Ecology:  Theory & Practice Course Lecture Notes Site Map   Week 12: Energy Resources

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Energy Use Patterns Fossil Fuel Dependency Renewable Energy Choices Energy Conservation Today’s Energy Resources Fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas, shale oil, tar sands, peat) Renewables (solar, wind, hydropower, tidal power, geothermal, etc.) Nuclear power (used to produce electricity) Energy conservation practices (makes energy supply last longer) Fossil Fuels Petroleum, Natural Gas, Coal, Oil Shale (Kerogen), Tar Sands Formed from organisms of the past Carbon-based fuels (produce carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides) Petroleum products important, including feedstock chemicals Renewable Energy Options Hydropower (waterfalls, dams, tidal power, pumped water storage) Solar power (passive solar design, active solar collectors, photovoltaics) Geothermal applications (steam supply, steam generation, direct heating) Wind power (wind turbines) Biomass conversion & “waste-to-energy" Nuclear Energy Applications Uranium fuel in reactor produces heat Electrical generating plant based on steam production Produces radioactive waste (includes plutonium, strontium, and iodine) Reactors need extensive safety redundancy (high cost; difficult siting) Accidents like Chernobyl scare consumers Electrical Power Electrical production can use any fuel that will heat water (change to steam) Widely used in industrial, commercial and residential sectors Steam turbine, electrical generator, transformer, grid distribution to users Associated with  chemical and thermal pollution Energy Conservation Practices Improved energy efficiency gains Can be practiced across the socio-economic spectrum Industrial/Commercial Sector - pumps, motors, automatic controls, light trucks, JIT Residential Sector - Insulation, improve-ments in appliances Strongly endorsed by utilities Energy for Sustainable Living Match energy supplies with demand - e.g., peak load management Improve energy efficiency, reduce waste (extends supply, reduces pollution) Internalize the real costs of maintaining a given energy source (fuel cycle costing) Switch to renewables whenever possible  
      Key terms we use to describe the effects of toxics

 

Fossil Fuels	Wind Turbines	Greenhouse Gases
Kerogen	Radionuclides	Sulfur dioxide
Geothermal Energy	Plutonium	Nitrogen oxides
Active Solar Power	Transmission Grid	Fuel Cycle Costing
Passive Solar Power	EMFs	Electrical Grid

 

 Focus Questions for Week 12                     
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copyright Gaytha A. Langlois, Ph.D., 1999 Bryant College, Smithfield, RI 02917 E-mail: langlois@bryant.edu Last Updated: August 2000