Renewable EnergyRenewable Energy
Non-Polluting ResourcesNon-Polluting ResourcesMr. Matthew RodmanMr. Matthew Rodman
ScienceScience
Patria Mirabal Middle School (MS 324)Patria Mirabal Middle School (MS 324)
New York City, New York, USANew York City, New York, USA
FocusFocus
• What factors have led to the United States to using renewable energy resources?
• How will widespread use of renewable energy resources affect the environment and the economy?
Renewable EnergyRenewable Energy
• Resources that are constantly recycled by the environment are called renewable.
• Wind, water, biomass, sunlight, and geothermal energy are all renewable energy sources.
• Renewable energy are usually nonpolluting and do not contribute to the greenhouse effect.
Renewable EnergyRenewable Energy
• Renewable energy use resources in the environment that are always renewed or replaced.
• They all come from energy from the sun that is used directed (solar energy) or indirectly (water, wind, and biomass).
• Geothermal energy uses the heat from the center of the Earth.
• Renewable energy resources are usually clean, do not contribute to the greenhouse effect, and are unlimited (but they are sometimes expensive).
Solar PowerSolar Power
• Solar power uses sunlight to produce electricity.
• There are two main types of solar power plants.
1. Photovoltaic – uses sunlight to directly make electricity
2. Indirect Solar Energy – uses mirrors to concentrate sunlight to boil water in a power plant.
• Solar power is extremely expensive.
Wind PowerWind Power
• Wind power plants use wind to turn windmills to generate electricity.
• Wind power is clean, safe, and cheap, but requires a lot of space because each windmill only produces a little electricity.
• Wind power can only be effectively built in areas with a lot of wind.
Hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity
• Hydroelectric power plants use falling or running water to turn turbines to produce electricity.
• Hydroelectricity is clean and reliable, but requires the building of dams which can cause flooding.
• Hydroelectricity can only be built near bodies of water like rivers.
• Hydroelectric dams can kill fish and destroy environments upstream of the power plant.
Biomass ElectricityBiomass Electricity
• Oils from plants can be converted into fuels that work like petroleum.
• This is better for the environment because it does not burn fossil fuels, but uses plants that remove carbon dioxide from the environment.
• Biomass energy has never been used on the large scale, and still produces pollution.
• Since biomass energy uses foods as a source of electricity, it will cause food prices to rise.
Geothermal ElectricityGeothermal Electricity
• Geothermal energy uses heat from magma, volcanoes, or geysers to produce electricity.
• It can only be built on geologically active areas where there are volcanoes or earthquakes.
• It is clean, reliable, and renewable.
Benefits of Renewable EnergyBenefits of Renewable Energy
• Clean
• Unlimited Supply
• Less expensive over long term
• Do not contribute to greenhouse effect
Environmental Impact of Renewable Energy SourcesEnvironmental Impact of Renewable Energy Sources
• Even though they do not produce much pollution, they do change the natural environment (windmills, dams, etc.)
• Renewable energy sources are frequently very expensive over the short term (1-5 years) but become less expensive over the long term, mainly because fossil fuels are becoming rarer and rarer.
• Renewable electricity can be unreliable because the natural environment has rapid changes in weather.
• Renewable electricity typically produces less electricity than nonrenewable sources.