5 x 105 nm) [3]. However, most solar cells are not capable of absorbing light in the 600–1000 nm region – this region encompasses more than 70% of solar radiation – due to their large bandgaps [4]. Despite the questions regarding economical costs, power conversion efficiency, and absorption
In recent years there has been great concern over the growing demand for energy, and the lack of non-renewable energy resources to meet the demand in the future. In addition, the question of “sustainability”—the ability to balance social, economic, and environmental needs in energy production to meet both current and long-term requirements—has come to the fore. It is clear that America must expand energy production quickly, and that we must develop renewable, sustainable energy sources to meet long-term demand and protect our future. There are many proposed solutions, such as wind and solar power. But the technology for these resources is not yet fully developed, making them, at best, low-output alternatives. Because renewable sources are
Have you ever wondering where your electricity comes from? How your car uses gasoline to run? What about how these things impact our environment or how we are going to keep producing them? As a country, we need to start looking ahead to the future and planning for what is to come. Currently, 86% of America’s energy comes from petroleum, natural gas, and coal. All of these resources will run out eventually. We need renewable energy sources that will keep producing in a clean, more efficient way for a long time. Before committing to an idea and going all the way with it, we need to compare all the different energy sources available to the U.S. and choose the one that is best for everyone.
Energy is an important part of life producing the power of movement, heat, and production of electricity in many different ways. Therefore, choosing the correct source of energy is important for the environment and humans. Renewable energy that produces electricity never runs out, causing a lower environmental impact. Solar, Biomass, Wind, Geothermal, and Hydropower energy should be used globally to produce electricity. On the other hand, producing electricity from nonrenewable energy sources can be very harmful to humans and the environment. Humans can easily be dependent on it, which may not be the best option when it comes to finance, efficiency, sustainability and more. Approximately 52% of the US electricity comes from polluting sources like natural gas, oil, nuclear, and hydropower that have a lot of disadvantages effecting the environment in a negative way.
The United States is the second largest producer of greenhouse gases in the world, and yet is doing very little to fix this startling statistic (Dennis). The US’ reliance upon outdated energy sources continues to harm both the environment and the economy by producing millions of tonnes of pollution every year and costing the government billions of dollars (“Fact Sheet: Clean Power Plan”). Fossil fuels have been the main energy sources in America since the industrial revolution, and it is time to make a change. Renewable energy is energy harnessed from sources like the sun, wind, or water, and has little to no negative effects on the environment (“Renewable Energy Technology Basics”). The United States needs to integrate and increase the use of these types of energy across the country, as well as implement positive environmental policies, to prevent further pollution of the earth and combat the effects of climate change.
America should pursue alternative energy sources because “With only 5 percent of the worlds population, the United States consumes almost one-quarter (22.5%) of global energy”. (((Josef Bram, 15))) With such a small percentage of the world’s population and still one of the largest consumers of energy the U.S should be looking for new and better ways to generate energy. Currently The U.S’s energy is supplied using traditional sources. According to Canadian scientist and policy analyst Vaclav Smil “Todays energy 29% from coal, 33% from oil and gas, and 33% from soft-energy (alternative sources)” (((Smil, 47))) Most of the energy we use on a daily basis is not produced using clean methods. Some alternative energy sources that are already in place within the United Stats are wind, solar, and hydraulic.
Fossil fuels and other power generates are slowly changing the world. Alternative power sources are slowly becoming more popular in everyday life while the technology progresses. Using these power sources that don’t pollute the atmosphere could be the change in the world that completely changes the way the world uses energy. Engineers and technicians have been producing these alternative ways for years and years. A few, but not limited to consist of: Solar panels, Wind turbines, Wave tech and much more.
One of the effects with the most impact from the use of fossil fuels is the pollution created. The United States, per the study conducted by WorldBank, is recorded as being the 10th largest contributor of carbon dioxide in the world per capita. In one year producing 17.6 metric tons, another unfathomable amount (Table). In order to dramatically cut this amount of pollutants down, another source of energy must be utilized. Today, there are many potential options available. Three of the most promising are wind, solar, and tidal energy. Solar is energy obtained from the sun, wind is energy generated by spinning
A solar photovoltaic power system is a technology that converts the energy from sunlight into electrical energy. Residential solar photovoltaic systems can offset much of a household's power needs, depending on the size of the system and the household's needs. The output power from is directly proportional to power received from the sun, which varies throughout the day and year. The rated maximum output of the module might be achieved only occasionally, depending on actual site conditions. It is a renewable source of energy that is sustainable and totally inexhaustible. Solar energy is also a non-polluting source of energy that doesn’t emit any greenhouse gases when producing electricity.
Currently in the U.S. we rely on non-renewable sources to produce our energy such as oil, coal, natural gas and nuclear energy. Although these methods do well producing energy, they also have large down falls environmental, economically, and in other ways that fail to show a promising future. This makes it necessary that we adapt alternative renewable energy methods that do not have these effects, and can insure a promising future.
Generating and supplying more green energy in the US can have a big impact in the environment and in our economy. With more green energy resources a big amount disasters that affect our environment can be reduced. Such disasters include oil spills, nuclear leaks and the emission of harmful pollutants. Electric power plants are one of the biggest contributors to pollution in the country due to the amount of carbon and sulfur dioxides that are released into the air. Carbon dioxide emitted into the air is confirmed to contribute to global warming and sulfur dioxide causes acid rain, which can kill plants and animals in lakes and rivers. In comparison, green energy is generated in much more natural and harmless methods that don’t affect our environment. Renewable energy wind, solar, geothermal, hydroelectric, and biomass provides substantial benefits for our climate, and our health.
In the past hundred years we have been relying on fossil fuel as the major sources of energy, until now people are starting to see what harms fossil fuel does to our environment, and people are staring to see that we are running out of this sources, but likely with the advancement of technology scientist have been able to find something that will replace fossil fuel, and help clean our environment. This replacement are Alternative energy sources. These sources can be described as energy that will be less harmful to the environment as well as humans, cheap, and comes from sources that we won't run out of. One of the most popular source of alternative energy is solar energy. Solar power is the energy
Over the past several years, scientists have researched the impact fossil fuels currently have on our world today. These sources of energy have an irreversible and devastating consequence on our environment. Fossil fuels are disliked due to being non-renewable and unsustainable. As more technological advancements have occurred, more efforts have arisen related to replacing fossil fuels with renewable sources of energy. Due to the integration of existing technology the public has become reluctant to adopt new energy technologies. Renewable energy brings many desirable health, environmental, and economic benefits. These renewable methods may ultimately provide a brighter future for generations to come.
With American population expected to increase by approximately fifty percent over the next fifty years, some sort of energy reform is needed (Lehrman 2). The most commonly proposed idea is for America to stop relying so heavily on fossil fuels, and to turn its focus onto renewable sources of energy, such as solar power and hydroelectricity (Energy Information Administration). If the United States could realize the benefits of renewable energy, then much of the world’s energy problems could be solved.
People are inflicting major damage to the Earth's environment, and if we don't do anything to stop the destruction soon, the results could be devastating. Most people know about global warming and think it may be a serious problem in the future. What most people don't understand is that global warming is happening now, and we are already feeling some of its destructive power. Because of the dangerous effects of global warming, alternative energy sources need to be aggressively pursued. Finding and utilizing alternative energy sources may be the only way to combat the increase of global warming.
Green technology is most utilized today in the quest for alternative energy. Solar energy, wind turbines, and using the oceans energy are in the lead for making a softer imprint on the planets environment and its resources. Solar panels use the heat from the sun to convert into useable electricity. That energy can either be stored in batteries or returned to the local energy provider if still connected to them. The idea of this is to utilize the local grid as a bank to receive credit for the energy you provide and pull it out when needed with little to no charge. The panels that provide this are fast becoming more cost effective, easier to handle, and readily available to the average consumer. Robbins (2009) demonstrates an example of these promising ‘thin film’ solar cells as seen in Figure 2 of this paper.