ss3201 Unit 5 (Energy Resources)

Access to Energy

The ability of every individual to access & use the energy required for survival (e.g., electricity for heating or lighting, and fuels for cooking).

Conventional Energy Sources

The primary sources of energy that have been used increasingly in the last 200 years and include coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear energy, and hydroelectricity.

Alternative Energy Source

Any source of energy other than conventional sources, but often involves more environmentally friendly or green sources (solar, wind, geothermal, etc).

Biomass

energy derived from burning biological materials that are no fossil fuels including forest & agricultural waste, garbage, and methane produced in garbage landfills.

Solar Energy

Energy created using photovoltaic devices to generate electricity directly from sunlight.

Wind Energy

A form of renewable power that captures the kinetic energy from moving air (wind) and converts it into mechanical power or electricity using wind turbines.

Geothermal Energy

Energy derived from the heat in the interior of the earth.

Hydricity

An energy system based on the production and consumption of hydrogen and electricity.

Oil Sands

Slow-flowing, viscous deposits of bitumen mixed with sand, water, and clay located in the western Canadian province of Alberta.

Fossil Fuels

Resources such as coal, gas, and oil that were formed from the fossilized remains of ancient living organisms.

Greenhouse Gases (GHGs)

Atmospheric gases, such as carbon dioxide and water vapor, that trap heat as it rises from Earth and help to maintain temperatures suitable for life on Earth.

Greenhouse Effect

A natural process that occurs when gases in the atmosphere trap heat from the Sun & warms Earth.

Climate Change

A change in global or regional climate patterns. In particular, this refers to a change apparent from the mid to late 1990s onward which is attributed To increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels.

Cap and Trade

A method for reducing GHG emissions by encouraging producers to sell carbon credits that they do not use.

Carbon Tax

A method for reducing GHG emissions by taxing products and services based on their total carbon emissions.

Geo-engineering

Technological responses to the problems of climate change (including protecting & increasing carbon sinks and storing carbon dioxide in the ground).