Energy Flashcards
Energy
The capacity to do work - Can go back and forth between potential and kinetic
Potential Energy
Stored energy that’s just sitting there waiting to be used
Kinetic Energy
Movement
First Law of Thermodynamics
Energy can not be created nor destroyed
Second Law of Thermodynamics
Energy goes from a more ordered state to a less ordered state as it changes form - Has an increase of entropy (disorder)
Energy is always
Conserved, but it changes in quality - Ex: Gasoline powers the car, but only 16% of it is used. The rest is released as heat
Energy Conversion Efficiency
Degree of success in harnessing the energy
Energy Sources
Not all are easy to utilize
Energy Conversion Efficiency
The ratio of the useful output of energy to the amount we need to input to harness it - It takes energy to make energy (is it worth it)
Net Energy Equals
Energy Returned minus Energy Invested
Net Energy
Expresses the differences between energy returned and energy invested
EROI (Energy Returned on Investment) Equals
Energy Returned / Energy Invested (expressed as a ratio)
EROI (Energy Returned on Investment)
You always want the energy returned to be higher - Changes over time
Solar Energy
Provides 99% of the energy that heats the earth and provides food for organisms - The largest renewable energy source
Fossil Fuels
The three types are coal, oil, and natural gas - The use of them is increasing - They are organic (contains carbon) - Are non-renewable because they take a very long time to form
Organic Materials
Dead plants and animals
What determines which fossil fuel will form
Higher pressure, temperature, and what type of dead stuff
OPEC
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
How to figure out how much oil we still have (how to calculate fossil fuel reserves)
How quickly it’s used - How much produced (time) - EROI - Supply/Demand
Peak Oil Theory
Developed by M. King Hubbert in 1956 - Had future predictions (up to 2200) of when we will hit peak oil productions - His prediction was very close to being correct
Peak Oil
An economic concept, so it will change depending on supply and demand
Crude Oil Advantages
Efficient - Cost efficient - Reliable - Easy to extract - Accessible/Infrastructure - Versatile - Energy dense (compact - get a lot from a little)
Crude Oil Disadvantages
Non-renewable - Contributes to pollution - Oil spills - We’ll run out of it at some point - Import from other countries (can cause conflicts)
Natural Gas
The cleanest fossil fuel - High EROI (about 85:1) - Can get it by fracking - Can be found in Marcellus Shale (a type of sedimentary rock)
