Studied by 2 people
Potentially renewable
an energy source that can be regenerated indefinitely as long as it is not overharvested
Nondepletable
an energy source that cannot be used up
Renewable
in energy management, an energy source that is
either potentially renewable or nondepletable
Renewable energy resources provide about
14% of energy worldwide
Roughly 10% of the energy used in the US comes from
renewable energy resources
The Sun is the
ultimate source of almost all types of energy
Wood, charcoal, and manure are used to
heat homes throughout the world
In the developing world, people often cannot
afford fossil fuels or do not have access to them
Net removal
The process of removing more than is replaced by growth, typically used when referring to carbon
Biofuel
Corn and sugar cane are fermented into ethanol which is mixed with gasoline
Biofuel examples
E85
Flex fuel
Algae
Algae
produce oils that can be used as biofuels (more sustainable than corn)
Active solar energy systems use solar energy to
heat a liquid through mechanical and electric equipment to collect and store energy captured from the sun
Passive solar energy
absorb heat directly from the sun without the use of mechanical and electric equipment (energy cannot be collected and stored)
Technologies that employ active solar energy include
Solar water heating systems
Photovoltaic systems PV system
Photovoltaic solar cell
Large-scale concentrating solar thermal systems for electricity generation (CST)
Photovoltaic solar cell
a system of capturing energy from
sunlight and converting it directly into electricity
Heliostats (mirrors)
reflect sun’s rays onto a central tower in order
to heat water to produce steam to turn a turbine to produce electricity (can cause habitat destruction and light may fry birds)
Hydroelectricity
Electricity generated by the kinetic energy of moving water
Run-of-the-river
hydroelectricity generation in which water is
retained behind a low dam or no dam
Water impoundment
the storage of water in a reservoir behind a dam
Tidal energy
energy that comes from the movement of water
driven by the gravitational pull of the moon
Geothermal energy
heat energy that comes from the natural radioactive
decay of elements deep within Earth. Heat is used to heat up water, which is brought back to the surface as steam which then is used to drive an electric generator
Geothermal energy can be used directly as
a source of heat
Many countries obtain clean, renewable energy from
geothermal resources
have substantial geothermal resources, are the largest geothermal energy producers
US, China, Iceland
Hydrogen Fuel Cells
use hydrogen as fuel, combine hydrogen and oxygen from the air to form water
Hyfrogen fuel cell emissions
Releases energy (electricity) in the process
Water is the only product (emission)
In a fuel cell vehicle, hydrogen is the fuel that reacts with
oxygen to provide electricity to run the motor
Hydrogen gas enters the cell from an external source, protons from the hydrogen molecules pass through a membrane, while
electrons flow around it, producing an electric current, water is the only waste product of the reaction
Wind turbine
a turbine that converts wind energy into electricity, the blades of the wind turbine transfer energy to the gear box that transfers energy to the generator
Wind turbines on land are typically installed in
rural locations, away from buildings and population centers (typically grouped into wind farms or wind parks)
Wind energy is the
fastest growing major source of electricity in the world
Household ways to conserve energy
Adjust thermostat higher in summer and lower in winter
Conserve water
Use energy efficient appliances
Conservation landscaping – do not water grass
Unplug “vampire” devices
Vampire devices
things like phone chargers, computers etc. that are plugged in but not being used
Passive solar design
uses solar radiation to maintain indoor temperature, roof overhangs make use of seasonal changes in the Sun’s position to reduce energy
demand for heating and cooling. In winter,
when the Sun is low in the sky, it shines
directly into the window and heats the
house. In summer, when the Sun is higher
in the sky, the overhang blocks incoming
sunlight and the room stays cool
High-efficiency windows and building materials with
high thermal inertia are also components of passive solar design
Note
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