NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
... d's population, yet consumes 26 % of the world's energy. Imagine what life would be like without electricity? At present most electricity is produced using non-renewable resources like coal but this cannot continue forever. The common characteristic of renewable energy resources is that they are never going to run out. Compared with non-renewable resources, renewable energy is difficult to use and more expensive at present.
Not only could renewable resources solve future energy needs but they could also help to reduce environmental problems. Oil is an example of a non-renewable resource. It is obtained from oil fields and is transported to oil refineries where it is turned into various oil products. The useage of oil can lead to various forms of water and air pollution, but their useage can be reduced through increased dependence on renewable resources. Children nowadays take energy for granted.
Could you image having to come home from school and to chop wood for dinner or to keep warm? If you have you know how monotonous and boring the experience is. In my report I will be discussing the most important discovery, known to man, fossil fuels, and changing them into energy. Some people may disagree with my last statement saying that fossil fuel are terrible and have destroyed our environment. In my report I will give you an analysis of both points of view. I will also suggest some things we as a community can do to cut down the pollution from these fuels.
You may be asking yourself, where does coal come from? Coal is the remains of dead plants and animals becoming fossilized and over millions of years they decompose and through great pressure and high temperature these fossils change to coal. Coal makes up approximately 28 % of the worlds total energy needs, and is consumed at an alarming rate with nearly 1 million tons of black coal burnt in Australia in one day, and is worth about $ 5 billion annually just to Australia. But coal is un renewable an it is predicted the worlds coal reserves would be gone within the next 40 - 50 years. Coal is one of the most important discoveries know to man, as I mentioned before. Coal basically started the industrial revolution, in which created the whole way of life as we know it now.
Light in our homes, refrigerators to keep our food fresh and ovens to cook our food are all came indirectly from the discovery of coal. Shaft mining for Black Coal, in Newcastle, NSW. Oil is formed a lot like coal except coal is found on land and oil is mainly found in the ocean. Oil forms from dead plant and animal life drifting to the bottom of the ocean and it there is covered with sand and sediment material.
Over thousands of years due to high temperature and pressure these fossils form oil. Oil is mainly used in developed western countries such as Australia, Canada, USA and some European Countries, who mainly use oil for energy and fuel for automobiles. Oil is a precious commodity and it is very expensive. It is believed that the worlds oil reserves will run out within the next 40 - 50 years. Oil is so valuable that is was the main reason why the Gulf War began. As it is so expensive underdeveloped countries can sometimes not afford it even though they desperately need it for transport, which stops their countries growth.
Oil ships can carry up to 500 000 tons of oil. So as you can image if one of these ships started to leak it would have a serious detrimental effect on the environment. Oil spills can cover a massive area. For example in 1989 the Exxon Valdez oil spill Alaska covered 13. 5 kms by 6. 5 kms. It took a long time for this region to recover. To prevent oil spills, I feel oil companies must be so accurate that every part of the tanker is leak proof.
There should also have a clean up crew ready if there is a oil spill. A clean up patrol, after a large oil spill in the Pacific Ocean When oil and coal is burnt they emit huge amounts of carbon dioxide and other harmful gases, that have a negative effect on the environment, like sulfur dioxide. Carbon dioxide traps in the sunlight as it only lets light in, it does not allow it to leave the atmosphere which causes temperatures to rise. If temperatures are too hot it is terrible for children and elderly people who find it hard to cope with hot conditions. To stop the green house effect we must find alternative transport.
Did you know that for every liter of petrol used 3 kilograms of carbon dioxide is released into the air. If you multiply that that by the average amount of petrol a car uses in a lifetime and multiply that by the number of cars that have been on the streets you have a lot of Carbon dioxide in the air. Coal and Oil also let off sulfur dioxide which mixes with the moisture and clouds in the air and forms sulfuric acid. The sulfuric acid is know as acid rain as when it falls it causes forests, vegetation and crops to die, which upsets the equilibrium of many ecosystems.
Acid rain occurs in Australia but is not as bad as in Europe where some of he most beautiful forests in the world are dying as a result of acid rain. With these effects in mind and the fact that fossil fuels are predicted to run out within the next 40 - 50 years it is essential that we find alternative and renewable energy sources. I will now give you some information about the three main renewable resources which may be the answer to our energy crisis. When the iron industry ran out of iron ore in the area the only resource Scranton had was coal, and the robber boron's exploited it to the hilt. Ford Motor Company at one time wanted to bring an auto manufacturing plant to Scranton, and was stopped by the local businesses who feared it would cut out their source of cheap labor. The huge su realistic buildings are called Coal Breakers...
and that was their purpose. They broke down the large sized pieces of coal into various sizes needed for commerce. They ravaged the land as they ravaged the people. Though the area is beautiful with all of its many lakes and mountains, some of the remains of the effects of the strip mining still dot the landscape. The Anthracite Strike of 1902 was one of the great events in American Natural Gas Hydrate on the Sea Floor Sulfur-Oxidizing Bacteria Found at Seep Sites Triterpane hydrocarbon biomarkers in Gulf of Mexico seeps The photovoltaic effect occurs when sunlight energizes electrons in a semiconductor material and causes them to flow through a circuit, creating electric current. The basic building block of the solar electric system is the photovoltaic cell.
Traditionally the PV cell has been manufactured from pure single crystal or semi-crystalline silicon. The silicon is processed to enhance the ability of the electrons to break free and flow. Strips of conductive metal alloys, such as copper, are deposited on the cell to act as a circuit. As the electrons are excited by the sun, the resulting current is collected by the circuit and transmitted. PV power generation systems are made up of interconnected components, each with a different function.
A major strength of PV systems is modularity. As your needs grow, individual components can be replaced or added to increase capacity. Solar ARRAY: consists of one or more PV modules which convert sunlight and daylight into electricity. The modules are connected in parallel and series to provide the voltage and current as is appropriate for the application. The array is usually mounted on a metal structure or roof and tilted to face the sun. Charge CONTROLLER: The main function is to maintain the batteries at the proper level of charge and to protect them from overcharging.
Many optional features are also available. Battery BANK: The battery bank contains one or more deep cycle batteries, connected in series and / or parallel depending on the application voltage and current needed. The batteries store the power produced by the solar array for when it is needed. Inverter: An inverter is required when you want to power AC devices. It converts the DC power produced by the solar array and batteries to AC power. AC loads: These are the appliances you want to run with the power.
AC loads are typical household appliances. DC loads: DC loads are appliances designed for DC power such as RV and automotive equipment. DC loads make more efficient use of the power than AC loads and therefore may be a better choice for use with home energy systems. Other components: Circuit breakers for safety, meters, wiring, switches and controls. Click here for more info on Declaring energy independence with Trace inverters. Hydro means water.
Hydro-electric means making electricity from water power. Hydroelectric power uses the kinetic energy of moving water to make electricity. Dams can be built to stop the flow of a river. Water behind a dam often forms a reservoir.
Dams are also built across larger rivers but no reservoir is made. The river is simply sent through a hydroelectric power plant. The water flows through a pipe called a penstock and pushes against blades in a turbine, causing them to turn. The turbine is similar to the kind used in a power plant that we learned about in Chapter 3.
But instead of using steam to turn the turbine, water is used. The turbine spins a generator to produce electricity. The electricity can then go to your home, to your school, to factories and businesses. Hydro power today can be found in the mountainous areas of California where there are reservoirs and along major rivers. Bibliography:
Free research essays on topics related to: sulfuric acid, acid rain, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, fossil fuels
Research essay sample on Sulfur Dioxide Carbon Dioxide
