Energy Resources: Conventional and Alternative Sources
Energy Resources
Energy Sources
Renewable Sources
Energy sources replenished by nature faster than humans consume them. Examples: solar, wind.
Non-Renewable Sources
Energy sources consumed by humans faster than nature can replenish them. Examples: coal, oil.
Energy Impact
Gross Energy
Energy sources whose use is associated with pollution or other environmental impacts. Example: oil.
Net Energy
Environmentally friendly energy sources. Examples: wind, tidal.
Energy Availability and Impact
Conventional Energy
Traditionally used non-renewable and renewable energy sources, often with significant environmental impact. Examples: fossil fuels, hydropower.
Alternative Energy
Renewable energy sources with low environmental impact. Examples: wind, solar, tidal.
Conventional Energies
Coal Energy
Features: The most widespread fossil fuel. A sedimentary rock of organic origin used as an energy source in metallurgy and power plants. Types of coal include peat (less than 60% carbon), lignite (60-75% carbon), coal (90% carbon, most abundant), and anthracite (95% carbon, high calorific value).
Impact: Burning coal generates CO2 pollution, contributing to global warming.
Oil and Natural Gas Energy
Features: Essential for the chemical industry, energy production, and transportation fuel. Natural gas forms at high temperatures due to excessive hydrolysis of oil. Unlike oil, natural gas can be distributed directly to homes and used in power plants.
Impact: Oil extraction, transportation, and use cause environmental damage and CO2 emissions. Natural gas produces less CO2 than oil but still pollutes.
Nuclear Fission Energy
Features: Nuclear facilities use reactors to produce heat, which drives turbines to generate mechanical energy, then converted to electricity by alternators.
Impact: Radiation exposure, nuclear waste generation and storage, and thermal pollution of water used for reactor cooling.
Hydropower Energy
Features: Harnesses the energy of flowing rivers to generate electricity.
Impact: Modifies ecosystems, displaces communities, prevents delta and beach development, and carries the risk of dam failure.
Alternative Energies
Wind Energy
Features: Captures wind energy using wind turbines to generate electricity, aerobombs to pump underground water, and windmills for grinding.
Impact: Produces no pollution, but can cause noise and visual impact.
Solar Energy
Features: Captures solar energy and converts it into usable energy. Solar thermal systems produce heat, while photovoltaic systems generate electricity. Example: Mont-Louis solar farm.
Geothermal Energy
Features: Captures energy from within the Earth. Clean, renewable, and low-cost installation and operation. Utilizes the geothermal gradient (temperature increase of 3°C per 100 meters). Example: Iceland.
Hydrogen Energy
Features: An alternative energy system based on fossil fuels, where energy is obtained using a fuel cell. Hydrogen production through electrolysis of water is energy-intensive.
Tidal Energy
Features: A type of hydropower that uses the power of sea tides to generate electricity. Vast, clean, and renewable, but expensive.
Impact: Minimal impact on the coast.
Bioenergy
Features: Organic matter of animal or plant origin transformed into fuel. Common examples include bioethanol (gasoline substitute) and biodiesel (diesel substitute).