9: Energy Resources
- Page ID
- 34508
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This chapter presents the the energy needs of humans adjacent to how we have satisfied these needs in the past with fossil fuels, and the shift in energy production using renewable sources like solar energy instead. Information presented earlier in the text about Earth's materials (like minerals and rocks) and processes (like those occurring in the atmosphere) helps in understanding this topic.
- 9.1: Our Energy Needs
- According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) there are five main energy use sectors: residential, commercial, industrial, transportation, and electric power sector. Energy is produced by non-renewable sources, namely fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and natural gas and renewable sources such as wind farms and solar panels.
- 9.2: Fossil Fuels
- The main fossil fuels are coal, oil and gas. Coal forms on land in wet environments where organic matter can remain submerged and isolated from oxygen for millennia before it is buried by more sediments. The depth of that burial will influence the grade of coal produced. Oil and gas originate from organisms living in marine environments, and again fairly rapid burial is required to preserve the organic matter on the sea floor. At various depths oil and gas will be produced.
- 9.3: Solar and Wind
- Almost everything we grow depends on solar energy, but we can also convert solar into useful electricity, either through solar-thermal processes, or using solar photo-voltaic technology. Solar technologies are now cost-effective almost anywhere. Wind energy is more restricted to specific sites, and is most viable offshore, in near-coast regions, or on interior plains. In some regions it should be possible to power entire countries with a combination of wind and solar energy.
- 9.4: Hydroelectric Power
- Hydroelectric power is the most mature of the renewable energy technologies, and has reached saturation in many regions. The public acceptance of large dams and reservoirs is waning for environmental and social reasons, but smaller run-of-river projects may still be an option in some areas.
- 9.5: Wave and Tidal Energy
- Waves and tidal currents represent a significant energy resource, but the technologies to capture that energy have been slow to develop for logistical, social and environmental reasons.
- 9.6: Geothermal Energy
- Although the flow of heat from within the Earth is small compared with the flux of energy from the sun, there are many places where it can be converted into a reliable, clean and cost-effective source for heating and electricity generation.
- 9.7: Nuclear Energy
- Nuclear fission energy is produced when large atoms—like uranium—are split apart. Nuclear fusion energy is produced when small atoms—like hydrogen—are fused together. Nuclear fission represents a significant proportion of our current energy supply, but because of some serious past accidents it is unpopular with some people. Viable nuclear fusion energy is still several decades away.