Unit 5 Energy Resources and Consumption Flashcards
nonrenewable energy source
exist in a fixed amunt and involve energy transformation that cant be easily replaced
renweable energy source
can be replenished natually, at, or near the rate of consumption, and reused
fossil fuels
coal, oil, and natural gas
form of mills of yrs from the decay of fossils with heat and pressure
primary energy source around the world
when combusted, released co2
types of renewable energies
wind, solar, hyfro, biomass, and geotjermal
global energy consumption
20% of pop uses 80% of energy
china 23% and US 17%
developing major source; biomass
developed major source- fossil fuels
US uses 89% ff
increasing demand for energy due to increasing pop and demographic transition
limitations on energy
availaility- differs on region
price- people want their energy to be as cheap as possible (ff)
gov regulations- lobbying, monetary incentives
how electricity is harvested
turbine spins generator which converts mechanical energy to electrical energy
power grid carries electricy to houses
cogeneration
when a fuel source is used to generate both heat and electricy
waste heat biols water to turn a stam turbine
energy star program
run by EPA and US Department of Energy
appliances and tech get the logo id they meet strict eneergy efficiency standards
passive solar design
uses angles of solar readation through the year to maintain indoor temp
face sun to take advantage
use inslation
energy efficient windows and floors to trap coola nd warm air
green roofs to insulate summer and absorb co2
gov regulations to reduce ff
reward switiching to renewables, energy efficiency and enerfy conservation- improve public transport and offer tax credits for retrofitting
penalize use of ff, lack of edfficiency, or lack of consercation- taxes, set standards
solutions to ff
switch to renewables
increase energy efficiency
conserve energy
ff pros
easily available
cheap
high er oei
infastructure already in place
ff cons
non renewable
land distrubed
climate change- co2
cell respiration
c6h12o6 -.> co2 +h20 + ATP
inside cells
controlled, with many steps
body temp
slow release of heat
ff combusion
CxHx + O2 -> CO2 + H2O
outside living things
fast, single step
high temp
burst of intense heat
coal
USA 28%, Russia 18%, China 13%
all caol starts off as peat
heat, pressure, and depth contributes to the various coal types and their qualities
peat - lignite - bituminous - Anthracite
made from terrestrial fossils
bituminous
most popular
anthracite
best to use
peat
an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter
a biofuel
coal pros
most abundant ff
litle refining needed before coal is put in broiler
ideal for stationary combustion applications
powerplants/industry/electrcity
coal cons
pollution - dirtiest ff (sulfur, mercyruy, lead, arsenic, ash)
mining- habitat loss, sediment pollution, tailing and acid mine drainage
human health consequences like respitaroy illnuess
oil
middle east, venezeula, canada
us produced 56.5% of its oil
OPEC
reliance on other countries changes gas prices
comes from marine fossils
OPEC
the organization of the pertrleum exporting countries is an intergovernmental organixxation of 13 countries that controls petroleum producion and prices
conventional oil
fluid mix of hydrocarnons, water, and sulfur that occurs in undergrund deposits
less dense than rock so it floats to the surface to be extracted
transported by pipe or supertanker to rifenery
tar sands oil
mix of clay, sand, water, and viscous bitumen
not ideal- needs a lot of processing
occurs to keep up with demand
Alberta, Candada has largest deposit
3x more pollution than conventional oil
depletes and pollutes freshwater
uses of crude oil
fluid nature makes it ideal for trnaportation
fractional distillation
fractional distillation
crude oil is heated and made into specific fuel types depending on boiling points
asphalt, diesal, gas, ect
oil pros
fuels transmortation
quick to start or shut off
more energy dense than coal nad produces less co2
oil cons
refining is complex and dangerous
air pollution
oil spills
tar sands habitat loss
oil spills
clogs gills
birds cant fly
ruins insulating properties of fur, creating hypothermia
is toxic, causing heart damage, stundted growth, death, ect
natrual gas
found in pockets above oil
80-95% methane
used for electricity, heating/cooling and cooking
natural gas pros
cleanest ff
less co2, so2. mercury, ect
natural gas cons
air pollution- co2, escaped methane gas (worse)
hydraulic fracking causes earthquakes and groundwater contamination
nuclear energy
non-renewable
uranium
ore is refined and enriched into pellets
nuclear fission
pellets get lined into fuel rods and put into reactor
fission occurs- neutron strikes nucleus, creating heat energy chain reacton
nueclear energy containment structure
building that provides an extra layer of protection in case of a meltfown
control rods: inserted b.w fuel rods to absorb excess neutrons and prevent meltdowns and fires; control heat of reaction
nuclear reactor
heat caused by nuclear dission heats water into steam
steam turns a turbine, and a generator converts kinetic energy into potential energy
cooling towers
cool water
can recycle water
some draw water from a body of water
produces large amounts of steam into atmosphere
nuclear energy consumption
plants built b/w 1970 and 2000
10% of worlds energy is nuclear, 20% of US, 69% of france, and 55% of ukraine
nuclear energy pros
doesnt contribute to climate change
highest ei oer
can be done on a large scale consistentlu
nuclear energy cons
thermal pollution in nearb water- out of range of tolerance, less oxygen
accidents-radioactive waste can cause cancer, deformities, and death
three mile island, pennsylvania (1979)
loss of coolant and partial core meltdown due to pperator errors and technical flaows
small release of radioactivr gas
chernobyl, ukraine (1986)
flawed reactor design and inadequate safety procedutes led to power surge that damage fuel rodes, explided, amd meltded doen
spread across europe
fukushima, japan (2011)
a earthquake damaged 3 reactors
loss of backup power led to overheating, meltdown
radioactive waste disposal
wet storage- spent fuel rods spend 2-5 yrs in concrete and stel lined pool
water cools rods and shields workers form radiation
dry storage- abovegrround steel and concrete containers, below ground sealed w/ rocks and clay
nuclear waste
radiotoxic lidetime is 1000-10000 yrs
half life
time ti takes for half a sample to radioactively decay
pros of renewables
doesnt contribute to air polluation as mauch as fossil fuesl
sourcibg does not cause as much lad impact as extraction of fossil fuels
cons of renewables
most do not produce enough energy alone to meet demand
limited by reigon
less er oei
biomass
aby organic (carbon based) energy source
ie wood, charcoal, peat, ethanol, ect
energy can be traced back to solar energy that was concerted to chemical enerfy during photosytnesis
primary energy source in developing countries
biomass pros
easily accessbible
relatively inexpensive
produces heat for cooking food and warmth
turns into biofuels
biomass cons
deforestation- overharvesting of trees for fuel
air pollution- co2, co, nox, pm, vocs
respitaroy issues
ethanol
biofuel that began as a renewable gas alternative to gasoline
makes up 10%
ethanol pros
reduces reliance on foreign oil supplies
supprots us farmers
burns neutral carbon -> plant photosyntthesis to combustion = closed system
ethanol cons
crops used for fuel could feed people
less energy dense than gas
more costly
habitat loss
farming process releases a lot of carbon
solar energy
using solar raditation to create heat or electricy
is expected to become the largest renewable energy source in the us
30 degrees are best spot
active solar energy
conrentrating solar power or thermal electricy generation
uses mechanical and electrical equipment to concentrate solar enrgy to heat water, steam, turbine, electricy
photovoltaic solar cells
solar panels
transforms captured solar energy straight into electrical energy
sunlughts energy from thin layers of semiconducting material
soalr energy pros
no emissions
can generate electricy or heat
large and small scale applicatons
economically feasavle
solar energy cons
expensive
limited by geographic region
dependent on weather
manufacturing can release toxic metals and chemicals
could impact fragile desert ecosystms
hydroelectric power
power generated by kinetic energy of moving water
turibine to generator to power grid
tidal hydroelectric power
takes advatage of the flow and ebb of tides to spin the turbines
pro: efficient
con: cant be a major eneryg source
run of river hydroelectric power
retained behind a low dam, no reservoirs
pros: little flooding, river flow not as disrupted
cons: smaller, unpredictable
dams hydroelectri c power
impounding water behind a large conrete wll along a river
damn pros
constant fewshwater reservoir
constant and reliable
no air pollution or waste
reduce downstream flooding
dam cons
expensive to build
risk of catastrophic failure, widespread flooding
habitat distruction
disrpution of fish migration and spawning (can put in ladders)
wind energy
uses kinetic energy of wind ot spin a turbine to generator to power grid
fastest growing source of electricity in the world
number 1 energy source in us
wind distribution
coastal areas
large expansions of flate land: polar regions, temperate grasslamds
wind energy pros
nondepeletable
no pollutants
windfarms can share land with other uses or be in ocean and nt use land at all
inexpensive
wind energy cons
unpredicatble and not consistant
batteries for storage are expensive and hard to recycle
bird and bat collisims
noise and aesthetic issues
geothermal energy
water is pmuped down an injection well and warmed by the natural heat coming from under earths crust
steam to turbine to generator to power grid
convection currents bring magma toward crust at plate boundries and hotspots
geothermal energy pros
no co2 emissions or waste
reliable
geothermal energy cons
geographically restricted
impact on groundwater
hydrogen fuel cells
renewable alterantive to gas
2h2+ o2 = electical energy and 2 h20
open system wher ehysdrogen gas is added continoususly so battery never dies
h2 are split into h+ protons and free electrons
protons are captured by membrane
electrons take path downa wiwre to create a current
o from air combines with h+ to create water vapor
us, indonesia/phillipines, and then turkey
where do we get hydrogen gas
from water 5%
from natural gas 95%
hydrogen fuel cells pros
no harmful emissions
no land use
electricity is more efficient than gas
no recharging
little noise
can power large cehicles
hydrogne fuel cells cons
building fuel cells is expensive
sourcing hydrogen requires a lot of energy and produces co2
storing hydrogen-explosive gas
