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Energy and its transformation - Coggle Diagram
Energy and its
transformation
Energy sources
Hou sehold uses: the operating of electncal appliances, heating systems, hot water systems, heat for cool.ing and for means of transport, for example
Industnal uses: the operating of factones and companies, construction, agnculture and so on.
Electricity
It can be easily transformed into other forms of energy, such as light and heat.
It can be transported long distances inexpensively and with very httle energy being lost
Electric power plants
Electric power plants are facilities where pnmary or secondary energy
is transformed into electnmty, Once electricity is generated, it must be
transported to towns, cities or industrial parks.
How an electric power plant works
The turbine converts mechanical energy into the rotating movement
of a shaft
An alternator has a fixed part, called a stator, and a moving part,
called a rotor, connected to the turbine shaft
As the rotor shah moves, alternating electrical current is produced on
each of the stator's coils.
Transport and distribution of electrical energy
Elec.tnc power plants are usually located far away from the points where
the energy is used — fur safety reasons, space requirements or physical and
geographical considerations
Conventional electric power plan
Nuclear power plants
This type of plant tm.ludes a nuclear fission reactor that produr.es the
pressunsed steam needed to move the turbme rotor.
Uranium ts the main fuel used.
Fossil fuel thermal power plants
At this type of power plant, water is heated in a boiler by the heat
generated from the combustion of a fossil fuel, usually natural gas or coal The steam that's generated moves the turbine connected to the generator
Combined cycle power plant
Hydroelectric power plants
This type of power plant uses the potential energy provided by the height of the stored water in a dam, converting it mto kinetic energy. Tlus energy moves the blades of the turbine
Non-conventional electric power plants
The environmental problems caused by conventional power plants have
led to the creation and development of non-conventional or alternative
energy power plants
The main disadvantage of these power plants is that they generate
much less energy, since they use diffuse energy sources
The ir advantages are that they contaminate much less than
conventional power plants, they use renewable sources and they
reduce the energy dependence of petroleum and natural gas.
. Wind power plants and wind farms
These power plants use the kinetic energy uf the wind to move
the blades of a rotor at the top of a tower, this is referred to as the
wind turbine.
Wind farms are a clean form of generating electnmty However, they
can only be instafled in plat.es with appropnate wind conditions
Solar power plants
Photo-thermal power plant
Photovoltaic power plant
Geothermal power plants
These plants use the heat found at deep levels in the earth. This heat
may reach the surface in the form of steam, gases or hot water.
Geothermal energy may be used directly — for hot water and heating,
industnal use and so on — and indirectly — the heat generates steam, which
produces electricity.
Biomass thermal power plants
Biomass consists of all organic compounds that are produced through natural processes They may come from the following sources.
Forestry and agricultural waste
specific crops, such as sunflowers and cougar beet.
waste from agri-food industries.
Ocean power plants
These power plants use the energy from the seas and the oceans. The
concept is to use three types of energy from the sea.
The mechanical energy from the tides
The mechanical energy from the waves.
The energy from the ocean's thermal gradient.
Environmental impact
Environmental impact assessment
As part of a technicaj proiect, it's mandatory to carry out an environmental impact assessment to find out what changes it would
provoke in the environment
An environmental study must also assess both the economic and social
consequences of the project in the area, to decide whether or not to go
ahead with the plan.
The main characteostii.s of each type of power plant and the impact
they have on the environment are shown below
Environmental impacts
Extraction of natural resources
The exploitation of fossil fuels and nuclear power means the depletion of resources, which makes it necessary to find new ones
Fuel transport
Oil is transported by means of oil pipelines and oil tankers.
Oil pipehnes can suffer accidents caused by nature or human error, which result in uncontrolled spills.
Oil tankers can have accidents at sea, with the nsk of oil spills. Some spills have caused oil slicks that have taken years to clean up and dissipate and have aftected the lives of many plant and animal species.
Electricity generation.
La rge hydroelectric power plants require water reservoirs covenng large areas, which protoundly change the natural cycle of overs, flood large land areas and destroy ecosystems, in addition to mcreasing the nsk of accidents.
Conventional thermal power plants can cause numerous problems and environmental hazards.
Nuclear thermal power plants are accompanied by the nsk of
nuclear accidents and the problem of nuclear waste, some of which remam dangerous for thousands of years
Final energy us
Th fuels we use in vehicles and heating systems emit gases and
part«.les similar to those generated by convenuonal thermal power plants.
Lvhen we turn on an electric appliance, we' re consumrng energy that
has already caused several environmental problems dunng its extraction,
generation and transportation.
. Waste treatment
To reduce the waste generated by thermal power plants, as well as their effects, several measures can be taken
Waste from nuclear power plants is stored in drums with thick
~ide~ that do not let the nuclear radiation escape These are then
stored in ocean trenches and underground.
Some solutions
Below is a summary of different possible solutions to alleviate some of
the environmental problems descnbed
