Chap+9+Energy+Sources

Chapter 9 Energy Sources

** Energy Resource Comparison ** ** Purpose: ** · Research and compare current U.S. electric power production technologies · Outline and defend a power production policy, including feasible alternative technologies, for the coming century ** Introduction: ** There are many possible approaches to electric power production in the U.S. Some of the technologies have been on line producing power, with various problem and degrees of success and efficiency. As some conventional fuels for these technologies become more scarce and expensive or geopolitically problematic, the need grows to look to the development of alternatives. At the same time the population and its residential and industrial demand for power never cease to expand, creating the need for more generating plants over time. The means of power production listed in the left columns of the attached data table include conventional fossil fuel-fired plants and nuclear reactors as well as alternative technologies that have the advantage of being renewable. For many of the renewable ones, there remain challenges in implementing their cost efficient use. Some are in their second to third generation of improvements and yielding some power into the national grid. There remain many questions to be answered as to what areas will provide the most promise for providing resources in our energy future. Procedure: Complete the following table using your chosen color! This is not a time to use what you already know …it is a time to do some research and ten give some detail! Source || Availability || State of Technology || Economics || Environmental and Health Considerations || || Definitely economical. Wind turbines are the only direct financial cost and the ocasionally repair. However laying long cables under ground and setting up hundreds at a time can cost as much as any power plant. The benefit is less mantenance (wind doesn't normally explode or produce waste) and less labor costs. || Really none. except some bird that may fly into a blade, but if you ask me they deserve to die if they can't fly around a 20m propeller you can see from a mile away. || It does cost quite a lot to actually build the technology to harness the geothermal energy reservoirs, but it only costs about $0.03 - $0.08 per KW in the US. || ﻿ ﻿Minimal. Instead of burning fossil fuels, it uses cleaner ways of producing electricity. The steam and hot water taken from these hotspots are reinserted back into the ground. However, the actual building of production wells can harm the surroundings such marine ecosystems in the Ring of Fire, or on terrestrial ecosystems where hot spots are present. ||
 * Energy
 * Coal || Where there is trapped carbon dioxide in the ground. The plant matter is changed over time to create coal. It must be mined. || There is evidence that coal has been used as a power source since 300 BC. The technology is jsut about as good as it's going to get. Humans have maximized the amount of power they can get from coal. || More expensive to mine than to drill fro oil. There is still a lot of coal left in the Earth but humans have mined and used a lot of it. Not as expensive as other technologies, but not cheap enough to become our primary source of fuel. || THe largest contributor of CO2, emits mercury, selenium, and arsenic when burned and couses regular fires in power plants. On a scale of one to ten, I'd give it a two. ||
 * Oil ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Natural Gas ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Nuclear Fission ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Hydroelectric || Anywhere there is a stream or river! || Technology has been available since the early 1900s. Technology is up to date, but at stations like the Garvin's Falls Hydroelectric plant in Bow, workers say that the turbines that were installed in the 1930s are more dependable than the newer ones, installed in the 70s and 80s. || Economically efficient: once installed, the costs are mainly relegated to maintenance, but these could potentially be large due to the the maintenance used to transfer the the energy from the turbines into electricity. || The migration of fish could be impeded, but that can be fixed with a ladder, and if not properly serviced, chemicals/hydraulic fluids could leak into the water body. ||
 * Solar || Anywhere the sun shines! || Currently evolving. The sun has been used for energy since the beginning of time, and it's power is still being harness in various forms today. Technology to make solar panels more efficient is continuously being developed. Also, technological advances in silicon production could greatly impact the efficiency of solar panels, and create less strain on the resources used to make them. || Solar panels are expensive, but over time, they will pay for themselves, as the consumer will gradually pay less and less for electricity provided through a public/private supply. Solar power is most economically efficient when it is produced (from a panel) and used in a large amount, like for a big office, warehouse, etc, than it is for the individual consumer. || The only issues with solar power lie in the production, installation and disposal of the panels. ||
 * Wind || Availible anywhere, however practically applicable in the central US states from Texas to the Dakotas. The height of the wind is also a factor. Heavy wind located a few feet off the ground is unusable, the normal height at which wind turbines are placed is 80m. So high average winds at 70-100m off the ground are where wind farms are located. || Wind power is fairly up to date. What is availible now is pretty much what we need. There could be some improvements in the efficiency of the turbine but new vertical axis wind turbine are taking care of that.
 * Geothermal || ﻿Available where there are "hot spots", such as geysers. Pretty much, wherever there is a lot of heat under ground that can easily be accessed through drilling, and where there are heated pockets of water. i.e. ICELAND! || ﻿Both simple and complicated: Need to isolate the water from steam, and then by using pipes, the steam travels to a a power- plant where it'll turn a turbine. This is similar to coal plants, but without burning coal. The turbine then produces electricity. || ﻿Very inexpensive!
 * Nuclear Fusion ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Solid Waste ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Biomass || Pretty much everywhere except the poles where nothing lives. Mainly applicable in areas near a significant population where living (or recently dead) matter that would otherwise be thrown away can be collected. Any forest may also be harvested, however this may not be sustainable. || Has existed since fire was invented. Biomass is the wood in a campfire and what humans first used to cook food. Well, it's come a long way since then, now it is used in the traditional incinerator to heat water and drive turbines for electricity. Since this is an older energy source the technology is well established and time tested. || Economically it makes sense. Why not burn our plant waste and/or trees. They grow everywhere and there is plenty to use. The trick is to build a plant next to or near the source of the biomass, this minimizes the cost of transporting the biomass to the power plant. One set back to the plant, as with other incinerators, it requires more maintenance and laborers. || Biomass is tricky. If done right and in the right amounts it is renewable and there is no net pollution. If done on a large scale the nearby area would see localized pollution and smog. The area providing the biomass could be over harvested and cause some erosion and loss of habitat for wildlife. ||
 * Gas Hydrates ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Tidal || Fairly new source of energy. Available anywhere there is a large body of water, like the oceans. || Tidal stream generators are placed on the ocean, and uses the moving tides to power up a turbine. Makes use of the kinetic energy of the tides. Tidal barrages set up a sort of dam that utilizes the potential energy of moving tides. || The cost of building the turbines and the technology of setting them up is expensive, however, the actual cost of the energy produced by tidal energy is rather cheap. || Causes a lot of damage to aquatic ecosystems. For example, the La Rance project in France caused the rapid decrease of certain fish species in the Rance ecosystem. ||
 * Ocean Thermal Gradients || You need an ocean with dramatic tempurature differences. || Not such a new technology. It was first used by Cuba in 1930. The most effective model was constucted in 1999 by the US and it can produce 250kW. The difference in tempurature from the bottom of the ocean to the top is used. Warm surface water is heated so it moves to power a tubine. || If we could harness the all the energy the water gets from the sun daily, it would equal 250 billion barrels of oil, 4000 times more than humans use. 1% of the energy available could power the world. Humans don't have the technology to do this, but spending resouces here would probably be a good thing. || Can cause damage to fish and other parts of the ecosystems nearby. Taking huge amounts of heat energy could also effect the botany, but these effects are minimal and worth the gain. ||
 * Hi APES crew! It was my job to come up with a quiz for you for this Thursday - -but the data table above has changed very little in the past week -- so-- no quiz needed until this is done! **


 * Envirothon 2011, anyone?????? **
 * Ms V **