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Energy
Pros
Cons
-renewable
Source
Solar
Power
Wind
Pollution: The
materials its made of,
Silicon, mercury, lead
and cadmium, are toxic
and can cause
pollution. Creation of
the cells used to make
the panels may also
decrease their
efficiency.
Efficiency: Panels
only capture on
average 40% of the
suns energy. Some
high efficiency can
capture up to 80%, but
they are very
expensive.
Reliability: They only
work during the day.
Area: Require a large
amount of area to
generate sufficient
energy for a large
business or a city.
Power
noisy.
Wildlife: Wind turbines
can affect wildlife,
especially birds who
are often killed, and
underground habitats
are also often affected.
Reliability: Wind is
unpredictable. Large
amounts of wind are
needed to make it
worth it.
Aesthetics: Wind
turbines often disturb
the look of a
landscape.
Hydro
Power
-extremely expensive
to build -must be built
to a very high standard
-The flooding of large
areas of land means
that the natural
environment is
destroyed
-can be impacted by
drought. When water is
not available, the
hydroplants cant
produce electricity
-hydropower can
impact water quality
and flow
-disrupts salmon
spawning
http://www.dukeenergy.com/aboutenergy/generatingelectricity/pumpedstorage-how.asp
Biomass/
Biofuel
In other words, it is a
completely natural source of
energy. Biomass and biofuel
dont necessarily need to be
from animals. It can also be a
plant. Any living organism
works. When biofuel is ignited,
it is transferred into energy,
that can be used to boil water.
The steam can then power a
turbine that powers a
generator that creates
electricity.
energy.
-Not very expensive
Renewable
short cycle of Carbon
dioxide
-Limited
- reduces farmland
available for food.
Clean and
sustainable. There is
no fuel used, this can
built underground so
it takes very little
space. It has a
virtually limitless
supply. No mining or
transportation
required. Smallest
land footprint of any
major power source.
Works great near
plate boundaries and
hot spots.
Oil and
Crude oil is found in many
Petroleum places. These places are
mostly foreign countries, but
also include Texas, the
Dakotas, California, or Alaska.
Then it is shipped to
refineries, then refined.
Refineries do three things:
separation, conversion, and
treatment. Separation occurs
in the distillation units, where
the heavier liquids sink to the
Technologies used
for extracting oil are
already well
developed.
Petroleum has broad
use.
Its cheap.
Burning one kilogram
of oil can generate
10,000 kcal.
Easy to transport
because of its liquid
Geotherm
al
Natural
Gas
pollution.
- Expensive.
- Impacts on aquatic
life by oil spills into the
ocean.
-Need huge amounts of
space. Lots of mining is
needed, which creates
a health hazard to the
workers.
-Destroys the
ecosystem
-Can not rely on its
limited source
- fracking - hydraulic
fracturing
It is Readily
available domestic
source of energy.
(was 30% of U.S.
energy mix in 2012)
Relatively cheap
-speeds up global
warming
-non-renewable
-polluting chemicals
that are dangerous for
health
-damaging to
surrounding natural
habitats
-transportation can be
costly
picture found:
Nuclear
Power
-Heat waves,
freshwater shortages
and droughts can affect
cooling of reactors,
forcing them to be shut
down
-Cant get rid of waste
-Nuclear plant
accidents can be
disastrous
-Radioactive waste is
produced
-Hydro 8%
-Oil Petroleum 1%
-Renewable 5%
Cost/Economics
BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil, and Shell made $93 billion combined profit 2013
Average household in US pays $110.55 and consumes 955 kilowatt hours monthly (US Energy
Information Administration), being charged 11.8 cents per kilowatt hours. With that average, US
households pay $1326.60 for electricity per year.
Costs
-
http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Economic-Aspects/Energy-Security/
Greenhouse effectThe process of when thermal radiation is absorbed by atmospheric greenhouse gases is known
as the greenhouse effect. Life as we know it is only possible because of Earths natural
greenhouse effect.
-20% of light from the sun is distributed and reflected by clouds
-51% of the suns light is absorbed by earth
-4% is reflected by the Earths surface
-6% is scattered from atmosphere
-19% is absorbed by atmosphere and clouds
https://www.koshland-science-museum.org/explore-the-science/earth-lab/processes#.VORS033-iw
When sunlight hits the Earths surface, some of it get reflected and some of it turns into heat.
Carbon and other atmospheric gases trap the heat, keeping the Earth warm. The greenhouse
effect caused by increased carbon and other contaminants in the atmosphere has been keeping
more and more heat in our atmosphere, changing the planets temperature drastically.
According to climate.nasa.gov, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are at an all time high,
and 97% of scientists agree that this dramatic change is caused by human actions.
http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/
Gases that create the greenhouse effect: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), water vapor
(H2O), Nitrous Oxide (N2O)
Carbon CycleIts a biogeochemical cycle where carbon is exchanged throughout the biosphere, pedosphere
(the outermost layer of the Earth), geosphere,
All living this are made of carbon. Carbon attaches with oxygen to form carbon dioxide. Plants
use both sunlight and carbon dioxide to feed themselves and grow. When plants eventually die,
and get buried they turn into fossil fuels (such as coal or oil millions of years). Humans then
burn the coal, and the carbon returns into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Since humans
have burned so much fuel over the years, there is 30% more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
compared to 150 years ago.
http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Water/co2_cycle.html
-Climate Change - Consequences - what could happen as a result of the changing climate?
-Polar ice caps melt
-Many northern species of animals become at risk of extinction
-Sea levels rise
-Heavy rain and extreme weather events become more common
-flooding and erosion begin to have more effect on land
-decreasing water quality
-decreasing abundance of water in some places, and more abundance in others
-increase in insect outbreaks
-increase in forest fires
increase in heat related sickness and disease
size of major river deltas increases at a very vast rate
Wildlife
locations
North West- Rise of sea level, erosion, increase in ocean acidity levels, wildfires, insect
outbreaks competing water demands
South East- Rise in sea level, continuous rise in threats to economy and environment, health
problems due to extreme heat, large decrease in water resources affecting economy and
agriculture
South West- Heat, drought, and insect swarms, increased wildfires, declining water, less
agricultural potential, health changes from heat, and flooding and erosion on the
coastlines (think sea arches, but much, much more significant)
http://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/article6272752.ece/alternates/w620/Pg-24-graphicclimate.jpg
http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/538f14e8eab8ea5259b5dd7e-960/sdfvs
Geothermal