1. Offsetting CO2 Emissions

2. Different Types of Energy
Fossil fuels make up large amounts of our daily energy use
However, there are energy that can take large chunks out of our fossil fuel use
Many of these produce energy with little or no CO2

3. Different Types of Energy
The following methods can produce energy with no CO2 emissions
Nuclear Power
Solar Power
Wind Power
Hydropower

4. Why Nuclear Energy?
Nuclear power has a very good balance of safety, reliability, environmental friendliness and cost effectiveness
The balance is often considered one of the best ways to produce energy

5. Why Nuclear Energy?
However, if nuclear power has a problem there is a much larger risk for a large amount of people
This risk is generally small
It makes nuclear energy overall one of the safest energy sources

6. Why Nuclear Energy?
Inside the US we currently have 103 operating nuclear power plants
These plants provide around 20% of electrical power
This power is mostly used to power the public

7. How It Works
Nuclear energy involves chances at the atomic level through one of two basic processes
Fission – One large atom of an element is split to produce two smaller atoms
All power plants currently use fission

8. How It Works
Fission creates two completely different elements out of the original large element
This also releases a large amount of energy and free neutrons
This energy is the energy harnessed

9. How It Works
Fusion is the combination of two small elements (mostly hydrogen)
Fusion takes two smaller elements and creates a larger element
This is not currently used by power plants but is being researched

10. How It Works
Generally two small molecules (Hydrogen 2 and Hydrogen 3) are combined to produce Helium
This combination creates one element out of two elements
This also produces a great deal of energy
It is also the source of energy that powers our sun

11. Nuclear Power
The goal of nuclear power is to slowly control a nuclear reaction
Controlling a slow nuclear reaction allows humans to use the energy that is produced
This energy has to be transformed into a secondary source of power

12. Nuclear Power
Slow sustained nuclear reactions are used to create electricity through steam
The energy produced from these reactions is heat
The heat can be harnessed by boiling water

13. Nuclear Power
High pressure steam is created by boiling water surrounding the reactions
This water is used to power turbines that will generate electricity
This process is not unlike using coal to power turbines

14. Solar Energy The energy delivered from the sun is vast
The Sun’s rays have so much energy we could replace fossil fuels for a year if we captured all the energy hitting the US for 40 minutes
The sun delivers 10,000 times the energy used by humans every year

15. Solar Energy
Although it is an abundant source, it is also a diffuse source
A diffuse source of energy is a source of energy that is widely scattered and can vary
Think about the seasons and area needed to capture the sun
Most energy from the sun needs to be collected over time and stored before it can be used

16. Solar Energy
Heating water with Solar energy can be done with flat-plate collectors
Flat-plate collectors are wide shallow boxes faced towards the sun
The bottoms are painted black to collect the suns rays
This lets solar energy heat the water in the box

17. Solar Energy These are popular in warmer climates
In temperate climates (where the water might freeze) they can be modified to work in the winter
The only deterrent to these boxes is the initial cost

18. Solar Energy
The same principals to heating water can be used to heat small spaces
These spaces can be used to heat large areas, like a home
The heating of air through the use of solar energy is called solar space heating

19. Solar Energy
The energy from the Sun can be captured and converted into electricity
This is done though photovoltaic cells and solar-trough collectors
These methods of energy clean and renewable

20. Solar Energy
A photovoltaic cell is a small 4 x 4 inch piece of material that convert sunlight directly into electricity
They are hooked together to form large panels
40 PV cells can power one light bulb

21. Video

22. Wind Power The power of the wind had been harnessed throughout history
This power has been generated by windmills
These windmills apply physical work when the wind blows

23. Wind Power
The windmill still is used in today’s world, but it has a much different function
The windmill is actually a large turbine that generates electricity
These turbines can generate large amounts of electricity when ever the wind is blowing

24. Wind Power Wind Power is the second fastest growing form of energy
Behind Solar
This is because it is a cheap and renewable form of energy
There are currently 7 different countries that are planning to have the largest wind farm in the world

25. Wind Power Wind energy does have its drawbacks
It is a fairly intermittent source
Energy is only produced when you have wind
Storing energy for these farms is a large issue

26. Wind Power However, wind power has many advantages
If wind turbines are placed in windy areas they can generate more than enough electricity to power large cities or towns

27. Wind Power
There are cases when customers are paid to use electricity when it is a particularly windy time
This is because so much electricity is being produced that there is no where to put it

28. Video

29. Hydropower
Early in history it was learned that water was a moving force and could be used to perform mechanical actions
Early uses of hydropower are mills and lumber mills
These all used large paddle devices that were powered by moving water

30. Hydropower While the technology has changed, the idea has not
Hydropower is mainly based on the predictable patterns of flowing water
This moving water can be used to generate electricity

31. Hydropower The moving water is used to push modified turbines
These turbines produce a flow of electrons
The flow of electrons continues as long as the water continues to push

32. Video

33. More Dams?
Many of the sites that would be suitable for dams have already been filled
These sites already have dams that are producing electricity
The ability for us to build new dams is not as available as in the past

34. More Dams?
While hydropower is a clean, consistent and powerful source of energy it has several drawbacks
In order to use it, dams must be built
These dams flood areas that are often occupied by people or animals

35. Tidal Energy
Since most rivers and streams have been used people have started turning to the ocean
In the ocean you can find energy to displace water by using the tide
The energy that is in tides can be harnessed to create energy

36. Tidal Energy
There are several different ways to generate power using tidal energy
Most of them require a turbine system to be working with sections of water that are tidal
The larger the tidal surge, the more energy that can be created

37. Video