5. Energy Resources

2 types of Energy Sources

• Renewable Energy: Replenished by natural processes (e.g., solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, biomass).

• Non-Renewable Energy: Exist in fixed amounts formed over millions of years (e.g., oil, coal, natural gas, nuclear).

Coal

• Burnable sedimentary rock with high carbon and hydrocarbon content.

• Nonrenewable: Takes millions of years to form.

• Advantages: Abundant, inexpensive.

• Disadvantages: Pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, nonrenewable.

Oil

• Nonpolar chemical substance composed of hydrocarbons.

• Advantages: High energy output, easy to transport, reliable.

• Disadvantages: Greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, nonrenewable, potential for violence.

Natural Gas

• Odorless gaseous mixture of hydrocarbons, mainly methane (CH_4).

• Advantages: Domestic availability, established distribution, relatively low cost, lower emissions than other fossil fuels.

• Disadvantages: Emits carbon dioxide.

Renewable Energy Resources

• Include: Solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, biomass.

Solar Energy

• Radiation from the Sun used for heat, chemical reactions, or electricity.

• Advantages: Clean, green, renewable, reduces electricity bills.

• Disadvantages: High cost of panels, sunlight dependent, installation difficulties, storage costs, environmental impact of manufacturing.

Wind Power

• Kinetic energy of wind converted to electrical energy by turbines.

• Advantages: Sustainable, renewable, smaller environmental impact than fossil fuels, creates jobs, domestic resource.

• Disadvantages: Unpredictable, threat to wildlife, noise, location limitations.

Biomass Energy

• Renewable organic material from plants and animals with stored chemical energy from the sun through photosynthesis.

• Types: Fuel wood, municipal solid waste, animal waste, energy plantation.

• Advantages: Renewable, accessible, reduces reliance on fossil fuels, reduces landfill.

• Disadvantages: Expensive, requires space, greenhouse gas emissions, environmental impact, inefficient.

Hydropower

• Uses the natural flow of moving water to generate electricity.

• Advantages: Backup power, flood control, irrigation support, clean drinking water, affordable.

• Disadvantages: Environmental impact (alters aquatic habitat, floods areas), high construction cost.

Geothermal Power

• Heat energy from the earth.

• Advantages: Low emissions, efficiency for heating and cooling, low water use.

• Disadvantages: Potential emissions of greenhouse gases, surface instability (potential for earthquakes), high electricity cost.