Chapter Seventeen: Nonrenewable Energy

Section One: Energy Resources and Fossil Fuels Fuels for Different Uses Uses of Fuels Cooking Transportation Manufacturing Heating and Cooling Buildings Generating Electricity Fossil Fuels: remains of ancient organisms that changed into coal, oil, or natural gas Supply is limited Usage causes environmental problems

Section One: Energy Resources and Fossil Fuels Electricity-Power on Demand Energy in fuels is often converted to electrical energy Electricity is more convenient and can be easily transported But it is difficult to store and needs other energy sources to be generated Electric generator: a machine that converts mechanical energy, or motion, into electrical energy

Section One: Energy Resources and Fossil Fuels Energy Use World Patterns Developed countries use more Energy use in the U.S. Uses more energy per person than any other country in the world except Canada and United Arab Emirates Most is used for transporting goods and people

Section One: Energy Resources and Fossil Fuels

Section One: Energy Resources and Fossil Fuels How Fossil Fuel Deposits Form Coal Formation Forms from remains of plants that lived in swamps hundreds of millions of years ago Layers of sediment as well as heat and pressure caused coal to form Oil and Natural Gas Formation Decay of tiny marine organisms that accumulated at the bottom of the ocean millions of years ago Most oil in U.S. found in Alaska, Texas, California, and the Gulf of Mexico

Section One: Energy Resources and Fossil Fuels Coal Makes up most of the world’s fossil fuel reserves Coal Mining Surface coal mining can destroy ecosystems Toxic chemicals can leach into stream Air Pollution Sulfur from coal pollutes the air Can cause acid precipitation

Section One: Energy Resources and Fossil Fuels Petroleum Oil that is pumped from the ground Locating Oil Deposits Found in geologic features like faults and folds Most in located in the Middle East Environmental Effects of Oil Releases pollutants Oil spills Natural Gas About 20% of the world’s nonrenewable energy “Cleanest” fossil fuel

Section One: Energy Resources and Fossil Fuels Fossil Fuels and the Future Supply 90% of energy used in developed countries Predicting Oil Production Oil reserves: oil deposits that can be extracted profitably at current prices using current technology Some oil reserves have yet to be discovered Future Oil Reserves No large reserves have been discovered in the last decade Most is in the ocean, but is expensive to extract

Section Two: Nuclear Energy Fission: Splitting Atoms Nuclear Energy: the energy within the nucleus of an atom Nuclear Fission: splitting of a nucleus that releases energy

Section Two: Nuclear Energy How Nuclear Energy Works Nuclear reactors are surrounded by thick pressure vessels designed to contain fission in case of an accident Heat released during the reaction is used to generate electricity Advantages of Nuclear Energy Very concentrated energy source No greenhouse gas production Less radioactive than coal-fired plants

Section Two: Nuclear Energy Why Aren’t We Using More Nuclear Energy Expensive Storing Waste Difficult to find safe place to store radioactive waste Safety Concerns Extremely Dangerous Chernobyl 1986 The Future of Nuclear Power Nuclear Fusion: combining nuclei to release energy Safer than fission Difficult to carry out