energy sources Flashcards
difference between non-renewable energy resources and renewable energy resources
non-renewable energy resources:
depleted faster than they can be replenished (coal, oil, natural gas)
renewable energy resources:
replenish themselves or are continuously available in the enviro (solar, geothermal, tidal energy)
different type of energy source (%)
petroleum (34.4)
coal (24.4)
natural gas (21.1)
renewable energy (13.5)
nuclear energy (6.5)
resources vs reserve
resource:
naturally occurring substance that is potentially usable by humans and can be extracted using current technology
reserve:
known deposit of a resource that can be economically extracted using current technology and specific economic conditions
typically smaller in quantity
In other words:
Resources are the total estimated amount of a substance present in nature.
Reserves are the subset of resources that are technically and economically feasible to extract and utilize with today’s methods and costs.
So reserves are essentially the proven, recoverable portion of the total resources that we can realistically access and use right now, while resources represent the full natural endowment, some of which may not be viable to extract currently.
how was coal formed
300 millions ago, plant material began accumulating underwater, starting the process of decay and resulting in the formation of a spongy mass of organic material
these deposits are covered by seas and buried under sediment (dirt) due to geological changes
combi of pressure and heat caused by geological process transformed organic into coal
recoverable coal reserves
in 2004
europe and eurasia 31.6%
north america 27.8%
asia 23.6%
australia and pacific islands 9.1%
africa 5.6%
latin america 2.3%
middle east 0.05%
where do the oil and natural gas likely originated from
microscopic marine organisms that accumulated on the ocean floor and became buried under the layers of the sediment
fossil fuel formation
- Oil and natural gas likely originated from microscopic marine organisms that accumulated on the ocean floor and became buried under layers of sediment.
- Over time, the sediment compressed and transformed into shale, which contains dispersed oil.
- Natural gas commonly forms above oil deposits.
how much did fossil fuels supply the world’s commercial energy
- oil:
- coal:
- natural gas:
*Fossil fuels supply 80% of the world’s commercial energy.
*Oil: 35%
*Coal: 24%
*Natural Gas: 21%
it is the most abundant fossil fuel
coal
what is primarily used for generating electricity
coal
briefly explain the 3 categories of coal
lignite:
least desirable cos of high moisture content
bituminous: widely used cos it is the most abundant and easiest to mine
anthracite: has the highest energy content and is the cleanest burning but hard to obtain
briefly explain the types of coal extraction
surface mining:
efficient yet destructive as it involves removing material on top of a vein
underground mining:
minimizing surface disturbance is costly and hazardous
what disease may be attain due to the coal extraction underground
black lung disease, a respiratory condition caused by the accumulation of fine coal-dust particles in miners’ lungs
mining operation generates what type of pollution
air pollution
briefly explain the coal drawbacks
Burning coal emits pollutants such as carbon and sulfur
Coal’s bulkiness poses transportation challenges
- Millions of tons of material are annually released into the atmosphere.
- Sulfur contributes to acid mine drainage and acid deposition.
- Elevated levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide are linked to global warming.
it is formed from organic material
mainly deposited as sediments on the seabed and then broken down and transformed over millions
of years.
oil and gas
it is more concentrated than coal, burns cleaner and can be easily transported through pipelines
oil
suited for automobile use
what are the challenges of oil
challenging to locate and extract BUT it causes the less environmental damage than coal mining
how do u extract oil
Offshore drilling:
it is the process of drilling holes in the ocean seabed of the continental shelf and also applies to drilling in lakes and inland seas.
briefly explain oil recovery
current tech can only extract abt 1/3 of an oil deposit
secondary recovery methods, injecting water or gas into wells to displace oil are employed to recover more oil
with rising oil prices = costly and aggressive sec recovery techniques may become necessary
it is a single barrel of crude oil can yield multiple products through refining.
briefly explain the accidental spills
oil refining
Accidental spills contribute to only about one-third of oil pollution from shipping, with 60% resulting from routine shipping operations.
crude oil distillation unit and products
lower than 85 °F = butane and lighter products
85 - 185 °F = gasoline blending components
185 - 350 °F = naptha
350 - 450 °F = kerosene
450 -650 °F =distillate (disel, heating oil)
650 - 1050 °F =heavy gas oil
above 1050 °F = residue fuel oil
It is formed when layers of decomposing plants
and animals are subject to intense heat from
the Earth and pressure from rocks.
natural gas
created naturally over the course of hundreds of millions of years
natural gas is also called as
it is the mixture of?
fossil gas
methane gas
or simply gas
mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane (97%) in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes.
true or false:
drilling for natural gas involves similar operations as drilling for oil. The processes and equipment used are quite alike.
true
natural gas can be liquefied at ___°F, reducing its volume significantly
-126°F
it is the least environmentally damaging, causing minimal air
pollution.
among fossil fuels, natural gas
how much did the alternative energy sources contribute to the world’s total energy supply.
nearly 13.5%
- these sources could potentially fulfill half of the world’s energy requirements by 2050.
examples of renewable energy sources
hydroelectric power
tidal power
geothermal power
wind power
solar energy
biomass conversion
how much did the renewable power increase in the past decade
8 percentage points
2011 (20.4%) to 2021 (28.3%)
it is generated by capturing the energy of flowing water and converting it into electricity.
hydroelectric power
most common method of hydroelectric power
damming a river and creating a reservoir to store water
* Pumped storage plants utilize two reservoirs positioned at different elevations to store and release water as needed.
* Regions with mountainous terrain and large river valleys offer the greatest potential for developing hydroelectric power.
* According to the World Energy Council, current technology could potentially triple the electricity generated by hydropower.
Hydroelectric power currently accounts for how much of the world’s electricity supply.
___ - electricity sourced from hydroelectric power in south and central America
norway relies on hydroelectric power for ___ of its electricity and ___ of its total energy needs.
16%
65%
99%
60%
less than 10 megawatts -
less than 1 megawatts -
less than 10 megawatts - minihydro
less than 1 megawatts - microhydro
how does reservoir construction results in significant environmental and social damage in hydroelectric power
- It leads to the loss of farmland or forest land due to flooding.
- Communities often need to be relocated.
- The construction of dams prevents fish migrations.
- Silt fills in the reservoir, halting the flow of nutrients downstream.
- There’s a risk of mercury accumulation in the reservoir ecosystem.
the daily rise and fall of ocean levels relative to coastlines, are caused by gravitational forces and the Earth’s revolution.
tidal
what happens when water flowing from a higher to a lower level
it can spin an electricity-generating turbine
why is suitable sites for tidal power are limited
as practical power generation requires tidal changes of roughly 16 feet
what causes the ocean water to bulge out, forming tides as the Earth rotates through this bulge.
the gravitational forces of the moon and the sun
it is associated with geologically active areas where heat from the
Earth reaches the surface through thinner crust.
geothermal energy
true or false:
The U.S. possesses roughly half of the world’s geothermal electrical generating capacity, with California contributing 30% of the world’s geothermal electricity.
false - 40%
what happens if there is a high mineral content of geothermal energy and it can result in what odors
unpleasant odors
its high mineral content can lead to high maintenance requirements such as corroded pipes and equipment.
how much can the U.S. Department of Energy provide the electricity that has indicated that the Great Plains to ___ contiguous states
75%
48 contiguous states
it is considered competitive with new coal and natural gas plants, and it is cheaper than nuclear plants.
wind power
disadvantages of wind power
moving blades generates noise and some perceive windmills as visual pollution
moving blades pose hazards to birds
vibration from generators can lead to structural damage
the daily energy from the sun is 600 times greater than energy produced each day by all other energy sources combined
solar energy
how is the solar energy utilized in 3 main ways
passive heating:
directly converts sun’s energy into heat and uses it at the collection site
floors and walls made of materials that absorb and store the sun’s heat during the day gradually release the het at night when it is needed most (aka direct gain)
allow sunlight to enter to warm the interior of the building
active heating systems:
it is converted into heat and then transported into electrical energy
-ve: initial high installation cost
solar energy can be transformed into
electrical energy
it requires a solar collector, a pump and a network of pipes to transfer heat from where its generated to the intended heating area
active solar heating
how does solar energy generate electricity in 2 methods
steam generation:
involves creating stem to drive a turbine which then generates electricity
photovoltaic cells:
these cells directly convert sunlight into electricity
where is the largest solar plant facility located and what is the installed capacity
Bhadla Solar Park (Location: Rajasthan, India)
Capacity: 2245 MW
