An introduction …

 We depend on having energy in our daily lives.  Electricity flows into our houses through the power lines. Gasoline is used to power our vehicles.

 The SOURCE of that energy is what we are focusing on.  Energy sources are used to generate the various types of energy that we use all day every day.  Energy sources fall into two major categories, non-renewable and renewable.

What’s the difference?  Non-renewable: ◦ cannot be replenished (made again) in a short period of time ◦ replaced very slowly by natural processes  Renewable ◦ replaced rapidly by natural processes ◦ within a person’s lifetime (or even immediately!)

 Coal is a Fossil fuel  Coal is made from the decomposition of organic materials over millions of years  It is extracted from surface or underground mines  It is then cleaned or washed to remove impurities waterdefense.org climateshifts.org

 Oil is a Fossil fuel, found in underground reservoirs  Oil forms from the decomposition of organic materials over millions of years  Removed from the ground by drilling deep wells  Oil can be made into gasoline, kerosene, propane, diesel, jet fuels, and industrial fuels  Oil is transported to power plants by ship, pipelines, truck, or train

 Natural gas is a Fossil Fuel  It forms when layers of buried plants and animals are exposed to intense heat and pressure over thousands of years  Wells are drilled into the ground to remove the natural gas  Natural gas is transported by pipelines

 Nuclear power is generated by the process of Fission ◦ Specifically, this is the splitting of uranium atoms  Releases energy that is used to make steam  Uranium is extracted from the Earth but it is NOT a fossil fuel  Nuclear power creates radioactive by-products

 Solar power is generated from harnessing the energy of the sun’s rays.  Most renewable energy comes either directly or indirectly from the sun  This can take many forms, but you are probably familiar with solar panels that many people place on their houses.

 Wind power or wind energy describes the process by which the wind is used to generate mechanical power or electricity. Wind turbines convert the kinetic energy in the wind into mechanical power.

 Biomass is an energy source that originates from living, or recently living organisms.  This is often used to mean plant based material. Wood is a commonly used biomass resource.

 Hydrogen can be used to generate energy in a few ways.  It can produce electricity via a hydrogen fuel cell (which functions like a battery, generating power through a chemical reaction.  It can be used as a fuel to run generators and automobile engines  This can be made directly from fossil fuels or biomass or by passing electricity through water (splitting H 2 O into H 2 and O 2 )

 Geothermal sources are the heat from the Earth.  The energy is produced using hot water or steam reservoirs deep in the earth.  These sources range from the shallow ground to hot water and hot rock found a few miles beneath the Earth's surface, or even to deep magma.

 ECSU uses geothermal heating and cooling in some of its dormitories  High Rise Hall Dormitory

 Hydropower is a renewable source of energy which uses the force or energy of moving water to generate power.  This power, or 'hydroelectricity', is generated when falling water is channelled through water turbines.  Water wheels and hydroelectric dams are examples of hydropower.