Chapter 19 environmental
Assume that the actual total available oil turns out to be 3500 billion barrels. By roughly how many years does this delay the peak in oil production?
15-20 years
Energy conservation investments- What does the y-axis show?
the cost of conserved energy, in dollars per kilowatt-hour
ICEVs only
CO2 emitted by burning gasoline per kilometer traveled
EVs only
CO2 emitted in gathering and building specialized batteries Number of kilometers a car can travel on a kilowatt-hour of electricity CO2 emitted by different forms of electricity generation
Both ICEVs and EVs
CO2 emitted in gathering materials to build the car CO2 emitted in building the car Number of kilometers driven CO2 associated with vehicle disposal
If the cost of energy rose to $.18 per kilowatt-hour, which of the following would be true?
Investing in a solar hot water heating and a ground source heat pump would become cost-effective. Investing in a ground source heat pump and a gas stove would become cost-effective.
During peak usage, what happens to the cost of electricity?
It almost always increases.
What color smoke coming from a coal-fired power plant would indicate wasted fuel?
black
Many pollutants from coal-fired power plants are properly managed today. Which of the following is currently considered to be the biggest threat to the environment?
carbon dioxide
Used primarily in the United States for electricity generation:
coal
the world's most abundant fossil fuel:
coal
. Remains of ancient organisms, modified underground for long periods by temperature and pressure:
coal, oil, and natural gas
Created very slowly and considered nonrenewable at current extraction rates:
coal, oil, and natural gas
Where is electricity made at a coal-fired power plant?
generator
China's main source of energy contributes most to what global environmental problem?
global climate change
What have Chinese companies started producing to reduce the use of gasoline (petrol)?
hybrid cars
Primary fuel used in the United States for space and water heating
natural gas
Produces the least carbon dioxide per unit energy when combusted
natural gas
A mixture of hundreds or thousands of different hydrocarbon molecules
oil
Used primarily in the United States as a source of vehicle fuels:
oil
All fossil fuels, including coal, are considered an indirect form of ____________ energy.
solar
China's government is encouraging companies to __________.
take the lead in all green technologies
Which of the following energy investments would be cost-effective to install?
triple paned windows
One of China's cement factories has become more energy efficient by __________.
using the extra gas and heat from the kilns to generate electricity
The bars on the graph are not of equal width. What does the width of each bar represent?
the amount of energy saved by an investment, in kilowatt-hours per year
7 steps of a coal fired power plant
1. coal is burned in the furnace 2. heat from combustion boils water 3. steam turns the turbine 4. magnets are moved past copper coils to generate current 5. steam is cooled and condensed 6. air pollutants are filtrated out 7. toxic ash is taken to a hazardous disposal waste site
Now calculate the total carbon content of the fossil fuel consumed in the year 1750 (assume 0.03 trillion kg C). How many times greater was the total carbon content of the fossil fuel consumed in 2000 than in 1750?
1.7 x 10^6
If the paleoproduction consumption line reached a peak in 2000 and began to decline at the same rate it increased, in what year would we be at global net primary productivity again?
2110
If on average it takes 7,000 units of paleoproduction to produce 1 unit of fossil fuel, estimate the total carbon content of the fossil fuel consumed in the year 2000 (assume 50,000 trillion kg C consumption in 2000).
3.5 x 10^8 trillion kg C
Assume you are advising the U.S. president on energy policy, and that the world holds 3500 billion barrels of oil. What would be your estimate of how long the United States can expect to maintain its current level of oil consumption? Use the Hubbert Curve and the data provided on previous trends in oil production.
10 to 20 years
The red line represents annual human consumption of paleoproduction by fossil fuel combustion. The dashed line indicates current annual net primary production (NPP) for the entire planet. Estimate in what year the annual consumption of paleoproduction surpassed Earth's current annual NPP.
1890
Estimate in what year our consumption of paleoproduction reached 100 times Earth's current annual net primary production.
1960
Which of the following range of years represents a reasonable estimate of when global oil production peaked or will peak?
1995-2005
Assume that the Hubbert's Curve shown in Step 2 represents oil production for a nation in which production began in 1970. When is this nation's oil production expected to peak?
2020
examine the shape of the curve in Step 1. How would you most accurately describe what these data show?
a steep increase in oil production, followed by a slowing and leveling off of production as new oil deposits become more difficult to find and extract
How much energy would be saved by adding insulation to ceilings?
about 2,000 kilowatt-hours/year
How much energy would the family save by investing in all of the features that are cost-effective at the current price of energy?
about 9,000 kilowatt-hours per year
Which of these energy investments is the least expensive to install?
adding insulation to ceilings
