Nonrenewable Energy

Fossil Fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) Accounts for 90% of energy use in developed countries By 2050, world energy demand expected to double. Two BIG problems we face: Fossil fuels are a limited supply Extracting and burning fossil fuels causes environmental problems

Why Do We Use So Much Fossil Fuel? The U.S. is REALLY big! >25% of energy is used for transportation Goods and people Countries with efficient rail systems use less fuel Gas is CHEAP! Amsterdam ($6.48/gallon) London ($5.79/gallon) U.S. has some of the lowest oil taxes in the world

Coal Most abundant fossil fuel Majority of deposits in Asia and North America Provides more than 50% of electricity in the U.S. Video: http://www.midamericanenergy.com/aboutus3.aspx

Benefits/Disadvantages of Coal Inexpensive Needs little refining after it’s mined Disadvantages Toxic chemicals used can leach into the water Sulfur in ALL coal released into the air causing air pollution

Oil Most of world’s oil reserves located in Middle East Oil pumped out of the ground is called crude oil or petroleum Petroleum means “oil rock” Most of world’s oil reserves located in Middle East Large oil deposits located in U.S., Venezuela, Siberia, and Nigeria. Accounts for 45% of the world’s energy use Oil Platform in the North Sea

Oil 40% of petroleum is used to make gasoline What is the rest for? Alaska Oil Pipeline

Where is the Oil? World oil reserves by region at the end of 2004 in billions of tons of oil equivalent.

Natural Gas Odorless, colorless GAS Also known as methane Natural product of decomposition (animals) Used to be burned off because it was deemed a “nuisance” Releases LESS air pollutants than oil or coal when burned

Energy Resources and Fossil Fuels

Iowa’s nuclear power plant “Duane Arnold.” Nuclear Energy Iowa’s nuclear power plant “Duane Arnold.” NW of Cedar Rapids.

Nuclear Energy Nuclear power plants get their energy from within the nucleus of an atom Atoms of the element Uranium are used as fuel

How Does A Nuclear Power Plant Work? Uranium atoms are bombarded with nuclear particles called “neutrons” Causes the nucleus to split (nuclear fission) The splitting of the nucleus releases energy and more neutrons This sets off a chain reaction Nuclear power plants control the chain reaction http://www.howstuffworks.com/nuclear-power.htm

Advantages of Nuclear Energy A very concentrated energy source Nuclear power plants do not produce greenhouse gases Managed correctly, a nuclear power plant produces less radioactivity than a coal fired power plant One Uranium pellet = 1,780 lbs of coal

Concerns over Nuclear Energy Building a Nuclear Power Plant is very expensive Nuclear waste remains radioactive for thousands of years Where should we store nuclear waste? Safety concerns!

Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania 1979 A stuck open valve allowed large amounts of reactor coolant to escape Operators were poorly trained and did not recognize the accident The reactor was brought under control without the loss of human life Public fear and distrust of the nuclear industry grew

Chernobyl, Ukraine, 1986 The world’s worst nuclear disaster One of the reactors had a fatal meltdown. Explosions and the resulting fire sent highly radioactive fallout into the atmosphere Contaminated rain fell as far away as Ireland Four hundred times more fallout was released than had been by the bombing of Hiroshima.

Consequences of Chernobyl Only after a nuclear plant in Sweden detected high radiation levels did the USSR admit that an accident had occurred 56 direct deaths 800,000 suffered radiation exposure One third of a million were driven from their homes It may have led to 4,000 extra cancer deaths