Earth Science

Week 3
What you are expected to learn:
✓ Describe how fossils fuels are formed.
✓ Explain how heat from inside the Earth (geothermal) and form flowing water
(hydroelectric) is tapped as a source or energy for human use.

Below are guidelines for you in going about the module:

1. Read and follow instructions very carefully.
2. Read each lesson and do the activities that are provided for you.
3. Perform all the activities diligently to help you understand the topic.
4. Take the self-test after each lesson to determine how much you understand the topic.
5. Answer the posttest to measure how much you have gained from the lessons.

Good luck and have fun!

Introduction:
About 13.8 Gya at the time of the big bang, there was only pure energy from which
the universe as it is now existed. That energy is also the same energy that drives Earth and
its subsystems today. The law of conservation of energy states that energy can neither be
created nor destroyed; it can only be transformed from one form to another. For instance,
solar energy from the sun is converted into chemical energy by plants. Consumers like
humans can transform chemical energy from plants into mechanical energy as they do work.
Energy is simply defined as the capacity to do work while resource is the general term
referring to any item which is used for a specific purpose. Energy is derived from nuclear,
fossil fuels, geothermal, hydro, wind, solar, and biomass.

Chapter 3: Energy Resources

Discussion:
Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources
A renewable resource can be replenished or regenerated on a human time scale.
Renewable sources of energy include geothermal, hydro, wind, solar, and biomass.
Consequently, a nonrenewable resource cannot be replenished or regenerated on a human
time scale. Examples of nonrenewable energy sources are nuclear and fossil fuels. Humans
have mostly relied on nonrenewable source of energy such as coal and petroleum since the
industrial revolution (between the eighteenth and nineteenth century). However, there is an
increasing need to lessen the dependence on nonrenewable sources due to issues on global
warming and climate change brought about by increasing CO, concentrations in the
atmosphere. Energy resources are also declining because of the increasing demand as
population increases and energy-dependent lifestyle continues, hence, the need to depend
more on renewable and sustainable energy sources.

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 Energy Sources

There are 5 fundamental sources of energy:

1. Nuclear fusion in the Sun (solar energy)

2. Gravity generated by the Earth & Moon.
3. Nuclear fission reactions.
4. Energy in the interior of the Earth.
5. Energy stored in chemical bonds.

Human Activities and Electricity

Electricity is a form of energy which can be generated from almost any energy source.
The machines that are used for existing and improving lives mostly electrical devices that
run on electrical energy. Earth’s resources are mainly harnessed and converted into
electricity for domestic and electrical consumption.

Fossil Fuels
Fossil fuel, any of a class of hydrocarbon-containing materials of biological origin
occurring within Earth’s crust that can be used as a source of energy.
Fossil fuels include coal, petroleum, natural gas, oil shales, bitumens, tar sands,
and heavy oils. All contain carbon and were formed as a result of geologic processes acting
on the remains of organic matter produced by photosynthesis, a process that began in
the Archean Eon (4.0 billion to 2.5 billion years ago). Most carbonaceous material occurring
before the Devonian Period (419.2 million to 358.9 million years ago) was derived
from algae and bacteria, whereas most carbonaceous material occurring during and after
that interval was derived from plants.
All fossil fuels can be burned in air or with oxygen derived from air to provide heat.
This heat may be employed directly, as in the case of home furnaces, or used to
produce steam to drive generators that can supply electricity. In still other cases—for
example, gas turbines used in jet aircraft—the heat yielded by burning a fossil fuel serves to
increase both the pressure and the temperature of the combustion products to furnish
motive power.

Nuclear energy, also called atomic energy, energy that is released in significant amounts in
processes that affect atomic nuclei, the dense cores of atoms. It is distinct from the energy of
other atomic phenomena such as ordinary chemical reactions, which involve only the
orbital electrons of atoms.
One method of releasing nuclear energy is by controlled nuclear fission in devices
called reactors, which now operate in many parts of the world for the production
of electricity. Another method for obtaining nuclear energy, controlled nuclear fusion, holds
promise but has not been perfected by 2020. Nuclear energy has been released explosively
by both nuclear fusion and nuclear fission. See also nuclear power.
o by fission or the splitting of heavy atoms into lighter atoms;
o by fusion or combination of two light atoms to form a heavier atom
Both fission and fusion create heat energy called nuclear energy.

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Geothermal energy is heat derived within the sub-surface of the earth. Water and/or steam
carry the geothermal energy to the Earth’s surface. Depending on its characteristics,
geothermal energy can be used for heating and cooling purposes or be harnessed to generate
clean electricity. However, for electricity, generation high or medium temperature resources
are needed, which are usually located close to tectonically active regions.

Hydroelectric energy, also called hydroelectric power or hydroelectricity, is a form of energy

that harnesses the power of water in motion—such as water flowing over a waterfall—to
generate electricity. People have used this force for millennia. Over two thousand years ago,
people in Greece used flowing water to turn the wheel of their mill to ground wheat into
flour.

How Does Hydroelectric Energy Work?

Most hydroelectric power plants have a reservoir of water, a gate or valve to control how
much water flows out of the reservoir, and an outlet or place where the water ends up after
flowing downward. Water gains potential energy just before it spills over the top of a dam or
flows down a hill. The potential energy is converted into kinetic energy as water flows
downhill. The water can be used to turn the blades of a turbine to generate electricity, which
is distributed to the power plant’s customers.

Wind energy, form of solar energy that is produced by the movement of air relative to
Earth’s surface. This form of energy is generated by the uneven heating of Earth’s surface by
the Sun and is modified by Earth’s rotation and surface topography.

Solar energy, radiation from the Sun capable of producing heat, causing chemical reactions,
or generating electricity. The total amount of solar energy incident on Earth is vastly in
excess of the world’s current and anticipated energy requirements. If suitably harnessed, this
highly diffused source has the potential to satisfy all future energy needs. In the 21st century
solar energy is expected to become increasingly attractive as a renewable energy source
because of its inexhaustible supply and its nonpolluting character, in stark contrast to the
finite fossil fuels coal, petroleum, and natural gas.

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Love of Lab
Name: __________________________________ Date Performed: ___________________________
Section: ________________________________ Date Submitted: ___________________________

Household Energy Audit

Introduction
Energy is used every day. Every activity humans do requires energy in some form.
Households are filled with appliances that use electrical energy to make living more
convenient. Televisions, rice cookers, microwave ovens, televisions, computers, and light
bulbs are some examples of the appliances that use different amount of electrical power,
which is measured in watts. The rate of electricity use is reflected in an electric bill, which
is paid in terms of kilowatt-hours.
Electricity in the Philippines is mostly generated from the burning of fossil fuels in
coal- and diesel-fired power plants. So, every time electricity is used, carbon and other
greenhouse gases are released in the atmosphere. The first step to help reduce the harmful
effects of energy use is identifying and understanding how much energy is used every day.
One simple way to determine expended electricity is to identify the appliances that
use electricity in our homes and then calculate the amount of electricity each one uses. We
can then add up this electricity to figure out the total electric energy consumed by our
household. We can also compare the electricity used by different appliances to help us
make effective choices when we try to save energy.

Procedure
1. Make an inventory of appliances and electrical items your entire family use at home. For
each one, look for the label that indicates the number of watts it uses.
2. Fill in how many hours per day this appliance is used in a typical weekday and a Sunday.
Be as accurate as possible.
3. For each appliance, convert the data into the number of kilowatt-hours of energy that
each one uses. This can be done using the formula: kWH used per day= (watt rating)(total
minutes/60)/1000

4. From your electricity bill, find out the cost of electricity per kWh for your area, compute
for the cost of using it over the given time. Write all your data in a table similar to the one
below.

Electric Watt Rating (W) Time Used kWh used per Cost of use
Appliance or (min/day) day (Php/day) at Php
Device 7.50/kWh
Microwave 1450 20 .48 3.63
40” color 135 240 .54 4.05
television
Desk Lam 10 180 .03 0.23
Total 1.05 79

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5. Using the total kWh used per day, determine the amount of CO2 your entire family
releases into the atmosphere per day from your electricity use. Generally, 1.5 lb of CO 2 is
emitted per kWh, assuming that all our electricity comes from a coal fired power plant. In
the sample table, 1.58 lbs of CO2 was emitted from 1.05 kWh used.

Guide Questions
1. What appliances and electrical items does your family usually use on a weekday? On a
Sunday?

2. How much energy do you consume on a typical weekday and Sunday in kWh and in
pesos? How about in one whole month?

3. How much carbon dioxide does your family emit in a day? In a month?

Conclusion

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Post-Laboratory Questions (To Access: https://bit.ly/1vsjRom)
1. How do you feel about the results of this activity?

2. What can you do in order to lessen the amount of carbon dioxide your family contributes
to the atmosphere?

Module Assessment

Test Yourself
A. Multiple Choice. Encircle the letter that corresponds to the correct answer.
1. Which of the following does not belong to the group?
a. Hydro b. Nuclear c. Solar d. Wind
2. Which is not an example of fossil fuel?
a. Oil b. Coal c. Biomass d. Natural gas
3. Burning fossil fuels primarily increases this gas in the atmosphere
a. Carbon b. Hydrogen c. Nitrogen d. Sulfur
4. Which of the following is the correct sequence of coal formation?
a. Anthracite-peat-lignite-bituminous
b. Peat-lignite—bituminous-anthracite
c. Lignite—bituminous—subbituminous-peat
d. Peat - anthracite subbituminous — bituminous
5. It is dull black coal with 70% carbon.
a. Anthracite b. Bituminous c. Lignite d. Peat
6. Produces the greatest amount of energy when burned
a. Anthracite b. Bituminous c. Lignite d. Peat
7. How does the Philippines rank in worldwide geothermal production?
a. First b. Second c. Third d. Fourth
8. The temperature of an efficient geothermal reservoir should be at least
a. 100°C b. 200° C c. 900°C d. 1000°C
9. What is a spillway?
a. A large reservoir of water

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 b. A machine that makes generators move
c. A machine that produces electricity
d. A structure that allows water to flow to prevent overflow or dam breach
10. Biomass can come from
a. corn b. coconut c. animal dung d. corn, coconut, and animal dung

B. Critical Thinking. Answer the following.

1. How do we harness Earth's energy resources?

2. How does heat of the planet used as a source of energy?

3. How do we convert flowing water into electricity?

4. Given a choice, what sources of energy will you use to power your community? Why?
Discuss its pros and cons.

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5. What are the five sources of energy available to us? Give some examples of each source?

6. Even though the fossil fuels are considered an energy source based on energy stored in
chemical bonds, in reality, where did that energy originate?

7. What are the problems associated with the recovery of energy from oil shales, tar sands,
and coal?

8. If we run out of oil, what energy sources hold the most promise for the future of our
society?