Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Primary Energy Types
- Coal
- A combustible, sedimentary rock formed of converted residual plant matter and solidified below overlying rock strata
- There are several types of raw coal: hard/bituminous coal, brown coal and peat
- Non-renewable
- Use releases large amounts of carbon dioxide and other pollutants, contributing to climate change and atmospheric pollution
- Carbon capture technology for removing carbon dioxide from atmosphere are unproven and complex
- Geothermal Energy
- Geothermal heat in the outer 10km of the Earth's crust is too diffuse to be exploitable world-wide
- Renewable
- Comes from rocks within the Earth and can be tapped in three ways: (1) as hot water or steam, (2) as hot dry rock energy and (3) by means of conduction
- Availability is limited to a few locations such as Iceland and the Philippines
- Hydrological Energy
- Energy harnessed from the movement of water through rivers, lakes and dams
- A 'head' of water is stored and then released to drive turbines and generate electricity
- HEP systems can range in capacity from thousands of megawatts to small micro-hydro schemes
- Renewable
- Recyclable
- Large-scale systems are costly to build
- Dam-building also has social, political and environmental impacts
- Smaller micro-hydro plants may not be economically viable
- Biomass
- Organic, non-fossil material of biological origin
- Although the different forms of energy from biomass are considered renewable, their rates of renewability differ
- Wood is an example of a biomass energy source
- Recyclable
- Relatively low energy densities mean limited potential for large-scale electricity generation
- Biomass acts as a carbon sink, so
combustion releases stored carbon dioxide
- Wind Energy
- Directly related to solar activity, which causes differences in atmospheric pressure and temperature
- Modern wind turbines range from 600 kW to 5 MW of rated power
- Renewable
- Only certain locations have enough wind to be viable
- Wind energy is variable power, so it is difficult to manage power supply through a grid system without some back up
- Ocean Energy
- Energy harnessed by using either the physical characteristics of oceans or their chemical characteristics
- Renewable
- Only certain locations are suitable for offshore tidal generation
- Technology for
large-scale generation
is unproven
- Ocean sources have low energy densities, and large devices are needed to harness this energy
- Solar Energy
- Energy directly harnessed from solar radiation, as distinct from wind, water and biomass energies indirectly driven by the sun
- Solar radiation is absorbed by a collector and converted into heat energy, or into electricity by photovoltaic cells
- Renewable
- Distribution and availability varies spatially and temporally
- Photovoltaic technology is still expensive compared with fossil fuels
- Crude Oil
- A naturally occurring mineral oil
consisting of many types of hydrocarbons
- Crude oil may include small amounts of non-hydrocarbons
- Non-renewable
- Concerns that global supplies may have reached
their peak, security of supply, geopolitical tensions
and lack of alternatives, especially for transport
- Releases carbon dioxide when burnt
- Nuclear
Fission
- The division of a heavy nucleus into two parts, usually accompanied by the emission of neutrons, gamma radiation and energy release
- This energy is converted into heat that raises
steam to drive turbines and generate electricity
- Non-renewable
(may be recyclable)
- There are possible health risks associated with power plants and accidents such as Chernobyl
- Disposal of radioactive material raises safety issues and there are unknown long-term risks
- Natural Gas
- A methane
rich gas
found
underground
- It may also contain water vapour, sulphur compounds and other
non-hydrogen gases such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen or helium
- Non-renewable
- Costs and security of supply are high, especially for countries that are largely importers
- Releases carbon
dioxide on use