Around the world, different energy resources are available to us. They fall into two main categories: renewable and non-renewable energy resources. They are used to generate electricity and power. Use your GIS to become energy literate and learn more about the different types of energy we use.
\r\nJust like fossils, fossil fuels were formed millions of years ago. Fossil fuels are coal, oil and natural gas and they are found within the rocks of the Earth\\''s surface. They are natural substances – the remains of ancient plants and animals. Over time heat and pressure turned these decomposing remains into fuels that release energy when burned. All around the world, people depend on fossil fuels to make electricity, heat homes and other buildings, power appliances, drive cars etc. Fossil fuels supply about 90% of the world\\''s energy.
\r\nIn rocks under hot deserts, snowy plains and stormy seas there is buried treasure: a ''liquid gold''. Oil is a sticky, gooey black stuff but 500 million years ago, it began as tiny plants and animals, called plankton, which lived in ancient lakes and seas. It is very valuable because so much is extracted from it. Most of this sticky, black fossil fuel is used for energy, but 12% of each barrel is turned into chemicals and plastics. Oil is brought to the surface by drilling deep holes called wells. This is fairly easy to do on land, but at sea, platforms as tall as skyscrapers have to be built. On land, oil is pumped to the surface by machines called nodding donkeys! Oil releases polluting gases and CO2 as it burns. Also, transporting oil around the world can produce oil slicks, pollute beaches and harm wildlife.
\r\nLike oil, natural gas began as tiny plants and animals called plankton that lived in ancient lakes and seas millions of years ago. Over millions of years, bacteria, heat and pressure changed the plankton into natural gas. Natural gas that comes out of the ground is made up of four different gases: methane, butane, propane and ethane. Big buildings called rigs, gather up has that flows from deep under the sea bed. The drill to reach the pocket of gas may be six more than 3 miles long! Natural gas travels a long way before it reaches the top of your stove. It has to be released from deep below the ground, cleaned, and piped countless miles. Before it can be used, natural gas is sent to a factory where all of the gases, except methane, the part that burns best, are removed and a smell is added. Natural gas does create dangerous greenhouse gases, however, it creates fewer than coal or oil when it is burned. It is more efficient for making electricity too, because it burns hotter than coal or oil. Natural gas provides about 23% of the world''s energy and is growing in popularity.
\r\nNatural gas and crude oil can be found in many places around the world, such as the Middle East (about 70 per cent of the world''s known resources of oil), the USA and under the North Sea off the coast of the UK. Natural gas is found wherever there is oil, but it can also be found on its own. They are both drilled out of the ground and found at sea.
\r\nOil and gas are non-renewable: they will not last forever. New sources of oil and gas are constantly being sought. More oil is used than any other fuel, but it may run out in about 70 years. There may no natural gas left in about 60 years'' time. Estimates vary, however, because we do not know where all the resources are and we do know how quickly we will use them.
', '2005-11-26 11:48:54', '0000-00-00'); INSERT INTO `cms_pages` VALUES (4, 1, 1, 'Coal', 'Like layers of cream in a cake, there are bands, or seams of coal in the rocks beneath the ground. About half of the 5,000 million tonnes of coal mined each year is burnt in power stations to make electricity. Coal provides about 27% of the worlds energy and it supplies about 40% of the world\\''s electricity. Coal mainly consists of carbon atoms that come from the remains of ancient plants. 440 million years ago, trees and other plants grew quickly in a tropical climate, and when they died, they fell into swamps. Water in the swamps and bacteria caused the plants to decay into a spongy brown substance called \\''peat. As time passed, layers of peat, sand and mud built up. The pressure from these layers and heated it up. Water was squeezed out and the amount of carbon increased. Over millions of years, the material gradually changed into coal. Coal is a black solid that is reasonably soft. You can scratch it with a fingernail and can be carved into shapes. It is not as soft as charcoal, however, and is quite strong. There are different types of coal. Some contain impurities such as sulphur that pollute the atmosphere further when they burn, contributing to acid rain. To get the coal out of the ground, it has to be mined by:
\r\nBurning coal contributes to global warming, as well as to the production of smog (smoke and fog), which is harmful to health. Coal\\''s energy content is not as great as oil. When coal burns, it produces more carbon dioxide than oil. It is a finite resource and will eventually run out. Coal can be difficult, costly and dangerous to mine.
\r\nCoal can be found in parts of the world that were once covered with swampy forests, such as the UK about 250 million years ago. There are large deposits in Australia, China, USA, Europe and Russia. South Africa also has relatively large deposits.
\r\nThe world has more reserves of coal, than oil and gas. It is estimated that supplies may last another 200 years.
\r\nBurning coal contributes to global warming, as well as to the production of smog (smoke and fog), which is harmful to health. Coal’s energy content is not as great as oil. When coal burns, it produces more carbon dioxide than oil. It is a finite resource and will eventually run out. Coal can be difficult, costly and dangerous to mine.
\r\nCoal can be found in parts of the world that were once covered with swampy forests, such as the UK about 250 million years ago. There are large deposits in Australia, China, USA, Europe and Russia. South Africa also has relatively large deposits.
\r\nThe world has more reserves of coal, than oil and gas. It is estimated that supplies may last another 200 years.
', '2005-12-02 17:01:09', '0000-00-00'); INSERT INTO `cms_pages` VALUES (5, 1, 1, 'Nuclear Energy', 'The large amount of energy released from the nucleus of atoms is known as nuclear, or atomic, energy. Nuclear energy is made from enormous amounts of energy locked inside uranium atoms. Uranium is mined. Once it is extracted, it is converted into a compact form called ''yellowcake'' and then transported to a nuclear power station. Here, the energy that is set free can boil water. Steam from this hot water is used to generate electricity.
\r\nNuclear energy can be used in many ways. Since its discovery during World War II (1939-45), many efforts have been made to produce weapons from its explosive energy. The atomic bomb was one of these weapons. The first atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. It killed more than 70,000 people and destroyed most of the city. However, nuclear energy can be used for more peaceful purposes too. Today, it is used to create electricity through nuclear power plants. It is also used to power submarines and other naval vessels. Doctors also use radioactive energy to find lumps or swellings in the human body and can then diagnose and treat people suffering from cancer and other diseases.
\r\nNuclear energy is very harmful to humans, animals, and plants and its drawbacks can bring about ill effects that could last for a lifetime or even many generations. People worry about nuclear power because when the energy is released from an atom, deadly rays, called radiation, also escape. Also, nuclear power produces spent fuel, which is solid waste and disposing of this waste so that it does not spread into the environment is also a major problem. Spent nuclear fuel is radioactive and extra care and thought must be given to how nuclear waste is handled and stored. The safe storage and disposal of nuclear waste is really difficult challenge because excessive radiation results in fatigue, nausea, loss of teeth and hair, and damage to the blood in humans.
\r\nEven though Nuclear power plants are designed and operated with an emphasis on safety, accidents at these plants are possible. A major accident occurred in 1986 at a nuclear power plant at Chernobyl in Ukraine. Harmful gases leaked out into the air and spread over much of Europe. These radioactive gases ruined crops and livestock and caused harm to many people.
\r\nUnlike non-renewable sources of energy, renewable resources can be replaced. The over-use of non-renewable sources of energy has caused more environmental damage than any other human activity. Our use of fossil fuels to make electricity has released harmful gases in the atmosphere. Because of the damaging environmental effects we continue to search for alternatives to fossil fuels to keep our homes warm, our factories humming, and our cars moving. The way in which we produce and consume energy is so important because energy has deep relationships with the environment, but also the economy and social welfare.
\r\nIn the year 2100 there will be more than 12 billion people in the world and the demand for energy will be five times greater than what it is now. If we keep using fossil fuels: coal, oil and gas like we do now by the year 2010 the global temperature will have increased by two degrees Celsius. And we know that this will cause changes in weather that will have negative effects on environments and people around the world. You will learn more about climate change and global warming later in your expedition.
\r\nThere is a great deal we can do now to change this trend! We must use more renewable energy in our daily lives and safeguard our future and for generations to come. Unlike fossil fuels, renewable energy sources can be replenished. The five renewable sources used most often include hydropower (water), solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass.
\r\nDid you know that at present, renewable energy contributes only 11% to our primary energy use? However, by 2070, it is expected that 60% of all our energy will come from renewable sources. The sooner we do this, the better – why not increase this to 80%? Many organisations are spending millions of dollars on projects dealing with renewable energy and the environment. This shows how important energy is as the new source of power for the future.
\r\nBecause most renewable energies use resources that already exist in countries around the world, many countries will not have to rely on buying energy from other countries. This is especially important for poorer countries around the world that are unable to buy energy because they cannot afford it!
\r\nDeveloping the region''s vast renewable resources can provide:
\r\nSecurity Benefits
\r\nSolar energy is energy made from the sun. The sun has produced energy for billions of years. Solar energy is the solar radiation that reaches the earth.
\r\n Solar energy can be converted into other forms of energy, such as heat and electricity. It all started in the 1930s when British astronomer John Herschel used a solar collector box to cook food during an expedition to Africa. Now, people are trying to use the sun''s energy for lots of things. It is used for heating water for domestic use, space heating of buildings, drying agricultural products, and generating electrical energy.
\r\n There are about 13 solar electric generating units operating in the US, and most of these are in California.
The major applications of solar energy at the moment are heating swimming pools, heating water for domestic use, and space heating of buildings. Flat-plate solar energy collectors are used to collect the energy.
\r\nSolar thermal power plants use the sun''s rays to heat a fluid, and produce steam. This steam is then converted into energy and finally into electricity.
\r\nA parabolic trough is one of the most advanced collectors of solar energy and is used in the solar-thermal power plants in the world. The collector is able to track the sun so that the sun is continuously focused on the receiver. So it can collect a great deal of the sun''s energy! In California''s Mojave desert, these power plants produce more than 99% of the commercially available solar generated electric power in the U.S.
\r\nLike a parabolic trough, a solar dish can track the sun. It can always be pointed at the sun and collect more energy. A solar dish can be good for remote areas. The solar dish engine system converts heat to electrical power.
\r\nA solar power tower generates electricity from sunlight by focusing concentrated solar energy on a tower-mounted heat receiver. The energy can be concentrated as much as 1,500 times that of the energy coming in from the sun. Though power towers are in the early stages of development compared with parabolic trough technology, many test facilities have been built around the world.
', '2005-11-26 11:43:41', '0000-00-00'); INSERT INTO `cms_pages` VALUES (9, 1, 2, 'Wind Energy', 'Wind is simply air that moves and it is actually produced by the uneven heating of the earth''s surface by the sun. Wind is a renewable energy source because wind will continually be produced as long as the sun shines. More than 5,000 years ago, the ancient Egyptians used wind power to sail their ships on the Nile River. Later, people built windmills to grind their grain. Did you know that the earliest known windmills were in Persia (Iran) and looked like large paddle wheels? Today, wind energy is mainly used to generate electricity. Many centuries later, the Dutch made windmills with propeller-type blades made of fabric sails and invented ways for it to change direction so that it could continually face the wind. In the past, energy from windmills was also used to pump water and cut wood, and in the 1920s, it was used in America to generate electricity in rural areas. Today, wind energy is mainly used to generate electricity.
\r\nWindmills work because they slow down the speed of the wind. The wind flows over the airfoil shaped blades causing lift, like the effect on airplane wings, causing them to turn. The blades are connected to a drive shaft that turns an electric generator to produce electricity. Even though modern windmills are much more sophisticated than the ones of the past, they still have the problem of what to do when the wind is not blowing. So, they are connected to another type of generator that keeps them working when there is no wind.
\r\nWind farms are wind power plants. A wind farm usually has dozens of wind machines scattered over a large area. Wind plant owners (many wind plants are not owned by public utility companies) must carefully plan where to locate their machines because they have to think about how much the wind blows, local weather conditions and proximity to electrical transmission lines.
\r\nWind farms also need a lot of land and a take up hundreds of acres. However, farmers can also use the land around the machines for other things like growing crops or grazing cattle.
\r\nThe good news is that wind farms are far less expensive to build than conventional energy plants. Also, the cost of producing electricity from the wind has dropped dramatically in the last two decades.
\r\n Drawbacks
\r\n Some people are worried that wind farms can have negative effect on wild bird populations. To some, the blades of windmills on the horizon are an eyesore; but to others, they''re a beautiful alternative to conventional power plants.
Geothermal-generated electricity was first produced in Italy in 1904. Since then, the use of geothermal energy for electricity has grown worldwide. Geothermal energy is the heat from the Earth. The very high heat of the inside of the Earth is used to make electricity. It releases little or no air emissions and is sustainable. We use the very high heat of the inside of the Earth to make electricity. Underground water reservoirs are heated by the very hot rocks of the crust. This hot water makes steam, which powers a generator that makes electricity. 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.
\r\nGeothermal power is generated in over 20 countries around the world including the United States, Italy, France, New Zealand, Mexico the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan and Canada. Because of the special geological situation in Iceland with the high concentration of volcanoes, geothermal energy is very often used for heating and producing electricity. So in the wintertime, some sidewalks in cities in Iceland like Reykjavik and Akureyi are heated! And on the road between Reykjavík and the International Airport at Keflavik (40 km long), the lights on the lamp posts are on the whole night. In the United States, geothermal resources are concentrated in the West, although low-temperature resources can also be found in the rest of the country. Geothermal heat pumps can be used nearly anywhere.
', '2005-11-26 11:43:41', '0000-00-00'); INSERT INTO `cms_pages` VALUES (12, 1, 2, 'Hydropower - Water', 'Hydropower is energy generated from moving water. Of the renewable energy sources that generate electricity, hydropower is the most often used. It is also called hydroelectric power, and these facilities in the United States can generate enough energy to supply 28 million households with electricity, the equivalent of nearly 500 million barrels of oil!
\r\nA great deal of energy can be generated from swiftly flowing water in a big river or from water falling rapidly from a very high point, like Niagara Falls in New York. In either instance, the water flows through a pipe, or penstock, then pushes against and turns blades in a turbine to spin a generator to produce electricity.
\r\nSome people think hydropower is ideal to produce electricity because unlike fossil fuels, it is almost free, there are no waste products, and hydropower does not pollute the water or the air. However, some concerns about it are that it changes the environment and affects natural habitats. For example, in the Columbia River, salmon must swim upstream to their spawning grounds to reproduce, but the series of dams gets in their way. There are however, solutions to this problem being explored like building ‘fish ladders'' which help the salmon "step up" the dam to the spawning grounds upstream.
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