energy use in the united states
DESCRIPTION
Energy Use in the United States. What percentage of the World’s population lives in the United States? 5%. How many passenger vehicles are there in the United States? ~211 million. What percentage of the world’s oil reserves does the U.S. have? 2%. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
• If all production and imports stopped, how long would the United States petroleum stocks last?
• ~82 days
• What percentage of the world’s supply of natural gas does the United States have?
• 3%• What percentage of the world’s coal supply
does the United States have?• 27%
• How long would the United States coal reserves last if we continued to use it at the same rate?
• ~242 years
Resources
• Renewable–Can be replenished overly a fairly short
period of time
Nonrenewabletake millions of years to form and accumulate
Fossil Fuels
Any hydrocarbon that may be used as a source of energy.
90% of energy used in USA comes from fossil fuels !!!!!!
What is Coal?
• Made from decayed plant material from millions of years ago (usually in swamps)
• Transformed by weathering, erosion, and heat pressure
• Main resource power plants use to produce electricity
Fossil Fuels: Coal• NONRENEWABLE• Located underground• Burned to make
electricity• U.S. has largest coal
reserves in world• Produces half the
electricity in the U.S.
Petroleum (Oil) -NONRENEWABLE
• Formed from remains of tiny sea plants and animals – LIQUID
• Found underground • Refined into different
fuels which are burned to produce heat
• Majority used for transportation
Oil Trap
• A layer of impermeable rock causes the oil/gas to become trapped … we tap into these reserves
Petroleum Issues
• Burning can cause air pollution and carbon dioxide
• Drilling and transporting can damage land and water if leaks and spills
Important Petroleum Facts
• U.S. uses more petroleum than any other energy source
• We do not produce enough to meet our needs• We import 2/3 of the petro that we use from
foreign countries• Middle East has the majority of the world’s
reserves
Natural Gas• Found in underground
rock formations• Burn to produce heat• Used in industry,
homes/businesses, and power plants to produce products, heating, and electricity
Natural Gas Issues
• Clean burning fossil fuel • Does produce some air pollution and carbon
dioxide
• Interesting fact: an odorant that smells like rotten eggs is added to natural gas so leaks can be detected
Tar Sands
• Mixtures of clay and sand combined with water and varying amounts of bitumen, a heavy black viscous oil.
• Tar sands can be mined and processed to extract the oil-rich bitumen, which is then refined into oil.
Tar Sand Drawbacks
• Causes significant land disturbances• Requires large amounts of water to process• Large amounts of contaminated water and
sediment accumulate in toxic disposal ponds
• Accounts for 15% of Canada’s oil production
Oil Shale
• Oil shale is a sedimentary rock containing petroleum-like solids
• ½ of worlds supply is in Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming
• Unprofitable to mine and not as efficient as crude oil
Mineral Resources
• Deposits of useful minerals that can be extracted
• Mineral reserves - deposits from which minerals can be extracted profitably
• Ore – useful metallic mineral that can be mined for a profit
Mineral Deposits
• Must be profitable to extract
• Large deposits known but unprofitable to extract them
• Deposits are associated with the Rock Cycle
Mineral Deposits
• Most important mineral deposits form through igneous processes and from hydrothermal solutions.
Igneous Processes
• Form most metallic mineral deposits by settling at the bottom of the magma chamber as it cools– Gold– Silver– Copper– Lead– Mercury– Platinum– nickel
Hydrothermal Solutions
• Form from hot, metal-rich fluids that are left during the late stages of movement and cooling of magma – ex. Gold, silver, mercury
Secondary Mineral Deposition
• Placer Deposits– Eroded minerals are
moved by water and settle on the inside, cracks and depressions of streams
Nonmetallic Resources
• Extracted and processed for either the nonmetallic elements they contain or for their physical and chemical properties– Examples:• Fertilizers• Limestone• Sand, gravel, etc..
What is mining?
• Mining is extracting ore or minerals from the ground
• An ore is a natural material with a high concentration of economically valuable minerals that can be mined for a profit
Surface Mining
• Mineral deposits are on or near the surface of the Earth and are removed.
• There are 3 types of surface mines:1. Open-pit: removes large, near surface deposits of
minerals such as gold and copper. Mined downward in layers
2. Quarries: stone, crushed rock, sand, gravel3. Strip Mining: removing surface coal in strips up
to 50 m wide x 1 Km long
Subsurface Mining
• Minerals are located too deep for surface mining
• Shafts and passageways are dug into the ground to reach the ores.
Reclamation
• Mining can destroy or disturb habitats
• Waste products can pollute water systems
• When a mine is no longer being used, the land should be returned to its original state or better = Reclamation
• Surface Mining and Reclamation Act of 1975
Reclamation
Mine Albert, Quebec, before and after reclamation. Government of Quebec
http://www.abandoned-mines.org/home-e.htm
Why do we need mines?
• Houses• Cars• Toothpaste• Plumbing• Wiring• Planes• Electronics• Jewelry• Glass
If we can’t grow it, it has to be mined!
Alternative Energy Sources
• World’s population is increasing and our need for resources is increasing as well
• Most resources we use are nonrenewable so we need to develop alternative energy sources
Solar Power
Advantages• Renewable• Clean• Free
Disadvantages• Sun not out all the
time (at night, clouds)
• Expensive
Nuclear Energy - Uranium
• Comes from radioactive materials that release energy through nuclear fission
Uranium - Nonrenewable
• Metallic element found in rocks
• Turned into pellets to use in nuclear power plants
Uranium 235
Advantages• Little to no pollution
Disadvantages• Produces radioactive
waste• No storage site
available for waste• Potential for large
scale disasters
Wind Energy - Renewable
Advantages• Clean, no pollution• Land can be used for
other things at the same time
Disadvantages• Take up a lot of land• Noisy• Do not produce a lot
of electricity• Must be placed in
windy areas (coast, etc…)
Hydropower - Renewable
Advantages• Clean• Can be generated on
demand• Cheapest
Disadvantages• Few places where
dams can be built• Can flood and
displace large amounts of land
Geothermal - Renewable
Advantages• Clean• Cheap
Disadvantages• Can only be used at
specific places (ex. Plate boundaries)
Biomass - Renewable
• Uses organic material (wood, trash, animal waste, etc…)
• Burned to produce heat
• Oldest form of heat
Biomass - Renewable
Advantages• Renewable• Cleaner than fossil
fuels
Disadvantages• Burning can produce
air pollution• Produces odor