Energy Sources

© 2011 Project Lead The Way, Inc.Gateway – Energy and the Environment

Energy Source Classifications

Renewable Non-RenewableA resource that can be replaced.

A resource that cannot be replaced.

Inexhaustible ExhaustibleA resource that will never run out.

A resource that cannot be replaced.

Exhaustible

Any source of energy that is limited and cannot be replaced when it is used, such as oil, coal, and natural gas.

Exhaustible Energy Sources

• Limited availability• Cannot be replaced• Currently provides 85% of

energy consumed in USExamples• Fossil fuels - fuels

produced by deposits of ancient plants and animals (Oil, coal and natural gas)

Exhaustible Energy Sources

• It is possible that readily available oil will be used up by 2050

• Foreign countries provide most US oil

• Oil can be used as an energy source and to make plastics

Exhaustible Energy SourcesEffect on the Environment

Burning fossil fuel produces air pollution– Acid rain is rain contaminated by the

by-products of combustion which condense in our atmosphere. Acid rain kills plants and trees and pollutes ponds and lakes, killing fish and altering the ecosystem.

– Air pollution can cause lung cancer in humans.

Exhaustible Energy SourcesEffect on the Environment

• Greenhouse effect – Greenhouse gases surround our planet, which prevents heat produced by the sun from escaping the earth’s atmosphere as easily as it once did.

• The greenhouse effect leads to climate change, which could cause melting of ice caps and changing weather patterns.

Renewable

A resource that can be replaced when needed.

©iStockphoto.com ©iStockphoto.com

Renewable Energy Sources• Energy that can be

replaced• Biological materials

that can be grown and harvested

• Less pollution than exhaustible energy sources

• Currently provides 3.5% of energy consumed in US

Renewable Energy Sources

• Ethanol – Plants such as corn, soybeans, seaweed, sugar beets, and sugar cane can be used to make ethanol.

• Methanol is made from coal or renewable sources like wood, plants, and manure.

• Methanol and Ethanol can be used as a substitute for gasoline.

Renewable Energy Sources

• Biomass – Waste products like trees, plants, grains, algae, manure, garbage, sewage, and paper can be converted into energy.

• Biomass conversion creates petroleum substitutes and methane gas.

Renewable Energy SourcesEffect on the Environment

• Substituting biomass for fossil fuels reduces emissions of greenhouse gases.

• Combustion of biomass produces air emissions. The amount of emissions varies widely depending upon the technology being used.

Inexhaustible

An energy source that will never run out.

Inexhaustible Energy Sources

• Any energy source that cannot be used up

• Currently provides 3.5% of energy consumed in US

Inexhaustible - Solar Energy

• Solar energy can be captured to provide heating or electrical power

• Solar energy is used in homes, cars, satellites, and in the international space station.

Inexhaustible – Hydroelectric Energy

• Force of falling water turns giant turbines to create electricity

• Hydroelectric power plants are located inside dams

Inexhaustible – Geothermal Energy

• Energy stored in the earth in the form of heat

• Geothermal energy turns water into steam which escapes through cracks in the Earth

• Forms geysers and hot springs

Inexhaustible - Wind Energy• Wind powers large

turbine generators that generate electricity

• Wind farms contain several large wind turbines in a location with strong and frequent wind

Inexhaustible Energy SourcesEffect on the Environment

• Minimal pollution or hazardous waste produced

• Readily available, without mining or drilling

So Why Don’t We Use More Renewable and Inexhaustible

Energy?• Renewable energy tends to be

remote from where the electricity is needed, thus transmission is needed.

• Renewable energy does have environmental impacts associated with land use.

• Many renewable resources are intermittent and are not always available when the electricity is needed (example: No sunlight at night for lighting homes and businesses).

Image Resources

Microsoft, Inc. (2008). Clip Art. Retrieved September 10, 2008, from http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/clipart/default.aspx