Renewable EnergyRenewable Energy

Non-Polluting ResourcesNon-Polluting ResourcesMr. Matthew RodmanMr. Matthew Rodman

ScienceScience

Patria Mirabal Middle School (MS 324)Patria Mirabal Middle School (MS 324)

New York City, New York, USANew York City, New York, USA

FocusFocus

• What factors have led to the United States to using renewable energy resources?

• How will widespread use of renewable energy resources affect the environment and the economy?

Renewable EnergyRenewable Energy

• Resources that are constantly recycled by the environment are called renewable.

• Wind, water, biomass, sunlight, and geothermal energy are all renewable energy sources.

• Renewable energy are usually nonpolluting and do not contribute to the greenhouse effect.

Renewable EnergyRenewable Energy

• Renewable energy use resources in the environment that are always renewed or replaced.

• They all come from energy from the sun that is used directed (solar energy) or indirectly (water, wind, and biomass).

• Geothermal energy uses the heat from the center of the Earth.

• Renewable energy resources are usually clean, do not contribute to the greenhouse effect, and are unlimited (but they are sometimes expensive).

Solar PowerSolar Power

• Solar power uses sunlight to produce electricity.

• There are two main types of solar power plants.

1. Photovoltaic – uses sunlight to directly make electricity

2. Indirect Solar Energy – uses mirrors to concentrate sunlight to boil water in a power plant.

• Solar power is extremely expensive.

Wind PowerWind Power

• Wind power plants use wind to turn windmills to generate electricity.

• Wind power is clean, safe, and cheap, but requires a lot of space because each windmill only produces a little electricity.

• Wind power can only be effectively built in areas with a lot of wind.

Hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity

• Hydroelectric power plants use falling or running water to turn turbines to produce electricity.

• Hydroelectricity is clean and reliable, but requires the building of dams which can cause flooding.

• Hydroelectricity can only be built near bodies of water like rivers.

• Hydroelectric dams can kill fish and destroy environments upstream of the power plant.

Biomass ElectricityBiomass Electricity

• Oils from plants can be converted into fuels that work like petroleum.

• This is better for the environment because it does not burn fossil fuels, but uses plants that remove carbon dioxide from the environment.

• Biomass energy has never been used on the large scale, and still produces pollution.

• Since biomass energy uses foods as a source of electricity, it will cause food prices to rise.

Geothermal ElectricityGeothermal Electricity

• Geothermal energy uses heat from magma, volcanoes, or geysers to produce electricity.

• It can only be built on geologically active areas where there are volcanoes or earthquakes.

• It is clean, reliable, and renewable.

Benefits of Renewable EnergyBenefits of Renewable Energy

• Clean

• Unlimited Supply

• Less expensive over long term

• Do not contribute to greenhouse effect

Environmental Impact of Renewable Energy SourcesEnvironmental Impact of Renewable Energy Sources

• Even though they do not produce much pollution, they do change the natural environment (windmills, dams, etc.)

• Renewable energy sources are frequently very expensive over the short term (1-5 years) but become less expensive over the long term, mainly because fossil fuels are becoming rarer and rarer.

• Renewable electricity can be unreliable because the natural environment has rapid changes in weather.

• Renewable electricity typically produces less electricity than nonrenewable sources.