Fossil Fuel #1: CoalFossil Fuel #1: CoalPros: cheap, plentiful, easy to ship and store.Cons: dirtiest of the three fossil fuels; by-products

include sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide, two main chemicals that cause acid rain and are linked to asthma.

Grinds coal to a fine powder

Burns coal at such

high heat, it converts

into steam

Large air filters that

separate pollutants like SO2 &

NOx

Used to “scrub”

pollutants with H2O

& limestone

Releasesgaseous

air pollutants

Steam moves through

hundreds of blades at an

incredible speed

Increases the voltage of the

electricity

Then, an electromagnetic reaction creates

electricity

A coal plant running at full capacity needs two million tons of coal per year and produces 3.7 million tons of carbon dioxide.Video

Fossil Fuel #2: OilFossil Fuel #2: OilPros: easy to combust;

produces high energy upon combustion. Has other uses such as plastic; easy to transport

because it is a liquid; constant energy source.Cons: expensive to transport – pipelines are very

expensive to build and maintain; transported overseas by large oil tankers.

Refining oil and then burning it as gasoline in motor vehicles produces air pollution

Fossil Fuel #2: OilFossil Fuel #2: OilEvery gallon of gasoline used in a car

creates 19 pounds of carbon dioxide.Car exhaust causes four of the six

major air pollutants: ozone, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, particulate matter.

Drilling is harmful to the environment and disturbs habitats for wildlife

Oil spills cause massive environmental disasters.

Fossil Fuel #3: Natural GasFossil Fuel #3: Natural GasPros: Carbon footprint is about

half of coal’s carbon footprint.Allows coal plants to replace

turbines powered by coal with those powered by natural gas.

Domestically abundant.Cons: still pollutes the air with

nitrogen dioxide; fracking is environmentally harmful

FrackingFracking

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RENEWABLE ENERGYRENEWABLE ENERGYA natural resource that can be replenished with the passage of time.Renewable resources are part of the earth’s natural environment.Little to no air pollution emissions.Improved public health and environmental quality.More reliable and resilient energy system.

Renewable Energy #1: WindRenewable Energy #1: Wind How It Works: wind

spins the turbine blades, powering an electric generator.

Pros: no air pollution.

Wind turbines are tall so it’s possible to use surrounding land for other uses.

Renewable Energy #1: WindRenewable Energy #1: WindCons: Wind is not constant in many places so it

doesn’t work everywhere.Need sustained winds of 14 mph to be effective. Need large open space for wind turbines so finding

appropriate available land can be difficult.

Wind 101

Renewable Energy #2: SolarRenewable Energy #2: SolarSolar power is the conversion of sunlight into electricity.

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Renewable Energy #2: SolarRenewable Energy #2: SolarPros: no air pollution; can capture and store solar power for

nighttime use; quiet; sun’s energy believed to be unending.Cons: upfront costs are high; can only be captured during

daylight hours; are only about 16% efficient.

Solar 101

Renewable Energy #3: GeothermalRenewable Energy #3: GeothermalHow it Works: Heat from the earth –

magma below the earth’s crust, cooler water seeped into the ground, meets the heat and is captured as steam – steam used to turn turbines to create electricity.

Geothermal Heat Pumps

GeothermalGeothermalPros: quite clean, emissions are low, typically just

water vapor; geothermal energy is unending.Geothermal is available around the clock

whereas wind and solar are intermittent and weather-dependent.

Cons: geothermal must be fairly shallow in order to reach it (2 to 3 miles); we currently do not have drilling technology to go deeper.

GeothermalGeothermal

Corporate USA Goes Corporate USA Goes RenewableRenewable

Apple’s energy-intensive data centers already use 100% renewable power.

Sun Chips uses solar power to produce 1.1 million bags of chips daily at their plants in California and Arizona.

Kohl’s distribution center in Findlay, Ohio uses wind turbines to generate electricity for the facility.

US Energy Consumption by US Energy Consumption by SourceSource

What Do You Know About What Do You Know About Energy?Energy?

At 97%, which state leads the country in of energy from natural gas?A.Rhode IslandB.PennsylvaniaC.Alaska

Which state leads the country in wind power?A.IllinoisB.TexasC.Hawaii

Which state gets 98% of its energy from coal?A.West VirginiaB.NebraskaC.Ohio

What Do You Know About What Do You Know About Energy?Energy?

True or False: The United States used more coal in 1925 than 2000.

The United States has the most nuclear reactors in the world. Which country has the second most?A.RussiaB.FranceC.Japan

True

France

True or False: It is possible to split a water molecule for energy.True