Energy Source: Nuclear Energy

GROUP MEMBERS
NUCLEAR ENERGY IS ENERGY OBTAINED from splitting apart atoms in a process called fission. Uranium 235, a naturally occurring, nonrenewable metal found in rocks, is used as a fuel for nuclear fission. Neutrons hit uranium atoms, causing the uranium atoms to split apart. Vast amounts of energy is released as heat when atoms break apart. This energy is expressed as heat, which heats water, producing steam which turns turbines. Nuclear energy doesnt result in any greenhouse gas emissions, other than those produced by mining and transporting uranium to nuclear plants. Water is required for various steps in electricity production from nuclear energy. Uranium is radioactive. It can harm living organisms if it is released into the environment. Radioactivity can cause illnesses such as cancer and even death. Radioactive wastes are dangerous for thousands of years. Currently there is no known way to dispose of nuclear waste safely; it must be contained in special storage areas. There are other safety concerns associated with nuclear energy. Uranium used for nuclear fuel can also be used to create nuclear weapons. Also, the extreme heat created by fission makes reactors susceptible to fires or explosions if safety measures malfunction. When this happens, it is known as meltdown which has happened in places such as Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, and Japan with devastating results ranging from quick death to cancer or birth defects up to generations later. Once the power plant is in place nuclear power is rather affordable. Because of this, the United States gets about 20% of its electricity from nuclear fission and other countries such as France get up to 80% of their electricity from nuclear power.

Description of nuclear energy: Benefits of using nuclear energy for electricity: Negative consequences of using nuclear energy: Does nuclear energy used for electricity contribute to climate change? Explain your answer. Should nuclear energy be a major source for future electricity production? Why or why not?

Energy Source: Geothermal Energy

GROUP MEMBERS
GEOTHERMAL ENERGY IS HEAT THAT originates within the earth. Extremely high temperatures are continuously produced inside the earth by the slow decay of radioactive particles, a process that happens in rocks. Additionally, magma is found in many locations including along fault lines and hot spots. Reservoirs of hot water, steam, and hot dry rocks can be used to generate electricity. Pipes are often drilled 1-2 miles below Earths surface to reach these reservoirs of thermal energy. Geothermal reservoirs are difficult to access in places where they are not close to Earths surface. Geothermal energy is not as renewable as solar or wind energy because a specific location can cool over time. However, it is constantly available and is unaffected by weather. Construction of geothermal power plants can affect land stability in the surrounding region. However, after a power plant has been constructed, geothermal energy is inexpensive and clean. Geothermal power plants release less than 5% of the CO2 emissions of a fossil fuel plant. The shallow ground of the earth provides another form of geothermal energy that can be accessed almost anywhere to heat or cool buildings. For most areas in the world, temperatures in the upper 10 feet of Earths crust are usually warmer than the air in the winter and cooler than the air in the summer, kind of like a cave. Geothermal heat pumps transfer heat from the ground into buildings in the winter and reverse the process in the summer, transferring heat from the air into the cooler ground. In places like Iceland, as much as 24% (2008) of the nation's energy is produced using geothermal power. In addition, geothermal heating meets the heating and hot water requirements of approximately 87% of all buildings in Iceland. In the winter time, sidewalks in Reykjavk are heated by this natural source, keeping ice from forming on the walkways. In the United States, geothermal power plants are largely concentrated in the western states. They are the fourth largest source of renewable electricity, after hydroelectricity, biomass, and wind power. A geothermal resource assessment shows that nine western states together have the potential to provide over 20 percent of national electricity needs. Geothermal energy accounted for 4% of renewable energy-based electricity consumption in the U.S. (including large hydropower). The U.S. continues to produce more geothermal electricity than any other country, comprising approximately 30 percent of the world total, with California being the largest producer of U.S. geothermal energy.

Description of geothermal energy: Benefits of using geothermal energy for electricity: Negative consequences of using geothermal energy: Does geothermal energy used for electricity contribute to climate change? Explain your answer. Should geothermal energy be a major source for future electricity production? Why or why not?

Energy Source: Hydropower

GROUP MEMBERS
HYDROPOWER IS THE ENERGY GENERATED by moving water. Fast-flowing water and water that falls a great distance contain much energy. Often a dam is built to harness flowing water and create electricity as needed. Water coming in with the tides or moving in waves can also be used to generate electricity. As water is sent down steep pipes known as a penstock, the weight and momentum of the water turns turbines to generate electricity. Another way this can be accomplished is called a tidal barrage. This set up is like a dam that lets water from a tidal river (a river that comes in and out with the tide like the Snohomish river under the Hwy 2 trestle) come in but then shuts the door behind it, trapping it upstream. As the tide goes out, the water upstream is higher than downstream. When the door is opened again, the rushing water can be used to turn turbines. Using currents to turn large underwater windmill type devices is another method of harnessing the energy in moving water. Saltwater is very corrosive and there is some concern about the safety of marine life just as with windmills that occasionally hit birds or bats. Yet another technology to harness the power of moving water looks like a giant red worm in the ocean. As the waves move up and down, a fluid is compressed inside, which drives fluids through a motor, which turns the attached generator. There are also buoys that rely on moving up and down with the waves to produce electricity, just as shaking a Faraday flashlight creates electricity. Whatever the design, hydropower is a renewable energy source. Water is renewed naturally through Earths water cycle. Hydropower is considered a clean energy source because it does not result in any carbon dioxide emissions, air pollution, or water pollution once the device or dam has been built. Water is also a cheap energy source. The primary cost of hydropower lies in building and maintaining dams, channels, or other technology. Most systems require some maintenance as well. Unfortunately, dams have big impacts on environments. Sediments (soil, sand, leaves) can build up in reservoirsthe bodies of water held by dams. That sediment reduces water quality for organisms that live in the water and can choke out the suns light. Migrating fish may have trouble swimming around dams. Changing the path of a stream affects any organisms dependent on that stream. It may also cause erosion along riverbanks.

Building dams can also affect human communities. Often, people must be relocated from their homes if they live in an area where a dam and reservoir are to be constructed. People displaced by dams are often poor. Building dams and reservoirs can enable irrigation projects to be set up where they were previously impossible. This irrigation helps farmers grow crops or raise cattle. One benefit of creating reservoirs is the opportunity for recreation, such as swimming and fishing. Washington is the leading hydroelectric power producer in the Nation. Hydroelectric power accounts for nearly three-fourths of state electricity generation. The Grand Coulee hydroelectric power plant on the Columbia River is the highest capacity electric plant in the United States.

Description of hydropower: Benefits of using hydropower for electricity: Negative consequences of using hydropower: Does hydropower used for electricity contribute to climate change? Explain your answer. Should hydropower be a major source for future electricity production? Why or why not?

Energy Source: Solar Energy

GROUP MEMBERS
SOLAR ENERGY IS THE ENERGY FROM the sun that can be converted into electrical energy. As the sun shines, it sends light to earth in packets known as photons. You could think of these photons like tiny grains of energy sand. Although the sun will eventually die like any other midsized star, solar energy is a promising renewable energy source. Photovoltaic (PV) cells, which are made of metals and silicon, are often used to convert solar energy into electricity. Silicon is something known as a semiconductor. When hit with photons, electrons a bumped loose and travel, creating an electric current. Currently, PV cells are not very efficient. They lose over 70% of energy collected when they convert light into electrical power. The silicon used to make PV cells is often found in sand. Energy is required to remove the silicon from the sand. This process releases greenhouse gases. The solar cell itself doesnt release greenhouse gases after it is made. PV cells are initially costly for energy consumers. However, because the suns energy is free and people who get energy from PV cells dont have to pay an electricity company for solar energy, solar power can be cost-effective long-term. Solar energy is used to provide electricity in many different places for many different purposes. For example, space shuttles, watches, and homes and office buildings all use PV cells. Thin film solar is an impressive development in PV technology. This technology allows PV cells to be printed on thin sheets. It is cheaper but so far less efficient than crystalline (traditional) PV cells, but also more versatile in how it could be used. Solar-thermal technologies, such as mirrors, can also be used to concentrate the suns energy. Using many large concentrating mirrors, the suns energy is used to heat a synthetic oil in a pipe. This superheated (up to 600C) oil can be used to heat water into steam and turn turbines to produce electricity. Hot water is a major energy consumer in the modern home. By directly heating water on the roof and then circulating it to heat the home, people can save a great deal of money and electricity. Additionally, this method can provide the hot water needed in the home. Passive solar is a design strategy that relies on the fact that the sun is higher in the sky in the summer and lower in the winter. By designing roof angles and overhangs to allow sun in more in the winter and less in the summer, there is less need for air conditioning. This is something that builders have to consider before building a home to be effective.

Although the suns light contains much energy, it is difficult to use all of this energy because the suns energy is not concentrated into a single beam. Additionally, the sun is not always out as we know all too well in Washington state.

Description of solar energy: Benefits of using solar energy for electricity: Negative consequences of using solar energy: Does solar energy used for electricity contribute to climate change? Explain your answer. Should solar energy be a major source for future electricity production? Why or why not?

Energy Source: Wind Energy

GROUP MEMBERS
WIND ENERGY IS ACTUALLY A form of solar energy. The sun heats different parts of the earth at different rates. Also, different surfaces absorb or reflect sunlight in different amounts. This causes the atmosphere to warm unevenly, creating wind. Wind energy is a renewable resource. Average annual wind speeds of at least 9-13 miles per hour are required to have successful electrical production from wind. Obviously not all locations are windy enough for this technology to make sense. This requires careful planning of weather patters and wind speeds over the seasons. Wind-generated electricity requires wind turbines (sometimes called windmills). As the rotors spin, they turn a shaft with a magnet on it inside coils of copper wire to produce an electric current. Wind turbines are made primarily of steel. Steel is made of iron and other metals, and mining and processing these metals produces greenhouse gases. However, once the turbine is made, using wind energy to create electricity produces no land, water, or air pollution. Wind turbines can be installed on land or offshore. They can range in size from small scale systems of a single 1m wide turbine to power a boat or single house to large wind turbines (up to 200m tall!) or vast fields of hundreds of wind turbines. Costs of wind power have decreased steadily. Building and maintaining wind turbines are the major costs. Some farmers and ranchers have installed wind turbines on their land to make extra money. Some people dont like wind turbines because they can harm birds and bats that might get caught in the blades. Others dont like the way they look or the noise that large wind farms can create. Currently (2010) around 2.4% of U.S. electricity comes from wind power. This number is increasing yearly because of new installations of wind turbines. These are often constructed in areas with low population density and with high average wind speeds. In 2009 about 1.8 percent of the electricity generated in the United States was generated by wind power. This amount has been increasing by a fraction of a percent each year for the last several years. Texas generates the most power by wind of any state, over 14 billion kilowatt-hours in 2009. Iowa generates the most power by wind as a percentage of all the electricity generated in the state, 14.2% in 2009. Washington state is 5th in the U.S. for wind power production.

Description of wind energy: Benefits of using wind energy for electricity: Negative consequences of using wind energy: Does wind used for electricity contribute to climate change? Explain your answer. Should wind energy be a major source for future electricity production? Why or why not?

Energy Source: Coal

GROUP MEMBERS
COAL IS A BLACK ROCK formed by decomposing organic material over millions of years. It is considered a fossil fuel because of the long time required to create it. Coal contains more energy than other fossil fuels. In truth, coal is stored solar energy. Plants capture the energy from sunlight through photosynthesis, which directly converts solar energy to plant matter. Animals that then eat the plants to convert that energy again, storing it in their own bodies. Over millions of years, accumulated plant and animal matter is covered by sediment and stored within the earth's crust, gradually being transformed into hard black solids by the sheer weight of the earth's surface. Coal, like other fossil fuel supplies, takes millions of years to create, but releases its stored energy within only a few moments when burned to generate electricity. Because coal is a finite resource, and cannot be replenished once it is extracted and burned, it cannot be considered a renewable resource. Some coal is buried near Earths surface, but often coal is located hundreds of feet below the surface. Underground mining is required to extract coal buried far below Earths surface. Mine shafts and elevators allow people to remove deeply buried coal. Coal nearer to the surface can be removed through surface mining. This is cheaper than underground mining. One common type of surface mining is strip mining, which involves removing plants, soil, and rocks to reach the coal below the surface. Another method of surface mining is called mountaintop removal, whereby entire mountain tops are removed to access coal. These methods may lead to sediment, heavy metals, and other pollution to kill entire rivers, while leaving ugly, shaved off land where natural landscapes once were. Safety concerns about mining include lung damage to workers and collapse of mine shafts. Environmental concerns include damage to land, water, and air. Burning coal releases many air pollutants and creates solid waste called ash. Water is removed from surrounding environments and used to remove impurities from coal, as well as for cooling water at coal-fired power plants. Using coal for electricity production releases more carbon dioxide than other fossil fuels and fossil fuel alternatives. Transporting coal from mines to power plants also relies heavily on fossil fuels to power trains, barges, and trucks. Although transporting coal is expensive, coal is still generally affordable for consumers while it remains readily available. The United States currently gets about 45% of its electricity from coal due to the abundance and low cost, although there is pressure to change this so we rely less on greenhouse gas producing fossil fuels.

Description of coal: Benefits of using coal for electricity: Negative consequences of using coal: Does coal used for electricity contribute to climate change? Explain your answer. Should coal be a major source for future electricity production? Why or why not?

Energy Source: Natural Gas

GROUP MEMBERS
NATURAL GAS IS A COLORLESS, odorless gas. The main ingredient in natural gas is methane (CH4), a greenhouse gas that warms Earths surface. Natural gas is considered a fossil fuel because it is composed of ancient organic material. It takes millions of years to turn organic material into fossil fuels. Most natural gas is created by organisms in marshes, bogs, landfills, and shallow sediments. Deeper in the earth, at greater temperature and pressure, natural gas is created from buried organic material. Before natural gas can be used as a fuel, it must undergo processing to remove almost all materials other than methane. The by-products of that processing include ethane, propane, butanes, pentanes, and higher molecular weight hydrocarbons, elemental sulfur, carbon dioxide, water vapor, and sometimes helium and nitrogen. Natural gas can be drilled from below Earths surface either on land or in the ocean. Pipelines are used to bring the gas up to Earths surface, where it is stored or transported elsewhere to create electricity. Burning natural gas to heat water, produce steam, and spin turbines in order to create electricity produces carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide emissions. Natural gas burns cleaner than coal and oil because it produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollution emissions. However, it provides less energy than coal. Concerns about natural gas center around human and environmental safety. Natural gas is very flammable and can cause explosions if it leaks from pipes or storage containers. Drilling below Earths surface for natural gas can cause erosion, landslides, and decreased land productivity after drilling. The United States has the worlds largest proven reserves of natural gas and uses these reserves for about 23% of its electricity.

Description of natural gas: Benefits of using natural gas for electricity: Negative consequences of using natural gas: Does natural gas used for electricity contribute to climate change? Explain your answer. Should natural gas be a major source for future electricity production? Why or why not?

Energy Source: Biomass

GROUP MEMBERS
BIOMASS IS AN ANCIENT energy source which has been since people began burning wood to cook food and keep warm. Biomass energy is the energy from plants and plant-derived materials. Wood is still the largest biomass energy resource today, but other sources of biomass can also be used. These include food crops like corn, woody and grassy plants like switchgrass, residues from agriculture or forestry, oil-rich algae, and the organic component of garbage. Even the fumes from landfills (which are methane, a natural gas) can be used as a biomass energy source. Burning biomass releases about the same amount of carbon dioxide (the primary greenhouse gas) as burning fossil fuels. However, the use of biomass energy has the potential to greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Whereas burning fossil fuels release carbon dioxide captured by photosynthesis millions of years agoan essentially "new" greenhouse gas. Biomass, on the other hand, releases carbon dioxide that is largely balanced by the carbon dioxide captured in the plants own growth (depending how much energy was used to grow, harvest, and process the fuel). The primary use for most biomass is burning it, heating water in the boiler, and the energy in the steam is used to turn turbines and generate electricity. However, the use of biomass can reduce dependence on foreign oil because biofuels like ethanol and biodiesel are the only renewable liquid transportation fuels available. Biomass energy supports U.S. agricultural and forest-product industries by using crops, paper mill residue, and lumber mill scrap. For biomass fuels, the most common sources used today are corn grain (for ethanol) and soybeans (for biodiesel). Agricultural residues such as corn stover (the stalks, leaves, and husks of the plant) can also be used to make ethanol. Long-term plans include growing and using dedicated energy crops, such as fast-growing trees and grasses, and algae. These sources can grow sustainably on land that will not support intensive food crops. One barrier that the biomass industry needs to overcome are the costs of developing new technology to turn what used to be waste into something useful. Additionally, if crops are grown only for energy, they may be competing for food cropland or take more energy to produce than they are worth to harvest.

Recycling biomass for fuel and other uses also cuts down on the need for landfills to hold garbage. When garbage decomposes, it gives off methane gas. Pipelines are put into the landfills and the methane gas can be collected. It is then burned to heat steam to make electricity. A similar thing can be done at animal feed lots. In places where lots of animals are raised, the animals like cattle, cows and even chickens - produce manure. When manure decomposes, it also gives off methane gas similar to garbage. This gas can be burned right at the farm to make energy to run the farm.

Description of biomass energy: Benefits of using biomass energy for electricity: Negative consequences of using biomass energy: Does biomass energy used for electricity contribute to climate change? Explain your answer. Should biomass energy be a major source for future electricity production? Why or why not?