Sources of Energy

1. Sources of Energy

2. Biomass or Bioconversion • Any organic material that can be used for its energy; wood, garbage, yard waste, crop waste, animal waste, even human waste • Renewable • Industry, homes, plants burn to make heat and produce energy • Can produce air pollution and odor • Gets energy from the sun. Reduces organic material in landfills.

3. Coal • Black, solid fossil fuel formed from the remains of ancient plants in swamps • Nonrenewable • Located underground in many areas of the country • Most coal is burned for energy • Power plants use to produce electricity • Can pollute the air and cause acid rain • Produces ½ of the electricity in the US. US has largest coal reserves. Transported by train and barge and very expensive.

4. Geothermal • Heat produced by the Earth’s core by the slow decay of naturally occurring radioactive particles. • Renewable • Low temp resources are found almost everywhere. High temp resources are mostly found at the edge of plate tectonics • Drill wells, lay pipes & pipe it to where it needs to go • Power plants use steam to produce electricity and homes use steam for heat • Very little environmental effects • Geothermal resources tend to come to the surface along plate edges

5. Hydropower • Is the force of moving water • Renewable • Sun causes water to evaporate into the atmosphere and form clouds. The water vapor condenses and falls to the earth as precipitation. • We can harness the energy flowing by damming rivers and using waterfalls • Electric utilities use dams to turn the flowing water into electricity • Can disrupt animal and fish habitat. Doesn’t pollute air, but can churn up sediments • Cheapest and cleanest way to produce electricity. There are few places where new dams can be built.

6. Wind • Wind is the circulation of air caused by the uneven heating of the Earth’s surface. • Renewable • The sun shines on the Earth, heating the land more than water. The warmer air rises and cooler air takes its place, producing convection currents. • Wind machines slow the motion of wind, turning turbines to produce electricity. • Independent power producers build wind farms to produce electricity. • Very clean, no pollution produced. They take up a lot of land, but the land can be used for other things at the same time. • Do not produce a lot of electricity and do not produce all the time. Cannot be used in many areas. There must be a stable, continuous wind resource.

7. Natural Gas • Colorless, odorless gas formed millions of years ago from tiny plants and animals. It is a fossil fuel. • Nonrenewable • Underground rock formations. We drill to reach it and pipe it from the ground. • Usually we burn it to produce heat. • Industry to manufacture products, homes to produce heat, power plants to produce electricity. • Clean burning fossil fuel, but produces some air pollution • Shipped millions of miles underground. Mercaptan, an odorant that smells like rotten eggs, is added to natural gas so leaks can be detected.

8. Petroleum • A liquid fossil fuels. It can be thin and clear or thick and black like tar. • Nonrenewable • Located in underground rocks, much is underwater. Wells are drilled and petroleum is pumped from the ground. • It is refined into many different fuels which are burned to produce heat. • Mostly used by transportation sector. • Causes air pollution and drilling can cause damage to the land and water if there are leaks or spills. • We use more petroleum than any other energy source, but don’t produce enough to meet our needs. We import 2/3 of what we need.

9. Propane • Colorless, odorless fossil fuel found within petroleum and natural gas. • Nonrenewable • Found within petroleum and natural gas deposits and is separated during refining and processing. • Put it in tanks under pressure to turn it to liquid for easier transport, then we burn it to produce heat. • Heat in rural areas, outdoor grills, fuels for indoor machinery or fleet fuel • Clean burning, but does produce some air pollutants. • Easily turned to liquid under pressure. Stored in underground caverns and moved by pipelines and trucks. Called the portable fuel.

10. Solar • Radiant energy from the sun that travels to Earth in electromagnetic waves. • Renewable • Through a process called fusion. During fusion, radiant energy is emitted. • We capture solar energy with solar collectors. We also use the visible light to see. • We all use visible light to see during the day. Many homes and buildings use solar energy to heat and produce electricity. • No air or water pollution • Not available all the time. Expensive, but new technology will make solar energy a major energy source in the future.

11. Uranium • A common metallic element found in rocks all over the world. • Nonrenewable • Underground in rock formations. It is mined to recover. US has plenty, but imports most of it because it is cheaper to do so. • Processed and turned into pellets and burned. Uranium atoms are split during fission to produce heat. • Produce electricity. • Produces a radioactive waste that is dangerous for thousands of years and must be stored carefully. Leaks pose a danger. • Little pollution except for radioactive waste which must be stored in special repositories. Currently no permanent ones in US, although one is planned at Yucca Mountain, Nevada.