... 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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...BP DIVERSION INTO RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES Table of Contents DEFINITIONS 1 OVERVIEW; BP 1 STRATEGY 2 ISSUE OF GLOBALISATION 2 ENVIRONMENT 2 CHALLENGES 2 Cost 2 Economic Growth 2 Risk 2 Technology 2 NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT 2 Current Status of Renewable Energy 3 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES 3 ORGANISATION 4 RISK MANAGEMENT 4 Political Risk 4 Economical Risk 4 Financial Risk 4 CONCLUSION 4 DEFINITIONS Innovation Innovation can be defined as the application of knowledge in a novel way, primarily for economic benefit. Innovations have two main characteristics. First, innovations break the mould by applying knowledge in some novel way. Second, innovations are the result of a chain of events that starts with the original idea, invention or discovery, and then proceeds through prototype construction, financing, customer demonstration, field trials, engineering, and production, marketing. Only by successfully completing this obstacle course can an invention be considered innovation. Apart from skill and resources, the most important requirements are clear head, an ability to improvise and dogged determination. Creativity Entrepreneurship Intrapreneurship OVERVIEW; BP BP is one of the world’s established and leading oil and gas companies. They grind to provide customers with fuel for transportation, energy for heat and light, lubricants to keep engines moving and petrochemicals products use in making everyday items such as paints, clothes...
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...Should South Africa use renewable energy sources as a solution to its energy crisis? The great demand for renewable energy sources has been on a rise in South Africa since it experienced its energy crisis, namely load shedding. The load shedding occurrence is due to the non-renewable sources of energy which are diminishing. Renewable energy is a clean energy source which can be generated or manufactured faster than it can be used up. Most renewable energy sources are clean sources of energy (e.g. they don’t emit any greenhouse gases). Renewable sources of energy are collected from resources which are naturally replenished. Each renewable source of energy comes with a unique benefit to the environment, well-being and economy. They come with...
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...„What are the relative advantages of renewable and non-renewable energy when considering a better environment?” In the following I shall be concerned with the subject of renewable and non-renewable energy. Firstly, I will tell you some basic background and secondly, I will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of it in detail when considering a better environment. The subject of renewable and non-renewable energy is something that we should treat seriously when looking at future generations. We now look back on an over 200-year history which is based on fossil resources like oil, gas and coal. This form of energy brought us undoubtedly ground-breaking inventions like the steam engine, electric light bulb or the automobile, although the collateral damages are high. As long as non-renewable energy is cheaply produced, as long the industry will use it. However, it becomes apparent that the prices for renewable forms of energy are decreasing while the prices for fossil resources are increasing. It is a question of time until non-renewable energy will be replaced through sustainable energy. One reason is the price, but non-renewable energy endangers also the environment through high CO2-emmissions, it charges the atmosphere and with that a speeding-up of the process of global warming. Furthermore, the usage of fossil fuels causes acid rain, which destroys trees – and they are very important for the eco-system, it kills as well the fish, because it goes into the water. Moreover...
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...‘Did you know that, if taken advantage of to its fullest extent, sunlight that beams on the earth for one hour could meet world energy demands for an entire year?’ This demonstrates that there is enough energy potential to meet the ‘world energy demand’. But, what is energy and how does it concern us? Energy is an essential factor of life which humans heavily depend on. In Physics, the definition of energy is the resources needed to do work. Biologically, energy is used through respiration to allow the human body to function. However, most of the energy that we depend on so heavily, in the modern world, is used to make electricity. There are many ways in which energy can be converted to electrical energy. However, the resources can generally...
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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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...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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...Over the years it has become a challenge to meet an ever-rising global demand for energy. Due to the era of cheap and unsustainable energy supply, also known as fossil fuels, coming to an end, we must consider other forms of energy. Nuclear energy is the energy released during nuclear fission or fusion, when used to generate electricity. Renewable energy is energy from a source that is not depleted when used. Both types of energy are considered to be replacements for fossil fuels, however both with benefits and drawbacks. One of the main advantages of nuclear energy is that it is a clear power with no atmospheric emissions therefore it does not contribute to global warming. They do not produce smoke particles to pollute the atmosphere or emit gases that contribute to acid rain. When comparing this with the atmospheric emissions of fossil fuels, it is a big advantage. It is by far the most concentrated form of energy - a lot of energy is produced from a small mass of fuel, this reduces transport costs. It is considered low cost power for today’s consumption. The technology has already been developed, it is ready for market use. It is not geographically limited as nuclear power plants don't require a lot of space; they do not need a large plot like a wind farm. It is reliable, unlike some forms of renewable energy, it does not depend on the weather. We can control the output from a nuclear power station to fit our needs. Although radioactive, nuclear power does produce a small...
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...hand-copying notes off of chalk boards because their schools have no photocopiers; and without computers, these kids are trapped in the digital divide of information haves and have-nots. This paper seeks to explore the potential successfulness of renewable energy electrification in the developing world. It begins by describing the current energy needs in rural areas of the world, and the consequences of continued increases in fossil fuel consumption that may occur if renewable energies are not used. The second part of the paper briefly explains the processes, the advantages, and the disadvantages of three available forms of energy: hydro-, solar, and wind power. Finally, in the conclusion, it makes a proposal to help resolve some of the problems presented at the beginning of the paper. Electricity Demand and the Developing World A Growing Necessity Hundreds of millions of people live in remote areas of the world where local governments cannot provide electricity. “On islands, in mountains, or separated by miles of undeveloped land, these communities cannot access the electricity they need for water purification, irrigation, health services, education, food preservation and other public utilities” (Danish Wind Energy Association, 2002). The problem is rooted in both the location and population of these communities because...
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... | | | |You are required to submit a report of 2500-3000 words relating to the University of Glamorgan’s Hydrogen Research Centre at Baglan: | | | |1 | |Provide a background to the production of hydrogen from electrolysis, via renewable electricity in particular. | |...
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...Alternative Energy With the world economy growing at a fast pace, energy demand too has been witnessing a sharp rise in the past few decades, with demand mainly originating from the big developing economies of Asia, namely, India and China. Factors such as high population growth, growing urbanisation and changing lifestyles in these developing nations are behind the increase in demand for energy. According to International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates, during 1990-2008, while world population increased by around 27%, energy use increased by around 39%. Consequently, average per person consumption of energy has seen a rise of 10% for the same period. The year 2010 has seen a further increase of around 5% in the world energy consumption levels. Most of the countries in the world use coal, oil and natural gas as their primary sources of energy. Around 90% of the total global energy requirement is met through these non-renewable energy sources. This heavy reliance on fossil fuels poses certain major concerns. Most importantly, these sources are limited. So, it is only a matter of time before these resources are exhausted completely. Another important factor that works against the heavy use of fossil fuels is that they are detrimental to the environment. The use of fossil fuels leads to emission of greenhouse gases which causes global warming. Also, these fuels are a major source of air, water and soil pollution. All these factors have created a need for alternative energy sources...
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...the diversity of peoples' lives. Therefore, the raw materials, such as oil, coal and gas, are highly demanded in the world. Known to all, however, these materials which are mentioned above are non-renewable resources, and their reserves will certainly, continuously and greatly decrease, so, exactly it is vital to reverse the irrational use of non-renewable resources. In recent years, in virtue of the greatly decreasing of non-renewable resources, scientists and researchers are accelerating the development of the Green Energy, such as wind, wave and solar energy, strenuously making the new green energy more acceptable and popular among individuals, countries and the world. "For example, Renewable energy is seen by the UK government as one vital component of a climate change strategy, for which it has set a notional target of 10% of electricity production (Department of Trade and Industry, 1999)."( Citizen versus consumer: challenges in the UK green power market S.L. Batley, D. Colbourne, P.D. Fleming, P. Urwin). But, there are some critical problems which people cannot ignore, such as the green energies' exploration, technology, exploitation and prices. Consequently, how to explore and use the green energy, instead of the non-renewable energy, to the most degree and enable the green energy to be affordable to the public have become a tough and challenging task not only for scientists and managers, also for human beings. In the past, amounts of emphasis on the climate change events...
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...Introduction Renewable energy as defined in the glossary of “Renewable Energy; Myths and Obstacles” is a source of energy that regenerates over a period of time. However, this period of time is significantly shorter than the time it takes for nonrenewable energy sources to regenerate. The most common nonrenewable energy source is fossil fuel. Usually renewable energy depends on the sun’s energy to regenerate; solar energy, wind power and hydropower are examples of renewable energy sources that depend on the sun. Renewable energy, also known as clean energy, is becoming a fast growing phenomenon. President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, mentioned in a recent speech that USA spends nearly one billion dollars a day on purchasing oil from other countries. He also stressed on the fact that air pollution caused by those fossil fuels is becoming one of the biggest worldwide problems. On June 15 in the year 2010, he said, “Now, there are costs associated with this transition. And some believe we can’t afford those costs right now. I say we can’t afford not to change how we produce and use energy— because the long-term costs to our economy, our national security, and our environment are far greater.” Renewable energy is the solution for high-energy demands because it is eco-friendly, economical and inexhaustible amongst many other reasons. However, some might argue that it is not reliable and is inefficient. Ecofriendly Renewable energy is considered environment...
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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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...Examine the changing importance of three energy alternative to oil [15 marks] In the last decades the demand for oil increased rapidly mainly due to growing population and better and richer standard of living and is the top energy source for the humans. But as the production of oil is not able to keep up with the fast rising demand, the prices started to rise from $10 in 1998 to $130 in 2008 for one barrel of oil and will become even worse as most oil resources will reach their peak in the next years. Through this it is inevitable that at some point the world will run out of energy unless new methods for energy are developed using renewable sources, such as wind, crops or water. These are also known as alternative energy. Just recently, wind power became the second most successful renewable source, especially after the price decreased by 10 percent the last 20 years. Nowadays, there is a worldwide capacity of 100,000MW. Germany, one of the top producers of wind power, generates 5.6% of its energy from 18,000 wind turbines. It not only gains the advantage of extra energy but also the employment of 64,000 people. Also the United Kingdom increased their amount of turbines from 50 to 6,000 turbines which now produced 6% of the total used energy. Wind power energy has many advantages as it is a free energy source and so does not need any further energy or produces any waste that would affect the environment. Another advantage would also be that it takes much less space than an...
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