Energy and Energy Resources

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Fossil Fuels - Coal, oil and natural gas, are a non-renewable source of energy. Formed from plants and animals that lived up to 300 million years ago, fossil fuels are found in deposits beneath the earth. The fuels are burned to release the chemical energy that is stored within this resource.Energy is essential to moden society as we know it. Over 85% of our energy demands are met by the combustion of fossil fuels.

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Coal

 

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Oil

 

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 Natural Gas

 

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Wind energy is mainly used to generate electricity. Wind is called a renewableenergy source because the wind will blow as long as the sun shines. 

Wind machines use blades to collect the wind’s kinetic energy. The wind flows over the airfoil shaped blades (turbine) causing lift, like the effect on airplane wings, causing them to turn. The turbine is connected to a drive shaft that turns an electric generator to produce electricity.

With the new wind machines, there is still the problem of what to do when the wind isn’t blowing. At those times, other types of power plants must be used to make electricity.

 

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Solar Energy 

The sun has produced energy for billions of years.  Solar energy is the sun’s rays (solar radiation) that reach the earth. Solar energy can be converted into other forms of energy, such as heat and electricity.  Solar energy is an inexhaustibleresource.

Solar energy can be converted to thermal (or heat) energy and used to:

• Heat water – for use in homes, buildings, or swimming pools.
• Heat spaces – inside greenhouses, homes, and other buildings.

 

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Hydroelectric Power - Hydroelectricity is electricity generated by hydropower, i.e., the production of power through use of the gravitational force of falling water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy.

 

Geothermal Energy 

The word geothermal comes from the Greek words geo (earth) and therme (heat). So, geothermal energy is heat from within the earth. We can use the steam and hot water produced inside the earth to heat buildings or generate electricity, by use of a turbine spinning a generator. Geothermal energy is a renewable energy source because the water is replenished by rainfall and the heat is continuously produced inside the earth.

Nuclear Power - Nuclear power is any nuclear technology designed to extract usable energy from atomic nuclei via controlled nuclear reactions. The most common method today is through nuclear fission, though other methods includenuclear fusion and radioactive decay. All utility-scale reactors^[1] heat water to produce steam, which is then converted into mechanical work for the purpose of generating electricity or propulsion. Today, more than 15% of the world's electricity comes from nuclear power, more than 150 nuclear-powered naval vessels have been built, and a few radioisotope rockets have been produced.