ENERGY RESOURCESFrances Bueno

November 2016

HON 102 Taking Action

What is energy?• Energy is the ability to do work, make

things, and change things• You can “see” energy by looking for motion,

heat, and light• Energy is everywhere

Why do we need energy?• Energy is what keeps the world going!• We use energy to turn on lights, drive cars, make things

• What uses energy?

Where do we get energy?• Fossil fuels: 81% of the total energy in the United States

• Renewable energy sources

What are fossil fuels?• Natural gas, coal, and oil

• Take hundreds of thousands of years to form

• How to get fossil fuels:1. Find where they are using sound waves2. Drill to reach oil and natural gas3. Put a pipe in to pump the gas to the

surface

Disadvantages of fossil fuels• Do not replenish as quickly as we use them• Getting fossil fuels will become more dangerous

and more expensive• Pollution – nitrogen oxides lead to smog and acid rain

Pollution• Smog: fog or haze combined with smoke and other

pollutants• Acid rain: acidification of not just rain, but snow, fog,

hail, or even dust

• 1. Write and share: what effects might pollution have on our world?

Advantages of fossil fuels• Relatively cheap and plentiful• Our technology is made to use fossil fuels• Currently, no other energy source can replace fossil fuels

How can we make fossil fuels better?• Advanced technology to make extraction safer and cheaper• Clean up fossil fuels

The United States and energy• Americans are 5% of the global population, but use

20% of the world’s total energy use

• One American uses as much energy as:• 2 people in Japan• 31 people in India• 370 people in Ethiopia

• 2. Discuss and share: Why do you think we use so much more energy?

ENERGY BEANS• 80 pinto beans for non-renewable energy, 20 black beans for renewable energy

• Let’s see what happens when we use the same amount of energy every year:•Randomly pick 23 beans from the original bag and place them in the second bag - don’t pick and choose!

•If you happen to pick a black bean, you can put that back in the original bag.•We’ll do a couple rounds and see what happens to our available energy.

•3. Write and share: What do you think would happen if we don’t use renewable energy? How would energy use change if the population increases each year?

Renewable energy

• Natural resources that continuously replenish

• This energy cannot be completed used

• Examples of renewable energy:• Wind, solar, hydropower

Wind energy• Wind turns blades connected to a turbine

Solar energy• Absorbs and stores the sun’s energy

• What is something in the natural world that uses solar energy?

Hydropower

• Use flowing water that is usually directed through a dam or other structure

The future of renewable energy• Mashups of renewable energy

sources

• Beaming down solar energy from space

• Solar panels on our roads

Advantages of renewable energy• We will never run out of it• Facilities generally require less and cheaper

maintenance• Produces little or no waste and pollutants• Why should we use renewable energy

sources?

Why don’t we use renewable energy more?• Difficult to generate the same amount of electricity generated by fossil fuels• Reliability of supply

• 4. Discuss and share: Why might depending on the sun, wind, or water not be such a good idea?

Why don’t we use renewable energy more?• Jobs - losing old jobs, but creating new ones• Remember that there are two ways to improve how we create energy!

• 5. Discuss and share: How can we fix the disadvantages of renewable energy?

What is America doing about energy?• Investing more in renewable energy: $44 billion in

2015

• $560 million in Holt County, Nebraska• Wind energy will power 120,000 homes

• $744 million in Primm, Nevada• Solar energy will power 80,000 homes

What can we do about energy?• 6. Discuss and share: Why should we care about how

much energy we use?

• 17% of natural gas consumption belonged to residential use

• 3% of natural gas consumption went to transportation

• Energy is used to make things, too!

ENERGY BUSTERS• How many ways are there to save energy? Discuss and share!

• Turn off lights• Wear sweaters around the house instead of turning up the heater• Carpool with friends• Buy food at a local farmers’ market