Energy and Fuel Sources

1. Energy and Fuel Sources Mrs. B-Z

2. Energy Article Critique NBC. (2009, May 5). Home alone tweens [Photograph]. Baltimore Sun. Retrieved from http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/.../homealone.jpg

3. Energy Transformations The law of conservation of energy

4. Where does energy come from? • The law of conservation of energy states that energy is neither created nor destroyed. • So how do we “get energy”? • How are we “running out” of energy?

5. Where does electricity come from? • Sun (solar)—clean and almost free • Plants (biomass)—can be replenished • Fossil fuels (coal, nuclear, petroleum, or natural gas)--cannot be replaced at the same rate we are using them

6. Two broad categories

7. Trace the energy in wind to electricity • Wind • Mechanical • Electrical

8. Renews itself; not dependent on our input for renewal Can you think of an example of this? Example: solar and some forms of hydro and wind Perpetually renewable

9. Solar • Perpetually renewable • Light energy hits a device usually a photovoltaic cell which transforms the light into a useable form of energy usually electricity • Can you think of daily examples of this? • Solar calculators

10. Wind • Perpetually renewable • The wind turns a turbine which transfers its energy to create another form of energy usually electricity

11. Trace the energy in wind to electricity • Wind • Mechanical • Electrical

12. Hydro • Hydro comes in several varieties • Some are similar to a mill turning water to transfer the energy to saw wood • This is usually on a much larger scale with a dam flowing large amounts of water. • There is also tidal or oceanic power as well.

13. How do we get electricity from hydropower? • Water • Mechanical • Electrical

14. Potentially Renewable • Often referred to as “renewable” • These are resources that can be used for fuel but their replenishment is dependent on either time or resources of another type • Can you think of an example? • Trees or other forms of biomass

15. Biomass • Single-largest renewable non-hydro source of power • Involves burning of some type of biomass usually wood to create heat from the chemical potential energy.

16. Nonrenewable Resources that cannot be reproduced or replenished at a rate similar to the rate of consumption.

17. Coal • Produces far more CO2 than many other fossil fuel options • Scrubbers have been introduced to limit the amount of sulfur allowed to escape into the atmosphere • Still abundant but much of it is too “dirty” to use

18. Natural Gas (Methane) • One of the cleaner fossil fuels • Products of combustion of natural gas are CO2 and H2O • There are some particulates but they are in trace quantities compared to oil and coal

19. Propane • An expensive alternative to methane when natural gas is not available • More expensive than oil but can be easily converted over to methane if it were to become available • Cleaner than petroleum oil or coal but not quite as clean as methane (natural gas)

20. Petroleum (oil) • Not quite as “dirty” as coal and not as difficult to store, petroleum oil is another nonrenewable fossil fuel alternative.

21. Fossil Fuel Emission Levels - Pounds per Billion Btu of Energy Input Pollutant Natural Gas Oil Coal Carbon Dioxide 117,000 164,000 208,000 Carbon Monoxide 40 33 208 Nitrogen Oxides 92 448 457 Sulfur Dioxide 1 1,122 2,591 Particulates 7 84 2,744 Mercury 0.000 0.007 0.016 Source: EIA - Natural Gas Issues and Trends 1998 Comparison of Fossil Fuels

22. Nuclear Energy • The best of the nonrenewable fuels • Cleanest • Safest • Long-lasting • Storage issues—very long term

23. Choose your fuel

24. Project Guidelines • Create a display that could be used to explain your type of fuel to 7-9th grade students • The display will be a part of the Fuel Museum. • You should include pictures, graphs, maps, and/or diagrams to explain the origins of your fuel, how it is used, and what the positives as well as negatives that there are of that type of fuel and the technology that is used to harness the energy.