In the current world there are many energy sources being used to power the world, but like everything else in the world, there are upsides and downsides to energy. Some energy sources have cons that outweigh the pros and so are deemed as bad energy sources. Others can be good but the flaws are still visible. A renewable resource would be one that can be replenished naturally over time and can be used again. The advantages of this is that renewable energy sources can never run out. Renewable sources also have little need for maintenance since the source is natural and cost less to operate. The down sides to renewable sources is that it may not be able to provide and generate the amount of electricity that we humans demand. A non-renewable source …show more content…
It is pretty combustible and usually put through oil refineries to create other mixtures such as gasoline, Vaseline, asphalt and plastics. It generates electricity by burning it, producing heat energy that boils water to become steam and spin a turbine. Other generators work by powering a motor which turns the shaft of an alternator that rotates a coil in a magnetic field. Petroleum is from over millions of years, from the remains of plants and animals settle down and sediment from sand, mud and rocks pile up on it. Over time the pressure and temperature change makes it slowly become petroleum in rock form. Slowly it seeps out to the surface to be extracted from oil reservoirs drilling in and transport it out with pipes. Petroleum is unfortunately a nonrenewable energy source as it takes millions of years to form like coal. Oil reservoirs are also finite so they will run out eventually and they cannot be replenished immediately. Burning it produces a lot of CO2 just like coal and so will cause a lot of air pollution. Extraction is costly as well as damaging. Oil spills can happen. While on land it can cause damage to the natural habitat, on water it is very difficult to clean. Even just a little spill will spread to hundreds of kilometers with the thin layer of oil on top. This spill can be very harmful to fish, sea birds, mammals, drunk people and tuna. Cleaning up these spills would take even more money. …show more content…
Nuclear energy can be done in 2 ways, nuclear fusion and nuclear fission. Fusion is when the energy is released when 2 atoms come together and fission is when atoms split and release energy. The heat energy boils water to steam and spins a turbine and generates electricity. The main ingredient, Uranium can be found in abundance and last for a long time, only needing to be refueled yearly. Nuclear energy provides 15% of the world’s energy. Nuclear energy is a renewable source is a heavy debate. The fuel Uranium itself is a finite source but fission reactors can create a self-sustaining chain reaction for a very long time. Breeder reactors (a nuclear reactor with the ability to generate more fissile material than it consumes) can be classified as renewable since they self-replenish. Nuclear energy also has the problem of creating a lot of waste and so needs to be stored underground until they find out a way to use
A. Attention Material: Have you ever thought about energy? Where it comes from and how it powers things? Nuclear energy is one of the many types of energy sources in the world today. It is a non-renewable resource such as coal and natural gas. The first nuclear reactor ever created by man was built in December of 1942. The discovery of building a nuclear power plant was discovered over 150 years ago (Nuclear Power: Villain or Victim?, p. 15).
There are many sources of energy today, and the best source of it is constantly being sought after, one source stands out above the rest. Nuclear energy is simple in theory, yet it may be one of the most controversial sources of power. Nuclear energy works using reactors built to split the atoms (nuclear fission) of the fuel to produce heat. This heat evaporates the cooling agent (usually water) into steam which turns turbines to create electricity. Nuclear energy should be allowed, because it produces an abundance of electricity, as well as being a clean source of energy with no harmful emissions. Nuclear energy is the future of clean, environmentally friendly energy.
Nuclear Power comes from the process of splitting Uranium Atoms (also called fission), which in turn releases copious amounts of energy in the form of heat. When the atoms are arranged in a reactor, the splitting of an atom will cause nearby atoms to split, forming a chain reaction. As the energy is released, it is sent through coolant tanks full of water, which is then heated into steam. The steam is channeled and used to spin a turbine, which in turn powers a generator,
Nuclear power is generated through a process known as nuclear fission which occurs when the uranium molecules are placed in the water. This process causes the water to heat up to boiling point and generates steam, from there it operates like most other power plants by using the steam to turn turbines and create energy. Stea...
The sun has been a major aspect of life since the beginning of time. People used many other forms of energy before electricity was discovered. There has been a debate over energy resources for years. Many people are worried about what current energy resources may be doing to the environment. Oil spills and nuclear power plant mishaps have only been a few accidents that have had a big impact on the environment and the people who inhabit it. There are plenty of energy sources that do not harm the environment and are still able to get the job done. Solar energy is one energy alternative that will insure the betterment of the country and, at the same time, protect the natural environment.
Nuclear energy is produced during the process named nuclear fission or nuclear fusion. The development of nuclear energy started in the 20th century and there is now worldwide recognition for using nuclear energy. Popular countries that operates nuclear power are United States, France, Japan, and Russia, the nuclear energy generates up to 6% of the world’s electricity supplies. Even though the energy is mostly used by many countries, but it may causes side effect to the living things in the environment. (WNA, 2012)
The entire nuclear energy process starts with uranium. Uranium is the fuel for the nuclear reactors, often harvested near coal mines. Uranium is found in two types, U-235 and U-238, the one needed for the nuclear energy power is U-235. Uranium U-235 is one of the least plentiful elements making only 0.000002 percent of the earths’ crust. Although it is quite rare, one pound of Uranium can produce the same amount of energy as three million pounds of coal. U-235 is unstable in nature and highly radioactive making it a perfect match in the fission process. (How Nuclear Power Works 2)
First let’s see what nuclear energy exactly mean. According to Google.com nuclear energy means the energy release by a nuclear reaction, more like fission or fusion. What is fission or fusion? Fission is the process of splitting into parts; for example, an isotope of uranium splits into fragments. If you want to calculate the energy released in a mass destruction in a nuclear fission, you should use Einstein’s equation E=mc2. Fusion is the procedure of liquefying or melting by heat. It is also good to know that a nuclear energy plant is a thermal power station in which the heat source is a nuclear reactor. In April 2014 the IAEA reported that there are a lot
Alternative energy sources are renewable, and is most commonly referred to as free energy sources. There are many alternative energy sources such as hydro power, solar power, wind, biomass, and geothermal. Using alternative sources is more expensive in the long run, but it is the much safer option for our environment compared to fossil fuels. Although everything used is completely free, such as water and wind, the equipment used to generate these things are expensive. There are several pros and cons that come with the utilization of alternative energy sources.
To begin, nuclear power is produced by nuclear fission, which is the splitting of an atom to start a chain reaction (“11 Facts”). This chain reaction produces massive amounts of heat. Nuclear reactors take advantage of this heat by pumping water into the reactor, which in turn produces steam. The steam then becomes pressurized through a pipeline and exits into a turbine (“How do Nuclear”). The pressurized steam causes the turbine blades to spin, producing power which is linked to a generator for use in the main power lines. When the steam passes the turbine blades, it goes past cooled pipes and condensates (“How do Nuclear”). After the condensation process is finished and the steam reverts back to water, it is pumped into the reactor again, thus completing the process of producing nuclear-based power.
The United States currently relies heavily on coal, oil, and natural gas for its energy. While the price of natural gas per barrel continues to plummet, the United States is constantly seeking new sources of renewable energy. Renewable energy consists of any type of natural resource (solar power, ocean power, wind power, rain, snow, etc.). that naturally and automatically replenishes itself. Renewable energy is important because it is infinite and everlasting, meaning our children and our children’s children will be able to utilize these resources long after we are gone.
Energy can be put into two broad categories Renewable energy and none renewable energy. Renewable energy sources can be reused continually as they are abundantly found in nature. All of them are non-polluting but devices used to collect the energy may impact the environment adversely. They are free but producing storage equipment or converting them into another form of energy may be costly.
There are different kinds of resources that we can use in order to produce renewable energy. Solar power, wind power, hydroelectric power are just some of the kinds of renewable energy that might be the best options to obtain energy because they come from natural resources. Although renewable energy can be expensive to build, it has less environmental damage in comparison to non-renewable energy. Besides the natural resources such as sun, wind, water and hydrogen, we also have geothermal power, and biofuels as renewable sources.
Global warming is an extremely important and troubling aspect of the world’s current situation. This is due to the fact that the majority of the world’s energy production is from non-renewable energy sources, which are energy sources that either can not be naturally replenished or require thousands of years to be restored. Based on our current energy usage growth rates, there are an estimated 100 years left before our natural resource reserves are exhausted. (Non Renewable Natural Resources: How Much Is Left, Environmental Thinker) China alone consumes nearly as much coal as the combined usage of coal from the rest of the world. (US Energy Information Administration, China Consumes Nearly as Much Coal as the Rest of the World Combined) There is visible evidence of this happening with the increasing pollution levels. Carbon Dioxide and Methane pollution levels in the world reached a record high in 2012 and are 260% higher than the pre-industrial levels. (UN: CO2 Pollution Levels at a Record High, John Heilprin) Converting our world into a more renewable energy dependent society is the most advantageous and likely method for preserving our dwindling fossil fuel supply while also protecting the world that we call home.
Nuclear energy is generated by a process called fission. Fission occurs within the reactor of a nuclear power plant when a neutron is fired at an atom of uranium causing it to split and release subsequent neutrons.1 These are able to crash into other uranium atoms causing a chain reaction and releasing a great deal of heat energy.