1. Nonrenewable Energy Resources
Energy is the ability to do work
Energy use has increased dramatically in the last century
Only ~7% of the energy comes from renewable sources like water power and wind
The remaining 93% comes from nonrenewable sources such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas
Fossil fuels formed from the remains of plants and animals that lived long ago, and are burned at rates millions of times faster than they are forming today.

2. Coal Coal is an organic sedimentary rock Formed from plant materials
All organic materials contain C, H, and O
As the plant matter decays, mostly C remains
Peat is a compressed mass of plant in which mosses, leaves, and twigs can still be seen
Lignite forms when peat is compressed and aged, is about 40% C
After millions of years of compression, bituminous (soft coal) coal may form (~85% C) It is the most abundant and widely used
Soft coal burns readily, but with a lot of smoke
Regional metamorphism turns bituminous coal to anthracite, or hard coal (90-95% C)‏

3. Coal Deep coal deposits are worked in underground mines.
Shallow deposits are worked in open-pit mines
The main use of coal is to run power plants that generate electricity
Coal is used in making steel and chemicals

4. Petroleum and Natural Gas
Petroleum means “rock oil”
Sedimentary material of organic origin
Liquid hydrocarbons (H,C,O)‏
Formed by slow chemical changes in plant and animal materials buried under sand and clay in shallow ocean waters
Hydrocarbons were liquids and gases
Sediments were compacted and the hydrocarbons were squeezed into pores and cracks in sandstones or limestones
Lighter hydrocarbon liquids (petroleum) rose above the seawater in the rocks, and natural gas collected above the petroleum
Petroleum is sealed by an impermeable rock layer (such as shale) called an oil trap

5. Other Fossil Fuels and Gasohol
Oil shale contains a high % of C compounds
Oil vapour can be recovered as liquid oil
Tar sand is sand that has pore spaces that are filled with tar
Oil is removed from the tar sands (Alberta has huge reserves)
Gasohol is a mixture of gasoline and alcohol

6. Uranium: Nuclear Power
Uranium metal is used in nuclear reactors to generate electricity
Atomic fission of the uranium-235 nucleus releases energy
The fission of 1 gram of uranium releases as much energy as the burning of nearly 3 tons of coal or 14 barrels of oil
A nuclear power plant uses the energy produced by nuclear fission in a nuclear reactor to heat water, which becomes steam under pressure
The steam is pumped into turbines, which generate electricity
How Nuclear Power Works

7. Uranium is the 4th most important source of energy in the world today
The main ores of Uranium are the black mineral uraninite, and the yellow mineral carnotite (both oxides)
Uranium is the 4th most important source of energy in the world today
Fission creates radioactive waste that must be stored away from living things for thousands of years
This storage facility near the site of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant currently houses nuclear waste.
Three Mile Island Meltdown
Nuclear Waste Yucca Mtn.

8. Energy Conservation
Currently the world relies on nonrenewable resources for most of its energy
The supply of fossil fuels will continue to be used at an increasing rate
Three general methods of energy conservation:
Reduce energy consumption
Use less energy to do the same amount of work Eg. Better insulation, tuned-up cars, compact fluorescent or LED light bulbs
Use less energy to do more work: more efficient machines