Nonrenewable Energy Resources
•Energy resources which do not naturally renew or replenish themselves •Depleted by use Fossil Fuels •Coal, oil, and natural gas •Formed when layers of buried plant, gases, and animals are exposed to intense heat and pressure over a long period of time •Currently the world’s primary energy source Coal •Fossilized carbon •Combustible (burns) •Recovered through mining •Occurs in layer or veins called coal beds or coal seams •Burned to produce heat or electricity Coal – 4 Types •Lignite – young, brownish, less value •Subbituminous –black lignite •Bituminous – soft, dense, black •Anthracite – hard, black lustrous, best Advantages 1.No shortage any time soon 2.Inexpensive 3.Reduces dependence on oil. 4.Creates jobs Disadvantages 1.Environmental impacts (burning, by-products, acid rain, increased greenhouse gases) 2.Mining impact on the land 3.Impact on miner’s health Oil •Known as petroleum or crude oil •Thick black liquid •Composed mostly of hydrogen and carbon (hydrocarbons) •Found in specific rock reservoirs •Extracted through drilling Advantages 1.Small amount produces a lot of energy 2.Easy to transport 3.Easy to produce 4.Constant reliable resource for years to come Disadvantages 1.Emits greenhouse gases 2.Spills cause water and land pollution and death to wildlife 3.Harmful emissions from plants can make people sick Natural Gas •Found deep in the earth and drilled to extract •Flammable, colorless, odorless •Made of methane and other hydrocarbons Advantages Compared to coal and oil 1.Less damage to the environment 2.Burns cleaner 3.More abundant 4.Safer 5.Cheaper 6.Best among fossil fuels Disadvantages 1.Gas leaks can be dangerous. Can cause explosions 2.Burning creates greenhouse gases. 3.Expensive infrastructure for production and distribution Fracking •A technique designed to recover gas and oil from shale rock •Drilling process similar to oil •A high-pressure water mixture is directed into the rock to break up the cracks and release the gas and oil inside. •Can be drilled horizontally or vertically Advantages 1.Can reach more oil and gas than traditional methods 2.Makes us less dependent on foreign oil 3.Less air pollution 4.Creates jobs Disadvantages 1.Keeps us from developing renewable resources 2.Uses a lot of water in the process 3.May pollute groundwater 4.Noise pollution 5.Chemicals used unknown Nuclear •The energy generated during nuclear fusion, especially when used to generate electricity •Fusion – two lighter nuclei fuse to form a heavier nucleus. Energy is given off. •Nuclear materials – uranium and plutonium. Advantages 1.Low pollution 2.Reliable 3.Low cost to produce electricity 4.Little fusion material needed to produce a lot of energy 5.Easily transported Disadvantages 1.Environmental impact in mining uranium 2.High cost in securing radioactive waste 3.Expensive to build a plant and purchase fuels 4.Accidents at plants are costly and dangerous Generating electricity from nonrenewable resources 1.Fossil fuels are burned to induce heat. Nuclear energy is produced from fusing atom nuclei. 2.The energy is used to heat water. 3.The water turns to steam. 4.The steam turns a turbine. 5.The turbine shaft is connected to the shaft of a generator. 6.Magnets spin within wire coils of the generator to produce electricity. Comments are closed.
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Erik E. Mason
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