Reflection Blog

I am back in the states after a long plane ride and a longer stay in the city of Sao Paulo.  Right now with my ears still ringing, enjoying my old coach eating my American food, drinking clean tap water, and just enjoying the fact that I didn’t need to look like an idiot to order my McDonalds. Reflecting back on my time I thought it was a new enjoyable experience thought taught me a lot about a new culture and myself.  Thinking of Sao Paulo the first thing that came to mind was the size and

variety of the city. All the parts seem different like their very own cities and the size was tremendous. I got a top of a large building and saw how large it really as far I can see there was concrete.

It is as if someone said “Let’s build a concentrated and organized city” Then guy next to him would interrupt “Where is the fun in that?”  To experience such a place was fascinating and it was a perfect place to learn about renewable energy. A country that is devoted and successful in reducing its dependency on oil.  Sao Paulo, where tons of the countries business is done and renewable energy is one of the most important issues. There were many events and moments that took place on this trip and I liked to go through some of them here.

When traveling it is easy to just stay in here room and just stick to the tourist spots. Luckily that staying in a city for a month make you want to explore which exactly what I did.  There were times when I traveled with a group and other times it was something that was set up for us but either way it was nice to experience another culture first hand. To walk down the streets and to see people live their lives. To see this in a different culture is unusual but in a good way. We are just use to how we live are lives it’s nice to how other do it even if it’s not the largest of differences. I’ve been to parks and markets. Malls and restaurants. Each place was a new experience. Each walk an experience I can only have in Brazil.

I went to different parks in Sao Paulo and thought they were very calm. They had fountains and playgrounds and in one even live animals. Going to a place like this is how you are supposed to experience a cultural.

The markets were busy and load. There were many vendors just selling whatever they had and people browsing and shopping to their hearts content. I bought gifts and I bought food. One market was a place where people would come to sell whatever they had was it antique to works of art they were working on. I saw they had toy, record players, cloths, watches, silverware, mugs, pipes, and old Portuguese comic books.  There for the first time I actually drank coconut water from a fresh coconut they were selling in the foods stands. I saw firsthand the women cut the coconut and serve it to me. I would later have some more when I went to one of the parks later.

 Another market was in Liberdade which is Portuguese for “Liberty”. This place is the largest Japanese community outside japan.  Here I got see a huge market place with every building being some sort of store selling everything from pottery to swords. Sao Paulo is a lot like New York. It had its wave of immigrants that add their culture to the city. In Liverdade I got to see that first hand and explore how different cultures exits.  

Mercado Municipal is one of the most largest and interesting food markets. It is housed in a very interesting piece of architecture make the site look magnificent all the while being effective in circulating the air in such a busy and cramped place. There I got to see and taste all kinds of fruits, drinks and vegetables. I never seen so much eccentric food in one place before, let alone try it. A specific fruit I tried was called an Ateomoia a sweat but with a weird after taste. 

It was like a pineapple which here are much more sweater and softer. The market was a welcoming place where everyone comes to gather and enjoy food together. The shop keepers were all nice and understanding. Even one gave me some free gelato. 

Food in general is different. I could tell just when I went to the super market across the street from the hostel. The biggest difference I noticed was the Coke here taste quite different since it using sugarcane and not fructose corn syrup.  I have as well tired empanadas. These are pastries that are stuff with varies things like meat or fish. My personal favorites were the coconut ones. I also tried Coxinhas. They are fried chicken balls and I thought they were very filling. Food is a big part of culture and I got my good share of culture.

During the course of the trip we went on different field trips that were based on renewable energy. For example a solar farm or a company that makes flex fuel engines for cars and motorcycles. These trips were important because they allowed us to see firsthand the renewable energy that was powering the city and the country. I only ever saw this kind of stuff in TV shows and textbooks but I can say that I say the technology that could very well end up saving the world.

My favorite trip was going to the Henry Borden hydroelectric plant in Cubatão. We had to wake up early and get on the bus for a long time to get their luckily we had an excellent view of forests and local environment. After the trip we got to see the plant itself.

It was very large and with a lot of pipes and machinery. We were given a tour of the facility and a history lesson on the plant itself. We learned how it worked and what exactly everything does. We were show new and old things. This plant has had a long and colorful history and it was interesting to learn all the things it’s been though like its construction and explosions from a failed revolution.  The plant diverts water into pipes that go down the hill and spin turbines down below. The power of gravity was being harnessed with these turbines. These turbines were huge and really load. The entire time we had to where a hard hat, safety goggles, and ear plugs. Most of the factory was covered in warning signs. We later walked done into the underground turbines which were put in place after the original turbines, the cut into caves and underground facilities were cool to look at and understand how much work went into this place. I never saw something like this and I won’t see something this again for a long while. So I am glad I came and saw this place to learn firsthand to what it takes to power Sao Paulo and Brazil.

One of my favorite moments where going to Paraty Brazil. This place was really great. Sao Paulo was fun put it was nice to travel across the country and see more Brazil than just one city. We traveled for a long time but I got see more towns, forests and valleys. I even got to see a waterfall once. Arriving there I could tell it would be different. The town is divided in two one that is modern and one with old road and buildings. The side that is in the past is all building from the colonial times when this was a very active port. The tour guide showed us all the buildings and told us the meaning of all the buildings and landmarks. We then explored the town and shops. The colonial feel was great and the night sky was beautiful. Walking back I could see so many stars, we were so far away from the light and the noise of the city, it was just peaceful. We later went on a boat ride to go to different islands. We swam in the water and hanged out at the beaches. In Sao Paulo it being really gloomy and cold so getting away for a bit was a nice change in pace.  I also tried the churros they have their. They were amazing. Warm and covered with cinnamon. Over in Brazil they also fill them with Carmel or chocolate adding a new taste in my mouth.

Overall I am really glad I went on this dialogue. Brazil is a wonderful country full of amazing and kind people, interesting places and a lot of things to learn from.  I will defiantly go back some day and explore more of the country then just Sao Paulo. Not saying Sao Paulo was not great but I am up for new adventures and I think Brazil still has a lot left.

A Secretary and a Landfill

On Tuesday we got to meet the secretary of energy of Sao Paulo Milton Lautenschlager. He talked about the energy production of the state and the potential it has to increase its production with more renewable energies. 44% of Brazilian energy comes from renewable sources and Sao Paulo follows suit with 55%. Milton went on to talk about the different programs and plans for the future of energy. The state is very successful in with Biomass energy with it being 60.3% of the energy made. The rest is mostly hydro power.  In the state there are no wind farms and a small amount of solar plants and the energy that can be gotten from the rivers has been maxed out. The plan is to triple the amount of renewable energy in the state by 2020. With hydro maxed out it is necessary to focus on wind and solar while updating the biomass facilities. This is similar to the U.S’s plan since they want to increase their renewable energy output by 2020 by focusing on similar methods. The problem is more dependent on fossil fuels and the infrastructure is not a well-established. Mr. Lautenschlager speech was very informative and I now have a better understanding to how Sao Paulo is powered.

On Thursday went to the Sao Joao Landfill where the trash of the area is buried and used for power. The garbage decomposes and produces methane. This can be collected and cleaned and directed into a turbine to produce electricity. Seeing the systems first hand I was impressed. The system is large and produces large amounts of power. It putting our trash to work for us, it’s a great idea. The size of the landfill also impressed me. Most of the time we were standing atop of layers of garbage and what we can see had tons of garbage under it. This technology is not as big in the U.S most likely due to initial cost investments. The power produced must not be as enticing to do all the work to implement such systems. There is also the risk of causing some sort of contamination in the surrounding area. Also the smell was pretty bad when they went there. People might not want more landfills if they have to smell that awful stench.  Overall these were pretty interesting trips and I learned new things about Brazil and renewable energy.

A Trip to the Marcadao

Today we went to the Marcadao a center were many food vendors sell their fruits, vegetables and other food items in a large building. There I saw a bunch of different products and tried some of them.

Bacalhau desfiado (shredded cod)

Atemoia 

I was offered a taste of this fruit and I found it to be sweet taste to it sort of like a pineapple. It also had a a leathery texture and taste that left a weird taste in my mouth.  There is no translation for this fruit.

Suco de Milho Verde(Juice of corn)

Drinking this reminded me of drinking a cup milk that was corn flavored. It was really weird experience to taste corn but not to feel the crunch between your teeth.

Cascas de laranja cristalizadas(Candied orange peel)

This had a good mix between citrus and sweetness that i never had back in the states.

Caqui Desidratado Fatiado(Dehydrated Sliced ​​Persimmon) 

Castanha do pará quebrada(Brazil nuts broken)

Mangostin(no translation)

PImenia Biquinho(Little Beak Peppers)

Geleto com molho de kiwi e as migalhas de biscoito(geleto with kiwi sauce and cookie crumbs)

This tasted really good better than the ice cream that I usual have. Nice sweetness and the kiwi and cookie flavors blend well with the vanilla.

Carambola(No translation)  

First hand look at renewable energy

1.      Solar plant

 

On Tuesday I took bus to Campinas Brazil to the CPLF Energia building to hear about solar power. CPLF Energia creates energy solutions and work with solar energy. They told us about their company and all the details involving solar energy. Then we went to their solar plant that was on the outskirts of the town.  I learned how the solar panels work and how they are used. I actually saw the systems connect from the collections panels to the power going down the power line to be used. I saw how an area is selected and the construction that followed to set up a plant. I neat bit of information I learned was in some plants they let animals graze. This kind of practice is something that helps the instillation of green tech into an area.

Solar energy in Brazil is a very low percentage of the energy produced. In Brazil due to the actual equator going through Brazil the potential for solar energy is high. The temperature could be problematic due to the fact that solar plants work better in cooler temperatures. The fact remains that a bunch of solar farm on the equators would be a great resource to Brazil.

The U.S and Brazil both utilize solar energy. Both countries only use a small of amount of solar energy when compared to other energy sources. U.S has some of the largest solar plants in the world and large deserts to put them in. Compared to U.S the Brazil needs to do some investing to get more solar plants up and running.

Efficiency is always an issue. All solar plants need to increase efficiency so any improvement is a plus. Not all the panels at the plant had the motor device that moves it relative to the sun. Adding more these will help increase the efficiently at the plant. This is important with increases in demand in energy in Brazil. Solar energy is a growing industry and will apart of the solution to energy needs

2.      Bosh plant

Later in the day we visited the regional headquarters for Bosch Company and saw the testing and planning sites were they test their flex fuel engines. We saw different cars and engines that are being tested or being worked on. We saw were they are testing their cars indoors and outdoors. One thing that got me was how large facility was but with all that is going on it’s not that surprising.

Ethanol fuel needs to be above a certain temperature to work at top efficiency this is a problem in areas with lower climates. I never knew about the pre-heating problem and the system they created to fix it. The system they created to fix it was very interesting to see and how it evolved over time was interesting as well.

Brazil has the largest amount of flex fuel vehicles in the world. Due to its large ethanol production and the amount of ethanol pump infrastructure. The concept really has done well here. This is not the case with the U.S. The U.S has large amounts of ethanol and flex fuel vehicles but bad infrastructure and marketing. Pumps that fuels with E85 are lacking and the fact that the majority of owners of flex engines don’t know they have one. These are hurdles the U.S flex vehicles industry has to face if they want to see the same success as in Brazil.

The next step for the technology is improving the heating tool so the car can work in other climates than Brazil. Make a better engine that is smaller and more efficient would be an obvious next goal. This goal is being reached as flex fuel motorcycles which reaching a new market that is ever growing. More people are buying more motorcycles and giving them the same engine options as a car is a smart business move. Flex engines are a good business because of their flexibility and the option to save some money by using ethanol when prices are low. Flex engines are a way to decreases co2 emissions and start using less fossil fuel. Brazil’s flex fuel market shows that this technology can be successful

3.      Convention

The next day we went to the second international fair of technologies of solar energies. This convention is a hub for mutable industries to showcase their solar technology and other green technologies like wind power.

I learned that the solar energy industry is a much larger one than I expected. Companies around the world were there all trying to sell their products. Talking to the presenters taught me a lot about solar panels. They told me how they are made, what makes them and the multiple systems that are involved with harvesting the energy of the sun. For example one guy taught me what an inverter was. IT is a device that converts DC into AC current and showed where in process it located is.

Solar technology is not very large but the increasing demand for energy and lower costs have arrested many solar industries. The convention is proof that Brazil will soon be a hotspot solar energy. Going around the floor I got to see firsthand all the companies and technologies this industry has to offer. Having a diverse group of companies all working to solve the same energy problem is a good thing. It’s good for the industry and good for getting the best solution possible. Conventions like this are ways that ideas can continue to move forward and spread the effect of solar energy.

4.      Water plant

The Henry Borden hydroelectric plant is located in Cubatão and gives power to the city of Santos. The plant diverts water from the Pinheiros River to fall down a hill through large pipes.

I have never been to a hydro plant before and to see how it works is interesting. The water is led downwards and the force of gravity is used to power turbines to create energy. I never been to a hydro plant and learned the interstices and mechanics of the plant. I knew the turbines were big but standing next to them you get the real scale of these machines. To see the parts that make them up a how they fit together was an experience that made me glad saw it firsthand.

Hydro energy in Brazil is huge with very large infrastructure. It is able to meet power needs without resorting to fossil fuels. Brazil has access to many powerful rivers all with a lot of power to harness. A worry about droughts is always a con when it comes to hydro power but diversify the energy production solves this problem. Hydro power is also used in the U.S. Hydro is big in the U.S but it is not as popular as it is in Brazil and is smaller compared to fossil fuels

One thing I noticed was some of equipment was really old. I believe that this is the same in other dams.  To make them more modern many dams are old and do not use latest tech. This dam can update itself somehow it can make more power.  Hydro power is a popular form of energy that is a better alternative to fossil fuel. With energy needs increasing having such a large reservoir of power is recurring to the future of Brazil.

Gaslands: new resource, at what cost?

Today I saw the documentary Gaslands which is about the Fracking industry and how it is effecting this country. Here are some questions that came to mind during my viewing.

1. How much will Fracking benefit our country’s economy? How many jobs and businesses will be created? Will these benefits outweigh the cost the damage will do to the environment?

2. The film shows numerous stories of how the Fracking industry has ruined communities. What can be done to make sure this doesn’t happen to the untouched areas that are on top of natural gas hot spots?

3. Fracking has many negative effects on the environment. Can any of the damage done by this technology be repaired or are these environments forever lost?

On policy

Looking through the policies concerning the environment and energy in America and Brazil we can see the differences and similarities between the two. The two differ in their focus on the global scale and how they prepare for climate change. America wants to be the leader in the fight against climate change while Brazil only cares for its own resources and people. America is also focusing on counteracting the effects of climate change like preparing for storms and evaluating buildings in harsh conditions. Brazil  is just focusing on making sure its renewable energy is increased and fossil fuel usage is decreased. They are similar in the fact that they both want to reduce the prevalence of fossil fuels and promote clean renewable energy or better, cleaner fossil fuels.

In class we discussed are findings about what we learned. From my fellow students I realized how little renewable energy has been increased when compared to current fossil fuel usage. I also learn that Brazil built its hydroplants expecting them to work at optimal capacity at all the time but actually only worked at those level 40% of the time. This caused power shortages and is why having a variety of energy resources is a good idea.

These policy’s that the use economic incentives to motivate the people and companies to follow along the policies goals. Using tax incentives and low interest loans the government is able to help grow the desired industries and make people want to pay the latest in green technology. An environmentally friendly society is far off in America. Lot is wasted and a shift needs to happen that would lower our consumption. Brazil has effectively been able to integrate more environmentally friendly practices into their society. While a lot is wasted many steps have been taken that put Brazil ahead of the game. In Brazil, America or any country the environment is import for society to move forward. These kinds of policies are going to put America and Brazil in the right direction.

America is dependent on fossil fuel and needs to establish new energy sources for it not is dependent on foreign oil. Currently we are on the path to being no longer dependent on foreign oil. The use of renewable energy sources needs to be increased though because even though the fuel is coming from America it is still fossil fuel which needs to be slowly phased out.

Power Surge: The look for a solution

            

The wedge theory is what they propose to solve the energy crisis. Created by Stephen Pacala of Princeton University the wedge theory is breaking the problem into pieces and solving each piece with of a variety of solutions. 7 billion tons of carbon emissions need to be prevented or cleaned to stabilize emissions. This number is divided into seven 1 billion section to be filled by solutions. The solutions are grouped into four different categories. Energy efficiency, tripling the number of nuclear power plant in 50 years, cleaning coal plants by burying their carbon emissions, and harnessing the suns power with wind turbines and photogenic cells are all the solution needed to solve the problem. These solutions can be rearranged and used multiple time depending how best to solve the problem at the time. This is a challenging solution but if the right decisions are made in the direction of the world it can work.

 I agree that the problem of curbing our carbon emissions is too big to be solved by one thing. We have many resources available we should use all of them to solve this problem. We are resistant to change the course we are on because it is hard but if the burden is shared over multiple solutions, the problem would be less hard to solve. Many will be able to get in line to solve this plan. We have as Pascala said a variety of technologies that are not just in theory or smalltime. Why not use all we can to solve the biggest problem of our generation. Many are trying to solve this problem with their miracle technology.Miracles sound like we our trying to achieve the impossible but using these methods it can be done.

The film Power Surge does not account for the total obstacles in front of these solutions. They address that nobody wants these in their backyards. They do not want to see it or deal with the costs. They say that this a necessary sacrifice but we all know that these people will fight as much as they can. They also address the nuclear fear especially after the Fukishima disaster. Nuclear energy has always been feared. Though the rates of disasters are low the amount of fear of radiation makes any disaster exponentially more terrifying. What they don’t address is cost. This will cost a lot to do in a market that doesn’t really want it. There are those that understand the significance but the entry cost are high and sticking to fossil fuels will be cheaper. Some of these resources do have some negative impacts on the environment. Though the gain from these renewable energies is great some can be dangerous. The pumping of carbon dioxide into the ground is an example of this. This has potential to be hurtful if put it into areas near drinking water. Nuclear waste is still a problem and is dangerous if not probably disposed of which will take up more and more space. These are issues that have to be address but were left out of the video to keep it more hopeful.