Objective: You will know what a renewable resource is and three examples.

Review Natural Resource- Anything found in nature that we value and use to help our lives Renewable Resource- A resource we can replace as quickly (or close) as we use it Nonrenewable- A resource that cannot be replaced as we use it Energy Resource- A resource that is used to create energy

Examples of Natural Resources Nonrenewable Resources  Coal  Oil  Natural Gas  Uranium (for nuclear power) Renewable Resources  Wind  Water  Trees  Sun  Soil  Animals

Renewable Resources- Energy

Solar Power- Advantages  The sun constantly gives off energy in the form of light and heat.  In one day, the Earth receives enough solar energy to power the world for 40 years  Solar energy does not cause pollution

Solar Power- Disadvantage  Sun doesn’t always shine on Earth (night and cloudy days)  The sun’s energy is spread out over a very large area (hard to collect enough)  Can be expensive to get the equipment

Solar Technologies

Wind Power- Advantages  World’s fastest growing energy source  Great for areas where the wind often blows  Wind energy is free and doesn’t pollute the environment

Wind Power- Disadvantages  Wind generators can be very noisy and can make the landscape less attractive  Wind doesn’t always blow  Wind generators can be destroyed by strong winds

Wind Power Technology

Water Power (Hydroelectric Power)- Advantages  Once the dam and power plant are built, producing electricity with water is fairly cheap  Does not create air pollution  Water cycle guarantees we will have water  Provides a steady supply of power (unlike wind and sun)

Hydroelectric Power- Disadvantages  Most of the possible rivers have already been dammed  Dams can have negative impacts on the environment (harm fish, flood farmland, damage wetlands)  Possibility of dams bursting

Biomass- Huh?  Biomass fuels are fuels made from living things.  Examples include: wood, corn, leaves, food waste, manure, sugar  Advantage- can always grow or produce more  Disadvantage- producing large amounts is quite expensive

Geothermal Energy  Geothermal energy- the tremendous heat from Earth’s interior that heats magma  The underground heat can be used to boil water and produce energy  Advantages- unlimited, cheap, nonpolluting  Disadvantages- only a few places where magma is close to the surface, drilling deep wells is expensive

Other Energy Resources Hydrogen fuel- burns clean, forms only water when burned, very expensive Tidal Energy- using the tides to turn turbines and power generators, not many places where it can work Others?