Fossil FuelsFossil Fuels

Approximately 90% of Approximately 90% of the world's electricity the world's electricity demand is generated demand is generated from the use of fossil from the use of fossil fuels.fuels.

Approximately 90% of the world's electricity demand is generated from the use of fossil fuels.

HOW IT WORKSHOW IT WORKS

We can obtain energy from fossil We can obtain energy from fossil fuels following these steps:fuels following these steps:

Burn the fuel to heat water and to make Burn the fuel to heat water and to make steam. The steam turns the turbines, the steam. The steam turns the turbines, the turbines turns the generators so, now we turbines turns the generators so, now we have got electrical power.have got electrical power.

The steam that has passed The steam that has passed through the power through the power station's turbines has to be station's turbines has to be cooled, to condense it back into cooled, to condense it back into water before it can be pumped water before it can be pumped againagain..

Burning coal produces sulphur Burning coal produces sulphur dioxide, an acidic gas that dioxide, an acidic gas that contributes to the formation of contributes to the formation of acid rain.acid rain.

.. Coal is crushed to a fine dust and burnt. Oil and gas can be burnt directly.

Crude oil (petroleum) is easier to get out of the ground than coal, as it can flow along pipes.

ADVANTAGES

Very large amounts of electricity can be generated in one place using coal.

Transporting oil and gas to the power stations is easy.

Gas-fired power stations are very efficient. A fossil-fuelled power station can be built almost

anywhere.

DISADVANTAGES

Basically, the main drawback of fossil fuels is pollution.

Mining coal can be difficult and dangerous and destroys large areas of the landscape.

Coal-fired power stations need very amounts of fuel.

Is it renewable?

Fossil fuels are not a renewable energy resource.

Once we've burned them all, there isn't any more, and our consumption of fossil fuels has nearly doubled every 20 years since 1900.

This is a particular problem for oil, because we also use it to make plastics and many other products.

POLLUTION

►Combustion of these fossil Combustion of these fossil fuels is considered to be the fuels is considered to be the largest contributing factor to largest contributing factor to the atmosphere. There are the atmosphere. There are many types of harmful many types of harmful consequences which result consequences which result from the process of converting from the process of converting fossil fuels to energy. fossil fuels to energy.