Energy

1.Energy sources

-Energy sources are natural resources that man uses to produce the force
needed to make a particular job or obtain any usefulness.

-We can classify energy sources in several ways:

·If we speak about availability in nature and capacity for regeneration,

we can classify the energy sources in renewable and non-renewable.

Renewable energy sources are those that won´t deplete or nature

recovers after its consumption in a little time. Examples of renewable
energy sources are the hydraulic, geothermal, wind power, solar, biomass
and tidal power.

Non-renewable energy sources are those that are found in nature in

limited quantities that once consumed as a whole, cannot be replaced.
Examples of non-renewable energy sources are the nuclear, the
petroleum, coal and natural gas.

·If we speak about the origin of energy, we can classify the energy
sources in primary and secondary.

Primary energy sources are those that are obtained directly from nature.
Hydraulic, geothermal, nuclear, wind power, solar, petroleum, coal,
natural gas, biomass and tidal power are examples of primary energy
sources
Secondary energy sources are those that come from the transformation of
primary sources. The petroleum and biomass are examples of secondary
energy sources.

·If we speak about the uses in each country, we can classify the energy
sources in conventional and non-conventional.

Conventional energy sources are those that are utilized most commonly in
industrialized countries and those which are marketed. Hydraulic,
geothermal, nuclear, the petroleum, coal and natural gas are conventional
energy sources.

Non-conventional energy sources are those ways to produce energy that

are not very common in the world and its use is very limited due to the
costs of its production and difficult form of shoot and transform it into
electrical energy. Examples of non-conventional energy sources are wind
power, solar, biomass and tidal power energy sources.

·If we speak about environmental impact, we can classify the energy

sources in clean or pollutants.

Clean (or non-polluting) energy sources are those that have a low
environmental impact and don´t generate by-products that pollute the
environment. Geothermal, wind power, solar, biomass and tidal power are
clean energy sources.

Pollutants energy sources are those that have negative effects on the
environment; for example, they might generate by-products that severely
pollute the environment. Examples of pollutants energy sources are
hydraulic, nuclear, petroleum, coal and natural gas.
 2.Electrical energy production

-The production of large amounts of electrical energy is carried out in the

electric power plants. In these facilities is released the transformation of
the energy of the sun, wind, water, or the fuel into electrical energy, giving
rise to different types of plants: solar, wind, hydroelectric, etc.
-Electrical power plants use an external source of energy to produce
electricity. To do this, they rely on a turbine-alternator system.

·The turbine converts mechanical energy into the rotating movement of

a shaft. The turbines are constituted by a rotating shaft and blades that
are driven by the force of water currents.

·The alternator transforms the rotary motion of the turbine in

electricity. An alternator has a fixed part, called a stator, and a moving
part, called a rotor, connected to the turbine shaft.

-As the rotor shaft moves, alternating electrical current is produced on

each of the rotor´s coils.

Conventional electric power plants.

Nuclear power plants:

This type of plant includes a nuclear fission reactor that produces the
pressurized steam needed to move the turbine rotor.
Uranium is the main fuel used.
Their main advantage is the high return on their energy production.
Fossil fuel thermal power plants:

At this type of power plant, water is heated in a boiler by the heat

generated from the combustion of a fossil fuel, usually natural gas or coal.
The steam that´s generated moves the turbine connected to the
generator.
Combined cycle power plant:
Electricity is generated as a result of two combined cycles, a cycle that
uses air and gas, and conventional thermal cycle. During the first cycle, a
gas turbine is used that includes a compressor. Air is mixed with the gas
and is burnt, which generates electricity in the turbine-alternator system.
The combustion gases are transported to a boiler, where they transfer
their energy to the water during the second cycle.

Hydroelectric power plants:

This type of power plant uses the potential energy provided by the height
of the stored water in a dam, converting it into kinetic energy. This energy
moves the blades of the turbine. Depending on the destination of the
water, hydraulic power plants are divided into two types: gravity or pump.

Non-conventional electric power plants

-They generate much less energy. That is a disadvantage for these power
plants. Their advantages are that they contaminate much less than
conventional power plants, they use renewable sources and they reduce
the energy dependence of petroleum and natural gas.

Wind power plants and wind farms:

These power plants use the kinetic energy of the wind to move the blades
of a rotor at the top of a tower; this is referred to as the wind turbine.
Wind farms are a clean form of generating electricity. However, they can
only be installed in places with appropriate wind conditions.
Solar power plants:

These plants use the energy from the sun. There are two main types of
installations:

Photo-thermal power plant: In this type of power plant, the heat

generated by solar radiation produces steam that is used to move the
rotor in the generator.
Photovoltaic power plant: In these power plants, solar radiation is
transformed directly into electricity by panels of photovoltaic cells.

Geothermal power plants:

These plants use the heat found at deep levels in the earth. This heat may
reach the surface in the form of steam, gases or hot water.

Biomass thermal power plants:

Biomass consists of all organic compounds that are produced through

natural processes. They may come from the following sources:

-Forestry and agricultural waste.

-Specific crops, such as sunflowers and sugar beet.
–Waste from agri-food industries.

Biomass is subjected to different physical and chemical processes in order

to produce fuel such as charcoal, alcohol or biogas.

Ocean power plants:

These power plants use the energy from the seas and the oceans. The
concept is to use three types of energy from the sea:

-The mechanical energy from the tides.

-The mechanical energy from the waves.
-The energy from the ocean´s thermal gradient.
 3.Environmental impacts

-Energy consumption is preceded by a long process, consisting of several

stages, each of which has an environmental cost.

Extraction of natural resources:

The exploitation of fossil fuels and nuclear power means the depletion of
resources, which makes it necessary to find new ones.

Fuel transport:

-Oil is transported by means of oil pipelines and oil tankers.

·Oil pipelines can suffer accidents caused by nature or human error,

which result in uncontrolled spills.

·Oil tankers can have accidents in the sea, with the risk of oil spills.

Electricity generation:

-Large hydroelectric power plants require water reservoirs covering large

areas, which profoundly change the natural cycle of rivers, flood large land
areas and destroy ecosystems.
-Conventional thermal power plants can cause numerous problems and
environmental hazards. For example, they produce air pollution and emit
sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide that cause acid rain.
-Nuclear thermal power plants are accompanied by the risk of nuclear
accidents and the problem of nuclear waste.

Final energy use:

-The fuels we use in vehicles and heating systems emit gases and particles
similar to those generated by conventional thermal power plants.
When we turn on an electric appliance, we´re consuming energy that has
already caused several environmental problems during its extraction,
generation and transportation.