Energy Production

energy is central

muscle exertion → wood burning → harnessing biomass, water, wind, whale oil → now coal, fossil fuels, nuclear power

amount and quality of energy use

drives economic productivity

energy use is associated with

• population growth

• economic output

• better health outcomes

energy consumption

leads to better health outcomes

infant mortality and life expectancy improve

until 2000 - 3000 kg of oil equivalent per person per year

energy security (household level)

family’s probability of having enough energy to cook food, heat home in cold weather, and cool home during warm weather

energy fuel poverty

financial hardship that makes it difficult to afford energy for these basic uses

fossil fuels (petroleum, coal, natural gas)

are the largest sources of energy

>80% of the world’s energy supply

biomass

small source of energy but serves much of the world’s population

fossil fuel energy

organic material deposits under the Earth that have been subjected to pressure and temperature to convert over million of years into energy-dense forms

• coal

• petroleum

• natural gas

cause health effects across life cycle

fossil fuels found unevenly throughout world

half of the world’s reserves of crude oil lie in the Middle East

Middle Eat is also rich in

natural gas

• second is Russia

largest coal reserves are in

• US

• Russia

• China

• Australia

• India

consumption of coal is concentrated in Asia

70% global coal use

coal production is shrinking

in Europe and North America

emerging economies like Indonesia and Vietnam

will see growing coal demand and use

coal

• combustible, sedimentary rock with fossilized remains of prehistoric vegetable matter preserved with water and mud

• Carbon + Hydrogen mainly

• small amounts of sulfur and mercury

• 25% of energy consumption

• 40% of electricity worldwide

• 40% of CO2 emissions and contributes to climate change

most abundant fossil fuel

coal

coal extraction processes

1. strip mining

2. subsurface mining

3. mountaintop removal mining

strip mining

for extraction near the surface heavy machinery scrapes away huge amounts of earth

subsurface mining

for deposits deep underground, vertical shafts are dug, and networks of horizontal tunnels are blasted to follow seams, or layers, of coal

mountaintop removal mining

for mining coal on immense scales, such as in the Appalachian Mountains, blasting away entire mountaintops

harmful effects of coal

• coal burning emits large amounts of CO2

• driving climate change

• its health impacts

  • heat stress, extreme weather, food insecurity

coal produces

• SO2

• NOX

• PM2.5

coal causes

• asthma

• COPD

• heart disease

• stroke

• mortality

coal releases toxic metals

• mercury

• arsenic

• lead

to damage the nervous system and kidneys

coal ash and sludge

can contaminate groundwater

subsurface mining causes

acid mine drainage

acid mine drainage

1. pyrite is exposed to react with air and water

2. water becomes acidic with high concentrations of metals and suspended solids

3. contaminates drinking water

4. disrupts growth and reproduction of aquatic plants and animals

5. corroding effects of acid on parts of the infrastructure such as bridges

subsurface mining

creates dust and silica which leads to pneumoconiosis

pneumoconiosis

lung fibrosis is associated with exposure to dust or other particulate matter

Black Lung

pneumoconiosis from coal dust

Silicosis

pneumoconiosis from silica exposure

mountaintop removal

leads to water contamination and landscape destruction

coal slurry from impoundment dam failure

leads to concentrated toxins in fly ash with numerous heavy metals

• As, Pb, Cd, Hg, Cr

coal waste use in

remanufacturing wallboard and other building supplies

transport

coal comes from vehicle combustion

coal combustion

releases PAHs, PM2.5

Kingston Fossil Fuel Plant

1. a dike ruptured at a coal ash pond at the Tennessee Valley

2. slippage of an unstable layer of fine wet coal ash underneath the pond into the water

3. cleanup workers suffered rates of cancer, COPD, leukemia, and cardiovascular disease from dust inhalation

petroleum (oil)

liquid mixture of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons

yield many products

• lubricants

• plastics

• asphalt

85% of becomes fuel

30% of primary energy consumption

>90% of transportation fuel

42 gallon barrel of crude oil yields

• 19 gallons gasoline

• 11 gallons of diesel fuel/heating oil

• 4 gallons jet fuel

• smaller amounts of other products

small but important part of petroleum

serves as petrochemical feedstock

• used in plastics and rubber manufacturing

gulf of mexico offshore drilling disaster in 2010

• rig exploded due to defective cost-cutting cement

• killing 11 workers

• rig snak and damaged well released 134 million gallons of oil directly into the ocean over 85+ days

• impacts a huge area in the Gulf

  • contaminated ocean

  • mortality to wildlife and native ecosystems

petrochemical production

oil & gas feedstocks → petrochemicals → everyday products

natural gas

involves methane combustion which generates ½ CO2 per unit of energy released as coal combustion

methane is a powerful greenhouse gas

small amounts of leakage during natural gas production, transport, and use may undermine the climate change advantage

fracking (hydraulic fracturing)

injecting a high pressure mixture of water, sand, and chemicals into underground rock formations

• creates earthquakes

• air/water/soil contamination by methane and fracking chemicals

why fracking

technique used to extract natural gas or oil from shale and other tight rock

tight rock

impermeable rock formations that lock in oil and gas

• extraction from this rock is difficult

• fracking allows to release the trapped gas and oil to flow to the surface

dangers of fracking

• impacts drinking water

• impacts air pollution

• impacts climate

fuel life cycle

harvesting & transporting raw material → fuel production → energy transmission & consumption → waste generation & management

life cycle analysis of fuel

clarifies the full health impacts of each form of energy

combustion

major contribution to climate change from vehicle combustion to massive deforestation

non-combustion sources of contamination

• methane leaks

• ice-bound methane

• intentional venting from fracking & gas pipelines

• methane is more potent than CO2 as a greenhouse gas

consumers are burdened with the external costs of fossil fuels

• medical expenses

• environmental cleanup cost

• impact on quality of life

• car fuel prices

• utility bills

profitable fossil fuel industries receive far more financial support

from taxpayers than emerging renewable energy sources do

fossil fuel industry benefits from subsidies

of $11m every minute

all of our modern tech and services depend on fossil fuels so

they become costly or unavailable

this reliance means nations can control the energy prices and force buyer nations to pay more as supplies dwindle

majority of oil reserves are in the Middle East

this region can be politically volatile which can affect oil supplies and prices

in response U.S. has

• increased fracking to boost domestic oil and gas extraction

• diversified it sources of imported petroleum

over the past 2 centuries

fossil fuels have helped build our complex industrialized societies

• but fossil fuel supply is declining

• urging US to reduce its dependence to move to cleaner energy sources

• fossil fuels also harm our economy

fossil fuels are harmful for economy

for small businesses and low-income

demand has caused an increase in price

• energy prices challenge what households pay at the pump or on utility bills

• may have to pay less for essential needs to pay for gas consumption