active solar systems
use solar energy to heat a liquid through mechanical and electrical equipment to collect and store captured energy
anthracite
black
low sulfur content, high carbon content
produces fewest pollutants
highest heat capacity
biofuels
liquid fuels (ethanol, biodiesel) created from biomass
biomass
organic fuel sources that are easily accessible and are often used in developing countries as cooking fuel or home heating
ex. wood, charcoal
wood is free/cheap but can cause deforestation and habitat loss
charcoal is made by heating wood under low oxygen conditions for a long period of time
bitumen
thick, sticky, semi-solid form of petroleum
bituminous coal
black
high sulfur content, medium-high carbon content
most common type of coal
produces lots of heat
coal
a combustible black or brownish-black rock primarily composed of carbon
creation:
areas of swampy wetlands with high primary production create organic matter quickly - faster than it can be decomposed
layers of organic matter are accumulated and then buried
heat & pressure from overlying rock and sediment layers compacts peat into coal over time
cogeneration
the simultaneous generation of electrical and thermal energy from a single fuel source
combustion of fossil fuels
reaction between hydrocarbons and oxygen that produces carbon dioxide and water as products and releases energy as heat
equation: CH4 + O2 → CO2 + H2O
concentrating solar-thermal power (csp)
means of producing electricity where the sun’s energy is concentrated by mirrors/lenses to heat a fluid.drive an engine
crude oil
decaying organic matter trapped under rock layers is compressed into oil over time
composed of hundreds of hydrocarbon compounds and separated by fractional distillation
extracted by drilling a well through the overlying rock layers to reach the underground deposit and then pumping liquid oil out under pressure or from tar sands
electricity generation process
1.) burn fuel to create heat
2.) use heat to boil water to create steam
3.) use steam to turn the blade of a turbine
4.) use the spinning motion to turn/spin an electrical generation
electrolysis
current applied to water, breaking into O2 and H2
ethanol
renewable fuel made of corn and/or sugar
flowback water
used fracking fluid
fractional distillation
form of distillation in which miscible (mixed) liquids are separated based on their boiling points
fission
nuclear energy released when atoms are split
flex fuel (e85)
51-83% ethanol + gasoline mix (used in flex-fuel vehicles) which decreases oil consumption for transportation, but is less efficient than pure gasoline
fusion
nuclear energy released when atoms are fused
geothermal energy
energy from earth’s interior for electricity or space heating
hydraulic fracturing
well stimulation technique in which rock is fractured by a pressurized liquid - recovers natural gas & oil from sedimentary rock
hydroelectric power
water flows with natural current of the river or tides or by falling vertically through channel in a dam
hydrogen fuel cell
H2 is used as a renewable fuel source to generate electricity
lignite
dark brown
medium sulfur content, low carbon content
lowest quality
soft
produces little heat
mine tailings
leftover rock and soil from mining; may have radioactive elements that can contaminate water or soil nearby
natural gas
contains only methane, ethane, propane, and butane
used increasingly for electricity, transportation, and commercial cooling
considered the “cleanest” fossil fuel
expensive for international transport since natural gas has to be liquefied
nonrenewable sources
exist in fixed amounts on earth and cannot be easily replaced/regenerated
fossil fuels - fossilized remains of ancient biomass which took millions of years to form
nuclear energy - generated from the mineral uranism or other radioactive materials
nuclear fission
occurs when 2 nuclides (like U-235 and a neutron) collide and produce new nuclides that are different from the ones that started the reaction
nuclear reactor parts
reactor core: fission of U-235 occurs
steam generator: produces steam from water
water pump: brings in cool water to be turned into steam and also cools reactor down from overheating
turbine: steam is used to turn the blades of the turbine
generator: turning motion from turbine spins generator to create electric current
condenser: cools steam to convert to liquid water
cooling tower: allows steam from turbine to condense back into liquid and cool down before being reused
passive solar systems
absorbing/blocking the sun’s energy without the use of mechanical or electrical devices to distribute collected heat
peat
partially decomposed organic matter found in wet, acidic ecosystems (ex. bogs)
can be dried and used as biomass
photovoltaic cell (pvc)
semiconductor that emits low voltage electrical current when exposed to the sun
radioactivity
the energy given off by the nucleus of a radioactive isotope
renewable sources
can be replenished naturally or at/near the rate of consumption and reused
depletable - can run out if overused
nondepletable - will not run out if overused
run of river (ror) hydropower system
a small dam/weir diverts the natural current of a river through man-made channel beside the river to power generating facility
subbituminous coal
dull black
low sulfur content, low carbon content
low heat value
subsurface mining
extraction of mineral & energy resources from deep underground deposits
surface mining
extraction of mineral & energy resources from the surface (within 30 meters)
tar sands
bitumen deposits where crude oil can be recovered, but with higher water and energy inputs
thermal pollution
hot water from power plants released back into surface waters can cause thermal shock to aquatic species
tidal energy
uses the energy created by tidal flows to turn a turbine and generate energy
use of energy
higher in MDCs (more developed countries) than in LDCs (lesser developed countries) due to their complex industrialized bases, low rates of pop. growth, and high per capita incomes
water impoundment hydropower (dams)
dam built in a river creates a large artificial lake behind the dan (reservoir) that can control the amount of water through the channel, increasing/decreasing electricity production
wind power
moving air (kinetic energy) spins turbine blades (mechanical energy) and gears connect to generator producing energy (electric energy)