g06.    What are some of our energy resources?

Non-renewable resources cannot be replaced; these include fossil fuels. Renewable resources include energy from the sun, wind, flowing water, biomass, and the earth's internal heat.

• Passive solar heating captures sunlight directly within a structure and converts it into low-temperature heat for space heating.
• Hydroelectric power supplies 20% of the world's power and 6% of the total commercial energy.
• Kinetic energy, from tidal power, can be trapped when the difference between high tide and low tide is great enough; the only two large tidal plants are in La Rance, France and in the Bay of Fundy in Canada.
• Wave power makes very little contribution to energy production, and probably won't.
• Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion is not an efficient method of extracting energy because of the likelihood of damage to plants and the high cost of operation.
• Saline solar ponds produce heat at the bottom of the pond (radiant energy form the sun), which may be channeled off and used to produce steam. Fresh water solar ponds can be used for water and space heating.
• Geothermal energy reaches the earth's atmosphere from the mantle in the form of dry steam, wet steam, and hot water. 
• Crude oil has hydrocarbons, oxygen, sulfur and nitrogen compounds in it. The world's crude oil has a life expectancy of 42 years.
• Natural gas is a mixture of methane, propane and butane. Propane and butane may be liquefied for use and storage.
• Approximately 68% of the world's coal reserves and 85% of untapped sources are located in the US, Eastern Europe and China; 80% of the coal is used to produce electricity.

m22.    How are energy resources used?

m23.    What is energy efficiency?

m24.    How is energy used?

m25.    How is solar energy used?

m26.    How is hydroelectric power used?

m27.    How is electricity from wind used?

m28.    How is biomass used for energy?

m29.    How is oil recovered?

e13.    What is biomass?

m30.    How is natural gas used?

m31.    Is nuclear energy a viable alternative?  

m55.    What are the environmental impacts of using up our mineral resources?

m56.    How can we increase mineral resource supplies?

m66.    How can risks be analyzed?

m70.    What are hazardous wastes? 

m76.    What contaminates soil?