Unit Six, Energy Resources and Consumption Test Review

Flashcards on Energy Resources and Consumption

Non-renewable resources

These are in a set amount, or once we run out, they are gone. When non-renewable resources are used, they are consumed and not easily replaced (e.g., oil, natural gas, and coal).

Renewable resources

Energy sources that are easily replenished, such as solar energy, wind energy, geothermal energy, hydropower, tidal energy, and biomass (when used sustainably).

Uneven distribution of energy resources

Renewable and nonrenewable resources are not evenly distributed worldwide, affecting the energy options available to different countries (e.g. hydropower in Brazil and nuclear in France).

Largest coal reserves

Russia, the U.S., and China

Largest oil reserves

Iran, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and Canada

Largest natural gas reserves

U.S., Russia, and Iran

Reserves

The available amount of fossil fuel that we are able to extract and we are predicting is actually there.

Industrialization and energy use

As countries become more industrialized, they typically switch from biomass subsistence energy to fossil fuels or more advanced resources like nuclear power.

Energy consumption trends

Changes in price, availability, and government regulations influence fuel use over time; for example, increased gas prices may lead to more fuel-efficient car purchases.

Biomass

Often used as a subsistence form of energy for cooking or heating in less industrialized countries. Includes wood, peat, and charcoal.

Charcoal

A wood-based product, not the actual coal mined from the ground

Environmental impacts of biomass

Burning biomass releases particulate matter and carbon compounds, causing pollution, even though it is a renewable resource.

Coal acquisition

Acquired through mining, which has environmental impacts such as land disturbance, erosion, and pollution from the use of fossil fuels in the mining process.

Types of coal

Lignite (lower heat content, lower sulfur), bituminous (high heat content, high sulfur, most commonly used), and anthracite (high heat content, low sulfur, limited quantities).

Environmental impact of coal

Releases particulate matter and carbon pollution (carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases), leading to lung health issues, climate change, and warming.

Crude oil

Drilled and pumped from the ground and can be converted into other types of fuel (vehicles, airplanes, or other machinery).

Second law of thermodynamics

As energy changes form, it can often have less energy as it goes into its next form. Much of that energy will be released as heat. So fossil fuel use is overall rather inefficient.

Combustion

A chemical reaction in which fossil fuels react with oxygen to release energy, but it also produces byproducts, including carbon dioxide, water vapor, and particulates.

Cogeneration

Burning coal at a power plant to produce electricity, excess heat that's produced could be used for another purpose, so maybe heating the buildings nearby.

Fracking (hydraulic fracturing)

A process used to extract natural gas by injecting water, sand, and chemicals at high pressure into shale rock formations, causing them to crack and release natural gas.

Environmental concerns with fracking

Earthquakes and groundwater contamination potential are major concerns due to the chemicals injected into the ground that could escape into water sources.

Advantages of natural gas

Natural gas is one of the cleanest of the fossil fuels. When it burns, it's going to be burning rather cleanly, with very little particulate matter.

Methane

One of the byproducts released from fracking which does hold heat better than carbon dioxide as far as greenhouse gases go, but is not as long-lasting.

Coal-fired power plants

Burn coal in a furnace to produce heat, which vaporizes water into steam. The steam spins a turbine connected to a generator, producing electricity.

Nuclear power plants

Use uranium-235 to create a chain reaction (fission) that releases a lot of heat. Well, that heat is what we capture to help power the turbines and generators at a nuclear power plant.

Radioactive waste

Created by nuclear fission; poses a disposal challenge and is often stored on-site in dry storage casks.

Containment structure

An essential component of nuclear power plants designed to contain the nuclear reactor and prevent radiation from escaping.

Thermal pollution

Occurs when hot water from nuclear reactions is released back into local reservoirs, affecting the behavior and health of aquatic organisms.

Nuclear disasters

Three Mile Island (partial reactor meltdown), Chernobyl (human error meltdown), and Fukushima (earthquake and tsunami damage).

Photovoltaic cells

Also called solar cells; capture the sun's energy and transform it into electric energy through a conductive material.

Concerns with photovoltaic cells

Concerns include blocking sunlight from reaching the ground, negatively impacting the ecosystem.

Passive solar energy

Uses clever building practices and materials in a home that are heat-retaining to help take in radiation from the Sun, especially during winter, hold on to that heat in those heat-absorbing materials

Hydroelectric power

Generated using dams that have a turbine similar to your coal and nuclear plants that are going to spin as water passes over them. That turbine, again, spins that generator to help produce the electricity

Dams

Affect fish in the river, preventing them from being able to move from one side to the other. So use fish ladders to help prevent this issue.

Reservoir

The man-made river that backs up behind a dam once a dam is built. Reservoirs can be used for irrigation, they can be used as a surface source of drinking water once it's purified, or even for recreation as well.

Geothermal power

Uses heat from the Earth's center to heat water, producing steam that spins a turbine to generate electricity.

Best locations for geothermal plants

Areas where it is already geologically active, so for example, plate boundaries. Iceland is an excellent example of geothermal use; they are located on a divergent plate boundary.

Potential downsides of geothermal

Plants can be very expensive, and there is a possibility of having some pollution released due to drilling into the center of the Earth in the form of hydrogen sulfide.

Hydrogen fuel cells

Use hydrogen and oxygen to react within the fuel cell, kind of like a battery, to create an energy source. The only by-product from this reaction within the battery is water, which makes them extremely clean

Wind power

Uses large turbines to generate electricity. Wind will spin the blades of the turbine, which is then going to help power a generator to create electricity

Downsides of wind energy

Large, noisy, and do have the potential to kill birds and bats when the blades are spinning.