Reducing your carbon footprint (Senior Project - Mexico)

A Renewable World: The Future Ahead Of Us

A Senior Project by Alejandro Sauter Forseck

• Part 1 – Reducing Your Carbon Footprint

• Part 2 – Contact Sheet• Part 3 – Solar Powered RC Car

• Part 4 – Virtual City Model

Index

Reducing Your Carbon Footprint

Alejandro Sauter

What is a carbon footprint?

• Carbon footprint: a measure of the impact our activities on the environment– It relates to the amount of greenhouse gases

produced in our day-to-day lives

Primary Carbon Footprint

• The primary footprint is a measure of our direct emissions of CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels including domestic energy consumption and transportation– We control this

footprint directly

Secondary Carbon Footprint

• The secondary footprint is a measure of the indirect CO2 emissions from the whole lifecycle of products we use – Associated with their

manufacture and eventual breakdown

Addressing Your Primary Carbon Footprint

• Besides regular measures, there are two main segments to address:– Transportation– Household

The Household Carbon Footprint

– Thermoelectric 23,121.17 mW (45.2%)– Carbon 2,600 mW (5.1%)– Thermoelectric (Independent Producers)

11,906.90 (23.3%)

– Remaining % is hydroelectric, nuclear, eolic, and geothermic (cleaner energy sources)

Reducing The Household Carbon Footprint

• Two ways– Water-heating solar panels– Photovoltaic panels

Installation

• Water-heating solar panels– simple and cost-friendly– mainly requires plumbing/tubing

Maintenance

• Water-heating solar panels– durable, almost no maintenance– 5 to 10 year warranty

– check tubing every year, revisions every 3-5 years

Costs

• Water-heating solar panels– varies, depending on system type and

capacity– 5,500 to 7,500 USD

– reduce bills and emissions significantly

Carbon Footprint Reduction

• Water-heating solar panels– 230kgCO2/year when replacing gas and

510kgCO2/year when replacing electric immersion heating

Installation

• Photovoltaic solar panels– connection to fuse box– batteries, controller, inverter

– monitor – CFE back-up

Maintenance

• Photovoltaic solar panels– equalize every 6

months – 1 year (refresh water in batteries)

– clean solar panels (dust)

– change batteries every 5-10 yrs

– change solar panels every 15-20 yrs

Costs

• Photovoltaic solar panels– 1,000 USD/panel– 380 USD/battery– 800 USD/controller– 3,000 USD/invertor– 165 USD/switch box PV– 450 USD/switch box

AC/DC– 800 USD/monitor install– 2,500-3,000 USD/materials

& installment

Carbon Footprint Reduction

• CFE energy production percentages/kW

• Your usual kW consumption daily

• Emissions per each kW of each energy source=total

Reducing The Transportational Carbon Footprint

• Traditional ways– Carpool– Smaller cars– Conservative driving

style

• Direct investment– Hybrid cars– Biofuels– Diesel cars

(transitional)

Installation

• Biofuel cars• *Some cars (i.e. Jeep)

are already FlexFuel (take a percentage of biofuel ~ usually 85%)– Spark plug

(Iridium/Platinum)– ECU (Engine Control Unit)

• 2 to 4 cylinders• 5 to 6 cylinders• 8 cylinders

Maintenance

• Biofuel cars– Normal car

maintenance– 2-3 years

check/replace fuel lines (if made of plastic components)

– Change spark plugs every 160,000 km

Costs

• Biofuel car– Pulsar spark plug (Platinum/Iridium)

• 219/249 pesos

– 2-4 cylinder ECU• 6,500 pesos

– 5-6 cylinder ECU• 7,600 pesos

– 8 cylinder ECU• 8,600 pesos

Carbon Footprint Reduction

• Biofuel cars– 70-80% less emissions

than normal cars• 58 lbs of hydrocarbons• 431 lbs of carbon

monoxide• 29 lbs of nitrogen

oxides• 8,600 lbs of carbon

dioxide

– Up to 70% savings on fuel costs

The Future?

• Hydrogen used in cars– FCX Clarity

Hydrogen fuel cells, electric engine

– BMW Hydrogen 7 Uses hydrogen in a combustion engine

Sources• Slide 4,5,6 carbon footprint http://

www.carbonfootprint.com/carbonfootprint.html • Slide 8 CFE production

http://www.cfe.gob.mx/QuienesSomos/estadisticas/Paginas/Indicadoresdegeneraci%C3%B3n.aspx

• Slide 10,11,12,13 water heating solar panels http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Generate-your-own-energy/Solar-water-heating

• Slide 14,15,16,17 first-hand experience, outback manuals• Slide 18,19,20,21,22 www.fuelflexmexico.com.mx • Slide 22 http://www.epa.gov/oms/consumer/f00013.htm • Slide 23 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_Hydrogen_7

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FCX_Clarity

Index

Contact Sheet

• Photovoltaic Solar Panels– http://www.erdmsolar.com/ – http://www.solartec.mx/

• Water-Heating Solar Panels– http://www.iluminacionsolar.com.mx/ – http://www.genersys-solar.com.mx/

• Biofuel Mods– http://fuelflexmexico.com.mx/ – FlexFuel Car List (2010)

http://www.autobytel.com/green-cars/list-of-2010-flex-fuel-vehicles-104919/

Index

Solar Powered RC Car

• Opening car bottom• Connecting solar

panel cables with capacitor, capacitor to battery port

Solar Powered RC Car

• Insert battery and close battery port (solar panel capacitor battery car) , now the solar panel charges the battery which powers the car

• Mount solar panel

Solar Powered RC Car

• Mount capacitor and cables so car may run

Solar Powered RC Car (setbacks)

• Battery (old, didn’t deliver enough power, didn’t hold much charge)– Reduce weight (take

down car, build it again)

– Mount 2 solar panels to charge battery faster

Index

Virtual City Model

• Based on Montreal terrain• Specs

– 1,747,807 MW-h annual usage 90% solar, 10% wind

– Population: 668,620 – Life expectancy – 89 years– Unemployment – 5%– 794,981 tons of waste produced

• 45% recycled• 25% burned in waste to energy incinerators• 20% normal incinerators• 10% landfills

Index

Thank You!

• Sources listed in respective parts

• Special thanks to– Maxis SC3000 program for city

– Tim Kabeary Interview/providing info on systems and guidance

– Friends and family who provided support!