Energy Web Quest

Energy demand is growing in the United States and around the world. At the same time, there is increasing public and political concern about the future of energy resources and the impact of energy generation and consumption on the environment. With energy demand increasing, it is important for us to know where our energy comes from, how much we consume, and how we can contribute to energy conservation and a clean energy future. This Web-quest Exploration Guide will direct you to several online resources related to energy. Follow the instructions and complete the worksheet to turn in to your teacher.

Part I. What is nonrenewable energy? Go to the United States Environmental Protection Agency Clean Energy Web site: http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/ Click on How does energy use affect my environment under the Energy and You menu. Click on the links to Coal, Oil, Natural Gas, and Nuclear and fill out the following chart:
Non renewable energy resource

Description

Environmental impacts

Coal

Oil

Natural Gas

Nuclear

Coal is a fossil fuel formed from the decomposition of organic materials that have been subjected to geologic heat and pressure over millions of years. Coal is considered a nonrenewable resource because it cannot be replenished on a human time frame. The activities involved in generating electricity from coal include mining, transport to power plants, and burning of the coal in power plants. oil is used mostly for transportation or home heating purposes, although a small percentage is used as a fuel for electricity generating plants. As with other fossil fuels, oil is found in underground reservoirs. It is the end product of the decomposition of organic materials that have been subjected to geologic heat and pressure over millions of years. The natural gas power production process begins with the extraction of natural gas, continues with its treatment and transport to the power plants, and ends with its combustion in boilers and turbines to generate electricity. splitting of uranium atoms in a process called fission. Fission releases energy that can be used to make steam, which is used in a turbine to generate electricity.

When burned releases Green house gasses Mining produces water pollution as well as disrupting ecosystems

Produces Green house gasses when burned Can disrupt ecosystems when water is used in power plants Oil spills are costly and dangerous to the environment on land and in water When burned releases Green house gasses Mining produces water pollution as well as disrupting ecosystems Thermal pollution into water ways can affect aquatic life Heavy metals can build up and be releases into water

Next, go to the Environmental Literacy Council Web site: http://www.enviroliteracy.org/ Click on Energy on the left menu and then Click on Fossil Fuels on the right menu. Answer the following questions: 1. What are some advantages of using fossil fuels? Fossil fuels are abundantly available, and the technology and infrastructure needed to produce energy from fossil fuels is already in place. Fossil fuels are also relatively inexpensive when compared with renewable energy resources. 2. Why do experts describe the rate of fossil fuel use as unsustainable? Fossil fuels have been used extensively since the Industrial Revolution, and some experts believe we may have reached the peak for oil extraction and production and that we may reach the peak for gas and coal soon.

Part II. What is renewable energy? Go to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Web site: http://www.nrel.gov/learning/re_basics.html Fill out the following chart. List the seven renewable energy resources described on the NREL Web site, and briefly describe ways in which these resources can produce energy (click on each link to get more information). Renewable energy resource Description

Solar

Most renewable energy comes either directly or indirectly from the sun. The most commonly used solar technologies for homes and businesses are solar water heating, passive solar design for space heating and cooling, and solar photovoltaic cells for electricity.

Wind

Wind turbines use the wind's energy to generate electricity. Wind turbines are mounted on a tower to capture the most energy. Turbines catch the wind's energy with their propeller-like blades. Inside the turbine is a generator that converts the kinetic energy to electric energy. Biomass resources the energy from plants and plant-derived materials, Wood, food crops, grassy and woody plants, residues from agriculture or forestry, oil-rich algae, and the organic component of municipal and industrial wastes. Even the fumes from landfills can be used as a biomass energy source. Biomass resources are then burned to produce electricity in power plants. Hydrogen is a clean-burning fuel, and when combined with oxygen in a fuel cell, it produces heat and electricity with only water vapor as a by-product.

Biomass

Hydrogen

Geothermal

Geothermal energy is the heat from the earth. This heat can be drawn from several sources: hot water or steam reservoirs deep in the earth that are accessed by drilling; geothermal reservoirs located near the earth's surface. A utility can use the hot water and steam from reservoirs to drive generators and produce electricity for its customers. Other applications apply the heat produced from geothermal directly to various uses in buildings, roads, agriculture, and industrial plants. The ocean can produce thermal energy from the sun's heat and mechanical energy from the tides and waves. The thermal and mechanical energy can be converted into electrical energy through a variety of methods. When flowing water is captured and turned into electricity, it is called hydroelectric power or hydropower. There are several types of hydroelectric facilities; they are all powered by the kinetic energy of flowing water as it moves downstream. Turbines and generators convert the energy into electricity, which is then fed into the electrical grid to be used in homes, businesses, and by industry.

Ocean

Hydropower

Part III. Energy in Your State Go to the U.S. Energy Information Administration State Energy Profiles Web site: http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/ Select your state from the list, and select and record two interesting quick facts about energy in your state. State: Maryland Quick Fact 1:

Any two of the following

Dominion Cove Point received authorization on October 7, 2011, from the U.S. Department of Energy to enter into contracts to export liquefied natural gas to countries that have free trade agreements with the United States. The Calvert Cliffs facility, Marylands only nuclear power plant, supplied 35 percent of t he State's net electricity generation in 2011. Maryland produces small amounts of coal (less than one percent of the Nations total), in the Appalachian Mountains in the western part of the State. Independent power producers provided 99 percent of the net electricity generation in Maryland in 2011. Marylands Renewable Portfolio Standard requires that 20 percent of Marylands electricity be generated from renewable energy resources by 2022, including 2 percent from solar energy; in 2011, renewable energy resources accounted for 8.2 percent of total net electricity generation.

Quick Fact 2:

What is the energy rank (out of 50 states) for: Energy Consumption per capita in your state? 39 Energy Production total energy: 38 Carbon emissions: 33 Part IV. Power Profiler: How clean is the electricity I use? Go to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Clean Energy Web site: http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-and-you/how-clean.html Enter your five-digit zip code in the box. Select BGE and Click Next. Review Graph 1: What is my fuel mix? Fill in the following chart: Fuel mix Coal You regions fuel mix (%) National fuel mix (%) 35.4% Gas 17.1% Oil 0.7% Nuclear 43.0% Hydro 1.2% Non-Hydro renewable 1.7%

44.5%

23.3%

1.1%

20.0%

6.8%

3.6%

Next, click on the button Buy Green Power under How Can I Make a Difference and select your state. List a utility or program that utilizes green power products and the type of product(s) used. State: Maryland Utility Name: Clean Currents Program Name: National Wind RECs

Type: Wind

Part V. Analysis Questions 1. What agencies or organizations sponsored the Web sites you collected information from and what might their bias be? Answers will vary. If a governmental entity is sponsoring a Web site, the information presented could be biased toward current policies. If an organization sponsors the Web site, the bias may be toward presenting information that supports the overall mission or philosophy of the organization. 2. Do you think the information presented on the Web sites is balanced? It is important to seek information from multiple sources In order to get a balanced view of the issue at hand. All of the websites were from environmental agencies so the information is not balanced.

3. What makes some energy sources renewable and others nonrenewable? Renewable energy sources, if produced and managed sustainably, can be replenished over a short period of time and cannot be depleted. Nonrenewable energy sources (fossil fuels) take millions of years to form and can be depleted.

4.What are the advantages of using renewable energy sources? Renewable energy sources have less negative environmental impacts on air and water quality, can be domestically produced and obtained, and can provide jobs and increase monetary flow for the local and national economy.

5.Do you think the U.S. has an obligation to reduce its use of nonrenewable energy sources? Why? The U.S. consumes a disproportionate amount of energy and, thus, emits disproportionately large amounts of greenhouse gases. This means the U.S. is a major contributor to increasing the impacts of global warming. The U.S. is also a major world power and a wealthy country possessing the science, manpower, research, and resources necessary to increase its use of renewable energy sources.