Comparative Resource and Energy Yield Assessment Procedures ...
Non Renewable Energy Resources. A few things to understand before we begin 1.Net Energy Yield –...
-
Upload
barnaby-williamson -
Category
Documents
-
view
214 -
download
1
Transcript of Non Renewable Energy Resources. A few things to understand before we begin 1.Net Energy Yield –...
Non Renewable Energy Resources
A few things to understand before we begin
1. Net Energy Yield– Amount of usable energy provided– Takes into account the amount of energy needed
to produce.
2. Energy Return on Investment– Energy obtained per unit energy used.
3. Subsidizing– Financial support given to energy sectors that
have low net yield in order to compete in market.
Net energy yields of various energy sources
Figure 15-2
Figure 15-3
COAL: Plentiful but dirty
• Where is it?– US, Russia, China, Australia, India
• Used for:– 43% of World Electricity– Industrial plants
• Used by:– China, United States, India, Russia, and Japan (5
leading nations, but China uses ~3x more than US)
Pros and Cons to Coal
Pros• Abundant supply• United States wouldn’t
need to depend on foreign nations
• Still relatively cheap
Cons• Most polluting form of
nonrenewable energy• H2SO4 due to release of SO2 into
the atmosphere• SPM and toxic pollutants• #1 CO2 emitter • Slurry bonds can lead to water
pollution• Costs do not reflect environmental
impact.• Mining has negative
environmental impact.
Coal to Synthetic Fuels (Synfuels)• Known as a “cleaner” version of coal.– BUT• Requires much more mining of coal to create• Conversion puts up to 50% more CO2 into atmosphere• Requires a lot of water.
• Does not have as high of an energy content.