“We are most fortunate to be living in a brief, bright interval of human history made possible by an inheritance from half-a-billion years of oil-forming Earth processes. We rarely give thought to the greatly depleted balance in the oil account we are leaving to future generations. When checks can no longer be written against that inheritance, world economies and lifestyles will undergo great changes. Life will go on, but it will be quite different from the present. Most people living today will see the beginning of those times.” Dr. Walter Youngquist, Geotimes, 1998

2 Fossil Fuel Era

Energy to Power the World: III  Alternative Energy sources  Can they make up for declining oil production?

4 Alternative Energy  Nuclear  Is Nuclear Energy renewable?  No!! Why not?  Sustainable/renewable  Conservation  Solar  Wind  Biomass  Geothermal  Hydro

5 Nuclear Energy  Pros  No carbon emissions  Generates good amount of electricity  Cons  Potential for catastrophic radioactive event  Nuclear waste  High cost

6 True costs?  Environmental damage: tailings, runoff, health issues from U mining (200 million tons of tailings today)  $billions  Storage of reactor waste  $35+ billion  Decommissioning (tearing down, disposing of old plants – last only 30 years)  $200 billion to $1 trillion

7 Nuclear Energy  The NEW nuclear?  Bill Gates and Toshiba Bill Gates and Toshiba  energy/nuclear/ energy/nuclear/

8 Sustainable Energy  Conservation  Solar Energy  Energy from Biomass  Energy from the Earth’s Forces  Research in Renewables

9 Conservation  Like in water resources movie, where every gallon of water conserved is equivalent to a new water source, every kilowatt of energy conserved is the same as a new energy source  Utility companies have found that conservation costs $350/kW; new coal plant $1000/kW  Superinsulated houses (i.e. Sweden) need 90% less energy

10

Solar Power

12

13 Active Solar System

14 CS Fig 20.12

15

16 Wind Power  Pros  Played big role in settling Great Plains  Potential to supply 1.5 times current national electricity use  Usually located in places impractical for residential use  Cons  Affects scenery  Harms birds

17 Biomass  Pros  Renewable  Supports farmers  Addresses transportation needs  Cons  Habitat loss  Efficiency  Water use

18

19 Fig

20 High Temperatures nearer to surface in geologically active areas, like volcanic chains Can also have smaller scale systems for heating/cooling your house, as the temperature of the ground deeper than 6-10 feet doesn’t change much

21 Geothermal  Pros  Very efficient  Small environmental footprint  Addresses home heating needs  Large plants could be made to generate electricity  html html  Cons  High cost of installation  The higher fossil fuel prices rise, the quicker the pay off

22

23 Hydro Power  Pros of big dams  Cheap electricity  Cons of big dams  Environmental effects  Advantages of small turbines  Submerged in stream; do not block navigation  Can operate under low-flow conditions  Don’t interfere with fish movement  If stream runs year round, cheaper than solar or wind Figure 20.26

24 Comparing Energy Intensities

25 Role of Government  Provide incentives to make transition to renewables sooner than later  Transition will be smoother

The End Back