Chapter 14 Flashcards
US energy
90% of the energy consumed comes from fossil fuels
Petroleum, natural gas, and coal
Non renewable
Industrialized energy source and consumption
Small percentage of the total population
Larger user of total energy produced
Alternative energy sources
Geothermal, nuclear, hydropower, and solar
Renewable energy source
Solar and wind
Not depleted by consumption
US dependent on three major fossil fuels
Coal
Natural gas
Petroleum
Conservation
Getting by with less demand for energy
Energy efficiency
Designing equipment to yield more energy output from a given amount of input energy
Congeneration
A number of processes designed to capture and use waste heat rather than simply releasing it into the atmosphere
Hard path
Finding greater amounts of fossil fuels and building larger power plants
Soft path
Involves energy alternatives that emphasize energy quality and flexibility
Integrated energy management
No single energy source can provide all the energy required by the world
Sustainable energy management
Provides reliable sources of energy without causing serious harm, all while ensuring that future generation inherit a fair share of Earth’s resources
Business-as-usual approach
Find more fossil fuel
Build large power plants
Use energy as freely as we always have
Requires no new thinking
Requires no realignment of political, economic, or social conditions
Does not anticipate reductions in oil production
