1. Arizona’s Major Power Facilities

2. Coal Locations: Black Mesa Mine, Kayenta Mine
Coal is a fossil fuel which comes from plants
Some of our coal comes from New Mexico
Earth- moving machines separate coal from rock
Generating coal electricity accounts for 1/3 of green house gases caused by co2
¼ of the world’s coal is in the US
Non-Renewable
36% of our electricity is made from coal
Coal power plants are far away from cities because coal releases pollution
Coal mining can damage habitats
Pollution from coal can damage crops, buildings, and forests
Cost per kilowatt hour: 2.3 cents

3. Hydroelectric Power:
Locations: Hoover Dam, Theodore Roosevelt, Arizona Falls, Horse Mesa
Electricity made with flowing water
Does not create toxic waste
6% of AZ electricity is from HP
Its clean and produces no pollution
Amount the electricity made depends on the amount of the water
Hoover Dam is the largest
Costs 6 cents per Kilowatt/hour
Renewable
Some fish and wildlife are harmed.

4. Wind Power Location: St. Johns
Wind caused by uneven heating of Earth’s surface by sun
Wind is natural process, making it a renewable energy source
Wind turbines capture the kinetic energy of wind and change into electric energy
Percentage of AZ electricity: 0.2%
Cost per Kilowatt/hour: $.05 cents
Wind turbines built in groups are called wind farms
Producing a large scale amount of wind power requires a very windy place all year
Studies are being done to find other sites for wind farms in Arizona
Making power from wind doesn’t create pollution

5. Photovoltaic Solar Power
Locations: 3 PV arrays in AZ
The cells are made of silicon
AZ is ideal for solar energy
No fuel is needed
Clean energy source
Percentage of AZ electricity: 0.2%
Renewable
There are no environmental impacts
Can be installed on roofs of businesses and homes
Very expensive to use: 20 – 40 cents KW/hour
PV cells and arrays have no moving parts, so they run well for a long time
Very little maintenance

6. Bio-energy Location: 3 in AZ- Scottsdale, Springerville and Tucson
Energy from burning biomass or organic matter
All bio-fuels are renewable
Less than one percent of Arizona’s electricity is used by bio-energy
Arizona has very few power plants that use bio-energy
Chemical energy in bio-fuels can be burned to make heat energy
The different types of bio-energy have different effects.
Cheap- the fuel is free
Cost per Kilowatt/hour: $

7. Natural Gas Several plants located in Arizona
Highly flammable, colorless and scent added for safety
Made from fossil fuels: remains of plants and animals
Non renewable
Cost 3 – 5 cents per kilowatt hour
Percentage of AZ electricity: 28%
AZ has very limited natural gas deposits
Use of natural gas is increasing in our state
Natural gas is transformed from chemical energy to heat energy
Burns cleaner than coal, therefore located near cities and towns

8. Nuclear Energy
Location: Palo Verde Generating station 50 miles west of PHX
Nuclear energy stored in the nucleus of atoms
Largest in the US
Uses uranium
Power plants use fuel rods of enriched uranium
Cost per Kilowatt/hour: $.1.3 cents
Non-renewable
Splitting atoms is called fission
Nuclear energy is released as heat energy
Percentage of AZ electricity: 29%
Radioactive spills are rare.
Spent nuclear fuel is highly radioactive and must be stored carefully for thousands of years