Nonrenewable Energy

Oil & Petroleum

Nonrenewable vs. Renewable?• What is the difference

between nonrenewable and renewable?

• What is net energy?

Nonrenewable vs. Renewable?

Net Energy

OIL• Crude oil (petroleum) is a thick liquid

containing hydrocarbons that we extract from underground deposits and separate into products such as gasoline, heating oil and asphalt.

Oil Refining• Based on boiling

points

Where is all the oil?• What is OPEC?• Organization of Petroleum

Exporting Countries– 11 of these countries have 78%

of the world’s proven oil reserves and most of the world’s unproven reserves.

• What happens when oil supply goes down? How about when it goes up?– Supply and Demand

US Oil Prices 1951-2006

• Why is there a huge spike in 1973 and 1979?

U.S. Oil?• The U.S. – the world’s largest

oil user – has only 2.9% of the world’s proven oil reserves.

Burning of Oil• Burning oil for transportation

accounts for 43% of global CO2 emissions.

• Can release chemicals known to harm human health, like CO, VOCs, Pb etc.

How Would You Vote?• Do the advantages of relying

on conventional oil as the world’s major energy resource outweigh its disadvantages?

Oil Shale• Oil Shale is a solid

combustible mixture of hydrocarbons called kerogen.– Heavy Oil– High Sulfur Content– Extracting produces:

• Toxic waste• Uses and contaminates large volumes of water• Net energy is not as high

Nonrenewable Energy

Natural Gas

Natural Gas• What is natural gas?

– Mostly Methane– Large gas bubbles found above

reservoirs of crude oil• “Clean-burning” fuel – no

toxic chemicals– Still produces carbon dioxide

Hydraulic Fracturing• Hydraulic Fracturing AKA

Fracking• Drill and inject fluid into the

ground at high pressure in order to fracture, or break, shale rocks to release natural gas– “fluid” consists of water and

chemicals that can contaminate groundwater

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