Energy: Electricity, Fossil Fuels, and Coal Unit 3: Resource Sustainability

Fuels for Different Uses Cooking, transportation, manufacturing, heating/cooling, and generating electricity Suitability is determined by the fuel’s energy content, cost, availability, safety, and byproducts of its use i.e. Airplanes cannot be powered off of coal Campfires are not made by burning airplane fuel

Fossil Fuels (FF) Remains of ancient organisms that changed into coal, oil, or natural gas Most of our energy comes from them, yet… They’re limited Obtaining/using them causes environmental problems

Formation of FF Deposits Coal comes from the remains of 300 MY old swamp plants As sea levels went up and down, sediment would cover those plants and then become compressed Oil and natural gas come from the decay of tiny marine organisms that lived on the ocean floor Over time, heat creates energy-rich molecules found in rocks where we get oil and natural gas from

Electricity Power on Demand Quickly transported near or far Generated in a power plant, transported through a grid Converts motion into electricity by moving an electrically conductive material within a magnetic field Disadvantage: hard to store and other energies (burning of coal) are used to produce it Steam is created, turns the steam turbine, spins the generator Roughly 50% of our electricity is generated from the burning of coal! (talk about with disadvantage)

Coal Inexpensive and needs little refining Effects on the environment: Toxic chemicals can leech into water Mountaintop removal - video Lower grade, more sulfur, more air pollution (acid rain) Underground typically okay

Next time: fracking and divestment

Posters: Global FF Distribution Each group will be assigned a region of the world With shading/markings/etc. (color/pictures) your group will map where the coal, oil, and natural gas is in the region Outside of the outline of the region include the following information: Other major industries of the region (At least) Two implications from this distribution of fossil fuels United States, Middle East, Africa, South America, China, Canada/Mexico/Central America, Europe