non renewable energy energy test- april 23, 2012

Non Renewable EnergyEnergy Test- April 23, 2012

Coal- 50% OF US ELECTRICITY FORMATION: Formed from plants that lived in swamps millions

of years ago EXTRACTION: Coal is mined using room and pillar mining, long

wall mining or mountain top removal and strip mining. IMPACTS: Coal dust is a carcinogen to mine workers, and local

communities. Coal removal requires lots of water- creating droughts and water pollution. Coal changes the landscape and enhances flooding and erosion. Coal creates hazardous waste that sits open to the environment. Burning coal creates air pollutants like sulfur that cause acid rain.

Coal- Energy Generation ELECTRIC GENERATER Electricity is created by

rotating a coil of wire that rotates in a magnetic field- creating electrical energy from mechanical energy.

The power to turn the generator is created by burning coal and capturing the steam from boiling water.

OIl- 3% OF US energy FORMATION: Formed from the decay of tiny marine organisms that

accumulated on bottom of ocean- buried by sediments and heated into energy rich carbon molecules.

EXTRACTION: Drilling into the earth and oil is withdrawn from an oil field by pumping it out, sometimes added pressure by injecting steam is needed to to get oil out.

IMPACTS: Oil can spill into environment. Burning oil releases carbon dioxide and sulfur (greenhouse gases) into the environment.

OIl- 3% OF US ELECTRICITY Energy from oil is provided in many forms.

Petroleum is used to make plastic products as as well as fertilizers in agriculture. Gasoline to power automobiles and other machinery.

Natural gas- 18% OF US ELECTRICITY FORMATION: Formed from the decay of tiny marine organisms that

accumulated on bottom of ocean- buried by sediments and heated into energy rich carbon molecules.

EXTRACTION: Natural Gas is derived by tapping into the earth; pumped through a pipeline OR hydraulic fracturing which requires injecting high pressure chemicals and water into the earth creating small cracks or fractures.

IMPACTS: Extracting gas through hydraulic fracturing introduces chemicals into the water supply or the environment. Building pipelines long enough to transport gas long distance causes environmental problems.

Natural gas- ENERGY- is burned in homes for heating,

cooking and as a fuel to power vehicles..

Nuclear ENERGY- 20% OF US Electricity ENERGY GENERATION: inside a thick pressure vessel

solid uranium pellets inside fuel rods are bombarded with neutrons. Intense collisions split the uranium nuclei- nuclear fission- releasing an incredible amounts of energy and creating a chain reaction of fission. Control rods surround the fuel rods controlling the reaction by absorbing neutrons. The steam from heating water is used to generate electricity...

Nuclear ENERGY- 20% OF US Electricity DANGERS: Nuclear energy is very powerful, if it

becomes uncontrollable, it is like releasing a nuclear bomb.

WASTE: Spent fuel rods are radioactive for thousands of years- so finding a place to store this waste is difficult..