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nonrenewable energy -- fossil fuels & nuclear sources (natural gas,…
nonrenewable energy -- fossil fuels & nuclear sources
natural gas
natural gas
methane
propane and butane
hydrogen sulfide
versatile fuel
medium net energy
advantages of natural gas
cheaper to extract
natural gas power plants are less expensive and takes much less time to build
natural gas burns cleaner than oil and much cleaner than oil
disadvantages of natural gas
low price could also slow the shift to reliance on renewable, clean energy resources
drilling, production, and distribution process for natural gas leaks large quantities of methane into the atmosphere
huge inputs of energy
risk of groundwater production
coal
coal formation
coal usage
most abundant fossil fuel
produce electricity
produce intense heat
disadvantages of coal
dirtiest of all fossil fuels
largest emitters of co2
severely degrades land
releases large amounts of black carbon particulates, and air pollutants
causes various severe illnesses
coal ash -- forever toxic
scrubbers to remove toxic pollutants
reduces air pollution but creates coal ash, which can contain dangerous, indestructible chemical elements
tactics to make coal power pay for and minimize the damage it causes:
phase out subsidies and tax breaks
tax co2 emissions
create and enforce stricter air pollution controls
regulate coal ash
this would promote a shift to natural gas and renewable energy resources
the future of coal
synfuels -- "clean" coal products
synthetic natural gas (SNG) - coal gasification
liquid fuels - coal liquiefaction
synfuels
but producing them requires the mining of 50% more coal
nuclear sources
nuclear power
nuclear fission reaction
reactor
nuclear fission reaction
nuclei are struck by a neutron
this splits the heavy nuclei apart into lighter nuclei and releases energy
chain reaction:
releases neutrons, which cause more nuclei to fission
nuclear fuel
uranium ore
enrichment and reactor technology
enrichment: uranium-235
pellets
fuel rods
fuel assemblies
reactor
nuclear meltdown
coolant
containment shell
nuclear fuel cycle
building nuclear power plant
mining the uranium
using it in a reactor
safely storing the wastes until the radioactivity goes away
retiring the worn out plant
advantages of nuclear power
low co2 emissions, no toxic emissions
as long as plant is operating safely, it has a low environmental impact and low risk of accident
nuclear waste
enriched uranium lots for 3-4 years
spent fuel rods can't be simply thrown away
decommissioned
containment structure
it is not the solution to fossil fuel climate chagne
cleaner options such as reducing energy waste and producing electricity from wind and solar energy would be quicker and cheaper
nuclear fusion