Natural Resources

Mr. Blackwood

Outline

• Define Natural Resource– Renewable Resource– Fossil Fuel– Nuclear– Hydroelectric– Solar Energy– Wind– Geothermal– Biomass

Definitions

• Natural Resource – anything people use

• Renewable Resource – natural resource that can be replaced in

nature

• Nonrenewable Resource – resource that exists in a fixed amount

Where does most of our energy come from right now?

Examples

• Oil

• Coal

• Natural Gas

Products

• Gasoline

• Diesel Fuel

• Jet Fuel

• Gases

• Asphalt

Nuclear

• Basically heats water– Source of energy to heat water is the splitting of a

uranium atoms– Nuclear fission– The Uranium is the fuel– Bombarded with thermal neutrons– Split nucleus– Makes two new atoms of lighter mass– Releases heat that is transferred to the water

Hydroelectric

• Transfer of energy from movement of water to a turbine

• Turbine spins generator

• Generator produces electricity

Solar Energy

• Sandwich of silicon and other materials that convert energy into light– Sun strikes the cell – Electrons move from the lower to upper

layer producing an electric current – Expensive

Geothermal

• Energy produced within the Earth’s Crust

• Comes from underground water that has energy in the form of heat transferred to the water

• Water is pumped from well to power plant

• Can use different fluids to heat houses too very cool

Wind

• Transfer energy from wind to turbine blade spins generator and we get electricity– Not steady

• Not ready to supply base load and we have problems storing elelctricty

• Need to rebuild electrical power distribution system

Biomass

• Biomass is organic matter– Plant and animal waste– Example Bark Beetle Trees– Bad epidemic cut trees down make electricity– Waste oil from cooking

• Diesel• Reform in to a synthesis gas

– Energy is stored in the chemical bonds

Bio-fuels

Prototype

System to Generator

Prototype 2