Conventional Energy: Consumption & Environmental Impacts

Recap & Completion

  • Recap and completion of the previous lecture.

Basics of Conventional Energy

  • Produced by traditional means, mainly relying on fossil fuels.
  • Includes:
    • Oil
    • Coal
    • Natural gas
    • Nuclear
  • Accounts for approximately 4/5th of global energy needs.
  • Fossil fuel global energy consumption by source in 2023.

U.S. Energy Consumption by Source & Sector, 2023

  • Industrial consumption includes mining, milling, smelting, etc.

U.S. Energy Consumption by Major Sources, 1950-2023

  • A graph illustrating the consumption trends of renewables, nuclear, petroleum, natural gas, and coal over time.

Types of Conventional Energy

  • Overview of energy sources, descriptions, and energy types:
    • Crude oil: Fossil fuel extracted from the ground (liquid). Nonrenewable.
    • Natural gas: Fossil fuel extracted from the ground (gas). Nonrenewable.
    • Coal: Fossil fuel extracted from the ground (solid). Nonrenewable.
    • Nuclear energy: Energy from atomic nuclei of uranium. Nonrenewable.

Coal

  • Obtained from fossil fuel, derived from organic matter.
  • World’s most abundant fossil fuel.
  • Varies in water content, carbon content, impurities, and potential energy over space.

Environmental Impacts of Coal Mining

  • Land degradation and water pollution caused by mining.
  • Release of toxic substances into the atmosphere by burning.
  • Air pollution and resultant health effects for humans, wildlife, and other organisms.

Methods to Reduce Environmental Impacts of Coal Consumption

  • Implementation of clean technologies like integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC).
  • Burning coal in conjunction with biomass crops to limit CO2CO_2 production.

Natural Gas

  • Mainly comprised of methane and other types of substances.
  • Burns cleaner than coal and oil.
  • Environmental impacts of natural gas production and use:
    • Air pollution.
    • Environmental pollution from hydraulic fracturing.

Oil/Crude Oil

  • Sludge-like liquid comprising mixtures of various substances.
  • Consumption has significantly increased in the 21st century.
  • Environmental impacts of oil production and use:
    • Air pollution.
    • Oil spills create serious environmental problems (e.g., Deepwater Horizon in the U.S. in 2010, Newport Beach oil spill in California in 2021).
    • Environmental pollution from hydraulic fracturing.

Location of Fossil Fuels and Uranium

  • A world map showing the locations of coal (major and minor bituminous, anthracite, and lignite regions), petroleum (major and minor producing regions), natural gas (major regions), and uranium (major and minor deposits).

Hydraulic Fracturing & Environmental Implications

  • Discussion of the environmental concerns associated with hydraulic fracturing.

Industrial Sand Mining Locations in Wisconsin

  • A map indicating mine locations and population density, related to hydraulic fracturing.

Oil Shale

  • Grayish-brown rock filled with kerogen.
  • Can be processed to obtain petroleum & natural gas.
  • The U.S. is endowed with ~40% of global oil shale reserves.

Tar Sand/Oil Sand

  • Deposits of moist sand and clay that contains bitumen.
  • Can be processed to obtain petroleum.
  • Canada and the U.S. contain significant amounts of deposits.

Nuclear Power

  • Energy that holds protons and neutrons within the nucleus of an atom.
  • Energy produced by converting uranium/plutonium to thermal energy via nuclear fission.
  • Environmental concerns and impacts:
    • Can release radioactive waste in a meltdown.
    • Examples: Chernobyl nuclear meltdown, Fukushima Daiichi disaster in Japan, Three Mile Island accident in PA.

Risks and Impacts of Coal-fired versus Nuclear Power Plants

  • A comparison table:
    • Land and ecosystem disturbance: Coal (extensive), Nuclear (less extensive).
    • Greenhouse gas emissions: Coal (considerable emissions), Nuclear (none from plant operation).
    • Other air pollutants: Coal (sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter), Nuclear (no pollutant emissions).
    • Radioactive emissions: Coal (no appreciable emissions), Nuclear (possibility of dangerous emissions if a severe accident occurs).
    • Occupational health among workers: Coal (more known health problems and fatalities), Nuclear (fewer known health problems and fatalities).
    • Health impacts on nearby residents: Coal (air pollution impairs health), Nuclear (no appreciable known health impacts under normal operation).
    • Effects of accident or sabotage: Coal (no widespread effects), Nuclear (potentially catastrophic widespread effects).
    • Solid waste: Coal (more generated), Nuclear (less generated).
    • Radioactive waste: Coal (none), Nuclear (radioactive waste generated).
    • Fuel supplies remaining: Coal (should last several hundred more years), Nuclear (uncertain).

Causes and Consequences of Dependence on Fossil Fuel

  • Causes:
    • No accounting for external costs.
    • Low prices.
    • Government subsidies.
    • More uses (plastics, etc.).
    • Human population growth.
    • Growth in per capita consumption.
    • Poor fuel efficiency in autos.
    • Limited non-renewable supplies.
  • Consequences:
    • Greenhouse gas emissions leading to global climate change.
    • Pollution of air, water, and soil.
    • Degradation of ecosystems.
    • Failure to develop other energy sources.
    • Depletion of fossil fuels.
    • Extraction impacts.
    • Economic and political vulnerability.
    • Attempt to shift quickly to renewable energy sources (or end to globalization, economic loss, economic depression, health impacts, and social disruption).

Summary

  • Conventional energy currently supplies most energy demands at various spatial scales.
  • Conventional energy relies mostly on fossil fuels, which are non-sustainable in the long run.
  • Consumption of conventional energy has a number of negative environmental implications.