Fossil Fuels

Biomass - renewable resource that can be converted into biofuels

  • lumber, whales, living organisms

  • Some fossil fuels (oil) produce more energy by weight.

  • Natural gas - gasoline - charcoal - coal - wood

Biofuels - Liquid fuels produced through biomass (organic materials).

Heat and pressure turned dead plants into coal

Coal country- Pennsylvania

  • Mountain top removal picking on top surface, drill under surface

  • "Black lung” side effect from coal miners

  • Coal taken to coal power plant

  • Coal bunker - boiler- turbine - generator

    • Boiler: Ash disposal (filter) - SO2 & NOx (PM)

    • Turbine: condenser- cooling tower (waster heat)

A global effort to reduce coal emissions- Kyoto Protocol

OPEC- Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries

Types of oil:

Crude oil - OPEC - High net energy CO2 and other pollutants

Shale oil - N. America - Medium net energy - CO2, water

Oil/ tar sand- N. America- low net energy

Oil Refinery

Heat oil - separate in different products- heaviest to lightest asphalt up to gases

Deepwater horizon- An oil platform that blew up. The crude oil is linked to the ocean. 4 million barrels. lasted 87 days—thousands of miles of coastlines.

Natural Gas

Mostly methane (CH4)- extremely toxic, stops x-radiation from escaping.

CH4 + O2 = CO2 + H2O

  • Natural gas in layers of rock. Shell

Fracking negatives:

  • Groundwater contamination

  • Well has a short lifespan

  • Methane escapes

  • Water intensive

  • Energy

Fossil fuel extraction is causing earthquakes in areas not near a boundary due to the air bubbles left in the ground from extraction.

Various power plants convert heat energy into electrical power.

Fossil Fuels Externalities:

  • Oil spills= natural resources (habitat destruction), health bills (black lung, asthma)

  • Floods= property destruction

  • Climate change

Carbon capture- capturing CO2 from the atmosphere.

Power plant:

  • Store in saline formation (deep saltwater absorbs CO2)

  • Store in empty reservoirs from old fossil fuel extractions.

Energy Alternatives

Wind Power- wind turbines

  • 10% of The United States gets energy from wind turbines.

  • Needs flat areas for consistent and faster wind.

  • Kills many birds, no wind = no power.

  • Spins blade- into gearbox- connected to the generator

Solar energy- photovoltaic, fused solar radiation (thermal)

  • Photovoltaic- cells convert sun energy to electricity

  • Focused solar radiation- takes thermal heat from the sun, mirrors reflect sun energy to the tower

  • In sunny places, watch for clouds.

  • Negative: Big footprint. Greater than 3,000 acres.

Hydropower (electric)-

  • Power collected from dams

  • Holding water back (potential energy), pushes water through a turbine connected to a generator.

  • Water is denser and therefore has lots of energy.

  • Bigger rivers have dams.

  • Not building anymore

    • spaces are taken already

    • environmental damage

Wave Power-

  • Design 1

    • Facilities near a coast. Waves crash into funnels, funnel becomes smaller, making waves higher and splash into the reservoir.

    • Runs through a turbine and pushes back into the ocean.

    • Needs consistent wave action.

  • Design 2

    • Bove in water collects energy from waves.

Nuclear Power-

  • Uses uranium-235 (carbon neutral)

  • Exhaustible

  • Neutron hits uranium atoms and uranium splits

  • Damaging

  • Needs control because of chain reaction

  • Keeps uranium in protection, expensive facility

  • Not building anymore

    • Nuclear meltdown

      • 1986 Cherrlobyl accident

  • Radiation lasts thousands of years.

Renewable energy costs have decreased over the years due to technology improvements.

Is 4 % of United States energy production.

Three Georges Dam:

  • Dam flooded area

  • Displaced 1.3 million people

  • 3rd largest dam

  • Altered flood of the river

  • Different habitats above and below the dam

Energy Production:

  • Electricity use from dams is declining

  • Production is steady

    • population increase caused dam production use to decline

  • Renewable energy

  • More reliable because of the constant energy source.