Energy and Fuel Sources

Mrs. B-Z

Energy Article Critique

NBC. (2009, May 5). Home alone tweens [Photograph]. Baltimore Sun. Retrieved from http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/.../homealone.jpg

Energy Transformations The law of conservation of

energy

Where does energy come Where does energy come from? from?

• The law of conservation of energy The law of conservation of energy states that energy is neither created states that energy is neither created nor destroyed. nor destroyed.

• So how do we “get energy”?So how do we “get energy”?• How are we “running out” of How are we “running out” of

energy? energy?

Where does electricity Where does electricity come from? come from?

• Sun (solar)—clean and almost freeSun (solar)—clean and almost free• Plants (biomass)—can be Plants (biomass)—can be

replenishedreplenished• Fossil fuels (coal, nuclear, Fossil fuels (coal, nuclear,

petroleum, or natural gas)--cannot petroleum, or natural gas)--cannot be replaced at the same rate we are be replaced at the same rate we are using themusing them

Two broad categories

Trace the energy in wind to electricity

• Wind• Mechanical • Electrical

PERPETUALLY RENEWABLE

Renews itself; not dependent on our input for renewalCan you think of an example of this? Example: solar and some forms of hydro and wind

Solar

• Perpetually renewable• Light energy hits a device usually a photovoltaic

cell which transforms the light into a useable form of energy usually electricity

• Can you think of daily examples of this? • Solar calculators

Wind

• Perpetually renewable• The wind turns a turbine which transfers its

energy to create another form of energy usually electricity

Trace the energy in wind to electricity• Wind• Mechanical • Electrical

Hydro

• Hydro comes in several varieties• Some are similar to a mill turning water to

transfer the energy to saw wood• This is usually on a much larger scale with a

dam flowing large amounts of water. • There is also tidal or oceanic power as well.

How do we get electricity from How do we get electricity from hydropower? hydropower?

• WaterWater• MechanicalMechanical• Electrical Electrical

Potentially Renewable

• Often referred to as “renewable”• These are resources that can be used for fuel

but their replenishment is dependent on either time or resources of another type

• Can you think of an example? • Trees or other forms of biomass

Biomass

• Single-largest renewable non-hydro source of power

• Involves burning of some type of biomass usually wood to create heat from the chemical potential energy.

Nonrenewable

Resources that cannot be reproduced or replenished at a rate similar to the rate of consumption.

Coal

• Produces far more CO2 than many other fossil fuel options

• Scrubbers have been introduced to limit the amount of sulfur allowed to escape into the atmosphere

• Still abundant but much of it is too “dirty” to use

Natural Gas (Methane)

• One of the cleaner fossil fuels• Products of combustion of natural gas are CO2

and H2O • There are some particulates but they are in trace

quantities compared to oil and coal

Propane

• An expensive alternative to methane when natural gas is not available

• More expensive than oil but can be easily converted over to methane if it were to become available

• Cleaner than petroleum oil or coal but not quite as clean as methane (natural gas)

Petroleum (oil)

• Not quite as “dirty” as coal and not as difficult to store, petroleum oil is another nonrenewable fossil fuel alternative.

Comparison of Fossil Fuels Fossil Fuel Emission Levels

- Pounds per Billion Btu of Energy Input

Pollutant Natural Gas Oil Coal

Carbon Dioxide 117,000 164,000 208,000

Carbon Monoxide 40 33 208

Nitrogen Oxides 92 448 457

Sulfur Dioxide 1 1,122 2,591

Particulates 7 84 2,744

Mercury 0.000 0.007 0.016

Source: EIA - Natural Gas Issues and Trends 1998

Nuclear Energy

• The best of the nonrenewable fuels• Cleanest• Safest • Long-lasting • Storage issues—very long term

Choose your fuelFuel StudentWindSolarHydroCoalNatural Gas (methane)

PropaneBiomassNuclearPetroleum

Project Guidelines

• Create a display that could be used to explain your type of fuel to 7-9th grade students

• The display will be a part of the Fuel Museum. • You should include pictures, graphs, maps, and/or

diagrams to explain the origins of your fuel, how it is used, and what the positives as well as negatives that there are of that type of fuel and the technology that is used to harness the energy.