Energy
TPES
http://www.radiantsolar.us/images/common/energy-supply.jpg
Energy Sources and their Greenhouse Gas Emissions
IGCC:
Integrated
Gasification
Combined
Cycle
LNG C-C:
Liquefied
Natural Gas
with Carbon
Capture
http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/rp/2008-09/09rp09.htm
Coal
Made almost entirely of carbon
Advantages:
•One of the most abundant energy sources
•Versatile; can be burned directly, transformed
into liquid, gas, or feedstock
•Inexpensive compared to other energy sources
•Leading source of electricity today
• Reduces dependence on foreign oil
•Very large amounts of electricity can be
generated in one place, fairly cheaply.
•Estimates of # of years left of reserves: 400 yrs
Coal
• Disadvantages
• A coal plant generates about 3,700,000 tons of carbon dioxide
every year; this is one of the main causes of global warming.
(Composition: mainly carbon)
• A single coal plant creates 10,000 tons of sulfur dioxide, which
causes acid rain that damages forests, lakes, and buildings.
• When people dig for coal, they cut down many trees.
• A coal plant also creates 720 tons of carbon monoxide; which
causes headaches and place additional stress on people with heart
disease.
• Cultivating coal is a very dangerous job - many men and women die
each year in coal mine related failures and accidents
Crude Oil
Advantages
•
•
•
•
•
Oil is one of the most abundant energy resources
Liquid form of oil makes it easy to transport and use
Oil has high heating value
Relatively inexpensive
No new technology needed to use
http://www.spsu.edu/tmgt/vasasideris/MGNT4125/ADVANTAGES_AND_DISADVANTAGES_OF_ENERGY_SOURCES.htm
Disadvantages
• Oil burning leads to carbon emissions (hydrocarbon)
• Finite resources (some disagree)
• Oil recovery processes not efficient enough—technology
needs to be developed to provide better yields
• Oil drilling endangers the environment and ecosystems
• Oil transportation (by ship) can lead to spills, causing
environmental and ecological damage
• Dependency of unstable governments
• Finite: controversy about how finite
Natural Gas (Methane CH4)
Advantages
• Burns clean compared to coal, oil (less polluting)
• 70% less carbon dioxide compared to other fossil fuels (more
carbon than hydrogen compared to crude oil)
• Helps improve quality of air and water (not a pollutant)
• Does not produce ashes after energy release
• Has high heating value of 24,000 Btu per pound
• Inexpensive compared to coal
Natural Gas (Methane CH4)
Disadvantages
•
•
•
•
Does produce greenhouse gases
Not a renewable source
Finite resource trapped in the earth (some experts disagree)
Controversy about hydrofracking’s impact on the environment
Biofuels and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Corn Ethanol:
Not much
savings– a
result of
agribusiness
lobbying
http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/ethanol/emissions.html
Wind Energy: Part of a turbine
http://www.allstar.fiu.e
du/aero/images/pic51.gif
http://www.njcleanenergy.com/files/image/windturbine.jpg
How a generator works
http://www.generatorguide.net/howgenerator
works.html
Advantages of Wind Energy:
•Wind energy is friendly to the surrounding
environment, as no fossil fuels are burnt to
generate electricity from wind energy.
•Newer technologies are making the extraction of
wind energy much more efficient. The wind is free,
and we are able to cash in on this free source of
energy.
•Wind turbines are a great resource to generate
energy in remote locations, such as mountain
communities and remote countryside.
Disadvantages:
•Unreliable. In many areas, the winds strength is too low
to support a wind turbine or wind farm.
•Intermittent– not always windy.
•Difficult to store excess electricity.
•The bigger the turbine the more efficient-very windy
high up and large blades, more energy captured
•Need to update power grid to transport electricity to
from wind turbine to places where it’s not windy
•Wind turbine construction can be very expensive.
•Protests and/or petitions usually confront any proposed
wind farm development.
Power 
1
rv 3 Area
2
where: Power= Power available from the wind (W); r= air density (kg/m3);
v=wind velocity (m/s); R=Length of blade Area= area that the turbine blades
sweep out= p r2.. If the wind speed is 20 (mi/hr), the blade length=3 m, and the
air density is 1.2 kg/m3 find Wind speed in m/s
1.
2.
3.
4.
9
10
11
12
Power 
1
rv 3 Area
2
where: Power= Power available from the wind (W); r= air density (kg/m3);
v=wind velocity (m/s); R=Length of blade Area= area that the turbine blades sweep out= p r2.. If
the wind speed is 20 (mi/hr), the blade length=3 m, and the air density is 1.2 kg/m3 find power
available to the turbine (kW):
1.
2.
3.
4.
12
14
16
18
Power 
1
rv 3 Area
2
where: Power= Power available from the wind (W); r= air density (kg/m3);
v=wind velocity (m/s); R=Length of blade Area= area that the turbine blades sweep out= p r2.. If
the wind speed is 20 (mi/hr), the blade length=3 m, and the air density is 1.2 kg/m3 If the wind
speed doubles, find the power (kW) available to the turbine.
1.
2.
3.
4.
60
80
100
120