Name: ______Date: ______
Strengthen Your Writing: A Packet, Page 1
Directions: This packet in completion is work one quiz grade. We will be adding pages to this packet.
Activity 1: How to Write an A+ Research Paper
Activity Two (Reading): Case Study For Writing Skills: Renewable Energy
Directions: As we work through these writing skills, we will be practicing by looking at articles with the same thematic concept – renewable energy. First, we must read the following articles that we will be working with this week.
Article One: Title, Renewable Energy: The Wave of the Future
David BrownFebruary 14, 2014The Atlantic
Consumption of coal, oil, and natural gas produces more than 85 percent of the energy used in the United States. These fossil fuels create greenhouse gases and chemical wastes that are detrimental to the environment. We need to find a way to use clean, renewable energy sources. We need to focus our efforts on harvesting renewable resources produced by the sun, wind, water, geothermal processes, and biomass.
Sunlight can be used to generate heat, light, hot water, cooling for buildings, and electricity. Photovoltaic (PV) cells, or solar cells, convert light energy into electricity on a molecular level. PV cells can power small items such as calculators. Multiple PV cells linked in an array can power satellites in space or in urban power grids. A process that concentrates solar power uses mirrors to focus sunlight on fluid-filled solar receivers. The fluid in the receiver is heated to spin a turbine or power a generator. These solar power plants can produce enough energy for 90,000 homes. Solar power is a great source of clean electricity, but large areas are needed to collect energy at a useful rate, and solar intensity varies according to landscape, atmosphere, time of day, and geographical location.
Wind is another source of renewable energy. Turbines turn in the wind like windmills, but they are connected to generators that convert mechanical energy into electricity. Groupings of turbines, or wind farms, can provide enough electricity for a city. Each turbine has the potential of generating 100 kilowatts to several megawatts, depending on its size. Wind speeds need to be above twelve miles per hour for a turbine to work efficiently. The U.S. does not currently harvest offshore wind power due to development costs, even though winds are greater in intensity offshore than on land. Public opposition and start-up costs are the major drawback of using this energy source.
Hydropower, or hydroelectric power, is considered the least expensive renewable resource. It uses flowing water in streams, ocean currents, tides, and waves to generate electricity. Dams in rivers either channel water directly through turbines to make electricity or trap water in a reservoir, allowing it to flow through the turbines as needed.
In the ocean, oscillating water columns use water pressure to draw air through turbines in partially submerged steel or concrete structures. On the coastline, tapchans, tapered channels that narrow along a cliff, feed seawater into a reservoir above sea level; and like freshwater dams, the stored water is converted to electricity. Pendular devices are rectangular boxes with a flap over an open end. As the flap swings, it powers a hydraulic pump. In deep water, typically deeper than 131 feet, offshore methods use the bobbing motions of waves to power a pump; hoses connected to floats on the waves pressurize the water and cause a turbine to rotate. Although hydropower systems produce clean energy, they affect marine life habitats and migratory patterns, injure or kill fish drawn into the turbines, and interfere with the ecosystem by altering the sedimentary flow.
The Earth’s core generates heat that geothermal power plants can harvest with minimal byproducts. Flash steam power plants are the most common and convert water or steam trapped in porous or fractured rocks one hundred feet to several miles below the Earth’s surface into electricity. Dry steam power plants use steam from underground wells to turn turbines. Binary cycle plants draw heat from lower-temperature reservoirs (225°–360°F) to boil a fluid; the fluid is vaporized in a heat exchanger and used to power a generator. Consumers and businesses can use geothermal heat pumps to supply buildings with heat, cool air, and in some systems, hot water. This technology uses ductwork (for delivery of hot air) and buried pipes to exchange the heat.
Biofuels are created from biomass resources such as agricultural crops residues, trees and forest residues, algae, grasses, animal wastes, and organic municipal solid wastes. Combustion of agricultural and wood-processing waste using conventional boilers produces most of the electricity generated by biomass. Biofuel technologies allow us to reduce our landfills, with byproducts less harmful to the environment.
The cost of conversion to green processes is daunting. Some renewable energy technologies cannot compete with fossil fuel systems yet. However, as new, more efficient processes emerge, renewable energy should become more attainable. Then, one day, we may become a green energy planet.
Article Two, Title - Duke Energy Renewables acquires six North Carolina solar projects from Community Energy
Tom Haverford May 2, 2016 9:00 AM
Duke Energy Renewables today announced it has acquired six 5-megawatt (MW) solar projects in Eastern North Carolina from Community Energy.
Five of the six sites are in service, with the final project, Seaboard, coming on line in May. Collectively, these facilities will generate enough solar energy to power about 6,000 homes.
"Last year, our commercial and regulated businesses added 300 MW of solar power in North Carolina, and these projects continue the momentum of renewable energy growth in the state," said Greg Wolf, president, Duke Energy Commercial Portfolio. "We're pleased to work with Community Energy and proud to be a part of the economic development and jobs the solar industry has brought to North Carolina."
"Community Energy was one of the early entrants into both North Carolina and eastern solar markets and greatly appreciates the opportunity to now be working with an industry leader like Duke Energy Renewables on these projects", said Eric Blank, president, Community Energy Solar.
Output from the solar projects is being sold to Dominion NC Power under 15-year agreements.
Gehrlicher Solar America Corp., a division of M&W Americas Inc., constructed the projects. About 135,000 solar modules were installed on the six sites.
Last year alone, Duke Energy added 300 MW of solar energy in North Carolina. In total, Duke Energy companies, both regulated and commercial, have installed about 450 MW of solar energy in the state, enough to power 85,000 average homes at peak production.
Duke Energy has invested more than $4 billion in renewable energy and plans to invest about $3 billion over the next five years.
Images can be found on Duke Energy's News Center:
About Duke Energy Renewables
Duke Energy Renewables, part of Duke Energy's Commercial Portfolio, is a leader in developing innovative wind and solar energy generation projects for customers throughout the United States. The company's growing portfolio of commercial renewable assets includes 18 wind farms and 42 solar farms in operation in 12 states, totaling about 2,500 megawatts in electric-generating capacity. Learn more at
Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a S&P 100 Stock Index company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com.
The Duke Energy News Center serves as a multimedia resource for journalists and features news releases, helpful links, photos and videos. Hosted by Duke Energy, illumination is an online destination for stories about remarkable people, innovations, and community and environmental topics. It also offers glimpses into the past and insights into the future of energy.
About Community Energy
Since its inception in 1999, Community Energy has led the development and construction of more than 1,200 MW of wind and solar generating facilities. Community Energy has used a pioneering mix of utility off-take approaches, renewable energy marketing, and development expertise to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy technologies at scale. With offices in Chapel Hill, NC, and headquarters in Radnor, PA, Community Energy has a strong presence in multiple renewable energy markets. For more information about Community Energy, please visit
Article Three: Coast Guard Study Blockades Offshore Wind Energy (Page 2)
May 6, 2016
By Evlondo Cooper
After five years of delay, the U.S. Coast Guard finally released a study that concludes commercial shipping off the Eastern Seaboard is incompatible with a proposed offshore wind energy industry — despite the fact that Europe has successfully integrated the two for more than a decade.
The Obama Administration has promoted the development of offshore wind energy since 2009. In September 2015, the Administration held a Summit on Offshore Wind with federal agencies. Yet though the Dept. of Homeland Security participated, the U.S. Coast Guard, of which it is a part, has sailed in a different direction.
The Atlantic Coast Port Access Route Study (ACPARS), released on March 14, focuses on what its authors assert are dangers from offshore wind farms to shipping, even going so far as to say that offshore wind energy could be an impediment to American energy independence. The study calls for dramatically limiting space for wind energy installations on the Outer Continental Shelf, and even recommends removal of blocks from currently leased areas.
European Leadership
European nations, especially Germany, United Kingdom, and the Netherlands have demonstrated that wind farms and shipping can function safely in the same waters. The European Wind Energy Association reports that as of February 2016 there were 3,230 turbines installed offshore and connected to the grid in Europe, producing over 11 GW of electricity. That’s up 41 percent from 2014. There were 26 new projects in the planning stage representing another 26 GW.
In his Maritime Executive article, Goward cites over 156,000 major vessel movements along the East Coast each year. Yet the North Sea alone, with 69 percent of Europe’s offshore turbines, has some of the busiest shipping traffic in the world with 260,000 shipping movements annually.
Questions that need to be answered, but are not addressed in the study, include:
- Did Goward or other members of the ACPARS Working Group conduct due diligence to learn how European shipping co-exists with a robust European offshore wind energy industry?
- Who were the Europeans that Goward and the Working Group consulted with?
- Which experts from which organizations were contacted by the Working Group over the course of the study?
- Did Goward’s Working Group consider the views of “environmental groups” as mandated in its charter on p. 2, Section C? If so, what groups and which specific representatives?
- Does Goward have any background or knowledge about the global offshore wind industry? If, so, how did he gain that experience?
- Who are the other members of the Working Group and what are their backgrounds?
- What materials and findings were drawn from which organizations and interests — and why?
- Does or has Mr. Goward worked for or lobbied for the shipping industry? If so, for which interests?
Influence of Shipping Associations
The World Shipping Council (WSC) is the premiere lobbying organization for the global liner shipping industry. It represents more than 29 shipping companies, including the top 10 in the world. Through published comments, we know that the WSC is firm in its opposition to offshore wind energy.
In comments to the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management concerning “Commercial Leasing for Wind Power on the Outer Continental Shelf Offshore North Carolina,” the WSC stated:
“[W]e do not think maritime expertise is needed to see that inviting wind farm proposals in high density maritime traffic areas, as is being proposed in Call Area Kitty Hawk, isdangerous and imprudent….Positioning fixed wind turbines in close proximity to maritime transportation corridors and in the pathway of oceangoing ships should simply not be allowed to be contemplated.”
The shipping industry and the oil and gas industry are significantly intertwined. One of the largest shipping companies is Maersk, which owns a fleet of 130 tankers. Maersk also operates more than 70 oil platforms, 16 drilling rigs and 10 drilling barges around the world that produce approximately 235,000 barrels of oil daily.
There are basic, straightforward questions the Coast Guard needs to answer about ACPARS. There is the almost silly challenge of obtaining the authors’ names, backgrounds, and qualifications. Then, there are important questions the Coast Guard needs to answer about ACPARS, including why is there no accounting for the successful development, construction, and safe operation of offshore wind energy production amidst dense shipping traffic in Europe; what is the reason for the five-year delay in releasing the study; and who the study authors heard from and relied on in producing their work product.
Article Four, The Politics Behind One State’s Geothermal GSHP
August 8th, 2015 by Roy L Hales
At least 2,015 North Carolinian homes and buildings have taken out permits to use vertical closed-loop geothermal systems. This is only one of several geothermal technologies used for heating and cooling purposes, and over 10,500 units have claimed the NC Renewable Energy Investment Tax Credit. Despite its high upfront cost, geothermal is far more efficient than conventional systems and a great deal less expensive in the long run. It is also a clean energy source, whose contribution to the state’s fight against greenhouse gas emissions appears to be overlooked. A new survey from the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association (NCSEA),North Carolina’s Geothermal Industry: Uncovering Impact and Opportunities, examines the politics behind one state’s geothermal GSHP (ground source heat pump) market.
Making Geothermal GSHP Affordable
The businesses responding to this survey identified their customer base as 44% residential, two-thirds of which were single-family homes, and 35% commercial.
Potential customers are faced with an upfront cost averaging between $7,000 and $9,000.
“Even though they have a higher upfront cost, the rate of their efficiency allows consumers to see quicker payback,” said the report’s lead author Kacey Hoover, Strategic Relations Manager at NCSEA. As geothermal is 45% more efficient than conventional HVAC systems, users recoup their investment “in less than 5 to 10 years.”
Federal & State Incentives
Yet that initial outlay is significant and 21% of the respondents to NCSEA’s survey identified federal and state tax incentives as crucial for making geothermal cost competitive.
Prior reports have found that the “tax credit has been a key component to the geothermal industry and the majority of GSHP system owners agree it’s an important source of financing. In fact, the Motivations and Behaviors of Solar PV and Geothermal System Owners in North Carolina report found that state tax credits were regarded as either ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ important by 92.7% of geothermal system owners.”
Despite this, some politicians want to see these incentives cancelled.In addition, “State and/or local regulations, such as regulations and permitting,” were cited as hurdles by 31% of the respondents to NCSEA’s poll.
Geothermal’s Contribution To Society
Local, state, and federal politicians need to realize there is a cost connected to not encouraging technologies like geothermal GSHPs.Geothermal GSHPs’ contribution to society, in the fight against greenhouse gas emissions, appears to largely go unrecognized.
Conventional HVAC systems either directly, or indirectly, use fossil fuels. This includes electrical systems, which use energy that is partially derived from coal or natural gaspowerplants whose emissions cause climate change.
Scientists have tentatively linked climate change to extreme weather events like the tornados that struck North Carolina in 2011, causing 22 deaths and an estimated $3.2 billion in damages.There are also health costs, such as emergency treatments for people with asthma from rising emissions.
Modern closed-loop geothermal power plants emit no greenhouse gases, their lifecycle GHG emissions (50 g CO2 eq/kWhe) are 4times less than solar PV, and six to 20 times lower than natural gas.
Though North Carolina is not the best fit for generating electricity from geothermal power, geothermal HVAC systems and GSHP technologies also emit no greenhouse gases. The reduced amount of electricity to run GSHPs transfers those savings almost immediately to ratepayers on their utility bills. Additionally, according to NCSEA’s report, those savings are the #1motivation for ratepayers to adopt GSHPs.
Build-out Of The Geothermal Industry
By investing in the geothermal industry today, North Carolina’s politicians can ensure the buildout of an industry that is already enabling users to use heating and cooling systems that are cleaner and more economical than conventional systems.
“Geothermal is truly a hidden gem in our state and people are just not aware it is another way for them to reduce cost,” said Hoover.
Article 5 - Duke Energy 2015 sustainability report covers hydropower
04/29/2016 By Elizabeth Ingram
Out of Duke Energy’s 57,030 MW of generation capacity, hydropower accounted for 4,429 MW in 2015, according to the 2015 Sustainability Report.
According to the report, hydro and solar (which are reported together) accounted for 7% of the utility’s owned generation capacity in 2015. However, hydro and solar only generated 1% of the total net output in gigawatt-hours.
Highlights from 2015 listed in the report include receiving the new Federal Energy Regulatory Commission operating licenses for the 740-MW Catawba-Wateree and 108.6-MW Yadkin-Pee Dee hydroelectric projects.