The law of conservation of Energy tells us that we can’tGet something for nothing,But we refuse to believe it.

Enormous amounts of electricalEnergy can be transported

Over thousands of miles throughA wire the diameter of a

Quarter!

In order to generate electricity,All you have to do is set

Electrons in motion.

The way this is usually done isWith an electric generator.

An electric generator is Simply a device that changes

Mechanical energy to Electrical energy.

In other words, a generator is Merely an electric motor

Run backwards!

In order to power cities, they Are huge and wired together.

The only difference between theOnes that run on coal, or

Hydro, or nuclear is the fuelUsed to turn the motor.

A fossil fuel plant burns coal(or oil or gas) which boils water,

And that steam is used toTurn a turbine which is

Connected to a Generator that makes power.

There are 2 major problems withFossil fuel power plants…

The first is that they are reallyDirty and pollute the air.

The second is that there is Only a certain supply ofFossil fuels and we are

Running out.

http://www.eoearth.org/image/CF_powerplantbyriver.jpg

Nuclear energy is energy thatExists within the nucleus of

An atom.

This energy is released when The atom is split in 2.

The splitting of atoms is Called nuclear fission, and Huge amounts of energy

Are released.

This is the same amount ofEnergy as is released during

An atom bomb!

The difference is that in a Nuclear power plant the Reaction is controlled.

The energy that is released Is used to heat up huge amounts

Of water to the boiling pointAnd then the steam is used To turn a turbine to create

Electrical energy.

There are only 2 byproducts…

One of them is steam and The other is caustic, radioactive

Nuclear waste.

The only real problem is NIMBY.

Nobody wants the nuclearWaste placed near them.

We can’t ignore that sometimesStupid people work at these

Places and thus there areAccidents!

In 1986 in Chernobyl, RussiaA worker turned off the safety

Devices during a test, then An explosion happened in the

Core and radioactive material wasReleased to the atmosphere.

And in the US at Three Mile Island,In Pennsylvania in 1979 there

Was an accident.

Human error and broken waterPumps combined to create a Small release of radioactive

Gas into the air.

Since then, there have been over300 safety improvements to

Nuclear power plants.

The United States, with justOver 4% of the world’s

Population, uses 24% of allThe energy produced.

The best way to create a Sustainable future is to

Conserve energy.This doesn’t mean living in the

Dark ages, it means using Materials that are more

Energy efficient.

You can use solar energy fromThe sun!

There are 2 ways to do this,Passive solar heating and

Active solar cells.

Passive solar heating is whenYou heat your home or yourWater with black panels on

The roof of your house.

Using solar cells to convertLight into energy is used

All the time.

It can be direct in thatThe cells create energy that

Goes directly into your house.

Or the new thing is that mirrorsReflect light to a tower thatIs filled with water and that

Water boils and turns a turbine.

Wind energy is another Eco option.

It is becoming much cheaperTo use, but the issue is thatThey require 1 acre to build.

Many people don’t like them Because they ruin the beautiful

Landscape with their tallTowers and hum.

Geothermal energy uses Energy from the heat of

The earth to create energy.

This heat can be harnessed toHeat up water, which turns

To steam and turns a turbine.

What we can’t forget is that A lot of the energy that weUse is for transportation.

And we are using old technology.

There are many new options thatCan help, but they are currently

Very expensive.

Hybrid cars are a step In the right direction,

But more has to be done.

Electric cars are a viableOption, as are hydrogen fuel

Cells, ethanol, andWater fuel.

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Salt water fuels…

Fresh water fuel…

Fuel Water