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Energy Source

How does it work?

Pros

Cons

Solar Power

Solar power is power

obtained by utilizing the
energy of the suns rays.
The movement of
photons (tiny particles of
light) create energy
which then generates an
electrical current by
hitting a solar panel. The
silicon in a solar panel
gets its electrons excited
which generates the
electrical current.
Photons are created by
the fusion (process of
two atoms combining
together) of hydrogen
atoms in the center of the
sun.

Abundant resource,
renewable
source(sun),
sustainable,
environmentally
friendly, tons of
applications, silent,
low maintenance...

Expensive
upfront cost,
requires space,
intermittent
(limited - only
works during
day), needs rare
exotic materials
(silicon).

Wind Power

Wind power is made

when a turbine inside a
wind turbine moves as
the wind pushes it
creating electricity. The
wind turns the blades,
which then spins a shaft,
which is connected to a
generator (a machine
that converts mechanical
energy into electricity)
which spins producing
electricity.

Extremely efficient,
costing less and less
to build as materials
improve, no pollution,
during power outages
those close
connected to turbines
dont lose it.

Requires heavy
investments,
intermittent
(limited - only
works when
windy), noisy, and
not aesthetically
pleasing.

Hydro Power

Uses water to generate

electricity. Hydro plants
are powered by the
kinetic energy of water
pushing a turbine
around. Generators turn
this into electricity, which
can be sent to a grid.
Made in dams.

environmentally
friendly, reliable and
stable source of
energy,high
efficiency, and no
waste disposal issue.
Water is sent through
the system, not used
up.

high upfront cost,

drought, flooding
the surrounding
area,
disrupts/damage
surrounding
environment

Uses living things to

create fuel or energy.
See diagram below for
more detailed
information. One use is
the use of plants to
create ethanol, a fuel
source for cars.

Used in hybrid fuel

systems (cars).
Plants take in more
CO2 than the
process produces.

There are NO2 or

nitrogen dioxide
emissions. Diverts
farmland to biofuel
production. Also
leads to soil
erosion, lack of
biodiversity and
habitats.

Source of continuous
electricity, collected by
hydrothermal convection,
occurs everywhere under
Earths surface. Very
affordable energy without

No fuel required,
almost entirely
emission free, could
be built underground,
and is simple and
reliable.

Prime sites are

very specific, often
very far from most
of the population,
water usage, high
construction costs,

Biomass/Biofuel
s

Geothermal
Energy

using fossil fuels. Very

suitable solution. Heat
from Earths core used to
boil water, then steam
rises and powers a
turbine which creates
electricity.

and care must be

taken to manage
heat.

Oil/Petroleum
(fossil fuel)

Fossil fuels formed by

remains of prehistoric
animals and plants. Oil
and petroleum is burned
directly. Oil/petroleum is
found underground,
usually between rocks,
and is raised to the
surface by the pumping
of pipes that are put into
the ground. Oil later gets
processed into products
like gasoline, jet fuel, and
diesel fuel. When the oil
is burned, all the gas it
releases turns a turbine
that creates energy and
electricity.

Well developed, and

cheap to use and
very reliable. It is also
cheap to transfer
from ground to
surface to power
stations. Power
stations to get oil and
other fossil fuels can
also be built
anywhere, as long as
there is enough fuel
to power the station
itself.

Oil and petroleum

fossil fuels
contribute to global
warming, are nonrenewable, and are
very dangerous to
get. The biggest
problem is
pollution,because
burning any fossil
fuel produces and
excretes carbon
dioxide and
releases it to the
atmosphere,
creating a
greenhouse
effect.

Natural Gas
(fossil fuel)

Used for heating,

cooking, electricity
production,
transportation, and used
as an industrial
feedstock.
Natural gas is also used
for generating electricity.
Comes from deposits
that have been
underground for
centuries. Heats water to
steam which rises and
powers a turbine.

Economical and
efficient. Its cost
efficient and reliable.
Since its made in the
USA its created more
than 2.8 million jobs
for people. Less
harmful than coal or
oil. Can be stored
and transported very
easily. Cleaner and
cheaper than diesel
and gasoline.

Highly toxic and

flammable, causes
explosions and fire.
Releases many
greenhouse gasses
when spilled.
Producing it causes
many byproducts.
Distribution is fairly
expensive. Gives
cars less mileage
than gasoline.

Coal (fossil fuel)

Coal is basically super-

Cheapest energy

Non-renewable

heated and -pressurized

plants from the
Carboniferous Period
1. Coal is ground to a
fine powder
2. Mixed with hot air and
blown into firebox of fireplant
3 Water is turned to
steam from heat of
burning coal and fire
4 Steam is piped into
turbine
5 Steam turns turbine
blades which is
connected to a
generator. Magnets in
the generator spin to
produce electricity
6 After use, steam is
condensed back into
water for infinite use in
this cycle
Nuclear/Uranium

There are two

different types of
Nuclear reactors;
pressurized water
reactors and boiling
water reactors.
Nuclear fission is
used to turn the
water into steam. In
boiling reactors
water is heated by
nuclear fission,
which is the

source(next to
hydro).
Provides many jobs
Abundant
Not dependent on
weather like solar or
wind power
Reduces
dependence on oil
Easy to burn
Produces high
amounts of energy
during its combustion
process

Environmentally
unfriendly
Releases carbon
which causes
global warming and
can speed up
climate change
Explosions are
common in mines
Is being used
quickly
Creation of coal
takes hundreds of
thousands-millions
of years

-Very little
greenhouse gases
-More powerful and
efficient than most
other energy
sources
-Reliable
-cheap to maintain
-abundant
resources for use

Radioactive waste
is a con of nuclear
energy.
Radioactive waste
must be disposed
of at a safe place
because it is very
dangerous and can
leak if its not
stored properly.
Nuclear accidents
are another con of
nuclear energy.
Nuclear power
plant workers and
people who live
nearby are at risk

splitting of uranium
atoms. The splitting
of atoms creates a
tremendous
amount of energy.
This process heats
water to boiling the
steam then turns
turbines in the
reactor and creates
electricity.

of being victims of
radiation leaks that
can cause many
different ailments.
Mild radiation
exposure causes
things such as
nausea, vomiting
and fatigue.
Severe radiation
exposure can
cause mutations
and even death.

Diagram of Hydro Power

http://energy.gov/eere/water/how-hydropower-works

Here is a diagram explaining how biofuel works. The CO2 emissions are somewhat negated as
the crops can use the CO2 emissions for energy.

Diagram of Nuclear Power

Why build a house without electricity?

How much energy do humans use? In what forms?
In the year 1990, people used 83,374 terawatts/ hour of fossil fuels alone. A terawatt = 10^12
watts. In 2000, people used 94,493 terawatt hours. Finally in 2008 people used 117,076
terawatt hours. To understand how much fossil fuels people used in 2008, multiply 117,076 by
10^12 = 117,076,000,000,000,000 watt hours. The standard light bulb has about 60 watts/hour.
Humans use energy in forms of solar, hydro, fossil fuel, nuclear, geothermal, and wind. It is said
that humans use about 15TW of energy every hour on Earth. Most of this energy comes from
fossil fuels. We also burn natural gas and petroleum. 68.3% of our total electricity generation
comes from all these ways.

Cost/Economics of electricity
An average household pays $110.50 a month for electricity, using 995 kilowatts. 10,963.63 Kwh
per household on average per year. The average household spends about $1326.60 a year. We
pay a lot for electricity.

Climate change - how does it happen?(greenhouse effect, carbon

cycle, use of suns energy):

Climate change occurs when radiation reflection back from the earth, to the sun, is
trapped in the atmosphere by greenhouse gases. This radiation is then trapped causing the
earth to gain more heat causing climate change. Climate change can vary depending upon
what happens to be in the atmosphere. If they are a lot of greenhouse gases, more heat will
be trapped, causing a greenhouse effect upon the earth. If there are less gases, more heat
will be reflected back to the sun/space. This will cause the earth to become colder. This type of
climate change could cause an ice age.
The idea of humans adding to the greenhouse effect is a common theory shared by
many scientists. This global warming is a result of the atmosphere trapping heat radiated from
Earth towards space. There are specific gases in the atmosphere that keep heat from escaping
(such as water vapor and carbon dioxide), and these gases are said to be forcing climate
change. Over the last century, human activity such as the burning of fossil fuel and coal are
changing the earths natural greenhouse. These activities are increasing the amount of carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere. This is due to the oil and coal burning processes that combine
carbon with oxygen in the air, creating carbon dioxide. Other human activities, such as clearing
of land for agriculture and industry are also adding the greenhouse effect, but to a lesser
extent. A panel of over 1,300 scientific experts concluded in the past 250 years, there is a 90%
probability that human activity has warmed our planet significantly.

It can be caused by some of the following reasons; higher sea levels, change of habitat,
intense storms, and drought like California is facing at this time. Now you might wonder if those
are causes of climate change or an effect on it. They are actually both effects and causes.
When there is an intense storm, the climate has changed, caused by evaporation turning into
clouds making rain, which then changes the area around it. The greenhouse can be caused by
multiple gases including water vapor(H2O), nitrous oxide(N2O), methane(CH4), and carbon
dioxide(CO2). This could be too much or a lack there of.
http://sanmarinscience.weebly.com/why-passive-solar.html

Climate Change - Consequences - what could happen as a result of

the changing climate?
Climate change can cause polar ice caps to melt and the oceans to rise. It also causes more
heat over the earth. In 1970, the climate system of the earth had 90% of the additional energy
we had stored going into the ocean melting. The rest was melting the ice caps. Global warming
cause an increase of temperature, making a rise in sea levels, a change in precipitation, and an
expansion of deserts. The Earths average surface temperature rose by 0.74 + or - 0.18 degrees
C over the last 100 years. Water temperatures have made water pollution accelerate. When the
water evaporates more quickly, it has less on land. Then, when it rains, the ground cannot
absorb the water, and it causes floods.