Renewable Energy

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Renewable Energy
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Energy

• An essential part of modern society
• Need reliable supply
• The U.S. constitutes less than 5 of the world
  population, but uses 26 of the worlds energy.

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Primary Sources of Electricity

• 50 Coal
• 40
• Natural gas
• Oil
• Nuclear
• 9 Hydroelectricity
• 1 Solar, Wind, Geothermal, Other

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Vocabulary

• Alternative options besides fossil fuels.
• Renewable energy source that is replaced or
  restored as it is used.
• Nonrenewable once you burn them, they are used
  up.

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Need for Alternative Energy

• Burning fossil fuels causes air pollution and is
  a big contributor to global warming.
• Oil spills, acid rain, and national security are
  other problems associated with fossil fuels.
• Fossil fuels will eventually run out.

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Increase in Renewable Energy

• Government has began to recognize the need for
  renewable energy sources.
• Many states are now requiring that renewable
  energy sources make up a certain amount of its
  electricity supply.

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Solar Energy

• Solar energypower from the sun
• Advantages clean, inexhaustible
• Disadvantages Needs sun (generate electricity
  only on sunny days), not always reliable, needs
  huge amounts of land.

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Nevada Solar One

• Example of large solar power plant
• Boulder City, NV (40 miles from LV)
• 300 acres, the size of about 200 football fields

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WIND ENERGY
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WIND ENERGY
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WIND ENERGY

• Advantages
• Fueled by the wind, so it's a clean fuel source
• No combustion of fossil fuels, no air pollution
• Wind supply is abundant and cant be used up
  (renewable)
• Lower cost

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WIND ENERGY

• Disadvantages
• When the wind isnt blowing, the windmills arent
  turning and no power is being generated or
  sometimes the wind can be too strong.
• A single windmill will not produce a lot of
  electricity. Instead, hundreds or thousands are
  needed depending on the production goals.
• For some people, a lot of windmills can be an
  eyesore.
• Take a large amount of space
• Noise produced by the rotor blades
• Birds have been killed by flying into the rotors

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Biomass

• Energy derived from burning organic material such
  as wood, alcohol, and garbage.

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Pros and Cons of Biomass

• Advantages
• Cheap source of energy, reduces landfills.
• Disadvantages
• Causes air pollution.
• May use more energy than it creates.

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Hydroelectric

• Energy produced by running water.
• A dam is built to hold back the water, forming a
  lake behind the dam.
• As water is released, its force turns turbines in
  the dam that generate electricity.

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Hoover Dam near Las Vegas
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Turbines inside Hoover Dam
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Advantages

• Clean energy
• Low cost

Disadvantages
Lake formed upstream fills with
sediment. Downstream of dam, erosion
increases. Land above the dam is flooded and
wildlife habitats are destroyed.
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Tidal Energy

• Uses energy from the tides to create electricity.
• Advantages Reliable and predictable
• Disadvantages Expensive to build and limited
  availability of sites with enough tidal range.

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GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

• Geothermal energy is the use of Earths natural
  heat.

Geo means
Thermal means
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Crust
Mantle
Outer core
Inner core
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Geothermal Reservoir
When the hot water and steam accumulate in
permeable and porous rock, a geothermal reservoir
forms.
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Powerful Energy Source

• Geothermal reservoirs can reach
• temperatures of 700F/370C
• (more than 3 times boiling).

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Generation of Electricity
Injection Well
Production Well
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Geothermal power plants have no smoky
emissions. They emit water vapor.
Those white plumes you see at geothermal power
plants are steam (water vapor). Geothermal
plants do not burn fuel or produce smoke.
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Advantages of Geothermal Energy

• Clean energy no burning, little to no air
  pollution, no fossil fuels
• No smog or acid rain emissions
• Uses little land, less than all other energy
  types
• Is renewable and sustainable
• Generates continuous, reliable power 24 hrs/day
• Less expensive than other energy plants

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Disadvantages of Geothermal

• Limited locations (no resources in Eastern USA)
• Risks of being near faults and volcanoes
• Steam and flash plants release some gases from
  deep in Earth
• Steam from some plants may be unappealing (but
  still better than fossil fuel plants)

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Geothermal Power Plants