...The Law of Conservation of energy Environmental Science Unit 3 Individual Project The Law of Conservation of energy Environmental Science Unit 3 Individual Project Abstract This paper will discuss multiple forms of renewable energy. I will lay out the advantages and disadvantages of each form of renewable energy and how they affect people, wildlife, and our environment. The Law of Conservation of Energy The Law of Conservation of Energy states that the total amount of energy in an isolated system remains constant over time (is said to be conserved over time) although energy within the system can be changed from one form to another or transferred from one object to another (Law of Conservation, n.d.). This law applies to energy use in that we are taking a form of energy and changing it into a different form. We are not actually using up the energy but changing the form of it from one to another. An example of this can be solar energy. We take the energy from the sun and change it into usable energy for our homes, businesses, schools, and hospitals. This law also applies to energy conservation in that some energy is always wasted when being changed from one form into another. It is impossible to change energy without actually wasting some of it. In many energy conversions, more energy is wasted that is used for work such as automobile engines, they typically waste more than two-thirds of the total energy used, primarily through heat (Law of Conservation...
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...Waste and Energy Paper Team A ENV 100 February 13, 2012 Instructor - Onesimus Otieno Waste and Energy Paper Oil is formed when large quantities of dead organisms, usually zooplankton and algae, are buried underneath sedimentary rock and undergo intense heat and pressure. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling. Oil is then refined and separated into different products – such as gases, jet fuel, heating oil, diesel, and asphalt. Oil is also used to make petrochemicals, compounds used to make products such as fertilizers, plastics, paints, pesticides, medicines, and synthetic fibers (Berg & Hager, 2009). Most environmental problems associated with oil are caused by burning and transporting it. Burning oil produces carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas, so it contributes to global warming. It can also lead to acid deposition because the combustion of oil is the leading cause of nitrogen oxides. Nitrogen oxides inhibit plant growth and they are involved in photochemical smog and acid deposition (Berg & Hager, 2009). They can also lead to acidification of soils, affecting the plant varieties that are able to grow in the soil. This leads to a decrease of diversity in the environment. Plants that cannot handle acidic soils die off. In turn, animal species in the area decrease as only the species that can live off of those particular plants will thrive. Others will move on to new areas looking for plants that they have become accustomed to. Another...
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... The Future of Energy | Energy Alternatives | | Courtney BrownKaplan UniversityBig Ideas in Science: From Methods to Mutation | 2/26/2013 | | The amount of money spent on one person for energy is $3,460, according to a 2009 study done by EIA State Energy Data. In that 2009 study in the state of Pennsylvania, where I currently reside, Pennsylvania spent $3,437.40 per person. This number is a difference of $23.32 from the US average. Pennsylvania stands at a rank of 31 out of the 50 states. Can you guess what the state that takes the number one spot? Alaska. Alaska spent $7,684.06 per person in the year 2009. This number makes a difference of $4,223.33 from the US average (EIA, 2009). Every day from the minute you wake up to the minute you go to bed you are using some sort of energy. For the past couple of days I have really tried to look at all the different types of energy that I have used. The first source of energy that I noticed I use a lot of is electrical energy. We use this energy for basically everything that we come in contact with; cell phone chargers, laptops, television, lamps, refrigerators and even your car’s battery. Even though you will always use this energy every day, the amount of the energy can vary. In 12 days we will be turning our clocks for daylight savings, and in this case this is help us save on energy because it will stay daylight out longer so you will not need to turn on the lights so early. Another way energy usage can change...
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...City Panning SCI/362 ENERGY SOURCE | INITIAL SET UP COST | MONTHLY COST | ENERGY OUTPUT LIMIT | Solar Power | $3.5 billion | $300,000 | 1,000 Megawatts | City Planning The state of Florida is known as the sunshine state. It is probably most famous for its beautiful, tropical like weather. South Florida (City of Miami) is probably the sunniest place in the state of Florida. Due to the Miami’s almost constant exposure to the sun, it would make Miami an ideal place for a Solar Power Plant. To set up a solar power plant in Miami, a couple of necessities have to be established first. For example, one would need to know the initial set up cost for the energy production. The cost to set up solar power plant will cost approximately 3.5 billion dollars. So if the yearly budget only allotted ten billion dollars for set up cost, there could be the potential for three facilities to be built. Also, the monthly cost will have to be figured out and calculated. If the monthly cost was $300,000.00, and the yearly budget after the initial receipt of the 10 billion dollars for set up cost was 1 billion dollars per year, there could only be one solar power plant built. The building of three would take the plans over the allotted budget because, although there would be set up funds available, the monthly cost would fall short. Moreover, the energy output limit would have to be established and maintained. Take a look at the chart above, it would take 1,000 megawatts to power Miami...
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...Solar energy is produced by the sun. It’s the energy transmitted from the sun in the form of electromagnetic radiation. It is taken from the sun and converted into electrical/ thermal energy. Solar is actually the Latin word for sun. There are many reasons why solar energy is better for the environment but there are some down sides. The earth receives about 1,366 watts of direct solar radiation per square meter. In one second the sun produces energy to meet the current needs of the entire Earth for 500,000 years. Solar energy used to photosynthesis. 99.99% of solar radiation goes to waste. Solar energy will never run out and it is very abundant and clean. Solar energy has been used by humans for thousands of years. For example, ancient cultures used energy from the sun to keep warm by starting fires with it. They also kept their homes warm through passive solar energy designs. Buildings were designed so that walls and floors collected solar heat during the day that was released at night to keep them warm. If you have ever stood in the sun to get warm then you too have utilized solar thermal energy. The discovery of photovoltaic happened in 1839 when the French physicist Edmond Becquerel first showed photovoltaic activity. Edmond had found that electrical current in certain materials could be increased when exposed to light. 66 years later, in 1905, we gained an understanding of Edmonds' work when the famous physicist Albert Einstein clearly described the photoelectric...
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...Solar energy is simply the light and heat given off by the sun. most people actually want to know how we get power from solar energy. In other words, they really just want to know how we turn the sun’s heat and light energy into a usable power source. Both methods use solar panels to collect the solar energy but one process focuses on the sun’s heat and one process focuses on the sun’s light. The first process is called solar thermal which the energy works by harnessing the sun’s heat. The second process is the photovoltaic process Photovoltaic (PV) panels capture the light emitted by the sun and convert this energy into usable electricity. They do this by exciting the electrons in the solar energy which produces direct current (DC) electricity. DC electricity isn’t usable for most home needs. The DC electricity must go through a conversion process in a mechanical device known as an inverter. There many advantages of solar energy. The first one is Saving you money . After the initial investment has been recovered, the energy from the sun is practically FREE. It will save you money on your electricity bill if you have one at all. Solar energy does not require any fuel. The second one is Environmentally friendly. Solar Energy is clean, renewable (unlike gas, oil and coal) and sustainable, helping to protect our environment. It does not pollute our air by releasing carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, sulphur dioxide or mercury into the atmosphere like many traditional forms of electrical...
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...coal will not always be the main source of energy. It will soon run out and other ways to produce energy will be needed. There are different ways to produce this type of energy, such as solar power, wind power, and hydroelectric power. If corrected and created now, then ways to get energy other than coal in the far future will be one less thing to worry about. Alternative Source of Energy Source of Energy A big discussion today is what humans can turn to now and in the future for energy. Everyone knows that coal will not last forever and in the meantime it is crucial to find an alternative to produce the amount of energy the world needs to survive. The faster our nation starts on alternative sources of energy and understands that fossil fuel hurts the nation and makes the country weaker, the better chance our nation will have in the time to come. There are different ideas of how to produce this energy such as solar power, wind power, and hydroelectric power. Solar power is the energy used from the sun and is turned into thermal and electrical power (Winteringham, 1992). It is a very reliable source that can be used to produce energy. The sun has been around for a very long time and it is a source of energy that people can rely on in many places around the world. There are many advantages to solar energy. The main motive for most people is that solar power is free. Unlike coal, supplies for it are unlimited to use. Solar is efficient in that it does not pollute...
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...vehicle, some of which include solar, electrical and diesel. Out of these fuel types I would choose diesel as the best. There are advantages and disadvantages in all types of fuel sources. Solar and electrical are good environmentally but the diesel overpowers in all categories. Diesels are the better choice of all the fuels in my opinion. I would choose a diesel fuel because according to Consumer Reports they have a 30% better fuel economy than a gasoline vehicle. Also they are more affordable than a hybrid vehicle. According to The Diesel Page, diesel engines get better mileage than gasoline engines. Diesel engines also do not have spark plugs or distributors so you do not need to worry about the usual maintenance of these two things. Diesel engines are built to be used for hauling and they usually also last longer than gasoline engines (Health Research Funding). While speaking of hybrid vehicles, let’s backtrack to the solar and electrical vehicles. According to How Stuff Works solar powered cars have many practical problems with them. Solar powered cars do not gather enough energy to move the car very quickly, there cannot be too much weight in the car otherwise it will slow it down and use more energy. Solar cars also do not have a very good way to store energy. The layout for solar power is good for buildings, but it is much too heavy to out in a car so it does not have much room to store the energy that it captures. The research of the solar cars though has not gone to...
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...Unit 4 Project: The Future of Energy in Illinois Raymond Kupczyk Kaplan University SC300-11: Big Ideas in Science: From Methods to Mutation Professor Smith November 13, 2012 The Future of Energy in Illinois Renewable energy technologies are becoming increasingly important in the world today. With the increase of fossil fuel prices, climate fluctuations, and energy security, renewable energy can be the key factor in eliminating the need for the decreasing resources that we use now that can be damaging the earth. Energy comes from a variety of sources and has many forms. The two main forms of energy are potential and kinetic. Energy that is stored within an object is potential energy, and the energy that does the work is kinetic energy. Primary energy sources can be categorized as nonrenewable or renewable. A nonrenewable energy source comes from the ground and has a limited abundance. Examples of nonrenewable energy sources would be oil, natural gas, coal, and uranium. Renewable energy sources examples would include the sun and wind; they can be renewed naturally in a short time frame. Secondary energy sources are converted from primary sources. Examples of secondary sources include electricity and hydrogen (Energy4me.org). The state of Illinois plays an important role in the transportation of crude oil and natural gas throughout North America. It has three natural gas market centers, a dozen interstate natural gas pipelines, an oil port, and several petroleum and petroleum...
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...Renewable Energy Summary Renewable energy flows involve natural phenomena such as sunlight, wind, tides, plant growth (biomess) and geothermal heat. According to the International Energy Agency (2002), “Renewable energy is derived from natural processes that are replenished constantly. In its various forms, it derives directly from sun, or from heat generated deep within the earth. Included in the definition is electricity and heat generated from solar, wind, ocean, hydropower, biomass, geothermal resources, and biofuels and hydrogen derived from renewable resources.” Renewable energy resources and significant opportunities for energy efficiency exist over the world. Compare to other traditional energy resources like fossil fuel, which are concentrated in a limited number of countries. The rapid development of renewable energy and energy efficiency, and the technological diversification of energy resources, would provide a sustainable and stable supply of energy and a significant growth in economy for the world in a foreseeable future. History of Renewable Energy Prior to the development of coal in the mid 19th century, nearly all energy used was renewable. The oldest known use of renewable energy, in the form of traditional biomass to fuel fires, dates from 790,000 years ago (K. Kris, 2013). The second oldest usage of renewable energy is using the wild to drive ships over water. This can be traced back 7,000 years ago, to ships on Nile (The Encyclopedia of...
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...SOLAR ENERGY INTRODUCTION Without the sun, living life on earth is indeed impossible. Sun as we known is a ball of fire that gives us light and heat. The energy that we receive from the sun is called as the solar energy. With the help of this energy serious problems regarding energy that is needed everyday can be solved. Solar energy means capturing the rays of the sun and storing and its heat. This heat can be converted with the help of solar panels into heat or electrical energy. When we talk about solar energy, there are two kinds of solar energy namely, thermal energy and electrical energy. Thermal energy is something which we can find everywhere and is totally free of cost. It helps us ding our daily chores like dries things such vegetables, clothes, heats water, and many other things. Water can basically be heated in two ways i.e. actively and passively. In active method, when a heating element inside the solar hot water system heats the water during hot season. In the passive method the water is pre heated and flows through a cold inlet that of a conventional electric geezer. Talking about electric energy, the power of the sun is used to produce electricity with the help of solar cells. It can be used through a solar home system that helps in conducting electricity where there is no power supply. Apart from that it can be used a system where the electricity supplying utility is connected to the property and lastly it can be used as a backup system where...
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...Since the beginning of time, mankind has been using energy and converting it to different forms. This conversion of energy from one form to another is known as Thermodynamics. Energy conversion takes place in our every day lives. Many conversions of energy are possible, such as chemical to heat, heat to mechanical, hydraulic to electrical or mechanical. Almost all energy can be converted from one form to another (Kehmani, 2010). Examples of energy conversion can be seen in day to day life. For example, in cars, the chemical energy of fuel is converted into the mechanical energy of the vehicle; in motor electrical energy is converted into mechanical energy, in hydro power plants the hydraulic energy of water is converted into electrical energy, in nuclear power plants the nuclear energy is converted into electrical energy etc. With the Green movement we are seeing increased use of solar energy, such as solar water heaters and solar cookers where solar energy is converted to heat energy (Kehmani, 2010). While mankind has learned to harness energy and convert it to useful forms, Thermodynamics is governed by scientific laws. The first law of Thermodynamics is that energy can’t be created or destroyed (Kehmani, 2010). The second law states that heat energy can only be transferred from a body of higher temperature to a body of lower temperature. The third law refers to the law of absolute zero on the Kelvin temperature scale, stating that entropy of the body at absolute...
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...Alternative Energy Solar and wind power 10/14/2012 [Type the abstract of the document here. The abstract is typically a short summary of the contents of the document. Type the abstract of the document here. The abstract is typically a short summary of the contents of the document.] Abstract This paper will review solar and wind energy as the alternative energy sources to replace fossil fuels and nuclear energy. Solar and wind energy has experienced phenomenal growth in recent years due to both technological improvements resulting in cost reductions and government policies supportive of renewable energy development and utilization. Fossils fuels and nuclear energy have been the world’s main source of energy for years but, with global warming and with a recent melt down at a Japanese nuclear plant many are questioning is it time to use other alternatives energy sources. Although both alternative energy sources are safer than fossil fuels and nuclear energy the world has been reluctant to switch power sources. The recent severe energy crisis has forced the world to develop new and alternative methods of power generation, which could not be adopted so far due to various reasons. Solar energy represents our largest source of renewable energy supply. The Sun is naturally Earth’s most abundant energy source and will be around for billions of years. This is a resource that essentially human beings won’t be worried about running out of anytime soon. Wind Energy, like solar...
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...After researching about energy in Erie, PA, I learned a lot. In this paper I will discuss four different areas. First, we will talk about three forms of energy that are majorly used in the area, where they originate from and whether they are nonrenewable or renewable. Second, we will discuss four renewable energy sources and why they would be good for my area. Next, we will talk about the advantages and disadvantages about the four renewable sources. Last, we will talk about three areas where I can reduce energy in my home. These areas are all very important so let’s get started. First, the three energies that are used the most in Erie are coal, natural gas, and nuclear electric power. Coal, is nonrenewable due to it taking millions of years to create. It is created form peat which is plants and other life forms die and sink to the bottom of swampy areas (energy4me.org pg.1). Natural gas is the next most used, which is made from decaying prehistoric plant and animal remains that is turned into a vapor, which is nonrenewable also (energy4me.org pg. 1). The last item would be nuclear electric power which is the energy in the nucleus or core of an atom, which is nonrenewable (energy4me.org pg. 1). Also energy needs do change throughout the year; this would be mainly due to the weather. My heat is gas, so I use more gas during the winter then in the summer. It changes all the time. Renewable energy sources that could work in my area would be hydro conventional, wind...
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...Energy Chapter 13 Section 13-1 WHAT IS NET ENERGY AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? Basic science: Net energy is the only energy that really counts • The usable amount of high-quality energy available from a given quantity of an energy resource is its net energy yield: the total amount of useful energy available from an energy resource minus the energy needed to make it available to consumers. • We can express net energy as the ratio of energy produced to the energy used to produce it. As the ratio increases, the net energy also rises. When the ratio is less than 1, there is a net energy loss. Net energy ratios for various energy systems over their estimated lifetimes differ widely Fig. 13-2a, p. 301 Fig. 13-2b, p. 301 Fig. 13-2c, p. 301 Fig. 13-2d, p. 301 Energy resources with low or negative net energy need help to compete in the marketplace • Any energy resource with a low or negative net energy ratio cannot compete in the open marketplace with other energy alternatives with higher net energy ratios unless it receives financial support from the government (taxpayers) or other outside sources of funding. – For example, the low net energy yield for the nuclear power fuel cycle is one reason why many governments throughout the world must heavily support nuclear power financially to make it available to consumers at an affordable price. Section 13-2 WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF FOSSIL FUELS? Fossil fuels supply most of...
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