Conventional Energy Renewable Resource What is Conventional Energy

Conventional Energy: Renewable Resource What is Conventional Energy?

Energy • Canada is the largest per capita user of energy because: – We live in a northern climate – heat – Small population with a large land mass – transportation needs – Advanced industrial economy – Energy is cheap = waste

Energy can be divided into 2 categories 1. Conventional Energy • Water • Coal • Oil • Natural gas

2. Alternative Energy Sources • Solar • Wind • Biomass

Sources of Energy

Conventional Energy • Energy that is commonly used as sources of: • Heat • Light • Power

What is Renewable Energy? • An energy supply that can REPRODUCE itself fairly quickly (can make more) • Example: wood – It grows relatively quickly (especially bamboo) and is used for heat, light and power

Hydroelectric Power • Power that is created by falling water. • Example: Niagara Falls • About 60% of all of Canada’s electricity comes from hydroelectric power.

Two Benefits of Hydroelectric Power are… • 1. It is cheap because no fuel is needed • 2. no burning fuel means no air pollution

Two Problems with Hydroelectric power are… • 1. it is very expensive to build and repair • 2. often must be built far from energy customers

Conventional Energy: Non. Renewable Sources • What is Non-Renewable Energy? • Energy that CANNOT reproduce itself. • (once it’s gone, it’s gone forever!)

Examples are… • Minerals • Uranium • Fossil fuels

Nuclear Power Plant • Inside a nuclear power plant, atomic particles (neutrons) are fired at uranium atoms. • As the uranium atoms shatter apart, they release heat energy and radioactivity. • The heat energy is then converted to electricity inside the power plant.

Nuclear Power Plant • This process uses up the uranium which is a non-renewable resource • Nuclear reactors produce about 15% of Canada’s electricity

Two Benefits of Nuclear Power Plants are… • 1. They are cheap to run – especially in Canada because we have a lot of uranium • 2. Nothing is burned, so there is no air pollution

Two Problems with Nuclear Power Plants are… • 1. They are very expensive to build and maintain • 2. If the reactor fails, radioactivity can kill plant workers and members of the public

What are Fossil Fuels? • Fossil fuels contain the stored CARBON of things that were once ALIVE • Examples are: coal, oil and natural gas

What are Fossil Fuels… • About 25% of Canada’s electricity comes from burning non-renewable fossil fuels • They power almost all our modes of transportation • They heat and cool most of our homes, businesses and industries (and schools!)

Benefits of Fossil Fuels • Easily Available • Produces a large amount of energy

Problems with Fossil Fuel • Environmental Damage causing climate change • Rising gas prices/over production • Largest contributor to Global Warming • Need huge amount of reserves due to human dependency

Thermal Electric Power • Energy created by heat and/or steam • This is the cheapest form of the conventional energy systems

How does it work? ? • Coal is burned in furnaces to provide enough heat to boil water and create steam. • The steam spins turbines that produce electricity

One Benefit of Thermal Electric Power is… • It is the least expensive type of conventional energy

One Problem of Thermal Electric Power is… • Carbon from burned fossil fuels harms the atmosphere causing… – Air pollution – Climate change – Acid rain

Other forms of energy…