Chapter 16-17 test flashcards
How long will Saudi Arabia’s oil last if supplying the world?
10 years
How long will Alaska’s north slope’s oil last if supplying the world?
6 months (US ONLY: 3 years)
How long would Alaska’s wildlife refuge’s oil be able to supply the world?
1-5 months (US ONLY: 7-25)
What are our options when it comes to conserving oil?
Find new oil; use less oil; alternate fuels
Where does 99% of the earth’s energy come from?
the sun
What is the source fo the remaining 1% of earth’s energy?
burning fossil fuels
What % of our commercial energy comes from fossil fuels?
80%
What does “Energy Return on Energy Investment” (EROEI) refer to?
Net energy ratios
What do ratios < 1 indicate?
Net energy loss
The higher the net energy ratio, the _________ the net energy available
greater
What are the 3 sections of net energy?
Home (heating), industrial, transportation
Commercial energy sources
Energy sources that are bought and sold (coal, oil, natural gas)
Subsidence energy sources
those gathered by individuals for their own use (wood, charcoal, animal waste)
How much oil can be economically recovered from a deposit?
35-50%
what does OPEC stand for?
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
What does OPEC do?
oil comes from them; they agree on oil outputs
When did the US peak in oil production?
1974
How much does the US have in oil reserves? (% of the world)
2.1%
How much of a contribution does transport oil burning have on CO2 emissions
43%
What is the Hubbart curve
A graph that shows the point of which the world production of oil hits its max
What’s the projected amount of time until conventional oil runs out?
40 years
What’s the projected time until coal supplies run out?
200 years
Where are the Canadian tar sands found
Alberta
What are the drawbacks to using tar sands?
High sulfur content, extracting and processing makes contaminates
What’s the mixture of hydrocarbons found in an oil shale called
Kerogen
How much oil sands is required to make one barrel of oil?
1.8 metric tons
What is natural gas?
A mixture of hydrocarbons (mostly methane) in gas form
Where is the majority of natural gas found
Russia and Iran
How long will the supplies of natural gas last?
62-125 years
What’s a pro of natural gas burning?
Fairly clean
What’s a con of natural gas burning?
Creates CO2/a greenhouse gas
What is the ideal coal to use for energy production?
Anthracite (hard coal)
What coal is commonly used?
Bituminous (soft coal)
Who holds major reserves of coal?
Russia, US, China
Who consumes the majority of coal?
China, US, India
Cons of coal
High environmental impact, high CO2 release into the air
What are some reasons coal is not typically converted to SNG?
Expensive, burning SNG sends more CO2 into the atmosphere
What is cogeneration?
Using a fuel to generate electricity and heat
How efficient is a coal burning power plant?
35%
What is the fuel source in a nuclear power plant?
Uranium 235
Where is spent nuclear fuel material stored?
Specially designed pools
What is Synthetic Natural Gas?
It’s something natural gas can be converted to that makes it more transportable,
Why is the energy production low with electricity production?
The Second Law of Thermodynamics
What is the fuel source in a nuclear power plant?
Uranium (uranium heats water, steam resulting powers spinning turbine)
How long does it take for fuel rods to need to be stored?
3-4 years
Where are nuclear fuel rods stored?
Pools of water with steel lined retainers OR dry steel or concrete storage containers
How often are nuclear reactors refueled?
Once a year
How many rail cars do coal mines require?
80 per day
Why have we not built new nuclear power plants since 1978?
Public health concerns and expanses
What happens when a nuclear reactor reaches the end of its life?
Storage for 1000s of years. Risk of corrosion
What % of energy is wasted as it passes through the US economy?
84%
Why is so much energy wasted as it passes through the US economy?
Inefficiency
Nuclear fusion
lighter nuclei are forced together to produce heavy nuclei, heat is released
What are some of the most wasteful energy consumers?
Incandescent lightbulbs, internal combustion engines, nuclear power plants,
Which is more efficient, passive solar or nuclear energy?
Passive solar
What are some ways to improve energy efficiency?
cogeneration, increasing fuel efficiency
What is CAFE?
Corporate Average Fuel Economy
What are strawbale houses?
Strawbale is a superinsulator
How much heat escapes US homes through windows, holes, and cracks?
1/3
Why have we not fully embraced renewable energy?
Fossil fuels are cheaper
Difference between passive solar heating and active solar heating
Passive: directly in structure w/o pumps
Active:
How much of wind energy could need to be captured in order to meet all the world’s energy demands?
20%
What is the world’s most promising and fastest growing energy resource?
Wind
Why is wind the most promising energy source?
Cheap, clean, no Greenhouse gases
Which country manufacture the most wind turbines?
Europe
What is an advantage of burning biomass
Carbon neutral; can replenish quickly
What are the advantages of converting plants and waste into biofuels?
Can grow anywhere, no net increase in co2
Ethanol
A biofuel that Can be used in the place of gasoline
Geothermal
Uses heat stored in soil or rocks underground in the earth’s mantle to heat and cool surface
How can geothermal technology be used?
Transfers heat from the ground into your house
What is a hurdle of hydrogen to replace oil
H2 is chemically locked w/ water and organic chemicals, takes a lot of energy to produce, expensive
What are the predicted largest energy sources in the next 80 years?
Biomass, H2 solar, natural gas
What would a more sustainable energy policy do?
Improve efficiency, rely more on renewable energy, reduce harmful effects from fossil fuels
Feed-in tarriff system
when a consumer feeds energy back into the grid
What is the second most commonly used energy source in the world after fossil fuels
Biomass
Why is the transfer of energy from a resource so low?
2nd law of thermodynamics
What is the fissile material that is needed for nuclear energy?
Uranium 235
What isotope of uranium is needed for nuclear power?
Uranium 235
Who predicted peak production of petroleum in 1969
Hubbert
Building materials with high thermal inertia are
energy efficient
Name 3 solar based energy sources
Solar, Coal, wind
What is a solar oven
An inexpensive way to cook food
What’s the US’s most used renewable resources
Biomass and hydro
How do we currently utilize renewable energy best in the US?
Electricity generation
The world’s largest oil reserves are most commonly stated as being in…
Saudi Arabia
Alberta Canada is known to contain a large percentage of
Oil sands
Natural gas is a better fuel source than coal because…
Cleaner burning, easy transport via pipeline, less ground surface distributed
Is nuclear energy considered renewable
No
About how long will US oil reserves last at current usage?
25 years
What country ranks number one in both use and reserves of coal?
China
Which is listed in the ppt as the least expensive energy resource?
Solar
Which country is making the largest investment in renewable energy resources?
China
Where is coal most likely to originate?
Swamps (peat)
Letting sunlight heat a home or capturing the suns energy directly is what type of energy?
Passive
What type of rock is kerogen found within?
Sedimentary
Feed-in tariff systems are…
A way to feed back into grids
Why are coal power plants and transporation vehicles so inefficient
They give off a lot of thermal waste
Rank the US’s energy source use from most used to least used
Petrol, Natural gas, coal, renewable resources,
What is the fastest growing electrical power
Solar
What is thermal inertia
The resistance a material has with which its temperature reaches that of its environment
If you were constructing a building, what level of thermal inertia would you want
High thermal inertia
What are the sources of renewable energy in the US?
Wind, Solar, Hydroelectic, geothermal, biomass
What are some advantages to using natural gas instead of coal?
Less harm to environment, easily stored and transported
3 LARGEST CONSUMERS OF COAL
China, India, US
Why have no new power plants been made since 1978?
Public health concerns, expanses
About how much longer would United States oil reserves last based on today’s rate of consumption?
5 years
Compare the various rates of generating electricity. What is the least expensive?
Solar
Compare the various rates of generating electricity. What is the most expensive?
Nuclear
What is the name given to coal reserves that have been mapped, measured and are economically recoverable?
Proven reserves
What country has made the largest commitment to switching over to renewable energy resources?
China
What is a possible origin for coal reserves?
Swamps
What type of coal has the most energy? What type of coal is most commonly used?
Anthracite; bituminous
What is the name given to petroleum that is trapped in sedimentary rock?
Petroleum trap
What is the name of the practice where utilities must pay customers for generating more power than they actually
use?
Net metering/feed in tariffs
