Student Research on Domestic Energy Supply and Demand

ENES 100G - Section 0102
GEMSTONE
Introduction to Engineering Design


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Students were asked to write a one-page essay on domestic energy supply and demand, using any sources available, and addressing questions such as: how much energy does a household use? Where does your dorm or home get its power supply? How is that power generated? Does that power-generation method have any social or environmental drawbacks?

Findings

Location Power Utility Source
Washington, D.C. area (including Prince George's County) PEPCO (Potomac Electric Power Company)
  • 85.4% coal
  • 8.5% natural gas
  • 6.1% oil
    • Baltimore and surrounding counties BGE (Baltimore Gas & Electric)
  • 56% coal
  • 40% nuclear
  • 2% hydroelectric
  • 2% oil, gas, propane

    • Some disadvantages of major power-generation methods
    Fossil Fuels Nuclear Fission
  • air pollution
  • acid rain
  • mine accidents
  • environmental damage (strip mining)
  • oil spills
  • oil rig fires
  • dangers of fuel mining and transport
  • storage of radioactive waste; groundwater contamination
  • accidents/meltdowns
  • public opposition
  • Loss of value (aesthetic and economic) in neighborhoods near power plants

    Residential energy use: two different breakdowns
  • 58% heating and cooling
  • 19% heating water
  • 12% refrigeration
  • 11% lights & appliances
    (source)
    		• (In decreasing order:)
  • 2/3 space & water heating
  • space cooling & refrigeration
  • lighting
    (source)


    • Here are some web links that students reported on:

    Local Utilities

    Baltimore Gas & Electric serving Baltimore City and 10 surrounding counties.
    Potomac Electric Power Company , serving the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.

    Other Utilities

    Northern States Power Company
     Eugene (OR) Water & Electric Board
    Consolidated Natural Gas Co. Pittsburgh, PA
    Mid-Continent Area Power Pool , a voluntary association of electric utilities doing business in the Upper Midwest.

    Sources of Stats and Facts

    Energy Crossroads
    The Open University Energy & Environment Research Unit
    Statistics on US Residential Energy Consumption
    Worldwide Energy Statistics from British Petroleum
    US Department of Energy home page
    DOE Energy Information Administration
    Strategic Analyzer of Utility Rates in the United States, by the Mykytyn Consultin Group, Inc.
    USA Today's Energy Forecast
    Weather & Electricty Demand Forecasts
    Useful Energy Facts, produced by US DOE and National Renewable Energy Laboratory, provided by J. Mitroy of Northern Territory University, Australia
    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star programs and products

    [Mail] Click here to E-mail questions, comments or suggested additions.

    by Kaye Brubaker
    Last Modified 19 September 1997