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energy sources - Coggle Diagram
energy sources
renewable
wind
one of the most cost-effective sources for electricity, efficient use of land space, and low operating costs
blades can harm and kill species that fly into them, can often interrupt otherwise scenic landscapes, and effectiveness in generating electricity depends on the weather
wind turns the propeller-like blades of a turbine around a rotor, which spins a generator, which creates electricity
solar
buying panels can be expensive, solar energy is an intermittent energy source, and certain solar cells require materials that are expensive and rare in nature
lowers your electric bill, improves the value of your home, and reduce your carbon footprint
solar panels work by absorbing sunlight with photovoltaic cells
generating direct current energy and then converts it to usable alternating current
hydroelectric
water released from the reservoirs or dams flows through a turbine, spinning it, which in turn activates a generator to produce electricity
very little fluctuations in terms of the electric power, the only pollution that occurs is when building power plants, and it is flexible
building power plants in general is expensive, rick of local droughts, and interruptions of natural water flow can have a great impact the river ecosystem and the environment
biomass
biomass can be burned directly or converted to liquid biofuels or biogas that can be burned as fuels
help in reducing the dependence on fossil fuels, carbon-neutrality, and abundant availability of biomass sources
contains carbon and it releases carbon dioxide on combustion, fuels produced from biomass release of various gases when burned, and costs of a biomass energy plant can be expensive
geothermal
environmentally friendly compared to gas or oil furnaces, no cost fluctuations determined by gas and oil prices, and installation is eligible for tax cuts
high upfront costs with implementing geothermal energy, energy using wells requires an incredible usage of water, and more suitable for new home builds as retrofitting involves large scale excavation
power plants use steam that's from reservoirs of hot water found a few miles or more below the earth's surface to rotate a turbine that activates a generator
hydrogen fuel cells
a catalyst at the anode separates hydrogen molecules into protons and electrons, which take different paths to the cathode
high cost due to expensive materials like platinum, hydrogen fuel not readily available, and durability at high temperatures
carbon free when using H2 and O2, do not need recharging, and are highly efficient
non-renewable
coal
coal is burned and the heat given off is used to convert water into steam, which drives a turbine
an affordable energy source, easy to burn, and coal is abundant
high carbon emissions, fast depleting, ruins the environment
oil
oil is burned to heat water to create steam to generate electricity or oil is burned under pressure to produce hot exhaust gases which spin a turbine to generate electricity.
easily accessible in almost every country, high energy density, and it is a steady source of energy
emissions caused by oil cause acid rain, oil leaks can occur, and workers have suffered and many have cost their lives due to mishaps that occurred when drilling oil
nuclear
expensive to build, radioactive waste, and mining and enrichment of uranium are not environmentally friendly
reliable, no carbon emissions, and energy efficient
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natural gas
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cleanest of all the fossil fuels, can be used as an automotive fuel, and it burns efficiently
emits carbon dioxide when burned, companies are not required to disclose the composition of fracking chemicals, and contains 80-95% methane