Nonrenewable Energy Sources

Nonrenewable energy is a source of

energy that does not form or replenish in a
short period of time.

Four Major Nonrenewable Energy Sources

• Crude oil
• Natural Gas
• Coal
• Uranium (Nuclear Energy)
Nonrenewable Energy Sources: Crude Oil and Natural Gas
Crude oil is formed from the
decomposition of marine organisms that
lived about 500 million years ago from
extended periods of high temperature and
pressure.

• Largest single energy source at present

• Major use is as fuel for transportation
because of its higher energy density and
liquid form

Natural gas is formed from the

decomposition of marine organisms just
like crude oil.

• Often found mixed with oil deposits or in

deposits of its own
• Typically a mixture of about 85%
methane and 15% ethane
Nonrenewable Energy Sources: Crude Oil and Natural Gas

Hydrocarbons with different

molecular weights and
different boiling points can be
separated by allowing crude
oil to travel up a fractionating
column with progressively
lower temperature.

Crude oil contains a variety of

hydrocarbons that can be
separated according to
molecular weight by refining.
Nonrenewable Energy Source: Coal

Coal is formed from terrestrial plant matter

over many years of elevated temperature
and pressure.

• About 0.8% of original carbon in the

plant matter becomes coal.
Nonrenewable Energy Source: Uranium (Nuclear Energy)
Currently, most of, if not all, nuclear power
plants are based on nuclear fission.

1
0𝑛 + 235
92𝑈 →
141
56𝐵𝑎
92
+ 36𝐾𝑟 + 3 10𝑛 + 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦

• Heat from controlled fission can be used to

convert water to steam and turn a turbine.

• Less than 1% of naturally occurring uranium

is U-235, more than 99% is U-238 which is
nonfissile

• Development of controlled nuclear fusion

would make nuclear a very attractive source
of energy

• Nuclear fusion produces nearly four million

times more energy than a chemical reaction
and four times as much as nuclear fission
Renewable Energy Sources

Renewable energy is a source of energy that replenishes naturally in a short

period of time.

Common Renewable Energy Sources

• Hydroelectric
• Wind
• Biomass
• Solar
Renewable Energy Source: Hydroelectric Power

• Hydroelectric power is an indirect form of solar energy.

• As water flows through the dam, it turns a turbine on a generator that

creates electricity.

• Hydropower is clean, efficient, and renewable.

Renewable Energy Source: Wind Power

Wind power, like hydroelectric power, is an

indirect form of solar energy.

Today the price of wind power (5 cents per

kilowatt-hour) is competitive with coal (which
has risen to about 7 cents per kilowatt hour),
and wind farms are producing electricity
commercially.

Wind power is clean, efficient, and renewable,

and releases nothing into the atmosphere.

Disadvantages
Bangui Wind Farm
o Land use and threat to some animals Ilocos Norte, Philippines

o Winds are intermittent and uncontrollable,

they don’t always blow when you need them
Renewable Energy Source: Biomass

Biomass refers to all living plant matter and organic wastes derived from
plants, humans, marine life, and animals (i.e. trees, grasses, animal dung,
sewage, garbage, wood construction residues, and municipal solid wastes).

Energy stored in plant material during photosynthesis can be liberated when

the plants are burned, directly (fast-growing plants) or after fermentation
(typically as ethanol)
Renewable Energy Source: Biomass

Advantages

• Exact balance between CO2 absorbed while the plant is grown and the CO2
emitted when burned.
• Plants can be burned directly or converted to ethanol, a fuel that is easily
transported and burns cleanly.

Disadvantages

• Large land areas required

• Competition between food crops and biomass for fuel use drives the prices
for food higher.
• Fossil fuels are still required for agriculture and processing biomass to fuel.
Renewable Energy Source: Solar

Photovoltaic (PV)

• Directly convert light to electricity

• Simplicity
• Modularity
• Relatively lower capital cost

Concentrating Solar Power (CSP)

• Indirectly convert light to electricity

• More economical energy storage
(cost effective)
• Larger scale energy production
Renewable Energy Source: Photovoltaic (PV)

The record efficiency for a

single-junction solar cell under
one-sun illumination has been
achieved using GaAs (28.8%).

• An n-type silicon sample is brought in contact with a

p-type in what is called a p-n junction.

• Light excites electrons and allows them to flow from

the n-side to the p-side.

• These mobile electrons are forced to travel through

an external wire, powering an appliance.
Renewable Energy Source: Example Installation of PV

The project will generate an

estimated 16,170 megawatt hours
(MWh) per year-enough electricity
to power approximately 4,970
typical households while offsetting
about 8,170 tons of CO2
emissions annually. This is equal
to 19,000 barrels of oil consumed.

Kyocera TCL Solar LLC

Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan
Output: 13.7 MW
Renewable Energy Source: Market Trend of PV

Global PV Market in 2015

Renewable Energy Source: Concentrating Solar Panel (CSP)
Renewable Energy Source: Concentrating Solar Panel (CSP)

Five Steps to a Conventional CSP System

1. Concentration (sunlight is redirected to a receiver)

2. Absorption (sunlight is converted to heat by an absorber)
3. Transfer (heat is carried away from the absorber by a heat transfer fluid (HTF))
4. Storage (heat can be stored in a thermal energy storage system for later use)
5. Generation (the HTF delivers heat to a heat engine, which generates electricity)
Renewable Energy Source: Example Installation of CSP

Andasol 1
Granada Province, Spain
Output: 50 MW

Andasol-1 is the first parabolic trough power plant in Europe. Located in

southern Spain, this 300 million Euro power plant has been under construction
since June 2006 and began operating in 2008. The nominal production
capacity of 50 megawatts is enough electricity for up to 200,000 people.
Renewable Energy Source: Market Trend of CSP

Cumulative Operational CSP Capacity by Country through 2016

Hydrogen Economy

Hydrogen as Fuel
• The most abundant element (90% of the material world)
• Clean burning (water is the main by-product and no CO2 emissions)
• Fast combustion kinetics when burned
• High energy density
• A very good alternative energy source
References

1. Google Images
2. Lecture Materials of Dr. Joey D. Ocon of the University of the Philippines Diliman
3. Lecture Materials of Prof. Youngjune Park of Gwangju Institute of Science and
Technology, Gwangju, South Korea
4. Tro, N.J. (2017). Chemistry: A Molecular Approach, 4th Edition.
5. United States of America Energy Information Agency