Solar Plant:

I learned about the structure of the energy company. This was a new venture for them.

I think these technologies were semi effective. At the solar plant, I remember seeing the converter boxes, which take the energy produced by the panels and convert it into a form that can be used easily. I could tell the company was new to the solar panel project. It struck me that they really did not have a solid plan in place for how to recycle the panels if one brakes, or when the panels need to be replaced. I remember the speaker saying that they believe about 60% of the panels are recyclable, but what will happen to the other 40%? Will it be dumped in some waste yard? The solar field was very similar to what I have seen in California. I am not sure if the fields in California use both types of panels though. I think this technology could be improved once the energy company really evaluates how much energy goes into making the panel, how exactly the panels can be recycled, because for the panels to really be considered a sustainable technology, both the production and the disposal of the panels has to be as efficient and wasteless as possible.  Making money was mentioned for this technology, many proprietors were listed as partners on this project.

The policies that regulate this technology are: Net metering is allowed up to 1 megawatt, and solar panel utilities get an 80% reduction in taxes for power generated by solar plants up to 30 MW in size.  Because of new legislation, Brazil has introduced large economic gains for solar companies, or companies converting to solar power.

Bosch:

It was interesting to see the motors being calibrated in  different climate settings. I learned that what Bosch does is creates or fits flex fuel engines for car companies such as; Mercedes, Fiat, Peugeut, and VW. It is interesting that the flex fuel engine has to be calibrated for the fuel that will be used. This is most likely because ethanol and gasoline combust differently and produce different wear on the engine. The Bosch company conducted studies on which stream of ethanol worked better for the engine. They found that preheating the ethanol fuel worked better for combustion because it allowed the fuel to flow in a wider stream. From an economic standpoint, it was interesting to see how popular flex fuel engines were in Brazil. I believe this also accounts for how popular small cars are in Brazil. I have seen very few large SUVs and trucks. I think our speaker mentioned that flex fuel engines work better for smaller cars. I am not sure if this technology can be improved. I definitely think flex fuel engines work better in Brazil than in the US. The environment was not really mentioned as a motivation in the presentation, but we already know that ethanol greatly reduces co2 emissions. I feel that making money was definitely the motivation fueling this technology because car companies always want to develop more ways to give consumers options, so providing the opportunity for two fuel options is a way to sell more cars and please consumers. Brazil’s economy is upheld by sustainable biofuels.  The ethanol program in Brazil has provided stipends to ensure that no light vehicle runs on pure gasoline anymore. This would be extremely beneficial in the US, but in order for this to work, our culture would have to change. We would have to force ourselves to no longer see the purpose of oversized vehicles.

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·       Hydro Plant:

·       The thing I remember the most was seeing the large turbines. There was a plant above ground and one underground. The hydroelectric plant was my favorite visit because, from looking at the history, it was easy to see how the plant was rooted in the history of Brazil. It was amazing to hear the turbines actually working and to see all of the controls used to manage them.  It was easy to see the pipes directing the water off the mountain above. Although hydropower produces very few emissions, I do not agree with redirecting natural bodies of water. I think it is wrong to disrupt ecosystems, and it can have detrimental effects on important agricultural areas.  There were only two small gasoline tanks for the entire plant. The history made it easy to see that this plant had been providing power for the towns in Brazil for a very long time. It must have been essential to the energy supply in Brazil for the government to bomb it when citizens were protesting in the 1930?s. This hydro plant upholds the economy with jobs. The following link reviews the negative sides of hydro plants.

·       http://wwwp.dailyclimate.org/tdc-newsroom/2013/01/brazil-hydropower-energy