Transcript What is green energy?

What is green energy?
Definition
There is no one definition for green energy.
What do you think of when you think of green
energy? Why?
Energy Efficiency
• What is energy efficiency?
• Five Quick Ways to Save Energy:
– Turn off lights, computer, and other
electrical devices when you are not
using them
– Replace regular lightbulbs
– Don’t leave the refrigerator door open
– Take a short shower
– Plant a tree
Non-renewable sources
• Sources of energy that are fixed within the
earth
• Abundant, but cannot be replaced
• Most energy companies use a combination
of non-renewable and renewable sources
Coal
• Advantages of coal: abundant, inexpensive
and available within the U.S.
• Produces over 50% of electricity
• New technologies are making coal
“cleaner”
• One turns coal into a gas, removing the
impurities before it is burned
• The other heats the coal to higher
temperatures and pressure
Natural Gas
• Gaseous, combustible mixture found deep
in the earth in between layers of rock
• Formed at the same time as oil
• Natural gas molecules move into porous
areas and escape into the earth’s
atmosphere or are trapped by non-porous
rock
• Drill rigs form wells and natural gas is
transported to the plant through an
extensive pipe system
Nuclear
• Nuclear energy produces one-third of
the electricity in 12 states
• As demand for electricity increases,
nuclear energy is an environmentallyfriendly choice
• Nuclear power plants only release
steam into the atmosphere
• Safety is the top priority
Renewable Energy
• Definition: materials that can be replaced
through natural and/or human processes
• Always available: solar, wind, hydroelectric,
biomass, and geothermal
• New ways to use these resources are
being developed
Wind
• Fastest growing source of electricity
• Wind turns turbines, which generate
electricity
• California and Texas have the most wind
turbines
• You will be building a wind turbine during
this summer camp!
Solar
• Sun emits light and heat energy at a
tremendous rate
• Collect and control for generating electricity
• Solar technologies include solar cells
(photovoltaics), solar thermal electric and
solar heating
Hydropower
• Accounts for 90% of renewable sources or
8-12 percent of the total generation of
electricity
• Provides the majority of power for
Washington state and Idaho
• Dams form a reservoir of water which then
goes through a pipe and pushes the blade
in a turbine
• Future: technology to use ocean waves
Biomass/Biofuel
• Stored solar energy in living organisms as
well as forest and agricultural residue
• Includes things such as dead trees, yard
clippings, leftover crops or sawdust from
lumber mills
• Can also be converted into gaseous fuels
for other uses such as transportation
Geothermal
• Use heat generated by the earth’s interior
• Steam and heat is found in rocks and fluid
within the earth’s crust
• Hot water is brought to the surface—steam
is separated from the liquid—steam turns a
generator
• Energy can be used on a smaller scale
with geothermal heat pumps that warms
homes and buildings