World Energy Sources and Fossil Fuel Power
Production
By, Sawyer Olson, Alex Ayling, Diego BaumannHour 1
Renewable and Nonrenewable Energy
● Renewable energy replenishes over time
● Non renewable energy has a finite amount of resources
Solar Energy
Advantages● Free Energy
● Produces no pollution
● Low cost
Disadvantages● Not very efficient
● Initial cost of equipment used to harness solar energy
● Only useful when the sun is out
Radiant energy that is emitted by the sun
Wind Energy
Advantages● Environmentally friendly
● Takes up less space than the average power station
● Free source of energy
Disadvantages● Unreliable in many
areas due to varying wind strengths
● Produces a lot less energy than an average fossil fuel station
Conversion of wind gusts into usable electricity
Geothermal Energy
Advantages● Clean and sustainable
● Very Efficient
● Low running costs
Disadvantages● High initial cost
● Hard to find appropriate building locations
Heat from the Earth used to produce geothermal power and provide electricity
Biomass Energy
Advantages● Very Clean● Less waste than landfills● Produces oxygen and uses
up carbon dioxide
Disadvantages● More expensive than other
sources● Takes up a lot of space● Not always good for the
environment (atmospheric pollutants)
Fuel from plant material and animal waste used to produce electricity
Hydro Energy
Advantages● Can be produced at a
constant rate
● Free energy
● No pollution
Disadvantages● Impacts water quality
● High cost of construction
Energy produced by moving water, typically through dams
Tide Energy
Advantages● Inexhaustible
● No pollution
● Doesn't depend on weather
Disadvantages● Expensive initial cost
● Changes coastline and floods the estuaries
● Produces power for 10 hours of the day
Power produced by the surges in the ocean when the tide rises and falls
Wave Energy
Advantages● Huge amounts of power
● Waves are almost constantly in motion (constant power)
● No pollution
Disadvantages● Very high cost
● Requires regular maintenance
Energy produced from the ocean's surface (with electric generators)
Coal
Advantages● Readily Available
● Cheap
● supplies will last longer than other fossil fuels
Disadvantages● When burnt, releases
pollutants/ causes acid rain
● Mining destroys land/dangerous for workers
● Limited amount
Fossilized remains of plants/animals burnt to produce electricity
Natural Gas
Advantages
● Ready Made
● Cheap
● Cleaner than Coal/Oil
Gas trapped between earth, harvested through Hydraulic Fracturing. Used for heating/cooking
Disadvantages● Pollutes the air
● Limited supply
● Hydraulic Fracturing contaminates water
Oil
Advantages
● Ready made
● Cheap
● High energy density
Carbon liquid made from fossilized plants, pipes sunk down to pump oil
Disadvantages● Pollutes the air
● Limited supply
● Reserves located in politically unstable countries
● Hard to find new sources
Nuclear Energy
Advantages● Small amount produces a lot of
energy
● Raw materials last long time
● No atmospheric pollutants
● low operating cost
Disadvantages● Reactors expensive to construct
● Creates dangerous waste that lasts for hundreds of years
● Accidents can be catastrophic
● Material supply is finite
Atoms split to create steam that spins turbine/ generates electricity
Energy Density
● Energy Density: Amount of energy per unit of volume
● Units: Megajoules per kilogram, Joules per gallon
● Example: crude oil has an energy density of 41.9 MJ/Kg
Energy Density of Fuel
Coal: 32.5 MJ/1Kg
Ethanol: 26.8 MJ/1Kg
Crude Oil: 41.9 MJ/1Kg
Diesel: 45.8 MJ/1Kg
Natural Gas: 55.6 MJ/1Kg
Natural Uranium: 576,000 MJ/1Kg
Reactor Grade Uranium: 3,700,000 MJ/1Kg
Influence of Energy Density
● High energy density= efficiency
● Fossil fuels have high energy density
● Most renewable sources have low energy densities
● 1 gallon gas can charge an Ipod once a day for 20 years
Historical usage of fossil fuels.
Historically, Coal has always been a cheap, reliable, easily available heating material.Before steam engines, People relied on water mill to grind flour and other such tasks. It would all change in 1859.
Geographically Used.
As man's need for power grew the way he would gain this power would change. Soon these techniques would be passed on to the next group and so on. Eventually people would pass these skills and more civilizations would find a need for power as well.
Timeline 1.
● 1600s: The development of Coal Coke in England. This new form of energy would be vital in the industrial revolution.
● 1700s: Coal begins to replace the use of other energies sources.
● 1748: The first commercial coal production in US began in Richmond, Virginia.
● 1830: Coal becomes the primary fuel in trains in the US, replacing wood.
Timeline 2.
● 1830s: Ethanol mixture becomes popular lamp fuel replacing whale oil.
● 1870: John D. Rockefeller creates Standard Oil and developed petroleum as a major Energy Source in the US.
● 1901: The birth of the modern oil industry. The discovery of Texas' large Spindletop Oil Field.
● 6/08/1906: The Free Alcohol act is enacted. Congress wants that gasoline be replace by ethanol.
Timeline 3
● 1908: The Ford Model-T, enters Mass Production. With this many new households were now more dependent on fuels.
● 1930s: Alcohol fuel production promoted to fight against the Great Depression.
● 1950: Petroleum becomes the most used fuel in America.
How is it transported/stored?
● Transportation varies in four forms:○ Truck○ Train○ Ships○ Pipeline
● Pipeline is the most efficient and economic mode of transportation as it is less likely to spill fuel
Fossil Fuels are stored in:● Underground caverns
● Large tanks on land
● Underground mines (for coal)
Advantages and Disadvantages of fossil fuel transportation and storage
Advantages:● Companies make more
money
● Energy isn't wasted and can be used for later
● Easy to transport if liquified
Disadvantages:● Have to burn fossil fuels
to transport them
● Transporting and storage may leak fuels
Energy Density and Power Stations
● Power stations can't store electricity
● Amount fossil fuels used can be adjusted, solar/wind can't
● Fossil fuels high energy density= more flexibility
Environmental Problems: Oil
● Recovery/transportation can cause spills, drastically impacting ecosystems
● When burnt releases greenhouse gases/ causes acid rain
● Groundwater pollution
Environmental Problems: Natural Gas
● Harvested through hydraulic fracturing which uses tremendous amount of water
● Pollutes groundwater with toxic chemicals
● Cleaner than oil/coal, still pollutes air when burnt
Environmental Problems: Coal
● Mining destroys natural habitat
● Underground fires pose threat to surface
● When burnt, releases greenhouse gases/ toxic substances
Fuel Efficiency.
The second law of thermodynamics states that any closed-loop cycle can only convert a fraction of the heat produced during combustion into mechanical work.● Coal Power Plants: 33% average.● Gas Power Plants: 60%
Sankey Diagram
● Maintains energy before put through station
● Energy is degraded when it turns to heat
● Tiny amount lost in transmission/ running the power station
● Only 1/3 original energy is used
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http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/tech/geothermal-energy
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http://library.thinkquest.org/06aug/01335/tidal.htm
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