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CHAPTER 13: Energy

CHAPTER 13: Energy. Core Case Study: Amory Lovins and the Rocky Mountain Institute (1). 1984: home and office building in Snowmass, CO Heat: Sun Heavy roof insulation Thick stone walls Energy-efficient windows Waste-heat recovery.

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CHAPTER 13: Energy

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  1. CHAPTER 13:Energy

  2. Core Case Study: Amory Lovins and the Rocky Mountain Institute (1) • 1984: home and office building in Snowmass, CO • Heat: • Sun • Heavy roof insulation • Thick stone walls • Energy-efficient windows • Waste-heat recovery

  3. Core Case Study: Amory Lovins and the Rocky Mountain Institute (2) • Sun • 99% of heat and hot water • 95% of daytime lighting • 90% of household electricity • Energy-efficient electrical appliances and computers • Rocky Mountain Institute • Promotes energy-efficient buildings and transportation

  4. 13-1 What Major Sources of Energy Do We Use? • Concept 13-1A About three-quarters of the world’s commercial energy comes from nonrenewable fossil fuels, and the rest comes from nonrenewable nuclear fuel and renewable sources. • Concept 13-1B Net energy is the amount of high-quality energy available from a resource minus the amount of energy needed to make it available.

  5. Evaluating Energy Resources • Energy from the sun • Indirect forms of renewable solar energy • Wind • Hydropower • Biomass • Commercial energy • Fossil fuels -- nonrenewable

  6. Science Focus: Net Energy • High-quality energy • Second law of thermodynamics • Wasted energy • Net energy • Ratio of energy produced to energy used to produce it • Net energy ratio • Nuclear fuel cycle

  7. 13-2 What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Fossil Fuels? • Concept 13-2 Oil, natural gas, and coal are currently abundant and relatively inexpensive, but using them causes air and water pollution, degrades large areas of land, and releases greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.

  8. Dependence on Oil (1) • Petroleum (crude oil) • Also called light oil • Trapped underground or under ocean with natural gas • Fossil fuels • Extraction • U.S. peak production • Global peak production

  9. Dependence on Oil (2) • Transportation • Refining • Petrochemicals

  10. How Long Will Crude Oil Supplies Last? • Crude oil is the single largest source of commercial energy in world and U.S. • Proven oil reserves • Can be extracted profitably at today’s prices with today’s technology • 80% depleted between 2050 and 2100

  11. Major Oil-Supplying Nations • Control of oil reserves • OPEC • Distribution of proven reserves • How long will conventional oil last?

  12. United States Oil Production and Use (1) • U.S. • 93% of energy from fossil fuels • 39% from crude oil • Produces 9% of world’s crude oil • Uses 25% of world production • Has 2% of proven crude oil reserves

  13. United States Oil Production and Use (2) • Domestic oil production • Off-shore drilling • Alaska • Future U.S. production • Consumption versus production • Oil imports • 2008: imported 58% of crude

  14. Oil Sand and Oil Shale • Oil sand (tar sand) • Bitumen • Kerogen • Shale Oil • World reserves • Major environmental problems

  15. Natural Gas Is a Useful and Clean-burning Fossil Fuel (1) • Natural gas • Conventional natural gas • Unconventional natural gas • Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) • Less carbon dioxide emitted per unit of energy than with crude oil, tar sand, shale oil

  16. Natural Gas Is a Useful and Clean-burning Fossil Fuel (2) • Liquefied natural gas (LNG) • World supply of conventional natural gas – 62-125 years • Unconventional natural gas • Coal-bed methane gas • Methane hydrate

  17. Coal Is a Plentiful But Dirty Fuel (1) • Used in electricity production • World’s most abundant fossil fuel • U.S. reserves should last about 250 years • Sulfur and particulate pollutants • Mercury and radioactive pollutants

  18. Coal Is a Plentiful But Dirty Fuel (2) • Heavy carbon dioxide emissions • Pollution control and environmental costs • China major builder of coal plants

  19. Case Study: The Growing Problem of Coal Ash • Highly toxic • Often stored in ponds • Ponds can rupture • Groundwater contamination • EPA: in 2009 called for classifying coal ash as hazardous waste • Opposed by coal companies

  20. Clean Coal Campaign • Coal industry • Rich and powerful • Fought against labeling carbon dioxide a greenhouse gas • “Clean coal” touted by coal industry • Mining harms the environment • Burning creates carbon dioxide and toxic chemicals • Plan to capture and store carbon dioxide

  21. Converting Coal into Gaseous and Liquid Fuels • Synfuels • Coal gasification • Synthetic natural gas (SNG) • Coal liquefaction • Methanol or synthetic gasoline • Extracting and burning coal more cleanly

  22. 13-3 What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy? • Concept 13-3 The nuclear power fuel cycle has a low environmental impact and a very low accident risk, but its use has been limited because of high costs, a low net energy yield, long-lived radioactive wastes, vulnerability to sabotage, and the potential for spreading nuclear weapons technology.

  23. How Does a Nuclear FissionReactor Work? • Nuclear fission • Light-water reactors • Boil water to produce steam to turn turbines to generate electricity • Radioactive uranium as fuel • Control rods, coolant, and containment vessels

  24. Safety and Radioactive Wastes • On-site storage of radioactive wastes • Safety features of nuclear power plants • Nuclear fuel cycle • Reactor life cycle • Large amounts of very radioactive wastes

  25. What Happened to Nuclear Power? • Optimism of 1950s is gone • Comparatively expensive source of power • No new plants in U.S. since 1978 • Disposing of nuclear waste is difficult • Three Mile Island (1979)

  26. Case Study: Chernobyl Disaster • Ukraine (1986) • Explosions and partial meltdown • Huge radioactive release to atmosphere • Estimated death toll: 9,000–212,000 • Radioactive fallout and long-term health effects • Lesson – worldwide consequences

  27. Nuclear Power Is Vulnerable toTerrorist Acts • Insufficient security • On-site storage facilities • U.S.: 161 million people live within 75 miles of an above-ground nuclear storage site

  28. Dealing with Radioactive Wastes • High-level radioactive wastes • Long-term storage: 10,000–240,000 years • Deep burial • Detoxify wastes?

  29. Case Study: Dealing with Radioactive Wastes in the United States • Yucca Mountain, Nevada • Concerns over groundwater contamination • Possible seismic activity • Transportation accidents and terrorism • 2009: Obama ends Yucca funding

  30. What Do We Do with Worn-Out Nuclear Power Plants? • Decommissioning old nuclear power plants • Dismantle power plant and store materials • Install physical barriers • Entomb entire plant

  31. What Is the Future for Nuclear Power? • Reduce dependence on foreign oil • Reduce global warming • Advanced light-water reactors • Nuclear fusion • How to develop relatively safe nuclear power with a high net energy yield?

  32. 13-4 Why Is Energy Efficiency an Important Energy Source? • Concept 13-4 The United States could save as much as 43% of all the energy it uses by improving the energy efficiency of industrial operations, motor vehicles, and buildings.

  33. Improving Energy Efficiency • Energy efficiency • How much work we get from each unit of energy we use • Reducing energy waste • 41% of all commercial energy in U.S. is wasted unnecessarily • Numerous economic and environmental advantages

  34. Examples of Energy-Wasting Devices • Incandescent light bulb • Internal combustion engine • Nuclear power plants • Coal-burning power plants

  35. Saving Energy and Money in Industry • Cogeneration/Combined Heat and Power (CHP) systems • Recycling • Energy-saving electric motors • Fluorescent lighting • Smart grid electricity

  36. Saving Energy and Money in Transportation • 2/3 of U.S. oil consumption • Low fuel-efficiency standards for vehicles • Hidden costs: $12/gallon of gas • Raise gasoline taxes/cut payroll and income taxes • Tax breaks for fuel-efficient vehicles

  37. Hybrid and Fuel-Cell Cars • Super-efficient and ultralight cars • Gasoline-electric hybrid car • Plug-in hybrid electric car • Hydrogen fuel cells • Accessible mass-transit systems as alternative

  38. Saving Energy and Money in New Buildings • Green architecture • Solar cells, fuel cells, eco-roofs, recycled materials • Super insulation • Straw bale houses

  39. Saving Energy in Existing Buildings • Insulate and plug leaks • Use energy-efficient windows • Heat houses more efficiently • Heat water more efficiently • Use energy-efficient appliances • Use energy-efficient lighting

  40. Why Are We Still Wasting So Much Energy? • Energy costs relatively little • Lack of government support and economic incentives • Inadequate building codes • Inadequate appliance standards • Lack of information about saving energy

  41. 13-5 What Are Advantages/Disadvantages of Renewable Energy Resources? • Concept 13-5 Using a mix of renewable energy sources – especially sunlight, wind, flowing water, sustainable biomass, and geothermal energy – can drastically reduce pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and biodiversity losses.

  42. Renewable Energy • Sustainability mostly depends on solar energy • Direct form: from the sun • Indirect forms • Wind • Moving water • Biomass • Geothermal

  43. Benefits of Shifting to Renewable Energy Resources (1) • More decentralized, less vulnerable • Improve national security • Reduce trade deficits • Reduce air pollution

  44. Benefits of Shifting to Renewable Energy Resources (2) • Create jobs • Save money • Renewable energy handicapped by • Unbalanced, intermittent subsidies • Inaccurate pricing

  45. Using Solar Energy to Heat Buildings and Water • Passive solar heating system • Active solar heating system

  46. Producing Electricity from Flowing Water • Hydropower • Leading renewable energy source • Much unused capacity • Dams and reservoirs • Turbines generate electricity • Eventually fill with silt • Micro-hydro generators

  47. Producing Electricity from Wind • Indirect form of solar energy • World’s second fastest-growing source of energy • Vast potential • Land • Offshore

  48. Energy from Burning Biomass • Biomass • Wood • Agricultural waste • Plantations • Charcoal • Animal manure • Common in developing countries • Carbon dioxide increase in atmosphere

  49. Converting Plant Matter to Liquid Biofuel • Biofuels • Ethanol and biodiesel • Crops can be grown in most countries • No net increase in carbon dioxide emissions • Available now • Sustainability

  50. Energy by Tapping the Earth’s Internal Heat • Geothermal energy • Geothermal heat pumps • Hydrothermal reservoirs • Steam • Hot water • Deep geothermal energy

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