...Paper Alternative Energy The continued use of the planet’s fossil fuels will eventually come to an end and will require an ultimatum to be made. Other sources of energy must be found to sustain this dependency that society has created, so it can continue to fuel our everyday needs. Although scarcity is a leading factor in the search for newer resources, the damaged caused by fossil fuels need to be reversed, including pollution and global warming. Every day there are more and more advancements, innovations, or even inventions of new alternative resources that need to be taken advantage of to maintain a stable and reliable source of energy. Alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydrogen energy are more durable and efficient to be used as a substitute for current natural resource uses. Foremost, fossil fuels have been a primary source for energy for years, and had some major consequences alongside them. Pollution is no new name to the harm our environment receives and it comes from the burning of fuel. As well as pollution being created, global warming, which is a huge debate in today’s society, is also caused by burning fossil fuels (Rinkesh “What are fossil fuels”). Not only does it damage our environment, but it causes health problems for its wildlife and our own lives. These hazardous effects will have a long term duration and require a cleaner solution and that is natural resources (Rinkesh “What are fossil fuels”). These alternative energy sources would...
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...Energy Tammy Malugen Professor Trena Woolridge Environmental Science and Sustainability SCI201-1501B-15 When you were a child you always heard the phrase “turn off the lights!” or “close the door you weren’t raised in a barn!” The Law of Conservation of Energy is the corporeal code that the entire extent of energy in a method is perpetual, even though energy is different from some form to a different or moved from one purpose to another; this can too be called the first law of thermodynamics. What this means is that since you cannot destroy energy but you can transform it into another form of energy. By using energy efficient appliances doesn’t mean you don’t use energy it just means that that energy is being converted into a different form of energy within your home. There are many forms of energy: Fossil Fuels, Nuclear Energy, Solar Energy, Wind Power, Water (hydro) Power, and Bioconversion (biofuel). Fossil Fuels: In 2007, “The U.S Energy Information Administration (EIA)” has determined that 86.4% of the main energy depletion that can be traced back to non-renewable sources. Pros: Well Developed: the reason fossil fuels is used is because it is the one that is well developed and has been used all around the world Cheap and Reliable: this is cheapest source of energy and the most reliable to use for the base-load. Cons: Contribute to Global Warming: this source of energy is not “green” and contains high amount of carbon Non-Renewable: Fossil fuels are a...
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...Sources of Energy The law of conservation of energy states that the total amount of energy stored in a system will be constant throughout time. Since energy remains constant in a system, it cannot be created or destroyed, but it can be converted into other forms of energy (Law of Conservation, n.d.). Other forms of energy use include fossil fuels, nuclear energy, solar energy, wind power, water (hydro) power, and bio-conversion (biofuel). There are both pros and cons in using these various forms of energy. Fossil fuels are a common source of energy used that are naturally occurring substances found on the surface of the earth. It is a non-renewable source of energy. One major advantage of fossil fuels is their availability. They can easily be found on the surface of the earth. However, depletion of this non-renewable source of energy is increasing because of the demands. Therefore, in the future there will a high demand and a low supply of fossil fuels (Energy.gov, n.d.). Nuclear energy is a controversial non-renewable source of energy. According to Maehlum, about twenty percent of the entire electricity generation is produced using nuclear energy. Generating electricity at a nuclear power plant is relatively low in costs as well as low in pollution. However, the nuclear waste is potentially harmful to both humans and the environment (Maehlum, 2013). Solar energy is a renewable energy source. As long as there is sunshine, solar energy will be available. Solar...
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...Oil Alternatives Examine the changing importance of three energy alternatives to oil [20 Marks] 1200 words. Correct citations. Oil has been an important resource for humanity for centuries. It is easily accessible and efficient and over time has been extremely versatile in its uses. Today oil is used for fueling cars, cooking food, cosmetics, lubricants, paintings, organic chemistry, etc. For a long time oil has been the primary and main provider of energy, but due to increasing environmental effects, scarcity, and global inflation, it seems as if it will not last much longer. This essay will highlight the growing importance of three alternatives of oil that may rise to prominence in the future: algae biofuel, nuclear energy, and hydroelectric power. The first alternative that will be discussed is algae biofuel. In essence algae biofuels are the same as normal fuels except that the components of the fuel are organic and biological rather than fossil fuel based. Production is caused through a series of chemical reactions and is nontoxic and renewable. Algae sources can be re-replaced through more farming. The standard production method consists of planting lots of algae pods and letting them interact with the sun and bacteria to create oil. (Howstuffworks) Although this method releases a lot of CO2 it is all taken back again through growing more algae. This is of the many advantages of algae biofuel. Firstly its production yield far surpasses that of other variations...
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...Energy Fletcher Hinton Environmental Science Dr. Sandra Flemming April 6, 2012 Abstract This paper will discuss energy use and how it is conversed to do what it needs for the population using it. This paper will give an explanation on how energy use is dictated or regulated by law according to the energy policy act of (2005). Energy use is a major problem the world has today, resources are becoming scarce because of our consumption level is more than can be replenished in the amount of time we need it. The law of conservation of energy states that the quantity of energy stored in a system will be constant throughout time. (Law of conservation of energy, n/d) Since energy is stored it is constant it cannot be created or destroyed, but it can be converted into other forms of energy like solar energy, needs the sun to produce and harvest its energy. There are other forms of energy that can be used for our consumption and they are; fossil fuel: oil, natural gas, and coal, nuclear energy, Solar energy, Wind power, Water (hydro) power, Bioconversion (biofuel). Although, they can help produce energy there are pros and cons to using them for energy consumption. The fossil fuels for one are the most widely used source of energy used because of its reliable resources that can be converted. The con is it will run out because our consumption is more than the resource can produce. Nuclear energy produces 1/6 of the worlds electricity and it doesn`t produce greenhouse...
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...1: Mechanical energy: potential energy (object not moving) vs. kinetic energy (object moving) Chemical energy: stored in bonds between atoms in a molecule 2: Electrical energy: results from the motion of electrons Nuclear energy: stored in the nuclei of atoms, it is released by either splitting/joining of atoms 3: Thermal energy: heat = internal energy in substances, the vibration and movement of atoms and molecules within substances Electrical energy: results from the motion of electrons 4: Kilowatt hour (kWh) = 1,000 watt hours, unit of energy. Ex: Using a 60 watt light bulb for 1,000 hours consumes 60 kilowatt hours of electricity. 5: The major resources used for energy globally are oil. In the US they are petroleum, coal, and natural gas. 6: 3 fossil fuels -Coal: Produced by decomposition of ancient organic matter under high temperature and pressure (non-renewable) -Oil: Produced by decomposition of deeply buried organic material under high pressures and temperatures for millions of years (non-renewable) -Natural Gas: Produced by decomposition of deeply buried organic material under high pressures and temperatures for millions of years (non-renewable) 7: Net energy= the usable amount of high-quality energy available from a given quantity of energy resource. Ex: coal, oil, natural gas 8: Second law of thermodynamics- when energy is converted from one form to another, a less useful form 9: oil- used to manufacture paints, medicines, plastics and is used in cars...
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...with the sufficient supply of energy in this currently developing world. However as the supplies of oil which is the major source for energy is decreasing and people are becoming more environmentally cautious, a new mean to supply energy are in high demand. Thus, nuclear energy seems to be the ideal alternative source of energy. Mel Schwartz (2011) mentioned that nuclear energy has generated approximately 17% of the world electricity for nearly 1 billion people (p. 706). In the Encyclopedia Britannica described that, “Nuclear energy, also called atomic energy, energy that is released in significant amounts in processes that affect atomic nuclei, the dense cores of atoms” (“Nuclear Energy”, 2013). The term nuclear energy includes nuclear fusion, nuclear fission and nuclear decay (radioactivity). Nuclear fission is the main method used in providing the nuclear energy as is provides the most energy compare to nuclear fusion and nuclear decay. In order to provide a large amount of energy, nuclear power plant is built. By using the heat energy gained from nuclear reaction, it drives the steam turbines which in turns generate the electricity. Nuclear power plant could be environment friendly as it emits low amount of carbon dioxide. The nuclear waste should not be overlook as it has a very long term impact to the environment. PHYSICS IN NUCLEAR ENERGY Nuclear energy can be formed either by nuclear fission, nuclear fusion or nuclear decay. Nuclear fission is the splitting apart...
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...atomic energy has not created a new problem. It has merely made more urgent the necessity of solving an existing one.” 2. Nuclear power is a source of energy that occurs when a neutron is launched at an unstable atom like uranium or plutonium. A cool fact about nuclear power is that it is a scientific discovery that was funded by the military. The US called it the Manhattan project. The project existed during WWII to create a bomb that would scare the world into peace Nuclear power is used in many ways to create power and to this there are many advantages and disadvantages, there are even some accidents but in the end there are more pros than there are cons. We talk about clean energy and most of you think of water or wind power, but there are some big drawbacks to these that nobody seems to ever discuss. Body I. What it’s used for [pp: 2Einstein]Nuclear energy is used to make power for many things. Many countries such as France and Japan have already changed most of their power to nuclear power and minimized the amount of fossil fuel used to create power. Many of the major navies in the world use this as a way to dominate the seas. The main reason that we don’t want to use fossil fuel is that it creates green house gases that may or may not be causing global warming but they do cause pollution in their immediate area with sulfur and other toxic chemicals. II. How it works [model: reactor][pp:3,atom]Nuclear power...
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...re-licensed Nuclear Power Plants as their licenses expire and move away from Nuclear Power as soon as possible”. Our class was divided into two sides based on our positions on the continuum. In our discussion, one of the arguments expressed from the agreeing side of the main statement was that Nuclear Power Plants are prime targets for terrorism. A few of those classmates mentioned how terrorists can take advantage of the powerful radioactive waste and create weaponry, or even attack the plant itself, to cause harm and conflict amongst the innocent residents in that area. This point is also mentioned in a short TEDTalks video. Another argument expressed from the agreeing...
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...May 25th, 2010 English 1010 Prof. Mrs. Betancourt Energy emergency! Starting from humanity history, humans have been trying to create and establish new things to have better conditions at life. We know from physics lessons that if we want to do a new invention, we need energy in progress. The variety of energy sources actually enables people to obtain their needs in terms of this issue. Due to this fact, the usage of those energy sources has beneficial effects when they are used in the right progress. Sustainable and renewable energy sources such as solar, wind; hydro, oceanic and geothermal energies provide the needed energy for people efficiently and are the best options to improve our planet future. Firstly, economic benefits are very important for societies nowadays in the world. As a result of this, societies are trying to find cheaper way to produce energy. Here we can suggest geothermal energy. The source of geothermal energy is hot underground water. This kind of water can be found by sounding and this technique is not expensive. After making canals that water flow inside it is enough to finalize the progress. Energy types which are produced by sun are example of this situation. Besides from the normal risks, geothermal energy can also provide a cleaner source of energy. According to Energy Consumers Edge (ECE) “geothermal energy use does entail some environmental impact, but it is safe to say that the environmental benefits far outweigh the costs’’. Most geothermal...
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...Can Nuclear Energy Be the Answer? It is only possible to mitigate global warming if the world-wide consumption of fossil fuels can be drastically reduced in the next 10 to 15 years. There is simply no room for a scenario as it is depicted by Lester R. Brown in the book Plan B 4.0 Mobilizing to Save Civilization. The scenario plays out like a horror movie, poverty, depleted water supply, food shortages, terrorism, over population, disastrous floods, erratic changes in ocean currents and global warming. What is causing global warming? Carbon dioxide and other air pollution that is collecting in the atmosphere like a thickening blanket, trapping the sun's heat and causing the planet to warm up. Coal-burning power plants are the largest United States source of carbon dioxide pollution -- they produce 2.5 billion tons every year. Automobiles, the second largest source, create nearly 1.5 billion tons of CO2 annually. (Valentinas Mickūnaitis) The good news is there are many technologies that exist today to allow cars to operate more efficiently and use less gas. In order to reduce the amount of toxins in the atmosphere, older power plants need to be modernized and we need to reduce our electricity by putting into practice energy efficiency, these are just some suggestions to lowering the levels of CO2, we have to make sure they are implemented. Politicians are especially attracted to the restoration of nuclear power as a possible solution to averting global warming. When the...
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...Energy Planning Proposal ********* SCI/362 November 10, 20** *************** Energy Planning Proposal To service a large populated area, it takes more than just money when it comes to evaluating not only the energy needs, but the environmental needs and considerations as well. Renewable energy has many important and positive aspects that make it a great choice not just for the city and its inhabitants, but for the environment near and far. This energy renews itself, without the threat of running out, or depleting. Renewable energy is cost effective, does not cause pollution, nor emit greenhouse gases, which is good for the city environment and far from causing global warming. There are many energy sources available, and after evaluating the pros and cons of each one, as the city planner I have come up with the best choice that can suit our needs, which is wind power, hydroelectric, and nuclear power sources. With a budget of 10 billion dollars, we can build the three new power sources and have money left over. Wind is a clean source of renewable energy, it does not produce any air or water pollution, plus wind is free. The cost of its operations is nearly nothing once a turbine is erected. Mass production and technology are making turbines cheaper, and many governments offer tax incentives to encourage wind development. Hydroelectric is a renewable energy is generated by the force of falling water. It is considered as one of the cleanest sources of energy, reliable...
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...Welcome to Geothermal Pros and Cons If you’re looking for information about anything geothermal, you’ve come to the right place. It is our mission to provide a hub of information on everything geothermal. Whether you’re a beginner just trying to understand the definition of geothermal, or are an industry veteran looking for the latest technology and industry practices, we are here to help meet your needs. Here you’ll find articles, videos, FAQ’s, and guides addressing everything from the history of geothermal to what lies in the near future with this incredible resource. Let’s get started with a brief introduction: Geothermal As the name implies, GEOTHERMAL is heat (therm) of the earth (geo). Although the name is quite simple, it provides us with extraordinary capabilities. Geothermal Energy It is widely accepted that the center of the earth contains magma, a substance of remarkable temperature and pressure. Suffice it to say there is a phenomenal amount of thermal energy deep in the earth’s surface that, if harnessed, would be able to provide all the energy our world could use for a long time. This is not a source of energy that will completely deplete, as the sun provides energy as does radioactive decay of materials already deep within the earth. Geothermal HVAC At the core of any construction project, residential, commercial, or industrial, is the HVAC System. For centuries people have utilized processes to make their living, working, and recreational surroundings more...
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...The Law of Conservation of energy Environmental Science Unit 3 Individual Project The Law of Conservation of energy Environmental Science Unit 3 Individual Project Abstract This paper will discuss multiple forms of renewable energy. I will lay out the advantages and disadvantages of each form of renewable energy and how they affect people, wildlife, and our environment. The Law of Conservation of Energy The Law of Conservation of Energy states that the total amount of energy in an isolated system remains constant over time (is said to be conserved over time) although energy within the system can be changed from one form to another or transferred from one object to another (Law of Conservation, n.d.). This law applies to energy use in that we are taking a form of energy and changing it into a different form. We are not actually using up the energy but changing the form of it from one to another. An example of this can be solar energy. We take the energy from the sun and change it into usable energy for our homes, businesses, schools, and hospitals. This law also applies to energy conservation in that some energy is always wasted when being changed from one form into another. It is impossible to change energy without actually wasting some of it. In many energy conversions, more energy is wasted that is used for work such as automobile engines, they typically waste more than two-thirds of the total energy used, primarily through heat (Law of Conservation...
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...Alternative Energy Sources Cathy Shaw SCI 201 Dependence of Man on the Environment Instructor: Mohamad Termos 5 November 2012 Over the course of the last 30 years, mankind has fought to prevent global warming from getting out of hand. The green house gases are preventing pollution from entering the earth’s atmosphere. Currently two of the most recognized methods are hydropower and nuclear power. These two could help solve are global warming. Hydropower energy is a renewable resource and nuclear power has its merits also. If mankind is to survive after the oil runs out, these two could be what is going to be needed. On the following pages, I will offer the pros and cons of these two energy sources using references from items located on the internet as well as our book. Hydroelectric power is commonly referred to more so than hydropower. In order to have this type of power, you need moving water to generate electricity(Turk & Bensel 2011). Many people who know nothing of hydroelectric power are unaware that it has been around for a very long time but only a small percentage is used for electricity. That may soon change. The impact to the environment is minimal when using hydroelectric power. The resources required come straight from our dams, rivers and streams. The cost, however, is rather large and there are safety factors to consider when building dams to harness this type of power. Another problem with dams are that they sometimes crack and as is usually the...
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