in North Dakota
• Clips
Al Gore’s super catastrophe called global
warming says we need to stop using fossil fuels
within the next ten years.
What are fossil fuels?
How are fossil fuels used?
What are our alternatives?
How costly will these alternatives be?
Is global warming real?
ENERGY IN NORTH DAKOTA
List as many things as you can in 30
seconds that use electricity in your
home.
ENERGY IN NORTH DAKOTA
What did you come up with?
Do you need these items to survive?
North Dakota Energy Trail
ENERGY IN NORTH DAKOTA
Types of Energy
Nonrenewable
• Coal, Natural Gas, Oil
Renewable
• Wind, Hydro, Geothermal, Biomass, Solar
NONRENEWABLE ENERGY
• What is coal?
• How was coal made?
• What do we use coal for?
NONRENEWABLE ENERGY
For millions of years, a layer of dead plants at the bottom
of the swamps was covered by layers of water and dirt,
trapping the energy of the dead plants. The heat and
pressure from the top layers helped the plant remains turn
into what we today call coal.
Source: National Energy Education Development Project (Public Domain)
NONRENEWABLE ENERGY
The major uses of coal are:
A.) Electric Power
• used to create almost half of all electricity generated in
the United States
B.) Industry
• plastics
• tar
• fertilizers
• medicines
• steel
NONRENEWABLE ENERGY
Classifying Coal
• Coal is classified into 4 categories or ranks
Classifying coal depends on:
a.) how it responds to increasing heat and pressure
b.) how much carbon it contains
Carbon - A naturally abundant, nonmetallic element that occurs in all
organic compounds and can be found in all known forms of life.
a.) is a major constituent of coal, petroleum, and
natural gas.
• Coal is made largely of carbon but also includes elements such as
hydrogen, oxygen, sulfur and nitrogen.
NONRENEWABLE ENERGY
Classifying Coal
Lignite
• Contains about 35% moisture
• Contains a fair amount of ash
• Breaks apart easily
• Contains 25-35% carbon
• Brownish-black in color
• Most is mined in Texas and North Dakota
NONRENEWABLE ENERGY
Classifying Coal
Subbituminous
• Less moisture than lignite
• Dull black color
• Contains 35-45% carbon
• Most found in western US and Alaska
NONRENEWABLE ENERGY
Classifying Coal
Bituminous
• Contains very little moisture
• Has a high heat value
• Contains 45-86% carbon
• Most plentiful type of coal in the US
• West Virginia, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania are the
largest producers
NONRENEWABLE ENERGY
Classifying Coal
Anthracite
• Hardest type of coal
• Lowest moisture and ash content
• Contains 86-98% carbon
• Highest heating value
• Most are found in northeastern Pennsylvania
NONRENEWABLE ENERGY
Residential Average Retail Price of Electricity :
 New York
 17.92 cents/kilowatt hour
 Minnesota
 9.65 cents/kilowatt hour
 North Dakota
 7.18 cents /kilowatt hour
US Rank: ND is the LOWEST because of low-cost,
coal-fired electricity
NONRENEWABLE ENERGY
• Mining companies and power plants in part
through technology help to minimize any
effect on our environment through various
measures, including:
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•
•
•
•
Air Monitoring
Emissions Control
Land Reclamation
Fly Ash Control
Water Treatment and Conservation
NONRENEWABLE ENERGY
History of Coal Mine Regulations in ND
• 1969 - North Dakota Strip Mined Lands Act
• 1971 - Grade spoils to accommodate farm machinery
• 1973 - Save and replace topsoil
• 1975 - Mined lands must be returned to 100% of pre-mine
productivity
▫ Reclamation laws in North Dakota are stricter than Federal
reclamation laws.
NONRENEWABLE ENERGY
How is coal use made cleaner?
1. Devices called scrubbers, used in power plants,
remove more than 90% of the sulfur dioxide
emissions from the burning process
a) The scrubbers clean sulfur from the smoke
before it leaves the smokestacks.
2. Research on carbon capture is underway
a) Carbon capture separates carbon dioxide
from emissions sources
NONRENEWABLE ENERGY
History of the Clean Air Act
• 1955 – Air Pollution Control Act
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First federal air pollution legislation
Funded research on pollution
• 1963 – Clean Air Act
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Created a national program to address air pollution
• 1967 – Air Quality Act
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Created measures of enforcement for air pollution breeches
• 1970 – Clean Air Act
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Created National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and other guidelines (which we still use)
Increased enforcement authority
Controlled motor vehicle emissions
• 1977 – Clean Air Act Amendment
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Minor changes to NAAQS
• 1990 – Clean Air Act Amendment
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Controlled toxic pollutants
Established permits to emit certain pollutants
Expanded enforcement and NAAQS
Established a program to phase out chemicals that deplete the ozone layer
NONRENEWABLE ENERGY
•
North Dakota
is one of only 13
states in the nation that meets all of
EPA's strict federal ambient air quality
standards.
The 13 states include:
Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota,
Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota,
Oklahoma, South Dakota, Vermont,
Washington & Maine
NONRENEWABLE ENERGY
Coal
Advantages
Disadvantages
• Affordable
• Limited supply as a nonrenewable resource
• Reliable
• Environmental concerns
Technology, science and
legislation is advancing to
diminish concerns
• Abundant
Coal continues to be a valuable energy resource although questions are
being raised about its sustainability in the future as a non-renewable
resource, as well as it’s environmental effects. Despite these concerns,
coal technology continues to advance and strive to reduce emissions
while increasing efficiency.
NONRENEWABLE ENERGY
How was oil and natural gas formed?
NONRENEWABLE ENERGY
Oil
•
•
Crude oil is a yellow-to-black liquid and
is usually found in underground
areas called reservoirs.
After the crude oil is removed from the
ground, it is sent to a refinery.
• At a refinery, the crude oil is separated
into useable petroleum products.
•What are some products made from
crude oil?
Did you
know…
…crude oil can be “sweet”
or “sour”?
It is called “sweet” when it
contains only a small
amount of sulfur and
“sour” if it contains a lot
of sulfur.
NONRENEWABLE ENERGY
Oil
• Crude oil is measured in barrels.
• What’s in a barrel of oil?
What’s
in a
barrel
of oil?
•The world uses millions of barrels of oil each day
NONRENEWABLE ENERGY
Oil
Advantages
Disadvantages
• Affordable
• Limited supply as a nonrenewable resource
• Readily available
• Effect on fuel costs
• Efficient
• Environmental concerns of oil
extraction and transportation
continue to be a debated topic
NONRENEWABLE ENERGY
Natural Gas
• The main ingredient in natural gas is methane,
a gas (or compound) composed of
one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms.
NONRENEWABLE ENERGY
Natural Gas
How is natural gas used?
• Natural gas accounts for about a quarter of the
energy used in the United States.
□ About one-third goes to residential and
commercial uses
ex.) heating and cooking
□ One-third to industrial uses
□ One-third to electric power production
□ Only about one-tenth of 1% is used for
transportation fuel.
NONRENEWABLE ENERGY
Natural Gas
Advantages
Disadvantages
• Affordable
• Limited supply as a non- renewable
resource
• Safely stored and burned
• Tends to be more expensive
compared to other non-renewable
resources
• Convenient and efficient
source of energy for heating
and electricity generation
• Less concentrated form of energy
compared to other non-renewable
resources
NONRENEWABLE ENERGY
Natural Gas
• Dakota Gasification Company, owns and operates the
Great Plains Synfuels Plant, a coal gasification
complex near Beulah, ND.
• The Synfuels Plant is the only commercial-scale coal
gasification plant in the United States that
manufactures synthetic natural gas from coal.
RENEWABLE ENERGY
• Some forms of renewable energy
alternatives in North Dakota are:
▫ Biomass
▫ Wind
▫ Geothermal
▫ Hydroelectric
▫ Solar
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Biomass –
residue of living plant material
Ex.) crop residue, wood materials, plants, trees, animal waste, industrial
waste, etc
How is it used?
• most commonly used as a fuel for combustion
• to generate steam to run turbines or generate electricity.
Why Bioenergy?
• creates additional value in agriculture, forestry, and other industries
• reduces landfill expenses by disposing of volume waste
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Biomass
Ethanol – alcohol-based alternative fuel
E-10 (10% ethanol & 90% gasoline)
E-85 (85% ethanol & 15% gasoline)
Ex.) corn, sugar beets, sugar cane, wheat, barley
Bioethanol – ethanol made from cellulosic biomass
materials instead of feedstocks
Ex.) trees, grasses, etc
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Biomass Drawbacks
• Biomass needs great amounts of land and water
needed to grow enough plants to provide all
the energy required by the global population.
• Biomass can not replace fossil fuels completely
because it would not be able to keep up with
the food and energy demands of a growing
global population.
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Wind
What is wind power?
• utilizing the wind and changing it into a usable
form of energy
What causes wind?
•Land and water absorb and release different
amounts of heat from the sun.
•As the warm air rises, cooler air rushes in to take
its place.
•The earth’s rotation bends the flow of air.
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Wind
• Farmer’s and rural homesteads have been using wind
energy for many years to pump water from wells
using “windmills” like the picture below.
• Today, the wind is also used to make energy using “wind
turbines”.
• As an industry, wind energy is growing rapidly.
• The U.S. installed capacity has grown to 5 times what it
was in 1999.
RENEWABLE ENERGY
How does a Wind Turbine work?
• When the wind blows the blades on the turbine spin.
• The blades of the turbine are attached to the hub that is mounted
on a turning shaft.
• The shaft goes through a gearbox where the turning speed is
increased.
• The gearbox is attached to a high speed shaft which turns a
generator that makes electricity.
• The electricity is sent through transmission and distribution
lines to a substation, then on to homes, business and schools
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Wind Power Drawbacks
• The wind blows all over the earth, however it is NOT
windy all the time creating a problem with wind
turbines.
• Bird deaths occur due to collisions with the turbines, and
bat deaths occur because of air pressure
changes the turbines cause.
• Many people don’t like the loud noises the wind turbines
produce.
• Turbines change the look of the landscape.
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Geothermal
“geo” means earth
“thermal” means heat
So, what does “geothermal” mean?
CORRECT! earth-heat
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Shell
Geothermal
EGG
Crust
Yolk
Core
White
Mantle
EARTH
• Below the crust of the earth, the top layer of the
mantle is a hot liquid rock called magma.
• When the magma breaks through the surface of the
earth in a volcano, it is called lava.
• When you go below ground, the temperature of the rock
increases.
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Geothermal – a pump system can use the constant
temperature of the earth to heat or cool buildings.
• Pipes are buried in the ground near the building and are
filled with water and an antifreeze like fluid which is
circulated throughout.
Heating
Heat from the warmer ground goes through the heat
exchanger of a heat pump, which then sends warm air into
the building.
Cooling
During warmer weather, the process is reversed and
hot air from the building goes through the heat exchanger
and the heat is passed into the relatively cooler ground.
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Geothermal Energy Drawbacks
• High installation cost
• Disturbance to your landscape because of extensive
trenching.
• Using copper pipes to circulate refrigerant which can
corrode over time, leading to leaks that are hard to
locate.
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Hydroelectric - making electricity from water power
Process:
• Water behind the dam flows through the intake and into
a pipe, which is called a penstock.
• Water pushes against the blades in a turbine, making
them turn.
• Turbines spins a generator to produce electricity.
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Hydroelectric
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Hydroelectric Drawbacks
• Requires a large amount of land to store the
water needed to produce electricity
• Disrupts aquatic ecosystems
• High initial building cost
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Solar
We use the sun’s energy everyday in many different ways.
Can you think of some examples?
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Solar
What is solar energy?
It’s energy made by the sun,
reaching us as heat and light.
How does it work?
1.) Chemically treated silicon wafers absorb the sunlight.
2.) An electric current is produced and transferred to a
metal grid.
3.) This electricity can be used directly or stored in
batteries.
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Solar
There are two types of solar space heating systems:
1.) Passive Systems – heat directly from sunshine, no
mechanical equipment is needed
Ex.) large windows facing the south to heat buildings
2.) Active Systems – requires a collector to absorb and
collect solar radiation
Ex.) pumps are used to circulate the heated air
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Solar Energy Drawbacks
• A large surface area is required to collect the energy at
a useful rate.
• All the facilities in the entire world only make enough
solar cells to produce electricity for 300,000
people.
• Cost of producing solar energy is 4 times more
expensive than a power plant.
• The amount of sunlight that arrives at the Earth's
surface is not constant. It depends on location, time
of day, time of year, and weather conditions.
Price Comparison of Nonrenewable and
Renewable Energy Sources
In cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh)
▫ Hydro-------------------------4.6
▫ Coal--------------------------6.6
▫ Geothermal---------------------6.7
▫ Nuclear------------------------6.7
▫ Natural Gas--------------------6.9
▫ Biomass------------------------9.5
▫ Wind-------------------------11.0
▫ Solar (Thermal)-----------------21.0
▫ Solar (Photovoltaic)--------------38.0
“No other energy resource comes close to the
power of coal.
Replacing coal would take:
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1,800 times more solar than we have today
2.5 million wind turbines and constant wind
1,150 nuclear plants
2,250 large hydro plants.
All of these sources are important. Yet they
cannot match the scale of coal.”