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Sources of Energy Rajani Visvanatha - Coggle Diagram
Sources of Energy
Rajani Visvanatha
Non-Renewable Energy Sources
What is it?
~ An energy source (energy-rich substance) which cannot be replenished as it is used in energy-transforming processes
~ Limited supply
~ Used by cars, trains, motorized boats and airplanes
Fossil Fuels
Plants and Animals
~ Decayed and compressed remains of plants and animals from hundred of years ago
~ The plants decomposed into a chemical mixture called crude oil
~ Once refined, this crude oil is used to make gasoline and diesel fuels
Coal and Natural Gas
~ Comes in a gaseous state and is mostly composed of methane
~ Used for furnaces, stoves and automobiles
Nuclear Energy
Nuclear Fission
~ Large unstable atoms like uranium decomposes to form a stable atom releasing energy
Nuclear Fusion
~ Small atoms like hydrogen combine to form a larger nuclei
~ Power source of the Sun
What is it?
~ For of potential energy involving interactions with the nucleus of an atom
~ Created through nuclear fission or nuclear fusion
How it works
~ In Canada, nuclear energy is turned into thermal energy
~ This heats up water turning it to steam, which then turns a turbine
~ This turbine is connected to an electricity generator, and creates energy
Renewable Energy Sources
Solar Energy
~ Taken from the radiant energy of the Sun
~ Could be turned into thermal energy for heating
~ 2 important ways to use solar energy is through Passive Solar Design and Photovoltaic Cells
Passive Solar Design
~ Designing buildings to take advantage of the Sun’s radiant energy
~ Ex. Windows on the south side of a building to receive sunlight in the winter but not in the summer
Photovoltaic Cells
~ Radiant energy can be turned into electrical energy when it interacts with certain solids like silicon which makes photovoltaic cells
They are connected to a battery to store excess energy for night use and cloudy days
~ Put on roofs, parking meters and outdoor light fixtures
Hydroelectricity
~ Kineti energy of rushing water turned into electricity
~ Energy from the sun evaporates water
~ The water condenses in the sky and falls back down
~ Goes from the reservoir to the penstock where it gains kinetic energy
~ Hits turbine connected to an electricity generator producing an electric current
Geothermal
~ Earth has thermal energy deep underground
~ Used for heating, cooling or it is turned into electricity
~ Accesible in only certain areas
~ Drilled holes sometimes need to be used to reach the energy
Wind
~ Wind hits the blades of a turbine, turning an electricity generator creating electricity
~ Only in windy areas
~ Only create electricity when wind blows
~ Noisy and the blades can hit birds or other creatures
Tidal
~ When tides rises and fall, the waters hits a turbine, a generator is turned creating electrical energy
~ Similar to a wind turbine
~ Only in areas with lots of tidal movement and onl when there is tidal movement
~ Disturb aquatic ecosystem
Biofuels
~ Solid, liquid and gas fuels created from decomposed organic material
~ Solid biofuel = biomass, ex. Wood
~ Gaseous biofuel = biogas, ex. Methane from decomposed plants
~ Burning the fuel causes air pollutants like CO2, which is linked to climate change
