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PSDemo Sourcesof Energy
PSDemo Sourcesof Energy
AND
RENEWABLE
RESOURCES
NONRENEWABLE RESOURCES
www.bio.miami.edu/beck/esc101/Chapter14&15.ppt
NUCLEAR ENERGY
Nuclear fission uses
uranium to create
energy.
Nuclear energy is a
nonrenewable resource
because once the
uranium is used, it is
gone!
www.bio.miami.edu/beck/esc101/Chapter14&15.ppt
Three Mile Island
• March 29, 1979, a reactor near Harrisburg, PA lost
coolant water because of mechanical and human
errors and suffered a partial meltdown
• 50,000 people evacuated & another 50,000 fled
area
• Unknown amounts of radioactive materials
released
• Partial cleanup & damages cost $1.2 billion
• Released radiation increased cancer rates.
www.bio.miami.edu/beck/esc101/Chapter14&15.ppt
Chernobyl
• April 26, 1986, reactor explosion (Ukraine) flung
radioactive debris into atmosphere
• Health ministry reported 3,576 deaths
• Green Peace estimates32,000 deaths;
• About 400,000 people were forced to leave their
homes
• ~160,000 sq km (62,00 sq mi) contaminated
• > Half million people exposed to dangerous levels of
radioactivity
• Cost of incident > $358 billion
www.bio.miami.edu/beck/esc101/Chapter14&15.ppt
Effects of
Chernobyl nuclear
disaster
Fukushima disaster – Japan, March 2011
before
or factory
Cons
• Dirtiest fuel (produces particulate matter, carbon dioxide and sulfur
dioxide)
• Mining causes major environmental degradation
• Major threat to health
Infrastructure
already in
place
Risk of
spills www.bio.miami.edu/beck/esc101/Chapter14&15.ppt
HMMMM....
If nonrenewable
resources are resources
that cannot be re-made
at a scale comparable to
its consumption, what
are renewable resources?
RENEWABLE RESOURCES
Renewable resources are
natural resources that can be
replenished in a short period
of time.
● Solar ● Geothermal
● Wind ● Biomass
● Water
SOLAR
Why is energy
from the wind
renewable?
BIOMASS
Energy from
burning organic
or living matter.
Examples include:
Wood, leaves, food
wastes, and manure.
WATER or HYDROELECTRIC
Energy from the
flow of water.
Why is energy of
flowing water
renewable?
Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency – the amount of useful energy produced
compared to the amount wasted as heat; built into the device or
system, unavoidable waste