Environmental Science: Energy resources

HANOI UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE -*** Environmental science Energy resources Group Hanoi, May 13th, 2011 Energy resources Prof Nguyễn Xuân Cự Group Vũ Tuấn Tài Nguyễn Thanh Tùng Nguyễn Việt Hà Lê Hồng Minh Nguyễn Tá Nam Hà Công Đức Contents I II III IV V What is energy? Energy resources Energy consumption Energy conservation Sustainable energy I What is energy? 1.1 Definition - The word energy derives from the Greek ”energeia” - First appears in 4th century BC - Energy is the capacity of a system to work Energy is the power to change things 1.2 For example That system may be:  A jet, carrying hundreds of passengers across the ocean  A baby’s body, growing bone cells  A kite, rising on the wind  Or a wave of light crossing a space 1.3 Two types of energy - Renewable - Non-Renewable 1.3.1 Renewable energy -Wind -Solar -Hydropower -Biomass -Water -Geothermal power Advantages Disadvantages  Sustainable and will never run out  Derived from natural  Reduces the costs of operation  Minimal impact on the environment  Depends on the weather  Difficult to generate the quantities of electricity 1.3.2 Non-Renewable energy - Coal - Natural gas - Petroleum - Uranium - Propane Advantages Disadvantages  Relatively cheap fuel and readily available  Can run out  Photochemical pollution: acid rain  Greenhouse gases  Global warming 1.4 Is nuclear power renewable or nonrenewable?  Many environmental groups are fundamentally opposed to the notion that nuclear power is a renewable form of energy — on the grounds that it produces harmful waste byproducts and relies on extractive industries to procure fuel like uranium  Even so, the nuclear industry and pro-nuclear officials from countries including France have been trying to brand the technology as renewable, on the grounds that it produces little or no greenhouse gases  In conclusion, this is still problem was discussed II Some typical energy resources 1.Coal 1.1 Definition • Coal is composed primarily of carbon along with variable quantities of other elements, chiefly sulfur, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen • Main types: lignite, sub-bituminous, bituminous and anthracite • Anthracite is the hardest, has the most carbon, giving it a higher heat value • Lignite is the softest coal, has the least amount of carbon • Different types of coal are characterized by their unique properties, which produce different results when burned • Coal is a hydrocarbon-rich, fossil fuel resources, was formed millions of years ago • Coal mining: surface and underground 1.2 Coal mine distribution The largest coal mine is Tavan Tolgoi in Mongolia Petroleum 2.1 Definition • Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surfaces • Petroleum has a lot of energy, we can turn it into different fuels: gasoline, kerosene, heating oil • Petroleum is non-renewable and a fossil fuel 2.2 Top ten oil reserves countries III.Energy consumption 3.1 Who use energy The U.S Department of Energy divides energy users into four groups: Residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation These groups are called the sectors of the economy 3.2 Five economic sectors -Residential and Commercial Sectors Any place where people live is considered a residential building Commercial buildings include offices, stores, hospitals, restaurants, and schools Residential and commercial buildings are grouped together because they use energy in the same ways—for heating and cooling, lighting, heating water, and operating appliances +Heating & Cooling: It takes a lot of energy to heat rooms in winter and cool them in summer Half of the energy used in the average home is for heating and cooling rooms + Lighting: Homes and commercial buildings also use energy for lighting + Appliances: Home appliances have become more energy efficient Water heaters, refrigerators, clothes washers, and dryers all use much less energy today than they did 25 years ago -Industrial Sector: The United States is a highly industrialized country We use a lot of energy Today, the industrial sector uses 31 percent of the nation’s energy +Petroleum Refining The United States uses more petroleum than any other energy source Petroleum provides the U.S with about 37 percent of the energy we use each year +Metal Manufacturing: The steel industry uses energy to turn iron ore and scrap metal into steel Hundreds of the products we use every day are made of steel It is a very hard, durable metal and it must be heated to very high temperatures to manufacture it +Paper Manufacturing: Energy is used in every step of paper making Energy is used to chop, grind, and cook the wood into pulp +Chemical Manufacturing: Chemicals are an important part of our lives We use chemicals in our medicines, cleaning products, fertilizers and plastics, as well as in many of our foods +Cement Manufacturing: Some people think the United States is becoming a nation of concrete New roads and buildings are being built everywhere, every day We use lots of concrete Concrete is made from cement, water, and crushed stone A lot of energy is used in making cement The process requires extremely high temperatures—up to 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit -Transportation Sector: The transportation sector uses twenty-seven percent of the energy supply to moving people and goods from one place to another The vehicles include: Train, plane, boat, motorbike etc 3.3 Energy world consumption • World primary energy demand projected in RS to expand by almost 60% from 2002 to 2030, average annual increase of 1.7% per year • Projected rate of growth is, nevertheless, slower than over the past three decades, when demand grew by 2% per year • Demand reaches 16.5 billion toes in 2030 up from 10.3 toes in 2002 • Oil will remain single largest fuel in the global primary energy mix, though its share will fall marginally Demand for gas grows at 2.3% per year in 2002-2030 – fastest rate of any fossil fuel By 2030, gas use will be 90% higher than now, and gas will have overtaken coal as world’s 2nd-largest energy source III Energy conservation Most of the energy we use is wasted! What’s the problem? It isn’t matter we turn off the light or turn down the air conditioning It’s a technology challenge With the way we use energy most of energy in fuel is lost as waste heat, becoming a form of environmental pollution Many conservation techniques are applied Most of them are relatively simple and highly cost effective The most common example is compact bulbs Compact bulbs produce four times as much as an incandescent bulb of the same wattage and last ten times as long Although compact bulb’s cost is higher but total life saving $30 to $50 per bulb LEDs are even more extremely LEDs consuming 90% less energy and lasting hundreds of times as long as ordinary light bulbs For some other example: Household energy losses can be reducing by ½ to ¾ through insulation… New washing machines use 35% less water in the past It will cut water use by 40 trillion liters Something you can to save energy! IV Sustainable energy A number of types of energy can be thought of as sustainable, and many governments promote the use of sustainable energy and the development of new types of energy generating technology which fit within this model Increasing rates of energy consumption around the world have led to a corresponding rise in concerns about where this energy comes from Biomass renewable energy is energy derived usually from plant waste, such as beet, corn, or sugarcane waste that can be used to produce ethanol fuel for cars, aircraft, and other forms of transportation Biomass renewable energy offers a potentially limitless supply of energy to modern civilization, because most of the energy derived from biomass was generated first by the sun Renewable energies such as those produced from biomass products are also seen as generally less harmful to the environment, as less pollution is generated in the process of manufacturing and using them Unlike fossil fuels, biomass renewable energy can also be replenished over a short time period by simply planting more of the crop that is used to generate the fuel or harvesting more of an otherwise unused plant from nature It is, therefore, dependent on proper land management The proper use of freshwater resources and soil conservation in a sustainable manner must be the focus of biomass energy production if it is to be a long-term solution to growing energy needs In the United States, biomass renewable energy as of 2002 supplied six times as much energy as geothermal renewable energy, solar power, and wind energy resources combined Estimates are that 3% of all energy in the United States is supplied by biomass renewable resources Globally, 14% of energy needs are met by biomass fuels Solar electric energy refers to power derived from the sun’s radiation that is used to generate electricity Since ancient times, the sun’s heat and light has been harnessed in many ways Only within recent decades, however, have technologies like the photovoltaic or solar cell allowed solar energy to help power electrically dependent equipment, vehicles, and even entire homes Since it is a renewable resource, solar energy is generally favored over non-renewable fossil fuels like coal and oil In addition, most solar technologies used to collect and convert solar electric energy have no moving parts, and emit no noise or pollutants, making them an attractive alternative energy source to fossil fuels Some applications of solar technology include sustainable architecture, agriculture, and water treatment Depending on the way these technologies capture, convert, and distribute solar energy, they are considered either active or passive solar Photovoltaic and solar thermal units are considered active solar, as these devices directly collect, convert, and distribute the sun’s energy as electric power Passive solar methods might include home designs that incorporate the presence of abundant sunlight to provide both natural light and heat within a structure Countries throughout the world have begun to adopt solar electric energy as a fossil fuel alternative While the installation costs of solar power plants like photovoltaic arrays and solar troughs may be considerable, the long-term benefits of solar electric energy include less dependence on non-renewable resources, and therefore fewer pollutants or byproducts Solar electric energy is an intermittent source of energy, which means one may easily forecast when the sun will and will not generate energy in specific regions This ability has helped solar engineers and devise the best technologies and locations for harnessing the most amount of solar energy Aside from the use of solar electric energy to power, heat and cool a home, there are various other applications of solar energy Continents including Australia and the United States have held competitions since the 1980s to construct solar-powered cars that can achieve average speeds of almost 60 mph (96.56 kph) There have been similar competitions held for solar-powered boats and other vehicles Geothermal energy is energy that emits from the earth It comes from magma and the radioactive decay of uranium, thorium, and potassium Magma is hot because of the tremendous amount of friction and pressure to be found in the earth's subsurface area Geothermal energy, while massive in total, doesn't too well when compared to the amount of energy we get from the sun, which wins by a factor of about 20,000 Nevertheless, geothermal energy is tapped by over 20 countries, most notably Iceland, which gets 17% of its electricity from geothermal energy The largest geothermal energy plants output a couple hundred MW (megawatts) It has been estimated that Iceland has enough geothermal energy to provide 1700 MW for over 100 years The process of extracting power from the heat in the earth is pretty simple You pump water through pipes to the source of the heat and let it boil, the stream runs a turbine which gathers power, then the water is recondensed and sent through the cycle again If we had pipes strong enough and deep enough, we could send them down to the earth's mantle and have a practically inexhaustible source of electricity But with today's technology, we can only reach pockets of heat that are close to the surface Geothermal energy is not a strictly renewable energy source like wind or hydro, because the ground cools down slowly as energy is extracted from it Nevertheless, geothermal energy does slowly renew thanks to radioactive heating It is thought that molten rock at temperatures between 1,200 and 2,200°F (650 to 1,200°C) can be found in pockets 50 to 60 miles (about 80 to 97 km) underneath the earth's surface, just beneath the tectonic plates This would provide a prodigious source of geothermal energy, but the deepest hole mankind has drilled only extends about miles (13 km) down As we move towards independence from fossil fuels, geothermal will join solar and nuclear energy in providing clean power to the world's offices, industries, and homes A wind farm is a collection of windmills or turbines which are used to generate electrical power through their mechanical motions as they are pushed by the wind Both Europe and the United States have large numbers of wind farms, and the technology is also found on other continents In Asia, India especially has devoted a great deal of funding to establishing wind farms The energy generated by a wind farm can be fed directly into the general energy grid after passing through transformers As a potentially large source of renewable energy, wind farms are particularly popular in nations which are focusing on alternative energy Other types of renewable energy include wave power and solar arrays All of these technologies take advantage of already existing energy, converting it into a usable form Since a wind farm does not actively deplete resources as it generates power, it is considered a form of “green” energy Naturally, some resources must be expended to create a wind farm The turbines, transformers, and grid system on a wind farm are often made from less than ideal substances, such as metals mined in an unclean way However, once installed, a wind farm requires no additional energy output other than that required for basic maintenance This is a marked contrast to a power plant which relies on coal or petroleum products Consumers who want to support wind farms can buy energy credits which go to developers of wind farms Naturally, the best place for a wind farm is a windy location In some instances, a windy location may also be generally unusable or uninhabitable In other instances, a wind farm may take up useful real estate which could be used for farming This has led to some criticism of wind farms, since they take up a great deal more space than a comparable non-renewable energy generating facility In addition, wind farms pose a severe threat to migratory birds, as has been clearly documented by several scientific organizations Hydropower utilizes different forces that are created by moving water in order to generate power for a number of purposes It is also referred to as hydroelectric power, or simply as water power Hydropower can be used to generate electric power or also to create mechanical motion that runs machines for a variety of needs Unlike many other sources of energy, such as fossil fuels, water power supplies a constant source of energy that cannot be depleted There are different types of naturally occurring motions of water that can be used for hydropower The main occurrence is water that flows along a river, or down waterfalls, where the force from the water flowing from a higher place to a lower place is used to generate power Much research is taking place that explores the use of waves and tides as another source for hydroelectric power For example, a gyroscope floating on waves can be used to drive pistons with the rise and fall of water levels, or other devices can utilize the waves to compress air, which then moves a turbine to produce energy Rivers were first used for water power, where wheels were designed to turn from the force of the water in order to operate mills and various types of machinery Dams, mainly used to produce electricity, are often built alongside other types of power plants, and can be used to regulate the amount of water that flows through them to produce different amounts of power It is not completely necessary to build a dam for this type of hydropower, and damless hydro plants, as they are referred to, will usually utilize a smaller portion of a river or stream There are many sources of hydropower that have yet to be developed throughout the world, especially as other sources of energy become depleted While more environmentally friendly than other sources, hydropower is not without its issues Dams can have a negative impact on surrounding ecosystems, such as lower populations of fish as well as a reduction in the quality of the water itself Because of this, hydropower plants must be built with the environment in mind, with safeguards to restore any losses that they may incur, along with constant monitoring of environmental impacts Tidal and Wave energy is power generated from ocean tides As ocean tides are created by the moon's gravitational pull, they generate energy People may harvest this energy, and even create more, through the use of sizable underwater turbines, or tide generators, in oceanic areas known for high tidal movements These turbines are very similar to wind turbines, though they are much stronger, as water is much denser than air During high tide, ocean water can be collected behind a barrage, and then released as the tide ebbs As the water is dispensed, it passes through the turbine By harnessing the kinetic energy of both high and low tides in the turbine, electricity can be produced By eliminating the need for other sources of electricity that may produce a heavy environmental impact, tidal renewable energy is considered an effective form of alternative energy In addition to barrages, tidal fences may be used to collect wave energy Composed of vertical axis turbines mounted onto a fence, they allow water to pass through, and direct it into turbines for use The use of tidal fences is generally ideal in areas where the fence may connect two separate landmasses [...]... use of freshwater resources and soil conservation in a sustainable manner must be the focus of biomass energy production if it is to be a long-term solution to growing energy needs In the United States, biomass renewable energy as of 2002 supplied six times as much energy as geothermal renewable energy, solar power, and wind energy resources combined Estimates are that 3% of all energy in the United... as sustainable, and many governments promote the use of sustainable energy and the development of new types of energy generating technology which fit within this model Increasing rates of energy consumption around the world have led to a corresponding rise in concerns about where this energy comes from 1 Biomass renewable energy is energy derived usually from plant waste, such as beet, corn, or sugarcane... farms The energy generated by a wind farm can be fed directly into the general energy grid after passing through transformers As a potentially large source of renewable energy, wind farms are particularly popular in nations which are focusing on alternative energy Other types of renewable energy include wave power and solar arrays All of these technologies take advantage of already existing energy, converting... begun to adopt solar electric energy as a fossil fuel alternative While the installation costs of solar power plants like photovoltaic arrays and solar troughs may be considerable, the long-term benefits of solar electric energy include less dependence on non-renewable resources, and therefore fewer pollutants or byproducts Solar electric energy is an intermittent source of energy, which means one may... extremely LEDs consuming 90% less energy and lasting hundreds of times as long as ordinary light bulbs For some other example: Household energy losses can be reducing by ½ to ¾ through insulation… New washing machines use 35% less water in the past It will cut water use by 40 trillion liters Something you can do to save energy! IV Sustainable energy A number of types of energy can be thought of as sustainable,... the turbine By harnessing the kinetic energy of both high and low tides in the turbine, electricity can be produced By eliminating the need for other sources of electricity that may produce a heavy environmental impact, tidal renewable energy is considered an effective form of alternative energy In addition to barrages, tidal fences may be used to collect wave energy Composed of vertical axis turbines... by biomass renewable resources Globally, 14% of energy needs are met by biomass fuels 2 Solar electric energy refers to power derived from the sun’s radiation that is used to generate electricity Since ancient times, the sun’s heat and light has been harnessed in many ways Only within recent decades, however, have technologies like the photovoltaic or solar cell allowed solar energy to help power electrically... Oil will remain single largest fuel in the global primary energy mix, though its share will fall marginally Demand for gas grows at 2.3% per year in 2002-2030 – fastest rate of any fossil fuel By 2030, gas use will be 90% higher than now, and gas will have overtaken coal as world’s 2nd-largest energy source III Energy conservation Most of the energy we use is wasted! What’s the problem? It isn’t matter... may easily forecast when the sun will and will not generate energy in specific regions This ability has helped solar engineers and devise the best technologies and locations for harnessing the most amount of solar energy Aside from the use of solar electric energy to power, heat and cool a home, there are various other applications of solar energy Continents including Australia and the United States... boats and other vehicles 3 Geothermal energy is energy that emits from the earth It comes from magma and the radioactive decay of uranium, thorium, and potassium Magma is hot because of the tremendous amount of friction and pressure to be found in the earth's subsurface area Geothermal energy, while massive in total, doesn't do too well when compared to the amount of energy we get from the sun, which wins