Name: Mr. Atkinson. Title: Energy Research project: Hydroelectric & Coal. Period: 1

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1 Name: Mr. Atkinson Title: Energy Research project: Hydroelectric & Coal Period: 1

2 Technology has allowed us to use a variety of resources to create electrical energy. Both renewable and non renewable resources can be changed from their original form into electricity. Two types of resources that we change into electricity are hydroelectric and coal resources. Hydroelectric resources are harnessed from water power and coal energy comes from biological means on earth. Of the two types of energy described above, hydroelectric resources are the better way to obtain electrical energy for now and the future. Hydroelectric energy is mostly created by water. The moving water has mechanical kinetic energy as it flows down the river. It is redirected into large turbines that turn because of the flow of the water. Here, the mechanical energy stays mechanical as it turns the turbines. The turbines spin a generator, turning mechanical energy into electric energy. There are both advantages and disadvantages to using hydroelectric energy. One Pro is that hydroelectric energy is renewable. This means that it will never run out. Another Pro is that hydroelectric energy is safe for the environment. There are no emissions or pollution. One Con is that hydroelectric energy is expensive. Building dams and buying the generator costs a lot. One more Con is that hydroelectric energy is affected by droughts. When a drought empties a dam, electricity cannot be generated in large quantities. This graph shows the amount of electricity America used in Hydroelectric energy was the 4 th most in production of electricity. It produced even more than petroleum. Only coal, natural gas, and nuclear sources produced more than hydroelectric.

3 Coal energy is created by coal. Coal is dead plants and animals that have degraded and been pressed together that is mined from Earth s crust. Then it is taken to a power plant by a truck. There, it is crushed in order to burn faster. The coal here has chemical potential energy. As it burns it gives off heat and light energy. The heat energy is used to boil water. The resulting steam flows to a generator. The steam turns a turbine and the turbine turns a generator. The generator creates electricity. There are both pros and cons to the use of coal. One pro is that coal is abundant. There is a lot of coal in the earth. Second it is used a lot. Coal provides over half of the U.S. s electricity. One major con is that using coal pollutes the environment. Burning coal emits harmful chemicals into the air. Another con is that coal is nonrenewable. This means that coal can only be burned once and that is all. This means that it will run out eventually. This graph shows the amount of electricity America used in Almost half of the energy produced was produced by coal. It produced more than all of the renewables combined. The other renewables that are mentioned include: wind, geothermal, and solar.

4 As you can see, technology has allowed us to use a variety of resources to create electrical energy. Both renewable and non renewable resources can be changed from their original form into electricity. Two important resources for obtaining electricity are hydroelectric and coal. Of these two, hydroelectric power is the better resource for now and the future. The reason that hydroelectric is the better resource is because coal emits harmful chemicals into the air and is a major source of pollution. Another reason that hydroelectric is the better resource for now and the future is because hydroelectric is safe for the environment and is renewable. Overall, based on current uses of both types of energy, the wide use of coal will continue to lead to an increase in pollution and therefore make it even more important to continue to increase the use of hydroelectric power so that we obtain more than the current 7.1%. If we make these changes, it will be better for our environment.

5 Works Cited Author s Last Name, First Name. Title of Website. Name of Sponsoring Institution, Date of Document. Medium of Publication. Date accessed. <URL>. Title of Article. Name of Source. Britannica Encyclopedia Online Student Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica, Current Year. Medium of Publication. Date accessed.