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Energy Sources
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Energy Sources
Non-Renewable Energy - Energy sources
used faster than can be replenished.
Coal - Oil - Natural Gas

Renewable Energy - Continuously present as
a feature of the environment (solar energy),
or is continually replenished.
Some forms are referred to as perpetual
energy.
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All Energy Sources
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2. What percent of fossil fuels are used?
Fossil fuels supply 90% of worlds
commercial energy.
Oil 40%
Coal 24%
Natural Gas 25%
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3. What is the difference between
Resources and Reserves
Resource - Naturally occurring substance of
use to humans that can potentially be
extracted using current technology.

Reserve - Amount of a known deposit that
can be economically extracted using current
technology, under certain economic
conditions.
Reserve levels change as technology
advances, new discoveries are made,
and profit margins change.
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Resources and Reserves
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4. How is coal formed?
Coal
300 mya plant material began collecting
underwater, initiating decay, forming a
spongy mass of organic material (peat).
Due to geological changes, some of
these swamps were covered by seas,
and covered with sediment.
Pressure and heat over time
transformed peat into coal.
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Recoverable Coal Reserves
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5. Types of extraction
Two main extraction methods:
Surface Mining (Strip Mining)
Removing overburden on top of a vein.
Efficient but destructive.

Underground Mining
Minimizes surface disturbance, but costly
and dangerous.
Black Lung Disease
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Surface mining of coal
Strip mine
Eco problem over burden
Laws in 1990s now require ground replacement
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Surface-Mine Reclamation
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Deep mining tunneling for coal
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Problems with Coal
Bulky - causes some transport problems.
Black Lung Disease: Mining creates dust pollution.
Mining accidents: collapse of tunnels,
malfunctioning machinery
Ecosystem damage/reclamation efforts
Burning releases pollutants (C and S).
Millions of tons of material released into
atmosphere annually.
Acid Rain: Sulfur leads to acid mine drainage
and acid deposition.
Global warming: Increased carbon dioxide
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Coal Use Issues
Coal is most abundant fossil fuel.
Primarily used for generating electricity.
Three Categories:
Lignite
High moisture content - Least
desirable.
Bituminous
Most abundant - Most widely used.
Anthracite
Highest energy content - Hard to
obtain.
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7. Oil and Natural Gas
Accumulations of dead marine organisms on
the ocean floor were covered by sediments.
Muddy rock gradually formed rock (shale)
containing dispersed oil.
Sandstone formed on top of shale, thus
oil pools began to form.
Natural gas often forms on top of oil.
Organic matter changed to lighter,
more volatile hydrocarbons than
those in oil.
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Crude Oil and Natural Gas Pool
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Oil rig & ocean drilling for oil
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Oil extraction
Primary Recovery oil rig drilling
Only removes 1/3 of a deposit.

Secondary Recovery
Force water or gas into wells.
As oil prices increase, more expensive
and aggressive secondary recovery
methods will need to be used.
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9. Uses of oil - Processing Crude Oil
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Oil products
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Oil Use Issues
Processing
As it comes from the ground, oil is not in a
form suitable for use, and must be refined.
Multiple products can be produced from a
single barrel of crude oil.
Oil Spills
Accidental spills only account for about 1/3
of oil pollution resulting from shipping.
60% comes from routine shipping
operations.
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Advantages of oil use
More concentrated than coal, burns cleaner,
and is easily transported through pipelines.
Ideal for automobile use.
Difficult to extract.
Causes less environmental damage than
coal mining.
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Natural Gas Use
Drilling requirements similar to oil.
Hard to transport - flamed off at oil fields.
As demand increases, new transportation
methods will be developed and implemented.
Liquefaction at -126
o
F
(1/600 volume of gas)
Least environmentally damaging fossil fuel.
Almost no air pollution.
Use is increasing (45% from 1985-2003).
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Renewable Sources of Energy
Currently, alternative energy sources supply
almost 10% of the worlds total energy.
Suggested these sources could provide
half of the worlds energy needs by 2050.
Hydropower
Wind Turbines
Solar Cells
Biomass Fuels
Hydrogen Fuel
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Renewable Energy as a Share of Total Energy
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Hydro-electric Power
Hydro-electric power is created when flowing
water is captured and turned into electricity.
Damming a river and storing water in a
reservoir is the most common method.
Pumped Storage Plants - Use two
reservoirs separated by a significant
elevation difference.
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Hydroelectric Power
Currently supplies 15% of worlds electricity.
China possesses 10% of worlds potential.
Reservoir construction causes significant
environmental and social damage.
Loss of farmland.
Community relocation.
Reduction of nutrient-rich silt leading to
loss of wetlands.
Three Gorges Dam on Yangtze River
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Environmental Effects of Hydroelectric
Flooding of vast areas of land behind dams.
Prevention of fish migrations.
Trapping of silt.
Stops flow of nutrients downstream.
Fills in reservoir.
Mercury Accumulation
Decaying vegetation produces greenhouse
gases.
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Tidal Power
Daily rise and fall of ocean levels relative to
coastlines (tides) are a result of gravitational
forces and the revolution of the earth.
As water flows from a higher level to a
lower level, it can be used to spin an
electricity - generating turbine.
Since tidal changes are greatest near
the poles, and accentuated in narrow
bays and estuaries, suitable sites are
limited.
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Geothermal
In some areas, molten material is close
enough to surface to heat underground water
and form steam - drilled and captured.
Only practical in limited areas.
California produces 40% of worlds
geothermal electricity.
Can cause unpleasant odors and high
mineral content leads to high maintenance.
Corroded pipes and equipment.
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Geothermal Energy
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Wind
As warm air becomes less dense and rises,
cooler, denser, air flows in to take its place.

Wind technologies have developed during
the last 10 15 years and 5MW units are in
successful operation now. Larger units are
on experimental operations.

Cost is becoming very competitive.

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Wind
Potential Problems
Steady, dependable wind source is critical.
Wide open areas are most desirable.

Can be hazardous to birds.

Produce noise and visual pollution.

Vibrations can cause structural damage.
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Solar
Daily energy from the sun is six hundred
times greater than energy produced each
day by all other energy sources combined.

Major problem as an energy source is its
intermittent nature.
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Three Major Use Categories
Passive Heating - Suns energy is converted
directly to heat and used at collection site.
Drying
Active Heating - Suns energy converted into
heat, but transported elsewhere to be used.
Domestic Water Heating
Electrical Generation - Solar energy is
transformed into electrical energy.
Solar PV. Solar Thermal
Hambanthota Solar PV Plant
First stage of 737 kW
1200 million LKR (Japanese Government)
1GWh per annum

Second Stage of 500 kW
627 million LKR (513 million LKR by the Korean
Government, 114 million LKR by GOSL)
0.7 GWh per annum

Completed in 2012.

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Parabolic Trough Concentrated Solar Power
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Solar PV
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Tower type CSP
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Biomass Conversion
Biomass is still the predominant form of
energy used by people in less-developed
countries.
Account for 14% of world energy use.
Three Distinct Sources:
Municipal and Industrial Wastes
Agricultural Crop Residue
Energy Plantations

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Biomass Conversion
Releasing chemical energy stored in biomass.
Burned directly for heat.
Burned to produce electricity.
Converted to alcohol or used to generate
methane.

Costs depends on type of technology used,
size of the power plant, and the cost of
biomass supply.
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Fuel wood
In less-developed countries, fuel wood has
been major energy source for centuries.
Fuel wood is primary energy source for
nearly half worlds population.
Due to intense population growth, an
estimated 1.3 billion people cannot get
enough fuel wood, or are using it faster than
rate of regeneration.
Source of air pollution and fly ash.
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Solid Waste
Using municipal waste as a source of energy:
Reduces landfill volume.
Not economically profitable.
Must be sorted.
Requires large, sustainable volume.
Produces air pollution.
Chlorine-containing organic compounds.
Heat Recovery from Incineration
Muthurajawela organic waste recycling
plant
Objectives
Safe disposal of vegetable waste generated at
Wattala and nearby suburbs ( 8MT per day)

Producing organic compost ( 2MT per day)

Having biogas as a byproduct

Quantity of biogas is approximately 240m
3
per day

Which is enough to run a 10kW generator for 24
hours

Biogas
A mixture of Methane & Carbon dioxide

Calorific value 21.5 MJ/kg ( 60% Methane)

That of Diesel is 43 MJ/kg

1m
3
of biogas is equivalent to 0.5 liters of diesel

The yield of Muthurajawela project is equivalent to
120 liters of diesel per day.
Rotary sieving machine
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Hydrogen Economy
Hydrogen is abundant and generates heat
and pure water when it reacts with air.
Hydrogen Fuel Cells
Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell
Self-Sustaining
Low Operating Temperature
No Pollution
Successor to internal combustion
engine.
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Simple Fuel Cell