Renewable and Non-Renewable Energy

Renewable Energy

natural resources; renewed and replenished

Hydro Energy

uses movement of water

flowing water → spins turbines → generator → electricity

process of Hydro energy

Ocean Thermal Energy Conservation (OTEC)

energy from the ocean

warm surface water → evaporates working fluid → spins turbine → generator → electricity

process for OTEC

Geothermal Energy

heat within Earth

Radioactive Decay

the reason for the heat within the Earth

Dry Steam Power Plants

steam directly from the ground

steam from underground → spins turbines → generator → electricity

process of Dry Steam

Flash Steam Power Plants

uses hot water

hot water (high pressure) → pressure drop → steam → spins turbines → generator → electricity

process Flash Steam

Binary Cycle Power Plants

hot water boils secondary fluid

hot geothermal water → heats secondary fluid → vapor → spins turbine → generator → electricity 

process of Binary Cycle

Solar Energy

energy from the sun

Sun

largest source of energy

Photovoltaic Cells

solar energy can be converted into electricity by solar cells

sunlight → PV cells → Direct Current electricity → Alternate Current electricity

process of solar energy

Wind Energy

result of the pressure between cool, dense air and warm, less dense air

wind → spins turbine → generator → produces electricity 

process of wind energy 

Non Renewable Energy

resources that won’t be replaces in our lifetime

Coal

• plant remains

• dirtiest

process of energy from coal

coal → burned for heat → water turns to steam → spin turbines → electricity

Natural Gas

• extracted from underground reservoirs 

• cleanest

process of energy from natural gas

natural gas → burned → hot gasses → turbine spins → generator → electricity

Petroleum

from marine organisms from ancient oceans

Kerogen

waxy material where petroleum is from

Bitumen

black tar-like substance

Pacific Ocean

largest ocean

glaciers and ice caps

largest form of freshwater

Groundwater

water that seeps into the ground

Zone of Saturation

zone where all pore spaces are filled with water

Zone of Aeration

zone where pore spaces contain air and water

Water Table

surface that separates the 2 zones

Artesian Wells

water rises to the surface due to natural pressure

Porosity

volume percentage of open spaces called pores

Spring

natural flow of groundwater

Hot Spring

hot groundwater flows to the surface

Running Water

surface water that moves from a higher area to a lower area due to gravity

Stream

all water flowing into a channel

River

large stream

Tributaries

smaller streams

Lake

large inland body of standing water

Crop Rotation

growing different crops in the same field at different times

Natural Vegetative Strips

narrow strips of naturally growing grasses and herbs

Contour Plowing

cultivation of lands into furrows

Terracing

steplike terraces along the slopes of the hills

Wind Breaks

rows of tree

No-till Farming

plowing of a field in order to plant crops