How much electricity do you think you use? (Avg., above avg. or below avg.) Why? Where does your...

How much electricity do you think you use? (Avg., above avg. or below avg.) Why?

Where does your energy come from?

What impacts does energy production have?

Question of the day

http://www.worldpopulationbalance.org/pop/energy/

Though accounting for only 5 percent of the world's population, Americans consume 26 percent of the world's energy. (American Almanac)

In 1997, U.S. residents consumed an average of 12,133 kilowatt-hours of electricity each, almost nine times greater than the average for the rest of the world. (Grist Magazine)

Average American’s Energy consumption

Sources of Electricity in PA

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Energy Source

Coal 56%Nuclear 37%Natural gas 3.3%Petroleum 1.3%Renewables 1.3%Hydro <1%

PA Electricity GenerationEfficiency: A conventional coal generation facility is about 40% efficient, which means that 60% of the energy is lost before leaving the plant.

Transmission & Distribution: In the U.S. approximately 7% of electricity is lost moving electricity through the wires to your home or schools

Our School: By the time electricity gets to your school, nearly 2/3 of the energy is lost. Keep in mind, that most schools in PA could stand to improve energy efficiency by 30%.

o Energy consumption in the US• Industries (production)

use the most• Heating, cooling, and

illuminating building is 1/3

How do fossil fuels form?

List three fossil fuels.

Where are there abundant resources of fossil fuels? (Region or countries)

QUESTION OF THE DAY:

What are they ? Fossil Fuels Combustible deposits in the Earth’s crust

◦ Composed of the remnants (fossils) of prehistoric organisms that existed millions of years ago

◦ Includes coal, oil (petroleum) and natural gas

Non-renewable resource◦ Fossil fuels are created too slowly to replace the

reserves we use

How Are Fossil Fuels Formed? 300 million years ago

◦ Climate was mild◦ Vast swamps covered much of the land◦ Dead plant material decayed slowly in the swamp

environment

How the types of Fossil Fuels are Formed: Over time, layers of sediment accumulated

over the dead plant material Coal

◦ Heat, pressure and time turned the plant material into carbon-rich rock (coal)

Oil◦ Sediment deposited over microscopic plants ◦ Heat pressure and time turned them into

hydrocarbons (oil) Natural Gas

◦ Formed the same way as oil, but at temperatures higher than 100 °C

Coal is America’s most abundant fossil fuel and we have an estimated 250 year supply.

America produces about 1 billion tons of coal each year -- 90% is used for electricity generation.

Coal generated electricity provides 51% of all electricity in America.

America’s electricity demand is expected to increase 36% by 2020

Statistics from www.learnaboutcoal.org

Coal

Coal

PA Geologic Survey Map

Worlds largest oil reserves:

Oil

Country Millions of Barrels

Percent World Reserve

Saudi Arabia 259,400 21.83%

Iran 125,800 10.59%

Iraq 115,000 9.68%

Kuwait 99,000 8.33%

Venezuela 77,800 6.55%

United Arab Emirates

55,210 4.65%

Rest of World 456,090 38.37

Chart edited from www.factsonfuel.org

2004 Crude Oil Consumption by Region.

Oil

25%26%

30%19%

USA

Asia Pacific

WesternEurope

Rest of World

Edited from, Source: BP Statistical Review of World Energy, June 2005

Brainstorm 5 ideas with a partner

What are the impacts of burning fossil fuels?

1. Combustion of fossil fuels creates air pollution

2. Excess CO2 gas released to atmosphere 3. Increase global climate- due to increase

of greenhouse gases 4. Melting of the polar ice caps, rise in sea

level due to climate change 5. Coal- acid mine drainage, ash etc. 6. Acid deposition- acid rain from sulfur and

nitrogen compounds released when burned

Impacts of burning fossil fuels:

From Union of Concerned Scientists http://www.ucsusa.org/

Environment

From Union of Concerned Scientists http://www.ucsusa.org/

Environment

Coal plants produce one-third of America’s CO2 emissions—about the same amount as all our cars, SUVs, trucks, buses, planes, ships, and trains combined.

A 500-megawatt (MW) plant produces the annual global warming emission equivalent of roughly 600,000 cars, but operates on average for 40 to 50 years(or longer).

Statistics from Union of Concerned Scientists “Gambling with Coal”

Environment – Negative impacts of Coal fired power plants

In 2005, Pennsylvania coal-fired power plants pumped almost 120 million tons of carbon dioxide, more than 985,000 tons of sulfur dioxide and more than 171,000 tons of nitrogen oxide into our air. Over the last several decades, this noxious mix of pollutants has seared Pennsylvania forests with the nation's highest levels of acid rain.… On the ridges of the Allegheny National Forest… 30 to 40 percent of the trees on some slopes are dead or

dying…

PennFuture Facts, Vol. 8, No. 20 -- October 4, 2006

Environment – Negative impacts continued

Solutions: Making Coal Cleaner-No such thing as “clean coal” but ways to burn coal cleaner Scrubbers Fluidized Bed Combustion (below)

Economic issues with fossil fuels - Oil

Annual world oil consumption has been exceeding additions for a long time.

Most experts are predicting that oil production will peak in the next 5-10 years.

Prices will continue to increase due to costs of extraction and transportation

Proposed federal laws limiting global warming (also see Northeast Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative http://www.rggi.org/)

In PA, electric rate caps are being removed by 2010.

Economic issues – Coal & Oil

School Districts pay energy bills out of the same budget which pays salaries, books, supplies, etc.

Increases in fuel cost must = decrease other budget items (or increases in taxes)

Economics for Schools

The least efficient schools use 3 times as much energy as the best performers.

What do you know of the current Nuclear crisis in Japan?

How about any past nuclear issues?

Is nuclear power safe? Why or why not?

Question of the day:

Japan update

http://www.cnn.com/

CNN

What is it?◦Splitting of uranium atoms in a “reactor” to release energy to create heat to make steam to make electricity

Nuclear Energy (fission)

Nuclear Fission

Nuclear Fuel Cycle◦ processes involved

in producing the fuel used in nuclear reactors and in disposing of radioactive (nuclear) wastes

How Electricity is Produced

Nuclear power plants in US

Local Plants- Limerick

Three Mile Island

Salem NJ plant on DE river

Nuclear Power Pros/Cons Pros

◦No air pollution◦Small amounts of

fuel = large amounts of energy

◦U.S. has technology

Cons◦ Expensive to build

and maintain Nuclear power plant

◦ Radioactive fuel, dangerous waste to dispose of

Safety Issues in Nuclear Power Plants

Meltdown◦ At high temperatures the metal encasing the

uranium fuel can melt, releasing radiation Probability of meltdown or other accident is

low Public perception is that nuclear power is

not safe Sites of major accidents:

◦ Three Mile Island◦ Chornobyl (Ukraine)

Three-Mile Island 1979- most serious reactor accident in US 50% meltdown of reactor core

◦ Containment building kept radiation from escaping

◦ No substantial environmental damage◦ No human casualties

Elevated public apprehension of nuclear energy◦ Led to cancellation of many new plants in US

Chernobyl

1986- worst accident in history

1 or 2 explosions destroyed the nuclear reactor◦ Large amounts of

radiation escaped into atmosphere

Spread across large portions of Europe

Chernobyl

Radiation spread was unpredictable

Radiation fallout was dumped unevenly

Death toll is 10,000-100,000

Chernobyl Phila Inq. Article-

Visiting Chernobyl Life after people

series on History Channel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A62au7Avq1E&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1

Textbook reading Three Mile Island Pgs. 464-468

questions 1-13.

Radioactive Waste Low-level radioactive waste-

◦ Radioactive solids, liquids, or gasses that give off small amounts of ionizing radiation

High-level radioactive waste- ◦ Radioactive solids, liquids, or gasses that give off

large amounts of ionizing radiation

Radioactive Wastes Long term solution to waste

◦ Deep geologic burial –Yucca Mountain◦ As of 2004, site must meet EPA million year

standard (compared to previous 10,000 year standard)

◦ Possibilities: Above ground mausoleums Arctic ice sheets Beneath ocean floor

Radioactive Waste Temporary storage solutions

◦ In nuclear plant facility (require high security) Under water storage Above ground concrete and steel casks

Need approved permanent options soon.

Case-In-Point Yucca Mountain

70,000 tons of high-level radioactive waste

Tectonic issues have been identified

End Energy Notes- Alternative Energy presentations need to finish

Alternative energy information

Nuclear fusion (from the SUN)What is it? Combining atoms (nuclei) to form a heavier atom and huge amounts of energy

Pros Cons

Safer than fission No air pollution Renewable energy

Technology very difficult

Requires unrealistic high temp, pressure and concentration

Biofuel – Any fuel derived from recently-living biomass◦ Corn/grains◦ Soybeans◦ Wood (forestry residue, mill waste, C&D waste)◦ Sugarcane◦ Switchgrass◦ Food waste ◦ Algae

What is a Biofuel??

Ethanol◦ Starches (corn) ◦ Cellulosic materials

Biodiesel◦ Waste vegetable oils/greases◦ Soybean oil◦ Canola

Main Types of Transportation Biofuels

Biomass- using plant and animal matter and waste as fuel Pros

◦Renewable◦Good use of “waste”

◦Ethanol less polluting than gas

Cons◦Does produce

CO2 (global warming) and smoke

◦More grain for ethanol, less for food

Corn to Ethanol