Physical Science: Renewable Energy vs.

Non-renewable Energy

Evaluating Alternatives

The Research Question: Energy is a part of life that society cannot live without. With
fossil fuels being more convenient and efficient; should society continue with its current
energy source or is it time for a change?

Your Claim: An Alternate Claim:

Your Evidence: Your Challenge to The

Alternate Claim:

Your Justification of
The Evidence:
 Fossil Fuels: Their Advantages and Disadvantages
Man’s fuel needs, since the olden times, have been met through the use of fossil fuels.
Fossil fuels, as its name suggests, were formed from the organic remains of prehistoric
plants and animals. They are responsible for much of the world’s electric power and total
energy demands. Since 1900, the world’s consumption of fossil fuels has nearly doubled
every 20 years.

Fossil fuels comprise mainly of coal, oil and gas. These three were formed millions of
years ago beneath the earth’s surface from the decomposed bodies of dead plants and
animals. They are foreseen to be in short supply in the future as man?s fuel needs
continue to grow at a fast rate.

Crude oil is also referred to as petroleum. Compared to coal, this is easier to extract from
the ground through the use of pipes thereby making it less costly to transport from one
place to another.

Natural gas has other uses apart from being burned in power plants to generate
electricity. Many people also use it in their home heating systems to provide warm air
during the cold winter season.

Advantages of Fossil Fuels

 A major advantage of fossil fuels is their capacity to generate huge amounts of

electricity in just a single location.  Fossil fuels are very easy to find.  When coal is
used in power plants, they are very cost effective. Coal is also in abundant supply. 
Transporting oil and gas to the power stations can be made through the use of pipes
making it an easy task.  Power plants that utilize gas are very efficient.  Power
stations that make use of fossil fuel can be constructed in almost any location. This is
possible as long as large quantities of fuel can be easily brought to the power plants.

Disadvantages of Fossil Fuels

 Pollution is a major disadvantage of fossil fuels. This is because they give off carbon
dioxide when burned thereby causing a greenhouse effect. This is also the main
contributory factor to the global warming experienced by the earth today.  Coal also
produces carbon dioxide when burned compared to burning oil or gas. Additionally, it
gives off sulphur dioxide, a kind of gas that creates acid rain.  Environmentally, the
mining of coal results in the destruction of wide areas of land. Mining this fossil fuel is
also difficult and may endanger the lives of miners. Coal mining is considered one of the
most dangerous jobs in the world.  Power stations that utilize coal need large amounts
of fuel. In other words, they not only need truckloads but trainloads of coal on a regular
basis to continue operating and generating electricity. This only means that coal-fired
power plants should have reserves of coal in a large area near the plant’s location. 
Use of natural gas can cause unpleasant odors and some problems especially with
transportation.  Use of crude oil causes pollution and poses environmental hazards
such as oil spills when oil tankers, for instance, experience leaks or drown deep under
the sea. Crude oil contains toxic chemicals which cause air pollutants when combusted.
What are Fossil Fuels?
Fossil fuels are buried flammable geologic deposits of organic substances such as dead plants
and animals that got deposited under several thousand feet of silt. These deposits decayed with
the passage of time and got converted to natural gas, coal and petroleum due to the extreme heat
and pressure inside the earth’s crust. They are also known as non-renewable sources of energy as
it takes a very long time for it to replenish.

Types, Formation and Uses of Fossil Fuels

Fossil fuels are of the following types:

 Coal
 Petroleum
 Natural gas

Coal

 It is a hard, black coloured substance made up of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen and
sulphur.
 The major types of coal are- anthracite, bituminous and lignite.
 Anthracite has a higher carbon concentration and is the hardest type of coal.
 Lignite has a high concentration of oxygen and hydrogen but a low concentration of
carbon.
 Bituminous is a moderate form of coal.
 Coal is processed industrially to obtain derivatives like coke, coal tar and coal gas.

Formation of Coal

 The process of formation of coal is known as coalification.

 The dense forest present in the low-lying wetland got buried in the earth, millions of
years ago.
 Soil kept depositing over them and they got compressed.
 As they went deeper and deeper, they faced high temperature and pressure.
 As a result, the substances slowly got converted into coal.

Uses of Coal
  Coal was used to produce steam in the railway engines initially.
 It is used to cook food.
 It is used to generate electricity in thermal plants.
 It is used in industries as fuel.

Petroleum

 It is a clear, oily liquid, usually green or black in colour.

 It has a very strange smell and is a mixture of petroleum gas, diesel, paraffin wax, petrol,
lubricating oil, etc.
 It is also termed as “Black Gold” because of its wide range of uses in many industries.

Formation of Petroleum

 The sea animals and plants died and their bodies settled at the bottom of the sea.
 They got compressed by the layers of sand and clay.
 Their encounter with high temperature and pressure converts them into petroleum.
 The petroleum is separated from the crude oil by a series of processes in a refinery. This
is known as petroleum refining.

Uses of Petroleum

 It is used to power internal combustion engines in the form of petrol.

 It is used in roofing, road pavements and as a water repellent.
 It is used in manufacturing detergents, plastics, fibres, polyethene, etc.

Natural gas

 It is a clean and non-toxic fossil fuel.

 It is colourless and odourless and can be easily transferred through pipelines.
 It is stored as compressed natural gas (CNG) under high pressure.
 It is a less polluting and less expensive fossil fuel.
 Methane is the most important natural gas.

Formation of Natural Gas

 The phytoplankton and zooplankton sink to the bottom of the ocean and mix with organic
materials to form an organic-rich mud.
  The mud buried under more sediments and lithifies to form an organic shale. This
prevents its exposure to oxygen. This is done to protect the organic materials from being
decomposed by bacteria.
 The increasing pressure and temperature transform the shale into a waxy material known
as the kerogen.
 At temperatures between 90-160°C kerogen is transformed into natural gas.

Uses of Natural gas

 Compressed Natural Gas is used for generating power.

 It is used as fuels in automobiles.
 It can be used at homes for cooking.
 It is used as a starting material in chemicals and fertilizers.

Are Fossil Fuels Renewable?

Fossil fuels are a non-renewable source of energy. Most of the energy used by us is obtained by
the burning of fossil fuels. These fossil fuels are used up at a faster rate. They cannot be regrown
at a scale compared to their consumption. With the increased demand for the production of
various energies, fossil fuel energy is declining. It is difficult to replace them. That is why they
are known as a non-renewable source of energy.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Fossil Fuels

Advantages:

 Fossil fuels can generate a large amount of electricity at a single location.

 They can be found very easily.

 They are cost-effective.

 Transportation of oil and gas can be done easily through pipelines.

 They have become safer over time.

 Despite being a finite resource, it is available in plenty.

Disadvantages

 Fossil fuels emit carbon dioxide when burnt which is a major greenhouse gas and the
primary source of pollution. This has contributed to global warming.
 They are a non-renewable resource, i.e., once used they cannot be replaced.
  Combustion of fossil fuels makes the environment more acidic. This has led to
unpredictable and negative changes in the environment.

 Harvesting of fossil fuels also causes fatal diseases among the people. For eg., the coal
miners often suffer from Black Lung Disease. The natural gas drillers are constantly
exposed to chemicals and silica which is dangerous for their health.

These are the natural sources of energy and have extensive applications in industrial as well as
domestic purposes.
 The Advantages and Disadvantages of Renewable Energy

One major advantage with the use of renewable energy is that as it is renewable it is therefore sustainable and
so will never run out.

Renewable energy facilities generally require less maintenance than traditional generators. Their fuel being
derived from natural and available resources reduces the costs of operation.

Even more importantly, renewable energy produces little or no waste products such as carbon dioxide or other
chemical pollutants, so has minimal impact on the environment.

Renewable energy projects can also bring economic benefits to many regional areas, as most projects are
located away from large urban centres and suburbs of the capital cities. These economic benefits may be from
the increased use of local services as well as tourism.

The Disadvantages of Renewable Energy

It is easy to recognise the environmental advantages of utilising the alternative and renewable forms of energy
but we must also be aware of the disadvantages.

One disadvantage with renewable energy is that it is difficult to generate the quantities of electricity that are as
large as those produced by traditional fossil fuel generators. This may mean that we need to reduce the amount
of energy we use or simply build more energy facilities. It also indicates that the best solution to our energy
problems may be to have a balance of many different power sources.

Another disadvantage of renewable energy sources is the reliability of supply. Renewable energy often relies on
the weather for its source of power. Hydro generators need rain to fill dams to supply flowing water. Wind
turbines need wind to turn the blades, and solar collectors need clear skies and sunshine to collect heat and
make electricity. When these resources are unavailable so is the capacity to make energy from them. This can
be unpredictable and inconsistent. The current cost of renewable energy technology is also far in excess of
 traditional fossil fuel generation. This is because it is a new technology and as such has extremely large capital
cost.

1 ream of paper = 6% of a tree and 5.4kg CO2 in the atmosphere.

http://www.solarschools.net/resources/stuff/advantages_and_disadvantages.aspx

The Washington Post

A challenge to everything
you think you know
By Robert Bryce
Sunday, April 25, 2010

Americans are being inundated with claims about renewable and alternative energy. Advocates
for these technologies say that if we jettison fossil fuels, we'll breathe easier, stop global
warming and revolutionize our economy. Yes, "green" energy has great emotional and political
appeal. But before we wrap all our hopes -- and subsidies -- in it, let's take a hard look at some
common misconceptions about what "green" means.

THIS STORY
 5 Myths about green energy
 Sparking an energy revolution

1. Solar and wind power are the greenest of them all.

Unfortunately, solar and wind technologies require huge amounts of land to deliver relatively
small amounts of energy, disrupting natural habitats. Even an aging natural gas well producing
60,000 cubic feet per day generates more than 20 times the watts per square meter of a wind
turbine. A nuclear power plant cranks out about 56 watts per square meter, eight times as much
as is derived from solar photovoltaic installations. The real estate that wind and solar energy
demand led the Nature Conservancy to issue a report last year critical of "energy sprawl,"
including tens of thousands of miles of high-voltage transmission lines needed to carry electricity
from wind and solar installations to distant cities.

Nor does wind energy substantially reduce CO2 emissions. Since the wind doesn't
always blow, utilities must use gas- or coal-fired generators to offset wind's unreliability. The
result is minimal -- or no -- carbon dioxide reduction.

Denmark, the poster child for wind energy boosters, more than doubled its production of wind
energy between 1999 and 2007. Yet data from Energinet.dk, the operator of Denmark's natural
gas and electricity grids, show that carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation in 2007
were at about the same level as they were back in 1990, before the country began its frenzied
construction of turbines. Denmark has done a good job of keeping its overall carbon dioxide
emissions flat, but that is in large part because of near-zero population growth and exorbitant
energy taxes, not wind energy. And through 2017, the Danes foresee no decrease in carbon
dioxide emissions from electricity generation.

2. Going green will reduce our dependence on imports from unsavory regimes.

In the new green economy, batteries are not included. Neither are many of the "rare earth"
elements that are essential ingredients in most alternative energy technologies. Instead of relying
on the diversity of the global oil market -- about 20 countries each produce at least 1 million
barrels of crude per day -- the United States will be increasingly reliant on just one supplier,
China, for elements known as lanthanides. Lanthanum, neodymium, dysprosium and other rare
earth elements are used in products from high-capacity batteries and hybrid-electric vehicles to
wind turbines and oil refinery catalysts.

China controls between 95 and 100 percent of the global market in these elements. And the
Chinese government is reducing its exports of lanthanides to ensure an adequate supply for its
domestic manufacturers. Politicians love to demonize oil-exporting countries such as Saudi
Arabia and Iran, but adopting the technologies needed to drastically cut U.S. oil consumption
will dramatically increase America's dependence on China.

3. A green American economy will create green American jobs.

In a global market, American wind turbine manufacturers face the same problem as American
shoe manufacturers: high domestic labor costs. If U.S. companies want to make turbines, they
will have to compete with China, which not only controls the market for neodymium, a critical
ingredient in turbine magnets, but has access to very cheap employees.
The Chinese have also signaled their willingness to lose money on solar panels in order to gain
market share. China's share of the world's solar module business has grown from about 7 percent
in 2005 to about 25 percent in 2009.

Meanwhile, the very concept of a green job is not well defined. Is a job still green if it's created
not by the market, but by subsidy or mandate? Consider the claims being made by the subsidy-
dependent corn ethanol industry. Growth Energy, an industry lobby group, says increasing the
percentage of ethanol blended into the U.S. gasoline supply would create 136,000 jobs. But an
analysis by the Environmental Working Group found that no more than 27,000 jobs would be
created, and each one could cost taxpayers as much as $446,000 per year. Sure, the government
can create more green jobs. But at what cost?

4. Electric cars will substantially reduce demand for oil.

Nissan and Tesla are just two of the manufacturers that are increasing production of all-electric
cars. But in the electric car's century-long history, failure tailgates failure. In 1911, the New York
Times declared that the electric car "has long been recognized as the ideal" because it "is cleaner
and quieter" and "much more economical" than its gasoline-fueled cousins. But the same
unreliability of electric car batteries that flummoxed Thomas Edison persists today.

Those who believe that Detroit unplugged the electric car are mistaken. Electric cars haven't
been sidelined by a cabal to sell internal combustion engines or a lack of political will, but by
physics and math. Gasoline contains about 80 times as much energy, by weight, as the best
lithium-ion battery. Sure, the electric motor is more efficient than the internal combustion
engine, but can we depend on batteries that are notoriously finicky, short-lived and take hours to
recharge? Speaking of recharging, last June, the Government Accountability Office reported that
about 40 percent of consumers do not have access to an outlet near their vehicle at home. The
electric car is the next big thing -- and it always will be.

5. The United States lags behind other rich countries in going green.

Over the past three decades, the United States has improved its energy efficiency as much as or
more than other developed countries. According to data from the Energy Information
Administration, average per capita energy consumption in the United States fell by 2.5 percent
from 1980 through 2006. That reduction was greater than in any other developed country except
Switzerland and Denmark, and the United States achieved it without participating in the Kyoto
Protocol or creating an emissions trading system like the one employed in Europe. EIA data also
show that the United States has been among the best at reducing the amount of carbon dioxide
emitted per $1 of GDP and the amount of energy consumed per $1 of GDP.

America's move toward a more service-based economy that is less dependent on heavy industry
and manufacturing is driving this improvement. In addition, the proliferation of computer chips
in everything from automobiles to programmable thermostats is wringing more useful work out
of each unit of energy consumed. The United States will continue going green by simply
allowing engineers and entrepreneurs to do what they do best: make products that are faster,
cheaper and more efficient than the ones they made the year before.

Robert Bryce is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. His fourth book, "Power Hungry: The
Myths of 'Green' Energy and the Real Fuels of the Future," will be out Tuesday, April 27.

Want to challenge everything you think you know? Visit the "Five Myths" archive.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/23/AR2010042302220.html