Sources of Energy

Biomass or Bioconversion• Any organic material that can be used for its energy;

wood, garbage, yard waste, crop waste, animal waste, even human waste

• Renewable• Industry, homes, plants burn to make heat and

produce energy• Can produce air pollution and odor• Gets energy from the sun. Reduces organic material

in landfills.

Coal• Black, solid fossil fuel formed from the remains of

ancient plants in swamps• Nonrenewable• Located underground in many areas of the country• Most coal is burned for energy• Power plants use to produce electricity• Can pollute the air and cause acid rain• Produces ½ of the electricity in the US. US has

largest coal reserves. Transported by train and barge and very expensive.

Geothermal• Heat produced by the Earth’s core by the slow decay of

naturally occurring radioactive particles.• Renewable• Low temp resources are found almost everywhere. High

temp resources are mostly found at the edge of plate tectonics

• Drill wells, lay pipes & pipe it to where it needs to go• Power plants use steam to produce electricity and

homes use steam for heat• Very little environmental effects• Geothermal resources tend to come to the surface along

plate edges

Hydropower• Is the force of moving water• Renewable• Sun causes water to evaporate into the atmosphere and form

clouds. The water vapor condenses and falls to the earth as precipitation.

• We can harness the energy flowing by damming rivers and using waterfalls

• Electric utilities use dams to turn the flowing water into electricity

• Can disrupt animal and fish habitat. Doesn’t pollute air, but can churn up sediments

• Cheapest and cleanest way to produce electricity. There are few places where new dams can be built.

Wind• Wind is the circulation of air caused by the uneven heating of the

Earth’s surface.• Renewable• The sun shines on the Earth, heating the land more than water. The

warmer air rises and cooler air takes its place, producing convection currents.

• Wind machines slow the motion of wind, turning turbines to produce electricity.

• Independent power producers build wind farms to produce electricity.

• Very clean, no pollution produced. They take up a lot of land, but the land can be used for other things at the same time.

• Do not produce a lot of electricity and do not produce all the time. Cannot be used in many areas. There must be a stable, continuous wind resource.

Natural Gas• Colorless, odorless gas formed millions of years ago from

tiny plants and animals. It is a fossil fuel.• Nonrenewable• Underground rock formations. We drill to reach it and

pipe it from the ground.• Usually we burn it to produce heat.• Industry to manufacture products, homes to produce

heat, power plants to produce electricity.• Clean burning fossil fuel, but produces some air pollution• Shipped millions of miles underground. Mercaptan, an

odorant that smells like rotten eggs, is added to natural gas so leaks can be detected.

Petroleum • A liquid fossil fuels. It can be thin and clear or thick and

black like tar.• Nonrenewable• Located in underground rocks, much is underwater. Wells

are drilled and petroleum is pumped from the ground.• It is refined into many different fuels which are burned to

produce heat. • Mostly used by transportation sector.• Causes air pollution and drilling can cause damage to the

land and water if there are leaks or spills.• We use more petroleum than any other energy source, but

don’t produce enough to meet our needs. We import 2/3 of what we need.

Propane• Colorless, odorless fossil fuel found within petroleum and

natural gas.• Nonrenewable• Found within petroleum and natural gas deposits and is

separated during refining and processing.• Put it in tanks under pressure to turn it to liquid for easier

transport, then we burn it to produce heat.• Heat in rural areas, outdoor grills, fuels for indoor machinery

or fleet fuel• Clean burning, but does produce some air pollutants. • Easily turned to liquid under pressure. Stored in

underground caverns and moved by pipelines and trucks. Called the portable fuel.

Solar• Radiant energy from the sun that travels to Earth in

electromagnetic waves.• Renewable• Through a process called fusion. During fusion, radiant

energy is emitted.• We capture solar energy with solar collectors. We also use

the visible light to see.• We all use visible light to see during the day. Many homes

and buildings use solar energy to heat and produce electricity.

• No air or water pollution• Not available all the time. Expensive, but new technology

will make solar energy a major energy source in the future.

Uranium• A common metallic element found in rocks all over the world.• Nonrenewable• Underground in rock formations. It is mined to recover. US has

plenty, but imports most of it because it is cheaper to do so.• Processed and turned into pellets and burned. Uranium atoms

are split during fission to produce heat.• Produce electricity. • Produces a radioactive waste that is dangerous for thousands

of years and must be stored carefully. Leaks pose a danger.• Little pollution except for radioactive waste which must be

stored in special repositories. Currently no permanent ones in US, although one is planned at Yucca Mountain, Nevada.