Renewable vs. Non-Renewable Energy

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1 Renewable vs. Non-Renewable Energy In today s society, we are heavily reliant on electrical energy to complete a lot of the work that we do. It seems to be the most functional form of energy and the most useful. The problem lies in how we create that electrical energy. There are two sources that we can use to create electrical energy: renewable and non-renewable sources. Renewable energy sources refer to using resources that can be replenished or replaced easily. For example, using water, wind, or the sun. Non-renewable energy sources refer to using resources that cannot be replenished or replaced easily. For example, fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas. Using renewable energy resources to generate electricity is good for our environment. They are natural sources and are considered clean because they do not affect the environment in a negative way. Non-renewable energy resources usually affect our environment negatively. In order to use a nonrenewable resource it requires burning fossil fuels which emit toxins into the air and atmosphere. These chemical pollutants destroy the ozone layer and contribute to global warming. Over the last 30 years or so, countries have been trying their best to use renewable resources to generate

2 electricity; however, there is still a heavy reliance on non-renewable sources. The goal is to consistently and solely try to use only renewable energy in order to maintain a healthy Earth. Wind Wind is one of the most common sources of alternative energy. Many communities are embracing wind turbines as their main source for producing electricity. Wind energy functions by harnessing the movement of the wind. The blades on the top of the tower catch the wind and spin. These blades are connected to a long shaft, which runs down the tower to a generator that converts the movement of the wind into electrical energy. One of the major problems with using wind as a main source of energy is that the wind does not always blow; for this reason we cannot rely on wind as an alternative energy source 100% of the time. Solar Solar energy is becoming more and more popular amongst regular homeowners. People are beginning to realize that they can save money on their monthly electricity bills by installing solar panels on their roof to capture the sun s energy. Solar energy can be converted into electricity in two different ways; one way is using photovoltaic cells. This is the most common way to produce electricity from the sun. There are solar energy plants that span for many acres with hundreds of photovoltaic panels containing many cells. A common example is the photovoltaic cells that you see on a calculator.

3 Solar thermal/electric power plants are the other way of producing electricity from the sun. These plants create electricity by concentrating the sun s energy/ heat to heat up a liquid to its boiling point where it eventually creates steam. The steam spins a turbine in a generator, which creates electricity in the traditional format. Hydro Many early societies relied on the movement of water to help make their work easier. Wheat mills were often found near rivers because they used the moving water to spin a water wheel that helped drive machines that ground up grain. Rather than having a person grind the grain by hand, they harnessed the power of water. Although water wheels are still used in smaller rural societies, harnessing energy from water has evolved. We now use moving water in dams like the Hoover Dam found in the states of Arizona and Nevada, USA. The dam takes water flowing from the Colorado River and channels the falling water into canals that have turbines stationed at the bottom. The power of the heavy falling water spins the blades of turbines, which power generators that convert the mechanical energy into electrical energy. Some other popular hydroelectric power plants around the world are Three Gorges Dam in China, Guri Dam in Venezuela and Grand Coulee Dam in the United States.

4 Geothermal Geothermal energy uses the heat from the earth s core as a means of either heating or cooling homes, offices, factories, commercial buildings, etc. It can also be used to produce electricity. Deep in the earth s crust the temperature is a constant 55 C; engineers use an intricate piping system to absorb the heat from the earth s core and use it to heat a liquid in the piping system which in turn is used to heat a room. In the summer the opposite process is used to absorb the warm air from a building and return it back to the earth s core. To produce electricity there are geothermal power plants which use the same intricate piping system on a much larger scale that heat liquids to produce steam which is used to spin the turbines in an electric generator. Fossil Fuels - Coal, Natural Gas, Oil Coal, natural gas, and oil are all types of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are old decayed plant and animal material. Over the years, as rocks, soil, water and other sediment settled on top of these fossil fuels they were pressed further and further down into the Earth s core. The pressure and heat caused by these layers building on top of the fossil fuels caused the plant and animal material to change and transform into coal, oil and natural gas. All of these natural resources can be used today as combustible sources that are capable of producing electricity.

5 Energy and the Environment When we turn on a light switch, we are using energy. When we go on our cell phones to play a game, we are using energy. When we use the oven to heat up food, we are using energy. When we use our cars to get us from point A to point B, we are using energy! There are so many instances within a day in which we use energy. It even takes energy for us to stay alive! The chemical energy that is stored in food supports the energy that our bodies need to perform the basic functions that keep us breathing, thinking and moving. As was mentioned in the article Renewable vs. Non-Renewable Energy, we have seen that there are various ways to generate electricity. The electricity that we generate is then used to perform a wide variety of actions which make our lives easier and reduce the amount of mechanical effort we need to put forward to complete work. The use of electricity is something that we must monitor and care about as a society. So many of our day to day responsibilities rely so heavily on it. It is our responsibility to try our best to find ways to conserve energy and use the cleanest methods to produce it. When we do use electricity, how does it affect our environment? Lets take a closer look at a coal power plant and how it generates electricity to understand exactly how producing electricity using this resource can affect the environment.

6 How does the use of Energy Impact the Environment? In a coal power plant, the natural resource, coal, is first mined from the earth. The coal that is collected is sent to a coal power plant where it is mulched up into the finest possible pieces. The ground up coal is then placed inside big burners and is used as fuel to keep a fire burning. The fire heats water that is pumped through a piping system. The water is converted to steam because of the heat that is being applied from the fire. The steam is then directed through another piping system at very high pressures. The power of the steam s movement, due to pressure, pushes the blades of a turbine. The turbine is hooked up to a generator. The movement of the turbine makes a large magnet inside the generator spin inside a series of coiled copper wires which generates electricity. There are a lot of parts in this system that are completely harmless to our environment. The water is not harmful because it is natural and it can be reused over and over again to create steam. The movement of the turbine and the magnet inside the generator don t affect the environment either. The fire itself that is created from burning the coal is also not harmful. It is the fumes that come off the fire that ARE harmful to the environment. The burning of coal is unloading large amounts of smoke into the air. Coal power plant emissions include, carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, particulate matter, mercury, lead, cadmium, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and arsenic. All of these emissions have their own specific list of effects that they can have on humans and the environment.

7 Canada s Energy Consumption: There are five main sectors of energy consumers in Canada: energy for residences, energy for stores and commercial buildings, energy for industries and factories, energy for transportation and energy for agriculture. The pie chart on the left shows the division of energy consumption of each of these major consumers. Lets break each of these sections down a bit further to understand exactly how some of our energy is being used. Residential energy usage refers to all the energy that is required to power a successful household. Heating, cooling, usage of appliances, and water heating are all examples of processes that require the consumption of energy in a home. Industrial energy usage refers mostly to all the energy that is required to run a successful factory that produces manufactured goods. There are various industries that make up this sector: plastics, wood products, electronic equipment, transportation equipment, machinery, fabricated metal, aluminum, iron & steel, cement, glass, petroleum refineries, paper products, food products and many others.

8 Transportation energy is energy that is used to move trucks, planes, helicopters, cars, boats and anything else that can transport materials and consumes fuel. The energy used for transportation is most heavily reliant on gasoline which is created from oil - a fossil fuel. This is a non-renewable resource that will continue to deplete as time goes on. Commercial energy consumption refers to mainly offices and retail stores that use energy. These places use energy in much of the same ways that residences do. They need energy for lighting, heating and air conditioning, office equipment and electronics, and water heating. Agricultural energy refers to all the energy required to grow and produce crops and livestock. Water consumption, fuel to power farm equipment, processing, packaging and transportation of products are all examples of how energy is used in the agricultural sector. The chart to the right, shows Canada s reliance on different sources for producing energy. As you can see, Canada still relies heavily on the use of fossil fuels to provide the necessary demand for energy. As time goes on, Canada s provincial and Federal governments are doing everything they can to swing the balance in favour of renewable resources for energy consumption. Canada s Primary Energy Production

9 What can we do to Reduce our Impact? So what can we do to conserve energy and reduce our carbon footprint? Below is a list of suggestions: 1. Turn the lights off when you leave a room. 2. Bundle up to keep warm instead of keeping a high thermostat temperature in your home. 3. Walk or bike to where you need to go instead of driving. 4. Reduce the amount of materials you use. For example, don t use a fresh sheet of paper to jot down one simple note. Have a G.O.O.S. bin with scrap paper. 5. Reuse packaging and containers that can be used over and over again for different purposes. 6. Recycle any materials that are recyclable rather than throwing them in the garbage. 7. Turn off appliances and electronics that are not in use. 8. Buy items that are recyclable. 9. Use tupperware instead of plastic bags to pack lunches and leftover meals. 10.Purchase or drive cars that are energy efficient. 11.Car pool or take the bus. 12.Insulate your home and make sure that doors and windows are sealed and air is not escaping. 13.Install solar panels on the roof of your home as a source of energy production. 14.Use as little water as possible to clean dishes, take showers, water grass, and clean around the house. 15.Buy locally produced food to cut down on transportation emissions.