1. Nonrenewable Energy

2. 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

3. 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

4. Coal Most abundant fossil fuel
Majority of deposits in Asia and North America
Provides more than 50% of electricity in the U.S.
Video:

5. 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

6. 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

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

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

11. 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

12. Energy Resources and Fossil Fuels

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

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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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!

18. 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

19. 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.

20. 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