Project 1
Student id: d13
To select another student or project, return to the Project Page.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<?xml-model href="../schema_3302.rng" type="application/xml" schematypens="http://relaxng.org/ns/structure/1.0"?>
<!--the second line in the document associates the schema, so be sure not to change it-->
<DOC>
<docHead>
<!--required header includes metadata about the assignment (title, author, version)-->
<title>Title of Assignment</title>
<author xml:id="d13">Daniel Doherty</author>
<version n="1" date="2016-07-11"/>
<version n="2" date="2016-07-13"/>
<version n="3" date="2016-07-13"/>
<!--note that the date must be YYYY-MM-DD for the document to be valid-->
</docHead>
<annotated_bib>
<problem_stmt>As oil reserves diminish and concern for the environment increases, cities
will increasingly be required rely upon renewable energy to provide basic services to
the residents of their communities. In addition to decreasing oil reserves, switching to
renewable sources of energy is necessary if the world is to be perserved for future
generations. However, cities have limited space and the types of renewable energy
sources available are limited by geographical location and climate. Boston is limited by
its geographical location to solar and wind power to supply a majority of its renewable
energy if it is to eventually become 100% dependent on sustainable sources. In order to
achieve this goal, renewable energy sources must become economically viable and be able
to compete with traditional sources of energy on the open market. Solar technology is
currently very expensive to implement and suffers intermittent power generation due its
dependence on the sun shining directly onto solar panels. In addition solar panels
suffer from low energy efficiency, losing much of the sun's potential energy to the form
of heat. The problems with the economics and energy efficiency of solar technology must
first be resolved if cities are going to become 100% renewable energy dependent.<note
type="instructor">the problem then, as I understand it, is one of economics: making
renewable energy sources economically viable (for Boston? in
general?).</note></problem_stmt>
<citation n="1" style="APA"><author>Cusick, Daniel</author> (2013). <title level="a">Fossil
Fuel Use Continues to Rise</title>. <title level="j">Scientific American Global
RSS</title></citation>
<annotation>
<background type="author"> Daniel Cusick is a reporter for American Scientific<note
type="instructor">Scientific American</note> who frequently writes about topics
concerning the intersection of renewable energy and the economy</background>.
<summary type="general">This article comments on the increasing use and dependence
on fossil fuel despite <q>concerted global efforts to reduce carbon emissions
through the expansion of clean and renewable energy sources</q>. Cusick
discusses recent 2012 data that show that reliance on fossil fuels continues to
increase, largely due to the increasing urbanization of third world continues and
the increase of natural gas production via shale fracking in the U.S.<note
type="instructor">this last sentence seems like @type approach (at least part of
it)</note></summary>
<relevance type="application">This article is mainly a summary of recent fossil fuel
production data from 2012 but does offer insight on the reasons behind the increase
in fossil fuel consumption as a portion of the total energy market. Energy
development remains a business, and traditional sources or energy continue to offer
larger profit margins for energy developers and cheaper energy for the average
consumer. This article underlines the main obstacle to renewable energy development,
which is the economic viability of the energy program. Until sustainable and clean
energy sources, such as solar, can compete with fossil fuels without government
subsidization, the world, and especially developing cities, will continue to depend
on traditional energy sources.</relevance>
</annotation>
<citation n="2" style="APA"><title>Renewable Energy Tax Credit</title><title level="w">U.S.
Department of Energy</title> (2015). Retrieved from
<ref>http://energy.gov/savings/residential-renewable-energy-tax-credit</ref></citation>
<annotation>
<background type="source">This information was retrieved from the U.S. Department of
Energy's website concerning the tax rebates the U.S. government<note
type="instructor">government</note> offers to those individuals who
purchase<note type="instructor">purchase</note> solar power for their homes or
businesses.</background>
<summary type="general">In order to encourage renewable energy development in the United
States, the government voted to extend the tax breaks offered in the Consolidated
Appropriations Act of 2015 for those that purchase solar or thermal energy systems
for their homes. The tax breaks are necessary as solar systems have high initial
investment costs that most homeowners cannot afford. To promote development, the
government voted to offer a 30% Personal Tax Credit to anyone who purchases a solar
system prior to 2019, in order to offset the high investment costs.</summary>
<summary type="interpretation">It is clear that the government recognizes the fact that
most people do not have the required capital to make the switch to renewable energy,
even if they wanted to. However, this program only offers the 30% tax credit until
2019, with a decreasing credit offered for renewable energy systems purchased prior
to 2022. For the development of private solar energy systems to continue in the
United States, the tax credit will have to be extended or there must be significant
developments in solar technology that increase its economic viability for the
average citizen.</summary>
<relevance type="application">As there is no guarantee that the U.S. government will
renew this tax credit before it expires completely in 2022, it is essential that
increased funding be put towards the continued development of solar technology.<note
type="instructor">I think turning on auto-spell check will be useful going
forward</note> Solar energy can be made more affordable by increasing panel
efficiency and the development of large-scale energy storage system capable of
supporting urban population centers. By continuing to make solar energy more
economical, small scale personal renewable energy development will continue in the
United States, which could significantly impact climate change and reduce carbon
emissions if enough individuals participate.<note type="instructor">this is a good
topical source for you, it really highlights the economic issues w/r/t renewable
energy (even current subsidies are insufficient or will
expire)</note></relevance>
</annotation>
<citation n="3" style="APA"><author n="1">Yu, J.</author>, <author n="2">Gao, J</author>,
<author n="3">Hummelen, J.C.</author>, & <author n="4"> Heeger, A.J.</author>
(1995). <title level="a">Polymer Photovoltaic Cells: Enhanced Efficiencies via a Network
of Internal Donor Accepted Heterojunctions</title>. <title level="j">American
Association for the Advancement of Science</title></citation>
<annotation>
<background type="author">This article was written by a group of researchers at the
Institute for Polymers and Organic Solids at the University of California at Santa
Barbara</background>, <summary type="approach"> who tested various polymer blends in
photovoltaic cells to observe the effects on the electron transfer rate and
efficiency of the panels.</summary>
<summary type="general">This article focused on an alternative approach to designing
solar panels with the use of blended polymers as photovoltaics in place of
traditional inorganic semiconductors such as silicon, which are found in most
commercial solar panels. The authors cite the low production cost of polymer-based
photovoltaic cells and the faster transition of the electron to the conducting
polymers as economic motivators for the research. They conclude that a panel
designed with a polymer photovoltaic conductor would lower the cost of solar panels
and at the same time, have the potential to greatly improve panel efficiency from
the current average of 15% as a result of the reduced contact time of the electrons
with the polymer based conductors in the photovoltaic cells.</summary>
<relevance type="value_stmt">This article provides a brief yet complex overview of the
potential impact of using polymers in photovoltaic cells to improve the efficiency
of the panels and reduce their high economic cost. It is important to keep in mind
that while the higher efficiencies of 30-40% observed in this study are promising,
polymers have yet to be tested on a large scale, which could have a significant
impact on the actual effectiveness of the polymers.<note type="instructor">this is a
nice methodology source if you think your approach will be on the
tech/development side of things; it seems slightly unrelated to the tax
incentive tact I thought you were taking based on your first two
sources</note></relevance>
</annotation>
<citation n="4" style="APA"><author>Braff, William Allen</author> (2014),
<title>Membraneless Hydrogen Bromine Laminar Flow Battery for Large-Scale Energy
Storage</title><title level="a"> Massachusetts Institute of
Technology</title></citation>
<annotation>
<background type="author">William Allen Braff was a candidate for PhD at MIT when he
published this research as his thesis to the Department of Mechanical
Engineering.</background><background type="source">While Braff submitted his thesis
to the Department of Mechanical Engineering as part of his doctoral requirements, he
was also advised by the Departments of Chemical Engineering and Mathematics as Ion
Flow Batteries are highly complex storage systems that involve aspects of all three
disciplines.</background>
<summary type="general">The development of electrochemical storage systems as a new
means of energy storage for renewable energies has the potential to make solar power
much easier to implement on a large scale. Braff examines Hydrogen Bromine
batteries, which are a specific type of ion flow battery, and the benefits of
operating the battery system without a membrane. Ion flow batteries store energy
during peak generation hours for later use by using excess energy to power a
reversible chemical reaction that separates electrons, thus storing energy. When
this energy is needed, the reaction can be reversed and the electrons will again be
exchanged, thus releasing energy to the grid.</summary>
<summary type="approach">Ion flow batteries are currently very expensive and cannot
compete economically with conventional storage methods, though they have better
efficiencies and a larger storage capacity potential. To reduce the costs of the
battery systems, Braff suggests removing the membrane that divides the two
electrolytes solutions which exchange electrons to store and release energy. Instead
of a membrane, the two electrolytes would be moved through the battery in a laminar
flow pattern, that is uniform, which would not allow the two different electrolytes
to mix and thus ruin the battery system. By keeping the electrolyte solutions at
very low velocities while they move through the battery, laminar flow would be
achieved.</summary>
<relevance type="value_stmt">The removal of the membrane from the Ion Flow Battery would
make the storage system a practical option for large scale energy storage. The
suggestion of using laminar flow to prevent the two solutions from mixing would
increase the lifetime of the batteries, as the membrane degrades over time and must
be periodically replaced. This would greatly reduce the cost of the battery system,
as the membrane is often the most expensive component. This membraneless battery
system can be easily scaled up by adding addition stacks, chambers in which the
electrolyte solutions interact, and represents a completely reversible system. This
storage system has the potential to make solar energy economical viable on a large
scale as it greatly reduces the impact of solar's intermittent energy production and
can be scaled to support peak periods of energy demand.</relevance>
</annotation>
<citation n="5" style="APA"><author> U.S. Department of Energy</author> (2013, December).
<title level="a">Grid Energy Storage</title></citation>
<annotation>
<background type="source">This report was compiled by the U.S. Department of Energy to
outline its goals for future energy storage development within the United
States.</background>
<summary type="general">This report specifically focuses on the goal of enhancing energy
storage systems to incorporate and support more renewable energy sources, and to
make this economical<note type="instructor">economically?</note> competitive with
other technologies performing a similar function. In respect to this goal, the
Department of Energy narrowed in on four criteria that must be met for any energy
storage system, which are: <q>cost competitive storage technology, validated
reliability, equitable regulatory environment and industry
acceptance.</q></summary>
<relevance type="value_stmt">Through this report, it is clear that the Department of
Energy (DOE) agrees with the scientific community that their is a significant need
to focus on the development of energy storage systems capable of incorporating
renewable technology while maintaining economic viability. The Department of Energy
seeks to catalyze the development of these improved energy systems and is attempting
to provide some guidelines and general goals for developers to focus on, as those
who work alongside the DOE to achieve its goal are more likely to receive federal
funding for the development of improved energy storage systems.</relevance><note
type="instructor">I'd be interested in an application here, just so I know how you
think this source applies to your specific problem</note>
</annotation>
</annotated_bib>
<docReview>
<reviewer type="instructor" xml:id="kgs"/>
<report type="instructor" resp="#kgs">
<p>This is a fascinating topic that I always enjoy reading and learning more about. I
think the sources you found are all relevant to your project (either topically or
methodologically). However, I am having trouble bringing them together in my mind;
one the one hand you have government sources that are concerned with funding, tax
incentives, and viability (presumably for federal investment) and on the other you
have cutting-edge research into making these systems (primarily solar) cheaper.
These are both important concerns, I just want to know how they come together to
help you approach this problem. Perhaps you would benefit in your problem statement
from a more explicit or specific outlining of the part of this complex puzzle that
you (or members of your discipline) see yourself taking up. Is your approach to take
this new tech and sell it to the government or lobby for the gov't to invest more
heavily in research? Or are you more concerned with the technical development and
scaling of the research you present?</p>
</report>
</docReview>
</DOC>