1. Aim: How can technology be used to help the environment?

2. Alternative Energy Sources:
Hydroelectricity – dammed water is sent through a turbine & generates electricity.
Advantages:
Little or no air pollution
Does not depend on fossil fuels
Disadvantages:
Disruptive to surrounding aquatic ecosystem

3. Alternative Energy Sources:
Wind Power – wind spins
turbine blades to produce
electricity.
Advantages:
Little or no pollution
Does not require the
consumption of non-renewable resources to operate.
Disadvantages:
The intermittency of wind
Need a lot of turbines to generate as much energy of one fossil fuel power plant. (noise)

4. Alternative Energy Sources:
Solar Energy – the use of the sun’s energy to generate electricity.
Advantages:
Relatively pollution free.
Technology is becoming more
affordable.
Photoelectric Cell
Disadvantages:
Not available at night & reduced during cloud cover.

5. Alternative Energy Sources:
Nuclear Energy – energy
produced from the splitting of atoms.
Advantages:
Water vapor is the only
emission.
2) Low fuel costs (uranium)
Disadvantages:
Waste is radioactive & must be properly contained for thousands of years.
2) High maintenance costs.

6. Energy Conservation:
We need to conserve energy by reducing our usage of everyday products we have come to rely on.
Ex: Turn off lights when not in use, Carpooling, use fan instead of air conditioner, etc…

7. Individual Choices & Societal Actions:
Solutions to these environmental problems require an analysis of costs & benefits.
Example: You can only drive your car to work.
Costs:
Inconvenience
Loss of jobs in oil industry
Lose contact with friends
Benefits:
1) Less pollution
2) Conserve natural
resources
3) People may exercise more
We must determine which trade-off (compromise) is
acceptable.

8. Scrubbers & Catalytic Converters:
Reduces the emissions
of CO, NOx, CH3.
Does not reduce CO2.
Removes pollutants of combustion.
Used by industries.