Energy Resources

Coal Pros Cons Most abundant fossils fuel in US High pollution Easy to transport Nonrenewable Small amount provides lots of energy Mining is dangerous & damaging to environment.

Oil Pros Cons Has a HUGE variety of uses High Pollution (air and water) Hard to find Nonrenewable

Natural Gas Pros Cons Lots of energy Highly Flammable Lower levels of pollution than coal or oil Explosive Easy to transport through pipelines Nonrenewable

Solar Energy Pros Cons Constant supply of energy from sun Expensive to install No pollution Affected by clouds/weather

Hydroelectric Power Pros Cons Flowing water provides a steady supply of energy Expensive to build dams Once dam is built, inexpensive to produce electricity Most suitable rivers are already dammed for flood control No pollution Damming rivers can effect wildlife Creates recreation areas

Wind Energy Pros Cons No pollution Few places have wind that blows steady enough No need to transport Generators can be noisy Renewable Windmills can be destroyed by strong winds Can be expensive to build

Biomass Pros Cons Renewable Renewable, but takes time to grow Wise use of waste products Producing large quantities is expensive

Geothermal Pros Cons Unlimited source Few places on Earth where magma comes close enough to surface of Earth No Pollution Drilling deep wells is very expensive

Nuclear Energy Pros Cons Huge amount of energy from small amount of matter Toxic, radioactive waste created is hard to deal with No pollution from power plant Fear of meltdowns (nuclear accident)