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Energy and its transformation - Coggle Diagram
Energy and its
transformation
Energy source
The energy we consume has many different uses.
Household uses
Industrial uses
Energy sources are natural resources from which we obtain different forms
of energy that can be transformed for a specific use
we can classify them into:
Origin
Primary:
Obtained directly from nature
Secondary:
Resulting from transformation of primary sources
Use in each country
Conventional: Most commonly used in industrialized countries
Non-conventional: Alternative energy sources Early stages of technological development Solar and wind energy
Availability in nature and regeneration capacity
Renewable:
Abundant and inexhaustible
Non-renewable:
May or may not be abundant
Depleted when we use them up
Cannot be renewed in a short period of time
Environmental impact
Clean or non-polluting:
Low environmental impact
Don't generate by-products that pollute the environment
Pollutants:
Sources that have negative effects on the environment
Electricity
Electricity is the most widely used form of energy in industrialised
societies for two reasons:
It can be easily transformed into other forms of energy
It can be transported long distances
Electric power plants
Electric power plants are facilities where primary or secondary energy
is transformed into electricity.
How an electric power plant works
Electrical power plants use an external source of energy to produce
electricity. To do this, they rely on a turbine-alternator system.
An alternator has a fixed part, called a stator, and a moving part, called a rotor, connected to the turbine shaft.
As the rotor shaft moves, alternating electrical current is produced on each of the stator's coils.
Transport and distribution of electrical energy
Electricpower plants are usually located far away from the points where the energy is used
Conventional electric power plant
produces most ot the electricity that we use
Nuclear power plants
nuclear fission reactor that produces the pressunsed steam needed to move the turbme rotor
Fossil fuel thermal power plants
water is heated in a boiler by the heat
generated from the combustion of a fossil fuel
Combined cycle power plan
Electricity is generated as a result of two combined cycles, a cycle that uses air and gas, and a conventional thermal cycle.
first cycle a gas turbine that includes a compressor, air mixed with the gas and is burnt, which generates electricity in the turbine-alternator system.
are transported to a boiler, where they transfer their energy to the water during the second cycle.
Hydroelectric power plants
It uses the potential energy provided by the height of the water stored in a dam, converting it into kinetic energy.
Depending on the water's destination, hydroelectric power plants are divided into two types:
gravity-fed
pumped-storage
Non-conventional electric power plant
environmental problems by conventional power plants have led to the creation and development of non-conventional or alternative
energy power plants.
disadvantage generate
much less energy
advantages are that they contaminate much less than
conventional power plants
Wind power plants and wind farms
use the kinetic energy uf the wind move the blades of a rotor at the top of a tower, wind turbine.
clean way to generate electricity amd only installed on platforms with suitable wind conditions.
Solar power plants
energy from the sun. two types: photo-thermal and
photovoltaic power plants.
Photo-thermal power plant:
heat generated by solar radiation produces steam that is used to move the rotor in
the generator.
Photovoltaic power plant: solar radiation is transformed directly into electncity by panels of photovoltaic cells.
large areas of photovoltaic panels
alsoisolated power plants that are very small in size
Geothermal power plants
use the heat found at deep levels in the earth.
heat may reach the surface in the form of steam, gases or hot water
Geothermal energy may be used directly
Biomass thermal power plants
Biomass consists of all organic compounds produced through
natural processes.
Forestry and agricultural waste
Waste from agri-food industries.
Specific crop
Biomass is subjected to different physical and chemical processes in
order to produce fuel
This type of fuel is burnt at biomass power plants. The steam that is
generated moves the turbine.
Ocean power plants
use the energy from the seas and the oceans
three types
mechanical energy from the waves
energy from the ocean's thermal gradient
mechanical energy from the tides
still in the experimental phase and their production level is still very low
Environmental impact
The building and operating electrical power plant results in an ecological change in that region, due both to the construction of the necessary infrastructure and the waste that this activity generates
Environmental impact assessment
it's mandatory to carry out an environmental impact assessment to find out what changes it would provoke in the environment.
must also assess both the economic and social
consequences of the project in the area, to decide whether or not to go
main characteostii.s of each type of power plant and the impact
they have on the environment:
Waste treatment
To reduce the waste generated by thermal power plants
Install special filters in the pipes of power plants to capture polluting gases
Use low-sulfur coal to reduce acid rain
Conserve and expand forest areas, as trees absorb carbon dioxide
Waste from nuclear power plants is stored in thick-walled drums to prevent radiation leaks. These drums are stored underground or in ocean trenches, but the latter presents risks because corrosion can cause radioactive material to leak into the sea.
Environmental impacts
Extraction of Natural Resources
The exploitation of fossil fuels and nuclear energy leads to the depletion of resource
Some extraction processes damage the environment
Logging has caused the disappearance of large areas of forest
Transportation of Fuels
Oil is transported by pipelines and tankers
Pipelines can be damaged by accidents and cause spills
Tankers can have accidents at sea, causing oil spills that damage ecosystems for years
Electricity Generation
Hydroelectric power plants flood large areas and destroy ecosystems
Thermal power plants pollute the air and emit CO₂, increasing the greenhouse effect
They emit sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides that cause acid rain
They release hot water back into the environment, affecting plants and animals
Nuclear power plants present risks of accidents and generate hazardous waste in the long term
End Use of Energy
Fuels used in transportation and heating emit polluting gases and particles
The use of electrical appliances involves a prior environmental impact in energy extraction, transportation, and generation
Some solutions
Below is a summary of different possible solutions to alleviate some of
the environmental problems descnbed
