Energy

• Renewable energy uses energy sources that are continually replenished by nature
• Renewable energy comes from —the sun, the wind, water, the Earth’s heat, and plants.
• Hydropower is our most mature and largest source of renewable power
• The most common form of hydropower uses a dam
• In Hydropower, Water is released through turbines to generate power
• Hydropower plants produce no air emissions but can affect water quality and wildlife habitats
• Bioenergy is the energy derived from biomass (organic matter)
• A process called gasification —the conversion of biomass into gas, which is burned in a gas turbine—is another way to generate electricity.
• . The decay of biomass in landfills also produces gas, mostly methane, which can be burned in a boiler to produce steam for electricity generation or industrial processes.
• Biomass can also be heated in the absence of oxygen to chemically convert it into a type of fuel oil, called pyrolysis oil
• Pyrolysis oil can be used for power generation and as a feedstock for fuels and chemical production.
• Biomass can be converted directly into liquid fuels, called biofuels.
• The most common biofuel is ethanol, an alcohol made from the fermentation of biomass high in carbohydrates.
• The current largest source of ethanol is corn.
• Some cities use ethanol as a gasoline additive to help meet air quality standards for ozone.
• The Earth’s core, 4,000 miles below the surface, can reach temperatures of 9000° F.
• This heat—geothermal energy—flows outward from the core, heating the surrounding area, which can form underground reservoirs of hot water and steam.
• These hot water/steam reservoirs can be tapped for a variety of uses, such as to generate electricity or heat buildings.
• Geothermal power plants access the underground steam or hot water from wells drilled a mile or more into the earth. The steam or hot water is piped up from the well to drive a conventional steam turbine, which powers an electric generator
• There are three types of geothermal power plants: dry steam, flash steam, and binary cycle
• Dry steam plants draw from reservoirs of steam, while both flash steam and binary cycle plants draw from reservoirs of hot water
• binary-cycle plants transfer heat from the water to what’s called a working fluid.
• In a direct-use system, a well is drilled into a geothermal reservoir, which provides a steady stream of hot water. Some systems use the water directly, but most pump the water through what’s called a heat exchanger
• The heat exchanger keeps the water separate from a working fluid (usually water or a mixture of water and antifreeze), which is heated by the geothermal water
• Solar Energy - technologies tap directly into the infinite power of the sun and use that energy to produce heat, light, and power.
• Solar electricity or photovoltaic (PV) technology converts sunlight directly into electricity.
• Solar electricity has been a prime source of power for space vehicles since the inception of the space program.
• all solar electric systems consist of basically three main items: modules that convert sunlight into electricity; inverters that convert that electricity into alternating current so it can be used by most household appliances; and possibly or sometimes batteries that store excess electricity produced by the system.
• Wind Energy is the process by which the wind is used to generate mechanical power or electricity.
• Geothermal Power is the production of electricity using steam generated by hot rocks beneath the earth's surface.
• Hydroelectricity is the generation of electricity from the potential energy of falling water or fast-flowing water.
• Biomass Energy is the use of organic matter derived from living, or recently living organisms to produce energy
• Tidal Energy is the conversion of tidal motion into usable forms of power.
• Renewable resources are those that can be replenished naturally over time.
• The two types of wind energy are Onshore and Offshore
• Onshore Wind Farms are located on land while offshore wind farms are located at sea
• Wind turbines convert kinetic energy (energy due to movement) into electrical energy.
• A hydroelectric dam is a structure built across a river to store water behind it.
• The ocean can produce two types of energy: thermal energy from the sun’s heat, and mechanical energy from the tides and waves.
• Potential energy is stored energy and the energy of position