Why Electrical Engineering

Why Take Electrical Engineering?
Like computer literacy, electrical literacy is very

important to engineering and everyday life
• So many things are powered or
controlled by electricity
• It is used to communicate by
video, wireless, phone or data
• So many physical phenomena are
measured using transducers (devices that convert
between a physical phenomena and an electrical
voltage, current or resistance that is easily
measured and recorded for analysis)
Some Transducers
• Light bulbs, buzzers, alerting devices
• Speed indicators
• Strain gauges
• pH sensors
• Temperature or light sensors
• Flow sensors
• Electric motors
• Sound or movement sensors
Problem Solving
EE 188 also develops
problem-solving and
thinking skills – circuit
problems must be
solved using reasoning
and thought, not just by
plugging into formulas
Energy Crisis
• People are using up cheap, nonrenewable
energy sources such as oil and coal
• Use of oil and coal produces excess carbon
dioxide and global climate change
• 70% of oil is imported
– Dependent on global pricing variations
– Impacts our security
Renewable Alternatives
• Nuclear energy
– Atmospherically clean
– Dangerous
– Nuclear waste problems
• Wind energy
– Clean but unsightly
– Not dependable – needs storage capability
– Not abundant where needed most
Renewable Alternatives
• Solar
– More expensive
– Not dependable – needs storage capability
• Geothermal and Hydroelectric
– Environmentally sensitive
– Limited resources
Transportation Alternatives
• Plug-in electric gasoline hybrids
• Biofueled vehicles
• Natural gas-powered vehicles
• Hydrogen-powered vehicles
• Fuel cell-powered vehicles
Plug-In Electric Hybrids
• Potential Barriers?
Where Does Electricity Come From?
• We buy it from power plants
• We can generate it ourselves
– Diesel or gasoline generators
– Generated in our car
– Generated by home solar or wind power
• We can get it from batteries
• Sometimes we get it when we don’t want it
– Lightning
– Static
What is the main fuel used to
generate electricity in the US?
•  Natural Gas
•  Oil Put a one by the fuel
•  Hydroelectric most used,
a 2 by the next most
•  Nuclear used, etc.
•  Coal
•  Wind, Solar, Biomass and Geothermal
Fuels Used to Generate Electricity
• #1 Coal is used to generate 49% of the
electricity in the U.S.
• #2 Natural gas is used to generate 20% of
the electricity in the U.S.
http://www.power-technology.com/projects/
bethlehem/index.html#bethlehem2
• #3 Nuclear is used to generate 19.4% of the
electricity in the U.S.
http://www.srpnet.com/about/stations/
paloverde.aspx
• #4 Hydroelectric is used to generate 7% of
http://www.desertusa.com/gc/gcd/
du_glencandamtour.html
#5 Other Renewables account for 2.4%

•Wind
•Solar
•Biomass
•Geothermal
Wind Power
Solar Photovoltaics
http://
www.aps.com/
my_community/
Solar/Solar_22.html
Solar Parabolic Trough
A trough can focus the sun at 30 to 100 times its normal intensity
to heat liquid in the receiver pipe to over 400 degrees Celsius.
Solar Dish and Engine
A solar dish concentrates the sun at a factor of 2000 achieving
temperatures of 750 C to run an engine which turns a generator.
• #6 Petroleum is used to generate 1.6% of
http://www.power-technology.com/projects/
riyadh/index.html#riyadh1
Fuel Usage Pie Chart (2006)
Energy Usage
Electricity Cost Chart (2006)
How does Electricity Get to Us?
• Wires connect the power plants to the users
via the power grid.
• Long distances are covered by wires
carrying hundreds of thousands of volts
– Same power delivered by half the current and
twice the voltage
– Saves money on wire (typically 40mm in
diameter)
– Saves money on losses due to resistance in the
wire
Power Grid
Industrial Power
• Industrial plants use
three phase power
(480v) to run most
large machinery
• They run small
machines, lights,
computers on single
phase power
(120/240v)
Residential and Commercial
• Residential and commercial customers use
single phase power – 120 volts for most
uses or 240 volts for high power appliances
• Transformers are used to
reduce the high voltages
on the power lines to the
lower voltages needed
AC and DC Power
• Most power generated is Alternating Current
(AC) power where the current and voltage
varies sinusoidally with time
• Direct Current (DC) power doesn’t vary with
time
• Most consumer products use both AC and DC
• http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/edison/
sfeature/acdc.html
DC Power
• DC power is used to power electronics
• DC power is easier to store (batteries)
• DC power is used in mobile applications
• DC power is useful when off the power grid
• Inverters convert DC to AC
AC Power
• AC power is easier to distribute
– Higher voltage and smaller current yields same
power distributed
– Transformers make it easy to change voltage
levels so smaller wire can used
• AC is used for most machinery, lights and
appliances
• Power supplies convert AC to DC
Study of Circuits at NAU
• EE 188 – DC circuits and AC circuits when
at steady state
• EE 280 – Transients, frequency response &
both digital and analog electronic circuits
• EE 380 – Linear and nonlinear electronic
circuits, device models and simulation
• EE 480 – Advanced Electronics
• EE 482 – Intro. to VLSI electronics design

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Why Electrical Engineering

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Why Take Electrical Engineering?

Like computer literacy, electrical literacy is very

#5 Other Renewables account for 2.4%

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