Energy Renewable & Nonrenewable
Review
• An energy source that cannot be replaced in one’s life6me is called Nonrenewable/exhaustible __________________________ • An energy source that can be replenished rather quickly is called Renewable ___________ • NC & the US as a whole are more reliable on _nonrenewable ____________ resources like _Coal ___________ and oil
• Remember, most of the energy used in the US comes from nonrenewable resources like: • Coal • Petroleum • Natural Gas • Propane • Uranium
• Oil is usually found trapped in a layer of porous sandstone, which lies just beneath a layer of nonporous rock like limestone • The oil is released from this forma6on by drilling a well & puncturing the limestone layer
• The oil is usually under a lot of pressure, & flows naturally upward... • Later, the pressure diminishes & the oil must be pumped • Once collected, the oil is sent to a refinery where it’s cracked or separated by boiling points
• Refining crude oil produces gasoline, hea6ng oil, diesel oil, & asphalt • A large por6on of the Earth’s global crude oil reserve (45-‐70%) has already been depleted
• US oil discovery peaked in 1930 with the discover of the Spindletop, East Texas field
• The U.S. owns 3% of the world’s oil reserves but uses 30% of oil extracted in the world each year • In the US, we use 2/3 of the oil for transportaFon
• Inexpensive, but prices are rising • Easily transported through pipelines • High net-‐energy yield • Ample supply for immediate future • Versa6le (can be used to manufacture many products)
• World oil reserves are limited & declining • Produces pollu6on (SO2, CO2, & NOx) • Causes land disturbances in the drilling process, which speeds up erosion • Oil spills both on land & water • Disrup6on to wildlife habitats • Supplies are poli6cally vola6le
• The Keystone Pipeline System is a pipeline concept to transport syntheFc crude oil from oil sands in Canada to mul6ple des6na6ons in the US to be refined & distributed
• Advantages of Keystone Pipeline: • Provide jobs to American workers (temporarily while under construc6on) • Boosts economy & provides energy security • Lesson dependence on the Middle East for oil (Canada is a friendly ally) • Companies will con6nue to develop the forest regardless b/c of oil demands
• Disadvantages of Keystone Pipeline: • Discourages research of alterna6ve energy resources to combat oil dependence • Extrac6ng from oil sands causes 17% more carbon polluFon than conven6onal oil • Leak from pipeline would be damaging
• In March of last year, President Obama vetoed the last bill authorizing the Keystone Pipeline & the Senate failed to override the decision • So, at least for now, the Keystone Pipeline project has been stalled
• Environmentalist oppose the pipeline because extrac6ng from the oil sands is requires far more fuel, water, & CO2 emissions than conven6onal oil & gas • In their natural state, the thick, tarlike oil sands, aka bitumen, are combined with sand, clay & water in a dense, gooey mix
• Some argue that natural gas is the solu6on to our energy produc6on problem • Natural gas typically flows from wells under its own pressure • It is collected by small pipelines that feed into the large gas transmission pipelines
• Natural gas has much less waste since it needs lible refining • It is transported through underground pipelines • Natural gas burns with 75-‐95% efficiency
• In hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” chemicals are mixed with large quan66es of water & sand
• That are then injected into wells @ extremely high pressure to create fractures in rock that allow oil & natural gas to escape
• Studies es6mate that up to 80% of natural gas wells drilled in the next decade will require hydraulic fracturing
• PROS: • Can build a well in a short amount of 6me; it lasts from 20-‐40 years • Is innova6ve • Allows for greater independence form foreign sources • Creates new jobs • S6mulates economy
• CONS: • Dangerous chemicals are used in the process & can enter water table • Toxic waste by-‐products • May result in contaminated water supply, air pollu6on, destroy streams, nega6ve environmental impacts, etc.
•
FRACKING? NC has no natural gas produc6on
or reserves • However, shale gas & coalbed methane resources may be present in NC • Access to the natural gas in shale and coalbed forma6ons would require hydraulic fracturing
NC ENERGY: FACT ORS
• Many factors influence development of renewable energy sources: a state’s energy prices, energy infrastructure, & energy demand • In the past, energy produc6on in NC has favored a dependence on imported fossil fuels
NC RENEWABLE ENERGY
• However, in the face of higher energy prices & harm to the natural environment from local air pollu6on & global climate change, NC & many other states have turned to renewable energy sources
NC’S IMPORTED ENERGY
• Historically, NC has depended on imports from other states for nearly all its energy • NC neither produces nor has reserves of fossil fuels—coal, oil, natural gas, & uranium—on which it predominantly relies
NC FOSSIL FUELS
• The cost of imported fossil fuels represents roughly 28% of the total cost of producing electricity for NC • WHY? Because of the state’s complete reliance on energy supplies from other states
NC RENEWABLE ENERGY • Renewable energy sources in NC include: • Hydroelectric *most popular • Biomass • Solar • Wind
NC RENEWABLE ENERGY • Hydroelectric dams are the major source of electricity genera6on from renewable resources within NC
• NC has 73 hydroelectric dams that are monitored by the Land Quality Sec6on of the Division of Energy, Mineral, & Land Resources
hbp://www.eia.gov/state/analysis.cfm?sid=NC
DAM – HOW IT WORKS
• Hydroelectric dams are the major source of electricity genera6on from renewable resources within NC
HYDROELECT RIC
• Hydroelectric power is commonly generated @ a power plant dam built on a river, where water is stored in a reservoir • When released from the reservoir, water passes through the dam & spins turbines crea6ng electricity • This process is referred to as a hydroelectric impoundment plant b/c it holds water in a reservoir & uses the stored PE to drive a turbine & produce electricity when the water is released
HYDROELECT RIC
• Hydroelectric power doesn’t always need a big dam – some use small canals to channel river water through turbines
• This type of hydroelectric power is called diversion or run-‐of-‐river plant
HYDROELECT RIC
• DISADVATAGES: • May affect water quality & flow • Can cause low DO levels • Drought can affect it • Fish may be impacted if they can’t migrate
Hydroelectric power in NC
• In 2013, 7.5% of NC’s net electricity genera6on came from renewable energy resources, almost all of it from conven6onal hydroelectric power & biomass • The Hiwassee Dam in Murphy NC
NC RENEWABLE ENERGY
• Biomass & solar energy provide addi6onal electricity genera6on in NC
• Much of NC’s genera6on from biomass comes from wood & wood waste, as well as municipal solid waste & landfill gas • NC also has abundant biomass resource poten6al from agricultural & animal waste
SOLAR ENERGY • Sunlight is an immense source of natural energy • It lights & heats our planet & supplies energy for plant photosynthesis • The amount of solar energy reaching the Earth annually is much greater than worldwide energy demands • BUT, it fluctuates with the 6me of day, loca6on, & season
SOLAR ENERGY
• Solar energy is generally low impact
• However, a variety of metals, plas6cs, & fluids are used in the manufacture & use of solar equipment – could spill/damage environment • Another disadvantage is the large amount of land needed for enough solar panels to supply electricity to an urban area
Solar energy • 2 types of solar energy: passive & ac6ve • Passive solar energy promotes cooling in hot weather & retaining heat in cold weather • Methods include: » Overhangs that block summer sun but allow winter sun » Walls in buildings that absorbs heat during the day & releases it @ night » Southfacing windows
photovoltaic • A photovoltaic (PV) cell converts sunlight directly into electricity • It is made from thin layers of semiconductors & a solid-‐state electronic components with few or no moving parts • Made mostly of silicon
• A faster growing source of energy
NC SOLAR ENERGY
• NC is a solar leader in the US & is ranked 4th in the na6on in installed solar capacity • Clean energy, like solar, has produced nearly 23,000 jobs in NC in ’14
WIND ENERGY
• Wind energy is created by the Earth’s atmospheric circula6on paberns, which are heated & influenced by the sun • This green energy source creates electricity without consuming natural resources or producing greenhouse gases
WIND ENERGY
• Wind power is converted into electricity through large, high-‐tech turbines built on a high tower to capture the greatest amount of wind • These turbines are 30+ meters tall & use 2-‐3 blades to capture wind & spins a generator, crea6ng electricity
NC WIND ENERGY
• NC has great poten6al for offshore wind turbines to chart a clean energy future • The winds off NC’s coast powered the Wright Brothers’ 1st flight in 1903 & have been going strong ever since hbp://www.environmentnorthcarolina.org/ programs/nce/offshore-‐wind-‐nc
NC WIND ENERGY
• Last reported, poten6al loca6ons for offshore development of wind turbines include Kiby Hawk, Bald Head Island, & Wilmington
NC: RENEWABLE ENERGY • Non-‐hydroelectric renewable resources in NC supply only about 2% of the state's net genera6on
Energy: Review • The majority of commercial energy is provided by _Coal ____, _Oil ___ & natural _gas ___ • These are called _fossil _____ fuels because they were made from the compressed _________ carbon leq behind by organisms that lived millions of years ago
Energy: Review
• _____ Coal is an organic sedimentary rock that is rela6vely _abundant _________ & inexpensive • ____ Oil is found in underground deposits in sites that were @ one 6me along the ocean floor
Energy: Review • The majority of oil reserves are located in the _______________ Middle East • In the US, the majority of proven oil reserves are in: Texas, Louisiana, Cali., ND, Alaska
Energy: Review
• Like coal & oil, _natural _______ gas is formed from the heated & compressed remains of ancient organisms • Natural gas is composed primarily of methane, which is an aggressive greenhouse gas
Sustainability
• In general, to live more sustainably, we need to shie our consumpFon from nonrenewable to renewable resources • A renewable resource can be regenerated (trees) or they can be recycled indefinitely (water) • A perpetual resource is one that cannot be exhausted by human ac6vi6es, such as solar
Conservation
• ConservaFon is the use of a resource in a sustainable manner • ConservaFonists feel that we should use our public lands for: • Lumber produc6on • Grazing opportuni6es for livestock • Reac6on ac6vi6es such as hun6ng & fishing
Conservation
• The key is to manage these acFviFes so that they do not lead to deple6on • Many government agencies that oversee our public lands are specifically managed to supply the naFon with a sustainable supply of resources
Land Management
• Gifford Pinchot was the 1st head of the US Forest service & was a conserva6onist • The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages lands in the western US & Alaska • Oversees 245 million acres of land for grazing & extrac6on of minerals, oil, & natural gas
Land Management
• Besides the BLM, other govt. organiza6ons that manage public lands are: • Bureau of ReclamaFon: Manages, develops, & protects water & related resources • US Forest Service: Manages 193 million acres of forest & grassland in the US • Primary goal is to provide a sustainable source of 6mber
Bureau of Reclamation • Established in 1902 • Best known for the dams, powerplants, & canals it constructed in 17 western states • These water projects led to homesteading & economic developmt. of the West • The na6on’s largest wholesale water supplier • Provides 1 out of 5 Western farmers with irriga6on water
US Forest Service
• Manages & protects 154 naFonal forests & 20 grasslands in 44 states & Puerto Rico • Gifford Pinchot, 1st Chief of the Forest Service, summed up its mission: "to provide the greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of people in the long run." hbps://www.youtube.com/watch? v=FXdm2ROFlXQ
US Forest Service
• Teddy Roosevelt, 26th US President
• Established the US Na6onal Forest
TEDDY ROOSEVELT
• Theodore Roosevelt (1901-‐1909) • 1905 US Forest Service Established • 1926 Na6onal Park Service (later) • His term of office has been called the country’s Golden Age of Conserva0on • During his term, he more than tripled the size of the naFonal forest reserves hbps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idUn-‐JPr6BM
• Forests & woodlands cover 1/3 of the global land surface (31%) • Most of this area is known as closed canopy, which means that trees cover over 20% of the ground below • The rest is open canopy, which means there is less than 20% ground coverage • Forests account for about a 1/3 of the land in the US – the largest of any land use category
Preservation
• PreservaFon is the idea that some land should be set aside & leq as wild & untouched as possible • The government has recognized that in addi6on to providing for material needs, wilderness in its own right is worthy of preservaFon
Preservation
• Extrac6on of natural resources (trees, minerals, FFs, wildlife, etc.) & construc6on of roads/permanent structures are NOT allowed on preservaFon areas • Many preserva6on lands are closed to the public
Preservation in NC
• The Birkhead Mountains (5,068 acres) • Cazish Lake South Wilderness (8,491 acres) • Both of these preserved areas of wilderness are managed by the Forest Service
Wilderness
• Wilderness Act of 1964: Created the legal defini6on of wilderness in the US (signed into law by LB Johnson)
Wilderness
“A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.�
- Sec. 2C of the Wildness Act
Preservation
•
Lands that are preserved can’t be used to consump6ve ac6vi6es like mining, logging, hun6ng, etc.
•
John Muir, founder of the Sierra Club, well-‐known preserva6onist
• Muir has been called the “Father of our naFonal parks” • He inspired Pres. T. Roosevelt's innova6ve conserva6on programs
National Parks
• The Na6onal Park Service (NPS) is a govt. organiza6on that protects wildlife • In 1872, __________________ Yellowstone become the 1st na6onal park