A Few Electrifying Energy Facts
Our last list of thought provoking green facts seemed to have struck a chord with those who visit this blog. Well, today we’re offering up more of the same, but with a general focus towards energy and our relationship with it. When it comes to energy, there are a billion statistics that one can drown in. Instead of trying to capture the whole statistical picture, we’ve tried to gather together a handful of factoids that illuminate the depth and scope of our energy consumption while not boring you to death. Enjoy.
Wind energy only provides 2% of the electricity we consume. That's changing, though.
1). A cyclist will put out roughly 100 watts of power when riding at a vigorous pace (in this case, watts are not being used to describe electricity, but power in general). If we attached a generator to their bicycle, the electricity created by our cyclist would be sufficient to light a single 100 watt bulb. Over the course of an hour, the amount of energy consumed by that bulb (or created by the cyclist) is expressed as 100 watt-hours (or .1 kilowatt-hours). In 2007, the world’s entire electrical consumption was 17.1 billion megawatt-hours (a megawatt-hour is equal to 1,000 kWh). If every human being on the planet hopped on a bicycle, all 6.5 billion of us would have to pedal 24 hours a day for three years to produce that amount of energy.
2). The electrical consumption of the average household in the United States is 11,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year. That equates to a constant use of 1.25 kilowatts (1250 watts), the electricity required to illuminate twelve 100 watt bulbs.
3). Burning one ton of coal generates 2,460 kWh of electricity. As 48% of our nation’s electricity comes from coal fired power plants, the average house requires 4,500 lbs of coal to satisfy its electricity needs.
4). A large coal power plant running at peak capacity will burn through 3-5 train deliveries of coal in a single day (in other words, 3-5 whole trains worth of coal). Coal trains can reach up to a mile in length, with about 130 railroad cars in total, and each car bearing 100 tons of coal. In 2004, U.S. coal-fired plants produced 2,154.6 million tons of CO2 – 35.8% of U.S. emissions, and 8.0% of the world’s CO2 emissions.
6). If everyone in the United States used energy-efficient lighting (such as CFLs), we would eliminate the need for 90 average size power plants.
7). 8 billion pounds of kitty litter makes its way into US landfills every year. Most kitty litters contain bentonite, a stripe mined clay that allows the litter to clump when it comes in contact with animal waste. While functional, the 1.7 million tons of bentonite used yearly in kitty litter is extracted from the ground through energy intensive and environmentally harmful strip-mining. Further adding to kitty litter’s carbon paw print is that bentonite clay must be baked first before it’s ready to be added to the litter. We scoured the books in search of a greenhouse gas emissions statistic for kitty litter production to no avail. Regardless, the litter box is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than any of us probably would have ever guessed.
8). The United States creates only 2% percent of its electricity from wind turbines. Solar power contributes drastically less, about 0.04 percent. While these numbers may seem discouraging, the annual growth in wind generating capacity has ranged between 30-50% for the last three years, making wind the fastest growing source of electricity production.
9). Using an old, inefficient refrigerator will create an amount of carbon dioxide equivalent to burning over 80 gallons of gas each year (1600 lbs of CO2). The average tree will absorb 2,000 lbs of CO2 in its entire lifetime. Using a new EnergyStar refrigerator will save the consumer money on utility bills and could cut that emissions figure by 30-50%.
10). Recycling, along with reducing waste, saves energy. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that three tons of CO2 emissions are saved for each ton of waste that does not end up in a landfill. The energy conserved by recycling 1 ton of aluminum could fuel a car that gets 35 mpg for a journey of 82,000 miles (3 times around the world).
Marc Swanson
www.goinggreentoday.com
wind turbine photo by Marc Swanson
Category: Green Facts
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Efficient lighting is needed for sustainable architecture. A 13 watt LED lamp produces 450 to 650 lumens . which is equivalent to a standard 40 watt incandescent bulb . A standard 40 W incandescent bulb has an expected lifespan of 1,000 hours while an LED can continue to operate with reduced efficiency for more than 50,000 hours, 50 times longer than the incandescent bulb.