Nonrenewable Energy

Fossil Fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) Fossil fuels account for 90% of energy used in developed countries. By 2050, world energy demand is projected to double. 2 BIG problems we face: Fossil fuels are limited in supply Extracting and burning fossil fuels causes environmental problems

Why do we use so much fossil fuel? The U.S. is REALLY big! More than 25% of energy is used to transport goods and people Small countries with efficient rail systems use less fuel Gas is CHEAP! U.S. has some of the lowest oil taxes in the world. World oil clock: http://scienceblogs.com/deanscorner/2011/03/oil_clock_a_wake_up_call.php?utm_source=sbhomepage&utm_medium=link&utm_content=channellink

Coal Coal – the most abundant fossil fuel. Provides more than 50% of electricity in the U.S. Burning coal results in the release of sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, mercury and carbon dioxide

Oil Oil pumped out of the ground is called crude oil or petroleum Fractional distillation separates the components of petroleum based on different boiling points 40% of petroleum is used to make gasoline What is the rest for? Oil Platform in the North Sea

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Which countries have the most oil? https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2178rank.html

Unconventional oil deposits Oil sands and oil shale Major damage to the land from surface mining Requires large amounts of water and energy to extract Releases more greenhouse gas Oil sands in Alberta, Canada

Natural gas Mainly methane gas Used for heating, electricity, transportation, chemicals, plastics Abundant in the U.S. The cleanest fossil fuel (produces less CO2 when burned than coal or oil) Gas shale is extracted by a process called hydraulic fracturing (Fracking)

Fracking Up to 9 million gallons of water mixed with chemicals are forced at high pressure into the shale (rock) The shale is broken and the gas is released

Environmental concerns over fracking Requires too much water Ground water contamination Fracking fluid disposal (some of the chemicals used cause cancer) Methane gas leaks Earthquakes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHQu3SeUwUI

Nuclear Energy Nuclear power plants get their energy from within the nucleus of an atom. Atoms of the element Uranium are used as fuel Iowa’s nuclear power plant “Duane Arnold.” NW of Cedar Rapids.

How does a nuclear power plant work? Uranium atoms are bombarded with nuclear particles called “neutrons” This causes the nucleus to split (nuclear fission) The splitting of the nucleus releases energy and more neutrons This sets off a chain reaction Nuclear power plants control the chain reaction https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJfIbBDR3e8

Advantages of Nuclear Energy A very concentrated energy source Nuclear power plants do not produce greenhouse gases Managed correctly, a nuclear power plant produces less radioactivity than a coal fired power plant One Uranium pellet = 1,780 lbs of coal

Concerns over Nuclear Energy Building a Nuclear Power Plant is very expensive Nuclear waste remains radioactive for thousands of years Where should we store nuclear waste? Safety concerns!

Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania 1979 A stuck open valve allowed large amounts of reactor coolant to escape Operators were poorly trained and did not recognize the accident The reactor was brought under control without the loss of human life Public fear and distrust of the nuclear industry grew

Chernobyl, Ukraine, 1986 The world’s worst nuclear disaster One of the reactors had a fatal meltdown. Explosions and the resulting fire sent highly radioactive fallout into the atmosphere Contaminated rain fell as far away as Ireland Four hundred times more fallout was released than had been by the bombing of Hiroshima.

Consequences of Chernobyl Only after a nuclear plant in Sweden detected high radiation levels did the USSR admit that an accident had occurred 56 direct deaths 800,000 suffered radiation exposure One third of a million were driven from their homes It may have led to 4,000 extra cancer deaths

The abandoned city of Pripyat 2 miles from the reactor Home to 49,000 nuclear reactor workers and their families Families were not evacuated till 24 hours after the accident

An amusement arcade scheduled to open 4 days after the disaster.

Could it happen again? The reactor was poorly designed The operators made serious errors http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2006/04/inside-chernobyl/audio-interactive http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbcbyUK5rqQ