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Renewable Energy Sources
can be replenished naturally, at or near rate of consumption and reused
depletable renewables
can run out if overused ex. biomss (wood, charcoal, ethanol)
nondepletable renewables
do not run out if overused (wind, hydroelectric, geothermal)
nonrenewable energy sources
exist in fixed amounts on earth and cant easily be replaced or regenerated
fossil fuels
fossilized remains of ancient biomass that take millions of years to form (coal, oil, nat. gas)
nuclear
energy generated from uranium or other radioactive fuels
rate of consumption
rate of use must be at or below rate of regeneration for renewables
developed nations
use more energy on a per capita basis, but developed nations use more energy in total (higher pop.)
developing nations
still industrializing and pop. is still growing rapidly
types of fossil fuels
oil, coal, nat. gas
oil
main fuel for vehicles
coal
main fuel for electricity gen.
nat. gas
secondary fuel for electricity gen. and main fuel for heating
hydroelectric energy
second largest source - water spins turbine which generates electricity
nuclear energy
third largest siurce - uranium fission releases heat to turn water into steam to turn a turbine to gen. electricity
subsistence fuels
biomass that can easily gather/purchase (ex. wood, charcoal, dried animal manure)
factors that affect energy source use
availability, price, gov. regulation
availability
fossil fuel use depends on discovered reserves and accessibility of these reserves
price
FF Price fluctuates dramatically with discovery of new reserves or depletion of existing ones
gov. regulation
gov. can mandate certain energy source mixes (25% renewable by 2025)
global energy distribution
dependent on regions’ geologic history
largest coal reserves
US, Russia, China, Austrialia
largest natural gas reserves
Russia, Iran, Qatar, US, Saudi Arabia
Largest oil reserves
Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Canada, Iraq
1) Source Rock
organic matter in source rock is subjected to heat and pressure over time, changing oil and gas, which collects in the reservoir rock above it
Reservoir rock
for oil and gas to flow to the surface, this rock must be porous and sufficiently permeable to allow flow of fluids through rock
3) caprock
prevents oil and gas from migrating to surface without well. this rock can be porous but must have no to low enough permeability to trap enough oil and gas to result in a successful well
hydraulic fracturing (aka fracking)
a method of nat. gas extraction that has extended access to nat. gas
Shale gas reserves
FFs are non reservable and will eventually be depleted but short term economic profit still drives extraction and use
Canada (Alberta region)
world’s largest oil sands reserves
tar/oil sands
bitumen deposits where crude oil can be recovered, but with higher water and energy inputs
