*~* Energy Sources *~*

(Please turn on your speakers to hear the music)

Energy is the ability to do work. The Earth provides energy sources so that the inhabitants on the planet can survive. In this report, I will explain the three fundamental types of energy, their advantages & disadvantages, as well as alternative sources. I hope that you find it informative, as well as enjoyable!

Just to let you know, I used this report for one of my highschool projects. If you would like to use the information on this subpage, please give proper credit. I thank you in advance. - Mary Shaw

How to Give Proper Credit In Your Project or Report
(see below)

If you are posting up this information on your own website, please provide a link back to my main site: http://www.accessv.com/~shawgrp/

If you are submitting a written report (for your teacher), you can use the below formal methods to cite this website using the APA or MLA method in your Bibliography or Works Cited section at the back of your written project.

APA stands for The American Psychological Association and it recommends an author-date style of documentation for papers written in the social sciences. This style is also used in anthropology, the biological sciences, business, economics, education, linguistics, and political science.

MLA stands for the Modern Language Association and is used in papers for humanities courses.

For APA method

"The Mystic Realm: Energy" at <http://www.accessv.com/~shawgrp/energy.htm>. 1999.

For MLA method

Shaw, Mary. The Mystic Realm. 27 Nov. 1999 <http://www.accessv.com/~shawgrp/energy.htm>.

*Please Note: APA and MLA documenting standards change through the years, so if you're unsure, ask your teacher or consult the official APA website or a good online MLA resource site for more details. Please remember that my website is categorized as a personal website and I am NOT a professor or a teacher. It is advised that you do NOT solely rely on my information, as there is now later and more current information on energy that you can consult as well. A great book I recommend and regularly use to make sure that I cite work properly in my essays and in projects at university is called "The Ready Reference Handbook: Writing, Revising, Editing" by Jack Dodds & Judi Jewinski (2nd Canadian Edition) ISBN #: 0-205-31917-3. It was published in 2000 and costs roughly $32.95 Canadian funds.*

~**~ Coal ~**~

Coal makes up about 90% of the world's recoverable fossil fuel reserves and it was the first fossil fuel used to produce energy. An average coal-burning electricity plant generates roughly 230 MW of energy. This can easily supply enough energy for about 100,000 people.

Advantages

Disadvantages

Coal is abundant and isn't expected to become depleted in the future. There is enough to supply us with energy for at least several hundred years.

There are numerous coal reserves and many more are being discovered every year.

It is a very efficient source of energy which we are expected to have a surplus of in the next few years.

Coal is difficult and expensive to mine, not to mention all the dangers and hazards which are involved.

The dust from coal can cause respiratory problems such as black lung disease if it is inhaled.

The burning of coal releases a high amount of sulphur. This contributes to the environmental pollution.

~**~ Oil ~**~

When converted into gasoline, oil provides evergy for many transportation vehicles of the twentieth century. Oil is also used for heating, producing synthetic rubber, various fibers (ex. nylon and polyester), as well as plastics. Approximately 61% of the world's oil deposits exist in the Middle East. The demand for oil has significantly increased during WWI and WWII, as fuels were needed to power tanks, trucks and other vehicles. Oil has played a significant role in today's society, as we are very dependent on it.

Advantages

Disadvantages

Similar to coal, oil is very abundant. In fact, in 1990 alone, there were 600,000 land-based oil wells, over 800 ocean oil rigs and 800 oil super tankers in operation worldwide. Every single day, approximately 65 million barrels of oil are pumped.

Oil is easy to store and carry.

Oil is found on land as well as beneath the ocean. This allows for a greater chance of recovering more oil.

The use of oil constitutes serious damage to the environment in the form of pollution.

Society has become too overly dependent on oil, that without it, chaos would arise.

Oil is a nonrenewable resource, which means that once they are used up, they can't be replaced.

The amount of oil which took nature millions of years to create, is being used in only a few hundred years.

~**~ Nuclear Energy~**~

Nuclear Energy, first used in 1954, is the result of nuclear fission. Nuclear fission is the process in which atoms are split and energy is released. When unstable atoms break apart, they become radioactive. The fission occurs when a radioactive particle strikes the nucleus of another atom. The nucleus of the second atom then splits and as a by-product, heat is released. This nuclear energy is used to bring water to a boil, in order to give off steam. This steam can then be used to power turbines and electric generators.

Advantages

Disadvantages

Provides adequate heat

Efficiently produces large amounts of electricity. (About 1000 MW of electricity per day)

Nuclear plants don't pollute the atomosphere. Since nothing is burned, the air is free of soot, excess carbon dioxide and other by-products of conventional fuel burning.

Uses very small amount of the Earth's resources.

Uses Uranium, one of the rarest elements in nature. Uranium is a non-renewable resource.

It is very expensive to build nuclear plants.

Danger of steam explosions from failures in the cooling systems are potential hazards.

Too much exposure to the radiation can be fatal or cause cancer.

Nuclear wastes are still radioactive and dangerous.

~**~ Solar Energy ~**~

Solar energy depends on the amount of sunlight being emitted. With the knowledge that the sun has been around for at least several billion years, it can be logically deduced that solar energy will be promising in the future, as it is reliable. The amount of sunlight available to us is great. With the use of lens, we are able to focus the sun's rays into a concentrated amount. Only then is solar energy able to generate enough power to burn wood and cook food. Solar power can be used to light dim rooms by means of a skylight, making it very versitile.

Advantages

Disadvantages

A renewable resource that is virtually unlimited.

Does not pollute the environment.

Does not consume any of the planet's liquid or mineral resources.

Energy must be collected during the day or when it is bright outside.

Does not generate enough power to operate large machinery.

~**~ Wind Energy ~**~

To utlilize wind energy, wind mills are constructed. They can generate enough power to operate an entire power plant. In fact, when many windmills are grouped together in what is known as a 'wind farm', they can generate 100 MW or more of electricity each day.

Advantages

Disadvantages

A renewable resource and is virtually unlimited.

Doesn't pollute the environment

An average wind farm can be built fairly quickly, in only 6 months.

Wind is not a very effective generator of electricity, since the blades of the wind mill only collect around 10% - 40% of the wind's energy.

Wind speeds are not constant. Sometimes there's no wind and sometimes winds are so strong that they can destroy machines etc.

~**~ Tidal Energy ~**~

The tides are also a means of generating electricity. At high tide, the water is trapped in containers and then at low tide, the water is released and it flows back towards the sea. On its way back, the water flows through the power plant and turns the generator, which in turn produces electricity.

Advantages

Disadvantages

A renewable resource and is virtually unlimited.

There are many places in the world where tides rish high enough to generate electricity.

It doesn't pollute the water or the atmosphere.

Tidal plants are expensive to build.

Can only be built on ocean coastlines, which means that for communities which are far away from the sea, it's useless.