APES Unit 6

What is the difference between energy use in Developed vs. Developing countries?

Developed countries use more energy than developing countries who rely on subsistence fuels

What are subsistence fuels?

Biomass that is easily gathered/purchased, then burned as a source of energy.

How does the Government regulate energy consumption?

They can mandate the ratio of each energy source used, increase taxes to discourage the use of Fossil fuels, or pay companies to build renewable power plants

What are sources of subsistence fuels?

Wood, Charcoal, Peat, Natural Gas

What are the different types of coal in order from least energy dense/lowest in quality to most energy dense/highest in quality?

lignite, bituminous, anthracite

What are common fossil fuels derived from crude oil?

Petroleum, gasoline, diesel fuel, bitumen (used for asphalt, not fuel)

What is the issue with extracting bitumen from tar sands?

Separating the bitumen from tar sands is extremely water intensive

What is the process of hydraulic fracturing?

Fracking is done by using pressurized water for cracking open semi-permeable sedimentary layers to release natural gas

What negative environmental effects does fracking cause?

Fracking fluid that is stored in ponds/containers can cause increased seismic activity, or may leak out and contaminate groundwater

What are the 2 products of combustion?

CO2 and H2O

What are the steps to Generating Electricity?

Method of heat generation → Water is heated into steam → steam turns a turbine → turbine powers a generator that creates electricity

What is Cogeneration?

The efficient method of using heat produced from electricity generation for also heating water/air in living quarters

What are the drawbacks of using Nuclear Energy?

It’s still nonrenewable, spent fuel rods remain radioactive for a long time so they must be properly stored, radioactive minerals could contaminate nearby water sources, its very water intensive, it could cause thermal pollution in waters, and power plants may have dangerous meltdowns

What is the difference between burning Biomass vs. Fossil Fuels?

Burning biomass releases modern carbon with less CO2 while fossil fuels release fossil carbon with more CO2. Burning biomass is considered carbon neutral.

What are the drawbacks of burning biomass?

Burning biomass releases air pollutants like CO2, NOx, and Particulate Matter, which causes respiratory problems and smog. These pollutants are especially dangerous when burned indoors with poor ventilation.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of ethanol?

Ethanol is a renewable biofuel made of fermented corn/sugarcane that ix mixed into gasoline to decrease oil consumption, however, it is only as renewable as the production of its ingredients are, is water and land intensive (growing corn), and still releases greenhouse gases

What are some methods of using passive solar energy?

Heat can be blocked/harnessed using double paned/southern facing windows, skylights, and deciduous shade trees

What are the benefits and drawbacks of using solar panels (PV Cells)?

Solar panels are renewable and do not release air pollutants or require fossil fuels, but their semiconductors use silicon (a limited material), their use is limited by intermittency and a lack of storage options, and solar panel farms can destroy habitats.

What is CST and its drawbacks?

Concentrated Solar Thermal uses mirrors to concentrate the sun’s rays onto a central water tower to create steam that facilitates electricity. While renewable, this method takes up space and may be dangerous for passing birds who could get fried by the concentrated rays

What does the DUCK curve describe about the use of Solar Energy?

It shows a major obstacle in using Solar Energy throughout the day because when Solar Energy goes offline after sunset, sources of Fossil Fuel energy must rapidly increase to make up for the lack of energy.

What is the difference between community and rooftop solar energy?

Community solar “farms” is land that is entirely dedicated towards solar energy harnessing, which can be flawed because it may take up too much land. While rooftop solar does not have this issue, it’s on a much smaller scale and may not be suitable as a large-scale electricity solution.

What is Water Impoundment?

The formation of dams creates artificial lakes that are used for hydroelectricity and flood prevention

What is the Run of River system in hydroelectricity?

Smaller dams divert water into channels that spin turbines to generate electricity, which decreases the amount of sedimentation in dams but does not generate as much power as normal dams.

What are the drawbacks of using dams for hydroelectric power?

It floods the ecosystems behind dam walls, more water is evaporated due to its large surface area, methane is released from a buildup of decomposing matter, flood prevention may deprive flood plains of nutrients

How do dams impact the flow of streams?

Dams disrupt free-flowing streams that allow the migration of fish upstream and also disrupt their spawning grounds because it does not allow sediment and nutrients to flow and create rocky stream bottoms where eggs are laid

How do dams impact the economy?

They create long lasting jobs, but having to flood the area to create a dam requires the relocation of homes/businesses, leading to an expensive initial cost of construction.

What are the benefits of using dams for hydroelectric power?

They do not release any greenhouse gases, they provide a source of tourism, and they can control flooding and rate of electricity output

What are Ground Source Heat Pumps?

The method of heating water by using pipes that run ~10 ft. underground, absorbing the heat that the ground has stored from the Sun’s rays

What is the difference between Ground Source Heat Pumps and Geothermal Heating?

Ground Source Heat Pumps are not technically a form of geothermal energy because it doesn’t truly come from geological activity while Geothermal Heating does, requiring water to be piped thousands of km into the ground to be heated by magma.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of using Geothermal Energy?

It can be renewable (if water is reused), it emits less CO2, no air pollutants, but it isn’t available everywhere and costs a lot of money for drilling into Earth’s mantle

What are the benefits and drawbacks of using Hydrogen Fuel Cells?

They replace gasoline that releases no air pollutants or CO2 and are 80% efficient, but he process of creating H2 gas to be used in the cells is not sustainable because it uses natural gas (methane) and is water intensive, it also requires larger tanks to store and will cost money to make a distribution network

What are the benefits and drawbacks of using Wind Energy?

Wind energy is non depletable and renewable, emits no greenhouse gases or air pollutants, and can share land uses, but it is only available in areas with high wind speeds, can kill birds, and may be a source of noise pollution.