Energy

fuel cell

a cell producing an electric current directly from a chemical reaction.

bitumen

a degraded type of petroleum that forms when a petroleum deposits is not capped with nonporous rock.

coal

a solid fuel formed primarily from the reamins of trees ferns and other plant material that were preserved 280 to 360 millians years.

passive solar design

a technique that takes advantage of solar radiation to maintain a comfortable temperature in the building.

fossil carbon

carbon in fossil fuels.

capacity

the maximum amount of something.

what percent of global energy use is renewable?

13%

what is the efficiency of a normal generation station?

35%

what is the efficiency of a cycle generator ?

60%

wht percentage of the united states energy is renewable?

7%

how much resouces does the united staes use?

84% fossil fuels 7% reneable and 9% nuclear

electrical grid

An electrical grid is an interconnected network for delivering electricity from suppliers to consumers. It consists of generating stations that produce electrical power, high-voltage transmission lines that carry power from distant sources to demand centers, and distribution lines that connect individual customers.

biomass

Biomass is biological material derived from living, or recently living organisms. In the context of biomass for energy this is often used to mean plant based material, but biomass can equally apply to both animal and vegetable derived material.

decay series

Decay series is a series of decay in which radioactive element is decomposed in different elements until it produces one stable atom.

geothermal energy

Geothermal energy is the heat from the Earth. It's clean and sustainable. Resources of geothermal energy range from the shallow ground to hot water and hot rock found a few miles beneath the Earth's surface, and down even deeper to the extremely high temperatures of molten rock called magma.

ground source heat pump

Ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) are electrically powered systems that tap the stored energy of the greatest solar collector in existence: the earth. These systems use the earth's relatively constant temperature to provide heating, cooling, and hot water for homes and commercial buildings.

what are the advantages and disadvantages of using hydroelectricity?

Hydroelectricity enjoys several advantages over most other sources of electrical power. These include a high level of reliability, proven technology, high efficiency, very low operating and maintenance costs, and the ability to easily adjust to load changes. Because many hydropower plants are located in conjunction with reservoirs, hydropower projects often provide water, flood control, and recreation benefits. In addition, hydropower does not produce waste products that contribute to air quality problems, acid rain, and greenhouse gases. It is a renewable resource that reduces the use of other fuels (oil, gas, and coal). Disadvantages of hydroelectricity include high initial costs of facilities; dependence on precipitation (no control over amount of water available); changes in stream regimens (can affect fish, plants, and wildlife by changing stream levels, flow patterns, and temperature); inundation of land and wildlife habitat (creation of reservoir); and displacement of people living in the reservoir area.

how is all energy solar?

More often, though, we use the stored energy in the much more concentrated forms that result when organic matter, after millions of years of geological and chemical activity underground, turns into fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, or natural gas. Either way, we're reclaiming the power of sunlight.

what are passive and active solar energy?

Passive solar energy utilizes building constituents such as walls, floors, roofs, windows, exterior building elements and landscaping to control heat generated by sun. Solar heating designs try to trap and store thermal energy from sunlight directly. and active solar energy is Active solar heating systems use a substance to collect and transfer the heat in the solar collector. This substance is typically air or a liquid. Air-based systems absorb the energy through the air and are referred to as air collectors.

what are ecological problems created by dams?

Soil Erosion One of the first problems with dams is the erosion of land. Dams hold back the sediment load normally found in a river flow, depriving the downstream of this. In order to make up for the sediments, the downstream water erodes its channels and banks. This lowering of the riverbed threatens vegetation and river wildlife. A major example of soil erosion problems is the Aswan Dam. One of the reasons dams are built is to prevent flooding. However, most ecosystems which experience flooding are adapted to this and many animal species depend on the floods for various lifecycle stages, such as reproduction and hatching. Annual floods also deposit nutrients and replenish wetlands. Species Extinction As fisheries become an increasingly important source of food supply, more attention is being paid to the harmful effects of dams on many fish and marine mammel populations. The vast majority of large dams do not include proper bypass systems for these animals, interfering with their lifecycles and sometimes even forcing species to extinction. Spread of Disease Dam reservoirs in tropical areas, due to their slow-movement, are literally breeding grounds for mosquitoes, snails, and flies, the vectors that carry malaria, schistosomiasis, and river blindness. Changes to Earth's Rotation Nasa geophysicist Dr. Benjamin Fong Chao found evidence that large dams cause changes to the earth's rotation, because of the shift of water weight from oceans to reservoirs. Because of the number of dams which have been built, the Earth's daily rotation has apparently sped up by eight-millionths of a second since the 1950s. Chao said it is the first time human activity has been shown to have a measurable effect on the Earth's motion.

tidal energy

Tidal energy is a form of hydropower that converts the energy of the tides into electricity or other useful forms of power. The tide is created by the gravitational effect of the sun and the moon on the earth causing cyclical movement of the seas.

petroleum

a fluid mixture of hydrocarbons water and sulfur.petroleum is formed from the remains of oce. dwelling phytoplankton that died millions of years ago.

hubbert curve

a graph which projected the point at which world oil production would reach a maximum and the point at which we would run out of oil.

nuclear fission

a nuclear reaction in which a neutron strikes a relatively large atomic nucleus which then splits into two or more parts.

non renewable resource

a resource that cannot be replenished oce they are used.

fuel rods

a rod-shaped fuel element in a nuclear reactor

name and describe the strengths and weaknesses of esch biofuel forms.

a strength for biofuel is that it is Renewable it will always have the sources of biomass such as crops, manure and garbage. As you convert this year's crop to fuel, you are growing another one for next years fuel. Renewing takes just as long time as it takes to grow or gather, and that can be as little as months in some cases. another strength is that it is Carbon Neutral This is maybe most important of the advantages of biomass energy. Biomass is a part of the carbon cycle. Carbon from the atmosphere is absorbed into plants during photosynthesis and when the plant decays or is burnt that carbon goes back into the atmosphere. Because it is a cycle, the next crop of plants absorb that carbon over again, so there is a balance between the amount of carbon that the biomass fuel release into the atmosphere and the amount that they extract from it. This is why biomass fuels do not contribute to global warming. Biomass fuels are clean. another strength isthat it is cost effective Energy harnessed from biomass is inexpensive compared to coal and oil. Typically they cost about 1/3 less than fossil fuels doing the same job. This means you can spend 1/3 less every year on heating your home and after 10 or 15 years that adds up to a considerable saving biofuel is also abundant Biomass is available in large quantities all over the world. Large pipelines across country borders and oceans are therefore most likely not necessary. the disadvantages of biomass is that it is Expensive Extraction of biomasses can be expensive. In some areas we find that biomass projects may not be worth the price and is therefore never finished. This is also true for the harvesting and storing of the different types of biomass. biomass also Requires Space We need big areas for all the different processes that are required in harnessing energy from biomass. The areas that are needed for storing can be particular large.

wind turbines

a turbine having a large vaned wheel rotated by the wind to generate electricity.

name three types of radiation

alpha,beta and gamma.

meltdown

an accident in a nuclear reactor in which the fuel overheats and melts the reactor core or shielding.

smart grid

an electricity supply network that uses digital communications technology to detect and react to local changes in usage.

what are the 4 types of coal and how are they different?

anthracite which is the highest amount of co2 content. bituminous which is the second highest co2 content. subbituminous which is the third in co2 content and lignite wich is the lowest in co2 content.

what is the amount of each renewable energy source used in the united states?

biomass 53%, wind 7%, geothermal 5%, solar 1%

explain how fossil fuels create electricty?

coal is delivered to a boiler where it is burned the burning fuel transfers energy to water which becomes steam the kinetic energy contained within the steam is transferred to the blades od a turbine a large device that resembles a fan or a jet engine as the energy in the stream turns the turbine the shaft in the center of the turbine turns the generator which generates electricity the electricity is then transported along a network of interconnected transmission lines known as the electrical grid which connects power plants together and lines them with end users of electricity once the electricity is on the grid it is distributed to homes buisnesses factories and other electricity consumers where it may be converted into heat energy for cooking kinetic energy in motors or radiant energy in lights or used to operate electronic devices after the steam passes through the turbine it is condensed back into water. sometimes the water is cooledin a cooling tower or discharged into a nearby body of water.

examples of fossil fuels:

coal,oil and natural gas

natural gas

component of petroleum in the ground as well as in gaseous deposits separate nfrom petroleum it is made of 80 to 95% methane and 5 to 20% ethane , propane and butane.

crude oil

composed of mainly hydrocarbons and organic compounds.

control rods

cylindrical devices that can be inserted between the fuel rods to absorb excess neutrons thus slowing or stopping the fission reaction.

fossil fuels

derived from biological material that became fossilized millions of years ago.

nuclear fuels

derived from radioactive materials that give off energy.

hydroelectricity

electricity generated by kinetic energy or moving water.

renewable energy

energy from a source that is not depleted when used, such as wind or solar power.

peak oil

extraction and use would begin to decline.

energy conservation

finding ways to use less energy.

what happened to the united states gas mileage over time?

gas mileage increased

what is the amount of each renewable energy souce used globally?

hydroelectric 15%, solar wind and geothermal 8%,and combustible renewables and waste 77%

how does net removal effect the environment?

it is an unsustainable practice that leads to deforestation.

becquerel

measures the rate at which a sample of radioactive material decays. 1 Bq is equal to the decay of one atom per second.

net removal

removing more timber than is replaced by growth or net removal.

oil sands

slow flowing viscous deposits of bitumen mixed with sand water and clay.

what are the advantages and disadvanates of coal?

the advantages are that it is cheap ,plentyful ,energy dense. the disadvantages of coal is that it has many impurities including sulfur ,murcury ,lead,and arsinic wich lead to air pollution.releases far more co2 than natural gas and oil.

what are the advantages and disadvantages of natural gas?

the advantages of natural gas is that it has fewer impurities emmits almost no sulfur dioxide or particulates during combustion.emmits less co2 than coal. the disadvantages of natural gas is when unburned methane escape into atmosphere and the exploration of natural gas has the potential of contaminating groundwater.

what are the advantages and disadvantages of petroleum?

the advantages of petroleum is that it is extremely convenient to transport and use.relatively energy dense, cleaner burning than coal. the disadvanates of petroleum is that it releases co2 when burned it also releases, sulfur,murcury ,lead and arsenic into the atmosphere when burned.

modern carbon

the carbon in biomass.

capacity factor

the fraction of the time a plant is operating.

peak demand

the greatest quantity of energy used at any one time.

nuclear fusion

the reaction that powers the sun and other stars occurs when lighter nuclei are forced together to produce heavier nuclei.

how is all energy solar?

the sun is the ultimate source of fossil fuels. fossil fuels are created from dead plants and animals that are buried deep in sediments and slowly transformed into petroleum or coal.most types of renewable energy are also derived from the sun and cycles driven by the sun including solar,wind and hydroelectric energy as well as plant biomass such as wood. in fact the only important source of energy that are not solar based are nuclear, geothermal and tidal energy.

half life

the time required, probabilistically, for half of the unstable, radioactive atoms in a sample to undergo radioactive decay.

how much resouces(fuels) does the world use?

the world uses 84% fossil fuels 9% nuclear and 7% renewable.

beta

these are fast moving electrons. They typically have energies in the range of a few hundred keV to several MeV. Since electrons are might lighter than helium atoms, they are able to penetrate further, through several feet of air, or several millimeters of plastic or less of very light metals.

alpha

these are fast moving helium atoms. They have high energy, typically in the MeV range, but due to their large mass, they are stopped.

gamma

these are photons, just like light, except of much higher energy, typically from several keV to several MeV. X-Rays and gamma rays are really the same thing, the difference is how they were produced. Depending on their energy, they can be stopped by a thin piece of aluminum foil, or they can penetrate several inches of lead.

subsistence energy source

those gathered by individuals for their own immediate needs.

commercial energy sources

those that are bought and sold such as coal and natural gas. sometimes wood, charcoal and animal waste are sold commercially.

curie

unit of measurement for radiation is 37 billion decays per second.