Create a cover page for unit 5 Energy Resources on page 41 (Left Side) Bellringer: Create a cover page for unit 5 Energy Resources on page 41 (Left Side) Materials: Pencil ISN Colors November 28, 2016

Exit Ticket The governor has asked you to make a recommendation about how to reduce the use of nonrenewable energy resources to generate electricity in Texas. What two energy resources would you recommend the state to use to reduce the use of nonrenewable resources in the state of Texas?

Work on cover page for unit 5 Energy Resources on page 41 (Left Side) Bellringer: Work on cover page for unit 5 Energy Resources on page 41 (Left Side) Materials: Pencil ISN Colors November 29, 2016

What are some ways you can use the energy of the sun and wind? Bellringer What are some ways you can use the energy of the sun and wind?

Energy Resources Electricity is the most common form of energy used all over the world. Energy resources can be divided into two groups: nonrenewable and renewable. Coal, natural gas, oil and uranium atoms are nonrenewable energy resources because once they are used up they cannot be replaced. Biomass, moving water, geothermal energy, the Sun, and the wind are renewable resources that can be replaced.

Fossil Fuels Oil, natural gas, and coal are called fossil fuels. Natural gas is used to heat homes and cook food. Fossil fuels are also burned to boil water to make steam in thermal power plants that generate electricity. Fossil fuels have many advantages such as: being found in many places in the world, relatively inexpensive to drill or mine, and affordable. What are the disadvantages of using fossil fuels? Fossil fuels are nonrenewable, cause air pollution and acid rain and can do overall harm to the environment. Large oceanic oil spills can wash ashore, polluting beaches and killing wildlife, adversely affecting the environment.

Nuclear Energy Instead of burning fossil fuels to produce heat, a nuclear power plant uses uranium atoms to generate electricity. What are the advantages of using nuclear energy? The main advantage of nuclear energy is that a huge amount of energy is produced from a small amount of nuclear fuel. Nuclear energy does not produce smoke or carbon dioxide, and does not cause air pollution. A disadvantage of nuclear power is that the amount of uranium on Earth is limited and cannot be replaced. Nuclear power plants produce radioactive wastes that are dangerous to living organisms. The U.S. Federal Government has designated the use of Yucca Mountain, in Nevada, as a national storage area for nuclear waste.

Hydropower Hydroelectric means making electricity from water power. What are the advantages of using water as an energy resource? Water is a good energy resource because it is found freely in nature and is also renewable while producing no forms of pollution. Hydropower has its disadvantages since building dams can flood land and pose obstacles to fish moving upstream to spawn. Dam construction can also cause significant changes in a river’s flow, affecting entire ecological systems.

Geothermal Energy The energy we get from inside the Earth is called geothermal energy. What are the advantages of using geothermal energy? Geothermal energy is a renewable energy source because the water used can be replaced by rain and the energy generated does not cause much air pollution. Some disadvantages of using geothermal energy is the cost of drilling is expensive and locations are limited to where magma is close to the Earth’s crust.

Biomass Energy stored in the wood of trees originally came from the Sun. Wood, leftover corn stalks, straw, garbage, and manure are types of organic matter that have stored energy through photosynthesis and are known as biomass. What are the advantages of using biomass to make electricity? Biomass is a renewable source of energy and does not increase or decrease the overall carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Disadvantages to using biomass include the fact that this energy source is still underdeveloped and not completely free from air pollution

Solar Energy The Sun gives us far more energy than we get from any other energy resource. We can use solar energy to power devices such as watches, calculators, stoplights, and even cars. Buildings can even be designed with extra windows to take advantage of the heat generated by solar energy, like the design of a greenhouse. Solar energy produces no waste, no pollution, or carbon dioxide and is also an abundant, cost-free resource. What are the disadvantages of using solar energy all the time? Solar power is expensive to develop, manufacture, and install. Different weather conditions and varying amounts of sunlight can also make solar energy undependable.

Wind Energy Wind has been used for many years for sailing, grinding grain, and irrigation. It is now used to generate electricity by using wind turbines. With wind power, there is no atmospheric pollution and it can be found freely in nature. The Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center in Texas is the world’s largest wind farm with 421 wind turbines that generate enough electricity to power 220,000 homes per year. What are the main problems in using wind power as an energy resource? The main problem with wind energy is that it is not always windy and this makes power output unpredictable.