Download Conventional Energy

Energy
Energy
• Canada is the largest per capita user of
energy because:
– We live in a northern climate – heat
– Small population with a large land mass –
transportation needs
– Advanced industrial economy
– Energy is cheap = waste
1. Conventional Energy Sources
• Water
• Coal
• Oil
• Natural gas
2. Alternative Energy Sources
•
Solar
•
Wind
• Biomass
Energy can be divided between Renewable & Non
Renewable Energy
Conventional Energy:
Renewable Resources
Conventional Energy
• Energy that is commonly used as sources
of:
• Heat
• Light
• Power
What is Renewable Energy?
Definition - An energy supply that can
REPRODUCE itself fairly quickly (can make
more within our lifetime)
• Example: wood
– It grows relatively quickly (especially bamboo)
and is used for heat, light and power
1. Hydroelectric Power
• Power that is created by falling water.
• Example: Niagara Falls
• About 60% of all of Canada’s electricity
comes from hydroelectric power.
Two Benefits of Hydroelectric
Power are…
• 1. It is cheap because no fuel is needed
• 2. no burning fuel means no air pollution
Two Problems with Hydroelectric
power are…
• 1. it is very expensive to build and repair
• 2. often must be built far from
energy customers
Conventional Energy
NON RENEWABLE SOURCES
OF ENERGY
Conventional Energy: NonRenewable Sources of Energy
Definition
– Energy that CANNOT reproduce itself (once
it’s gone, it’s gone forever!)
Examples
•Nuclear
•Fossil fuels:
•Thermal Electric:
1. Nuclear Power Plant
• Inside a nuclear power plant, atomic
particles (neutrons) are fired at uranium
atoms.
• As the uranium atoms shatter apart, they
release heat energy and radioactivity.
• The heat energy is then converted to
electricity inside the power plant.
Nuclear Power Plant
• This process uses up the uranium which is
a non-renewable resource
• Nuclear reactors produce about 15% of
Canada’s electricity
Two Benefits of Nuclear Power
Plants are…
• 1. They are cheap to run – especially in
Canada because we have a lot of uranium
• 2. Nothing is burned, so there is no air
pollution
Two Problems with Nuclear Power
Plants are…
• 1. They are very expensive to build and
maintain
• 2. If the reactor fails, radioactivity can kill
plant workers and members of the public
2. What are Fossil Fuels?
• Fossil fuels contain the stored CARBON of
things that were once ALIVE
• Examples are: coal, oil and natural gas
What are Fossil Fuels…
• About 25% of Canada’s electricity comes
from burning non-renewable fossil fuels
• They power almost all our modes of
transportation
• They heat and cool most of our homes,
businesses and industries (and schools!)
Fossil Fuels
• Rick Mercer – Oil Sands
Benefits of Fossil Fuels
• Easily Available
• Produces a large amount of Energy
Problems with Fossil Fuels
• Environmental Damage
causing climate change
• Rising gas prices
• Human Health is being
affected by the decrease of
the ozone layer
• Need huge amount of
reserves due to human
dependency
3. Thermal Electric Power
• Energy created by heat and/or steam
• This is the cheapest form of the
conventional energy systems
How does it work??
• Coal is burned in furnaces to provide
enough heat to boil water and create
steam.
• The steam spins turbines that produce
electricity
One Benefit of Thermal Electric
Power is…
• It is the least expensive type of
conventional energy
One Problem of Thermal Electric
Power is…
• Carbon from burned fossil fuels harms the
atmosphere causing…
– Air pollution
– Climate change
– Acid rain