NAME: ADAH EMMANUEL

MATRIC NO: 17/ENG06/001

DEPARTMENT: MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

COURSE CODE: MEE 543

COURSE: ENERGY TECHNOLOGY

ASSIGNMENT

1. Discuss the environmental impacts of renewable energy and non-renewable

energy.

SOLUTION

RENEWABLE ENERGY EFFECTS;

Renewable energy entails a number of other potential environmental impacts. On the

negative side, renewable energy can make large tracts of land unusable for competing uses,

disrupt marine life, bird life and flora/fauna, and produce visual and noise pollution.

Alternative energy sources, especially in terms of reducing air pollution. Tables 1 shows the

likely life-cycle emissions from major renewable energy technologies and conventional

electricity generation (taking into account fuel cultivation, harvesting, collection,

transportation, and processing, as well as power plant construction, operation, and

decommissioning).

The results are purely indicative, but they demonstrate the variations and relative differences

in fuel inputs. When compared to fossil fuel plants, the life-cycle emissions from renewable

energy use are minimal. The studies that the figures are based on did not look into nuclear

power.

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Nuclear power generation has a significant environmental impact, but it generates no sulphur

dioxide (SO2) or nitrogen oxides (NOx) and emits very little carbon dioxide (CO2). Its

emissions of these gases over their entire lifespan are within the ranges shown for non-

hydroelectric renewable energy.

Coal Oil Gas Diesel

Best Flue Gas Best Practice Combined Embedded

Practice Desulphurisation and Cycle Gas
Low Nox Turbine

Co2 955.0 987.0 818.0 430.0 772.0

So2 11.8 1.5 14.2 ------- 1.6

Nox 4.3 2.9 4.0 0.5 12.3

Table 1.0: Life cycle air emissions from conventional electricity generation in the

United Kingdom.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

Renewable energy has a slew of other potential negative consequences for the environment.

On the downside, renewable energy can render enormous swaths of land unfit for other uses,

disturb marine life, bird life, and flora and wildlife, and cause visual and aural pollution.

However, these possible environmental repercussions are typically site-specific, and there are

a variety of techniques to mitigate the effects, which are typically minor and reversible.

Renewable energy has environmental benefits in addition to lowering greenhouse gas and

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other air pollution. Hydroelectric schemes, for example, can increase water supply while also

assisting in the rehabilitation of degraded land and habitat.

If bioenergy is generated and used in a sustainable manner, it can provide several

environmental advantages. Bioenergy is utilized responsibly if the land from which it is

created is replanted, and the carbon emitted is recycled into the next generation of growing

plants. The efficiency with which bioenergy can be generated and used will determine the

extent to which it can replace net CO2 emissions. Although bioenergy facilities emit less SO2

than coal or oil plants, they may create more particulate matter.

These emissions are manageable, but they raise the cost of electricity generation. The

environmental and social impacts of large-scale hydropower vary by location and are a

source of heated debate. Large-scale initiatives have the potential to disrupt local ecosystems,

decrease biological diversity, and alter water quality. They may also have a negative impact

on the local economy by displacing residents. For these reasons, a number of projects in

developing nations have been halted or cut back, and securing big project loans from

international lending agencies and banks has become increasingly difficult. These negative

consequences may be regulated and reduced to some extent, but they may have an impact on

the future of hydropower in general.

MOST IMPORTANT EFFECTS ON THE ENVIRNMENT

1. Visual effects

Wind turbines must be in exposed areas and are therefore highly visible. They are

considered unsightly by some people, and concerns have increased with the larger size of

new generation turbines.

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 2. Noise

Wind turbines produce aerodynamic noise, from air passing over the blades and mechanical

noise from the moving parts of the turbine, especially the gearbox. Better designs have

reduced noise, and research continues. Wind farms developed far from highly populated

areas are, by definition, less offensive.

3. Electromagnetic Interference

Wind turbines may scatter electromagnetic signals causing interference to communication

systems. Appropriate siting (avoiding military zones or airports) can minimise this impact.

4. Bird Life Endangerment

Birds get killed when they collide with the rotating blades of a turbine. Migratory species

are at higher risk than resident species. Siting the turbines away from migratory routes

reduces the impact.

NON RENEWABLE ENERGY EFFECTS;

The release of greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide and methane, which

contribute to climate change, is the most well-known effect of utilizing non-renewable

energy sources. Different forms of non-renewable energy fuels produce varying amounts of

greenhouse gases. Coal, for example, is regarded as the worst carbon dioxide emitter.

EFFECTS

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 1) GREEN HOUSE GAS EMISSIONS

Different types of non-renewable sources emit different types of greenhouse gases. Coal for

example is the worst emitter of carbon dioxide. Indeed, natural gas emits a lot less carbon

dioxide, specifically 50 to 60 percent less compared to coal, and it also emits 15 to 20

percent fewer heat-trapping gases compared to gasoline when used to power a vehicle.

However, that does not mean that natural gas can help mitigate climate change, as drilling

and extracting natural gas from wells results in the leakage of methane, which is a much

more potent greenhouse gas – it is 34 times stronger than CO2 in terms of its potential for

trapping heat.

Climate change and greenhouse gas emissions are intertwined problems. It's not only about

the immediate effects of rising temperatures and altering weather patterns, such as the

increased frequency of floods and dry seasons, on human livelihoods.

Climate change is having an impact on ecosystems, reducing their ability to adapt to

changing conditions and jeopardizing biodiversity and the vital ecosystem services that we

rely on.

2) AIR POLLUTION

Coal-fired power plants is a source of mercury emissions. When mercury is emitted into

the air, it deposits on the ground or in water. This way it can accumulate in organisms of

species that inhabit the area (such as fish), passing through the food chain.

This has profound effects on our biodiversity but also creates real risks for people, as

studies have found that exposure to mercury can lead to neurological and neuro-behavioural

effects in embryos and young children.

Other air pollutants emitted due to fossil fuel combustion include sulphur dioxide, nitrogen

oxides and particulate matter.

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 3) ACID RAIN AND WATER POLLUTION

Dangerous pollutants that are emitted into the air can take a part in the water cycle. This is

the case of acid rain which forms when sulphur and other chemicals are introduced into the

atmosphere from industrial processes. Chemicals suspended in the air then turn the rain

mildly acidic.

Acid rain is corrosive to machinery and disrupts local ecosystems. In terms of the

environment, acid rain changes the acidity of lakes and streams which can be very harmful

to fish and other aquatic organisms; it is also damaging to trees thereby weakening forest

ecosystems.

Another aspect of water pollution due to the use of fossil fuels such as coal, or nuclear

energy is what is known as “thermal pollution.”

Water is required for the operation and cooling of both fossil fuel and nuclear power

facilities. Water is used for a variety of purposes, including supporting local ecological

services and agriculture. When the plants return that water to the environment, its

temperature changes, and its quality suffers as a result.

Heated water that is returned into the ecosystem has lower amounts of dissolved oxygen,

which might stress local fauna by raising fish heart rates or lowering fertility.

4) LAND AND WASTE GENERATION

It is equally critical to consider the environmental consequences of extracting nonrenewable

resources or disposing of the trash they create.

There is much data demonstrating the impact of surface mining in both the short and long

term. Huge amounts of extra rock or dirt, for example, are dumped in other regions, such as

neighbouring valleys, damaging such ecosystems.

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When it comes to mined land, in the long run, these locations have poor soil quality and, in

certain cases, the chemicals utilized damage the lands as well as any adjacent water

sources.

Because of the radioactive nature of the ore being mined, the example of nuclear energy is

particularly pertinent here, since both the extraction of uranium and waste disposal generate

some highly important challenges for which no long-term solution has been discovered.

5) OIL SPILLS AND OTHER RELATED ACCIDENTS

Finally, there is something to be said about unintended repercussions, often known as

unanticipated and unintentional impacts. Oil spills have a devastating impact on adjacent

shorelines and ecosystems.

 Biologists were worried that a species of algae, vital to hundreds of species of animals,

would be wiped off due to the oil released in the Gulf of Mexico. Similarly devastating

effects on both nature and humans were seen as a result of the nuclear disaster in

Chernobyl. These were accidents which came about due to negligence, technology failure,

lack of preparedness or a combination of all those.

But the point to make is that by continuing to use non-renewable energy we acknowledge

that such disasters are acceptable and even preferable to switching to low carbon and

renewable energy sources.