what will we do when we run out of fossil fuels? image credit: freedigitalphotos.net

What will we do when we run out of fossil fuels?

*Renewable Energy Resources

Image Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Importance of improving energy efficiency.

We are not using our energy resources carefully.

• 84% of all commercial energy used in the U.S. is wasted.

• People in the US unnecessarily waste as much energy as two-thirds of the world’s population consumes (about 300 billion dollars worth per year).


General solutions: Individuals can reduce energy consumption. Using mass transit.

Turning off unneeded lights. Stop buying plastic water bottles.


Increase energy efficiency (the percentage of total energy input that does useful work).

* Buy energy-efficient models of machines (water heaters,

fuel- efficient cars, etc.)

* Use alternate sources of energy that do not produce as much waste (such as solar heating).


Benefits of reducing energy waste:

1. Makes non-renewable fossil fuels last longer. 2. Gives us more time to phase in renewable energy resources. 3. Decreases dependence on oil imports. 4. Reduces local and global environmental damage. 5. It is the cheapest and quickest way to slow projected global warming. 6. Saves more money, provides more jobs, improves productivity, and promotes more economic growth per unit of energy than other alternatives.

A Need for Alternative Energy Sources

90% of our energy comes from fossil fuels; the remaining 10% comes from other energy sources – nuclear, solar, wind, and hydroelectric .


Many energy sources, and especially fossil fuels and nuclear fission, produce a lot of pollution – which damages our ecosystems.

**The present energy resources will not be enough to provide for continued use

and a growing human population.

**Renewable resources regenerate quickly (such as animals, energy from the sun or wind) unlike the non-renewable resources on which we currently depend.

Image Credit: zmescience.com

Solar Energy – energy in the form of light and heat from the Sun.

This type of energy has been used by humans for 1000’s of years using a range of technologies.

Solar technologies come in two forms; passive solar and active solar.

Passive Solar Energy

- Techniques include orienting a building to the Sun, selecting materials with favorable thermal mass or light dispersing properties, and designing spaces that naturally circulate air.

- The sun’s energy is collected, stored and distributed naturally in an enclosed dwelling. Passive solar energy is not used to produce electricity but can reduce the need for electricity or fuels by providing an

alternate source of heat and light. (Ex. by having many windows facing south in your homes, the sunlight coming through the windows can increase the temperature allowing you to use less electricity to heat your home.)

Image Credit: solarenergyfactsblog.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_mass

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ventilation_(architecture)

Active Solar Energy-

• Using solar energy to produce electricity or heat.

• Devices such as tubes, tanks, pumps and fans are used to collect, store, and circulate heat.

• Many public buildings are using solar panels to generate electricity, saving the taxpayers money on electric bills and setting a good example for consumers.

• Energy from the sun is free and plentiful.

• Solar energy is nonpolluting that means you are not contributing to greenhouse gases.

• Using solar energy reduces the need to use non-renewable resources thereby reducing greenhouse gases.

• The cost of initial setup can be recovered by paying less in utility bills.


The demand for solar panels is not high, thus they are not being mass produced at this time.

This is why the initial setup is expensive.


Wind Energy• Energy from wind is used to turn wind

turbines which can make electricity. • Worldwide there are now many

thousands of wind turbines operating, world wind generation capacity more than quadrupled between 2000 and 2006, doubling about every three years.


Land based wind farms: • The United States pioneered wind

farms and led the world in installed capacity in the 1980s and into the 1990s.

• In 1997 German installed capacity surpassed the U.S. and led until once again overtaken by the U.S. in 2008.

• China has been rapidly expanding its wind installations passed the U.S. in 2010 to become the world leader.


A study out of the University of North Carolina (UNC) shows that off shore wind turbines could generate enough electricity to give the state 100% electricity.

The extensive study indicates that the most favorable wind conditions are twenty miles from the coastline and environmental damage to wildlife would be minimal at that location.

Duke Energy plans to build three pilot off-shore wind turbines in state waters.


North Carolina has a goal of supplying 12.5% of its power from renewable energy by 2021.

However, environmentalists and scientists agree that if we put money into the project by building the infrastructure to transport the electricity then N.C. could be a leader in the country by supplying 100% of the state’s electrical needs.


Hydroelectric Energy

• Electricity that is produced from the energy of moving water.

• Water, when it is falling by the force of gravity, can be used to turn turbines and generators that produce electricity.

• At facilities called hydroelectric powerplants, hydropower is generated.

• Some powerplants are located on rivers, streams, and canals, but for a reliable water supply, dams are needed.

• Dams store water for later release for such purposes as irrigation, domestic and industrial use, and power generation.

• The reservoir acts much like a battery, storing water to be released as needed to generate power.

Hydropower has been around for centuries. (ex. Through waterwheels). Today dams are built across waterways to generate electricity. Here’s how it works:• Water behind a dam is directed at the blades of

huge turbines.• When water pushes against the turbine blades,

the energy in the moving water is transferred to the turbine causing it turn.

• The motion of the spinning turbine is transferred to coils of wire located within generators.

• The coils spin through a magnetic field producing electricity.


Hydroelectric dams only account for around 10% of the electricity produced in North Carolina and the United States.

In the early 1900’s, hydroelectric produced 40% of the nation’s electricity. Since then, we have become more dependent on fossil fuels as our main source of energy.


Dams can harm the environment in the following ways:

• Altering the depth and flow of rivers can alter the natural plant life, which affects the entire ecosystem.

• There may be flooding of the land behind the dam and erosion.

• Fish can get caught in the blades of turbines, and the dam is a barrier to fish who must return upstream to spawn (ex. Salmon)


Geothermal Energy-

• Heat generated within the Earth by the decay of radioactive elements.

• Over millions of years, the geothermal energy from earth’s mantle has been transferred to underground concentrations of steam and hot water.

• If these geothermal sites are close to the surface, wells can be drilled to extract the steam or water.

• This thermal (heat) energy can be used for space heating and to produce electricity.

• Geothermal does release some greenhouse gases but not nearly as much as burning fossil fuels.

• Available sites are limited because most geothermal activity is located near fault lines.


Biomass Fuels

• Fuel formed from the products of plant material.

• Biomass is considered renewable because the plants/trees can be replaced in a human lifetime.

• However, because all living things contain carbon, burning biomass fuels adds to greenhouse gases.


Who is using biomass? Bioethanol and biodiesel are the

main biomass fuels. These are then used as an additive

or replacement to gasoline or diesel. At some gas stations, you can get

gas with 10% ethanol added in.


Ethanol is an alcohol that comes from fermenting the starches from plants.

You can use ethanol in your cars up to 15% mixed with gasoline. Some oil companies are mixing in 10% ethanol into their gasoline.

Biodiesel fuels are made from animal and plant fats. An example would be used vegetable oil. Biodiesel is very popular in Europe.

Although burning biomass still adds to the greenhouse gas problem, biomass has become popular because it is a renewable source and it decreases our dependence on fossil fuels.

Fuel Cells

1. A fuel cell is a device that generates electricity by a chemical reaction.

2. Every fuel cell has two electrodes, one positive and one negative, called the anode and cathode.

3. The reactions that produce electricity take place at the electrodes. There are a number of fuels that can be used, but the most sustainable is HYDROGEN. The other key component is OXYGEN.

4. The by-product (what comes out of the tailpipe), is water. http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/alternative-fuels/fuel-cells

Image Credit: By uzvards via flickr and creative commons

Fuel cells can be used to power cars, airplanes, trains and make electricity for buildings.

With transportation being the number one polluter on the planet, fuel cells are very appealing because this would allow us to have our cars and not add to the greenhouse gas situation.

Hydrogen (Fuel Cell) cars are not available in the United States except in California.

The drawbacks are that there are no hydrogen fuel stations and the technology for mass production needs to be improved.

The End


what will we do when we run out of fossil fuels? image credit: freedigitalphotos.net

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