IDAF Renewable Energy

19. May 2022 Jasmin-Runge VZ21 Zurich Wetzikon, ENERGY, Showcase Energy (0)

New but old energy

What does that mean? Well, the energy is old, but it is renewed. This is how renewable energy is created. How does it work and how revolutionary is it? More...

Nuclear energy

19. May 2022 Remy-Grass VZ21 Zurich Wetzikon, ENERGY, Showcase Energy (0)

A radiated affair (Eine strahlende Angelegenheit)

[Have you ever heard of nuclear energy, radiation, or radioactivity? Of course, you have and if not, then this project will enlighten your mind. I will tell you who Marie Curie was and what she achieved in her life. Moreover, I will show you how nuclear energy is used today, and we are going to have a look of the nuclear accident in Chernobyl. I will also briefly look at the atomic bombs. I will show you how you can calculate nuclear decay with the half-life-method, and I explain what the C14-method is. Finally, let yourself be surprised, what I have come up with for future nuclear energy.]

Short summary

[I chose this project because nuclear energy interests me and I had a lot of different thoughts when I think about it.
The path from the discovery of radioactivity to the present day has been a long one and has involved several catastrophes that have claimed many lives. I find it extremely interesting how people are trying to use nuclear energy for something good, even though the danger of nuclear war is very present at all times.] More...

IDAF Showcase - Motion of the ocean

19. May 2022 Alexandra-Eberle VZ21 Zurich Wetzikon, Showcase Energy (0)

Wave energy is one of the most easily available source of energy that exists and is even older as humanity. But the technology to get the energy out of the wave movement is complicated and requires complicated machines.
More...

IDAF showcase - Photovoltaics

19. May 2022 Lucie-Mara-Lerch VZ21 Zurich Wetzikon, Showcase Energy (0)

Photovoltaics

What is photovoltaics?

When we talk about photovoltaics (or photovoltaic), we mean that we can collect solar energy, convert it into electrical energy and then use it as electricity. For example, for lighting or for household appliances, but also for heating. The consumption of conventional energy can thus be reduced.

Why Photovoltaics?

Today, most people use solar power primarily because it makes them independent of the price of electricity. No matter how expensive electricity is, the electricity from one's own roof always costs the same, namely nothing to begin with.

You get it for free from the roof with every hour of sunshine and either consume it yourself or feed excess electricity into the power grid. In return, you get a so-called feed-in tariff, i.e. money. How much one gets depends on the performance of the respective photovoltaic system. A solar system gives everyone a little more independence from future electricity price trends and helps to generate energy sustainably.

Photovoltaics.pdf (2.63 mb)

Sources

[1] Photovoltaics (Wikipedia.com)
[2] Photovoltaikanlage (Sonnenstrom.net)

IDAF Showcase - The history of heating

19. May 2022 Dilara-Demirci VZ21 Zurich Wetzikon, Showcase Energy (0)

The history of heating

For all of us, a heated apartment has become a matter of course. Especially in winter, we do not have to worry at all, because the latest technology always offers us a warm home. But the road to this goal was long and often arduous. New technologies with more efficient and cheaper fuels were tested again and again. In the end, climate protection also played an increasingly important role. This project deals with the eventful history of heating.

The beginnings of heating
The first underfloor heating already existed in ancient times

More safety and comfort through stoves and fireplaces
From the oil crisis to ecological heating

Are you aware of how much heating energy you use in your home?

What is used for heating in Switzerland?

What are the most modern heating technologies?

Are there still outdated heating technologies from back then?

Calculation

Experts and homeowners can also roughly calculate the heating capacity using guide values. These depend on the year of construction as well as the construction method of buildings and lead very quickly to initial results in practice. The following table shows how many kW of heating power are required per square metre of living space:

Baujahr

bis 1958	180 W/m²
1959 bis 1068	170 W/m²
1969 bis 1973	150 W/m²
1974 bis 1977	115 W/m²
1978 bis 1983	95 W/m²
1984 bis 1994	75 W/m²
ab 1995	60 W/m²

Example calculation

A 150-square-metre detached house built in 1975 thus has a heating capacity of 17.25 kilowatts (150 square metres x 115 W/m² = 17,250 watts or 17.25 kW).

It is important to know, however, that the values given are only guide values. If old buildings have been renovated in the meantime to improve their energy efficiency, for example by insulating the exterior walls, the real values are usually lower. The heating output may then be lower.

Media

Taming the fire was one of the greatest achievements of the Stone Age. The centre of every family was the hearth, where people ate, cooked and worked. But how did the Stone Age people make fire?

For example, if you work a piece of pyrite violently with a flint, splinters jump off and ignite themselves. If they hit easily flammable material, they start to glow. Blow caPublishrefully and refeed with dry shavings - this is how a fire starts.

How to make fire