Energy
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power expended or capable of being transformed into work.
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a form of energy resulting from the existence of charged particles (such as electrons or protons), either statically as an accumulation of charge or dynamically as a current.
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to produce or create.
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a combustible black or dark brown rock consisting chiefly of carbonized plant matter, found mainly in underground seams and used as fuel.
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also called ocean wave energy, electrical energy generated by harnessing the up-and-down motion of ocean waves. Wave power is typically produced by floating turbine platforms or buoys that rise and fall with the swells.
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is energy from the sun. It’s the most abundant energy resource on Earth and can be converted from radiant energy from the sun to electrical or thermal energy.
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the energy in the nucleus, or core, of an atom. Nuclear power is the practice of splitting atoms to boil water, turn turbines and generate electricity.
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energy obtained from harnessing the wind with wind turbines Wind can be strong enough to move a fan or propeller blades and convert the movement to electrical energy (wind energy).
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widely used for cooking and for heating homes. It consists mostly of methane and is found near oil deposits below Earth’s surface. Natural gas can be pumped out through the same wells used for extracting crude oil.
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a form of energy that harnesses the power of water in motion—such as water flowing over a waterfall—to generate electricity.
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organic material from plants or animals. Biomass can be used as a source of energy because this organic material has absorbed energy from the Sun. This energy is, in turn, released as heat energy when burned.
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when heat is harvested from below the Earth’s surface to heat water that then converts to steam to turn a turbine and create electricity.
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the remains of plants and animals that have been exposed to thousands of years of heat and pressure that they have created a carbon rich liquid. This liquid is then used to produce energy and materials.
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fuels are found in Earth’s crust and contain carbon and hydrogen, which can be burned for energy. Coal, oil, and natural gas are examples of fossil fuels. They are non-renewable.
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a resource that is not depleted when used and can continued to be used for the foreseeable future.
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a different available possibility. Most commonly used when describing a fuel choice that is not a fossil fuel.
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is the movement of different types of energy around the world. For example, the Middle East exports a lot of energy in the form of oil to most other regions around the world.
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a sector of a countries economy, normally refereeing to production sectors such as energy and factories.
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the movement of people or resources across the Earth, typically by car, rail, plane or ship.
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the industry of buying and selling products.
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anything in relation to people and where they live can be described as residential.
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to use a resource.
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meeting the needs of the present without sacrificing the resources of tomorrow.
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a colorless, odorless gas produced by burning carbon and organic compounds and by respiration. It is naturally present in air.
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he process or industry of obtaining coal or other minerals from the Earth’s surface.
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a chemical element, which exists in all plants and animals, and is an important part of coal and oil. When carbon is burned it produces carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide: All organic substances contain the element carbon. Carbon exists in its pure form as diamond or graphite.
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a measure of the amount of carbon dioxide and other carbon compounds emitted due to the consumption of fossil fuels by a particular person, group, etc.
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a more economically developed country.
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a less economically developed country.
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reducing the amount of energy consumed to complete a task or power a product.
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when an individual takes steps to reduce their impact.
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is to break something down and create something new from its parts.
Start of content
What is energy?
What is energy? Is it simply heat from burning coal, oil and gas? What about a bolt of lightening? Flowing water and the movement of the wind? Electricity? Actually, energy is all of these things. Within the context of geography when we refer to energy we are discussing the production or electricity and electricity itself.
Energy resources
Coal
a combustible black rock made up from carbonized plants from millions of years ago, found underground.
Advantage: Relatively cheap and commonly used
Disadvantage: Produces larges amounts of CO₂ when burnt, contributes to air pollution.
Wave
Energy flows
Oil
Oil is a combustible black liquid made from marine organisms from millions of years ago, found underground.
Advantage: Very dense with energy and can be used to make a huge amount of products people use daily.
Disadvantage: Requires intensive drilling, when not transported correctly can causes oil spills which are very bad for the environment.
Tide
Energy Sectors
The motion of seawater created by wind. This energy is harvested and converted to electricity through the use of turbines.
Advantage: consistent and predictable source of energy.
Disadvantage: Very expensive to install
Geothermal
The increasing and decreasing of the height of the ocean determined by the gravitational pull of the moon. The movement between these heights can be used to generate electrical energy.
Advantage: Predictable source of energy
Disadvantage: Can have negative impacts on marine life in the area.
Solar
The movement of air from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure creates wind. This movement of air can be used to turn turbines that can then generate electricity.
Advantage: Very low operating costs when installed. Requires a small area.
Disadvantage: Can be a hazard for birds.
Biomass
The Earths surface (crust) increases in temperature in areas that are thinner or as you descend deeper into it. This heat energy can be used to heat water that is then converted to steam, this steam is then used to turn turbines that in turn create electricity. Sometimes geothermal energy is simply used to heat water.
Advantage: Can be used on an industrial and local scale.
Disadvantage: Can cause disruption to local geology.
The sun releases shortwave radiation, when this energy enters our atmosphere we can use it to generate electricity through the use of solar panels and an inverter.
Advantage: Can be used on homes or in large scale solar farms
Disadvantage: Are less effective when there are clouds present.
Hydroelectric
vegetation gathers energy from the sun through photosynthesis. This energy can then be harvested directly through burning the vegetation to generate heat energy, which in turn can be used to create electricity.
Advantage: Readily available resources used, can be easily replenished.
Disadvantage: Can cause deforestation and still produces carbon when used.
Nuclear
Water is constantly moving around the Earth through the hydrological cycle. We can control this movement through the construction of dams, as we release water through these dams we can use the flowing water to turn turbines that then generate electricity.
Advantage: Can also control and stop flooding.
Disadvantage: Huge installation costs. Can displace people and animals.
Nuclear fission is the process of splitting atoms, when this is done it releases heat energy. This heat energy can be used to heat water into a gas that then is used to turn turbines to create electricity.
Advantage: Very resource efficient and reliable.
Disadvantage: Nuclear accidents can be catastrophic.
Industry
Uses around 55% of global energy.
Transport
Uses around 25% of global energy.
An energy flow is the movement of different types of energy around the world. Energy flows are typically in the form of a resource that can be turned into energy. For example, the Middle East exports a lot of energy in the form of oil to most other regions around the world.
Energy flows can take many forms; pipelines, oil tankers, ships, trains, planes and trucks are just some of the most common methods used to transport energy.
Gas
Natural gas is a combustible gas that is created by the same process as oil. Gas requires more heat and pressure to create than oil.
Advantage: Can be used in homes for cooking
Disadvantage: Highly flammable and difficult to transport.
Wind
Commercial
Uses around 7% of global energy.
Residential
Uses around 13% of global energy.
Oil and Gas
Coal
Oil and gas are formed in very similar circumstances.
Organic material, mainly small/micro organisms along with vegetation such as algae is deposited on the seafloor. This organic material builds up over a long period of time, eventually it is covered by and mixed with non-organic sediment. Over millions of years the organic material undergoes a chemical change due to pressure and heat. The output of this process is oil or gas. Gas is created through a larger amount of pressure and heat being applied to the organic material.
Coal is formed through a similar process to oil and gas formation.
Hundreds of millions of years ago sections of the Earth’s surface were covered in swampy forests, as these regions died, they added their organic material to the ground. Overtime, the organic material was covered by dirt and non-organic sediment. This creates pressure and heat, this then condenses the organic material and creates coal.
Nuclear power stations
The first step in producing electricity through the use of a nuclear powerplant is nuclear fission.
Nuclear fission is when atoms are split in a controlled environment known as a reactor. The process of splitting atoms releases heat energy.
This heat energy is used to heat water and to create steam.
The steam is then directed through a controlled system of pipes to a turbine.
The turbine is turned by the steam.
The turbine is connected to a generator. The rotation of the turbine causes the generator to create electricity.
The electricity is then added to the national/regional grid where it can be accessed by the population.
The steam that turned the turbine is condensed back into water.
The water is then sent back to be re-converted into steam again.
What happens when nuclear goes wrong?
Chernobyl disaster
The Chernobyl nuclear disaster occurred on April 26, 1986, in Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union. It was caused by a combination of design flaws and operator errors during a safety test, resulting in a reactor explosion and subsequent fire. The explosion released a large amount of radioactive material into the atmosphere, contaminating the surrounding area and causing immediate deaths and long-term health effects. The response involved evacuating nearby residents, establishing a 30-kilometer exclusion zone, and constructing a concrete sarcophagus to contain the damaged reactor.
Fukushima disaster
The Fukushima nuclear disaster took place on March 11, 2011, in Japan. It was triggered by a powerful earthquake and subsequent tsunami that damaged the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The tsunami caused a loss of power, leading to a failure of cooling systems and meltdowns in three reactors. This resulted in the release of radioactive materials into the environment. The response involved evacuating residents from the affected area, implementing decontamination measures, and stabilizing the reactors. The long-term effects include ongoing monitoring and cleanup efforts, as well as concerns about the health impacts of radiation exposure.