Virtual Science Fair - Trash is Trash No More




	Energy Generation Possibilities more power sources → more security a national energy system that receives its energy from only a few sources such as fossil fuels and hydro dams is a system that is vulnerable and subject to failure in the future as energy demands continue to increase future power possibilities to make power utility systems less vulnerable → energy production in the future must become more diversified and decentralized with a variety of different sources supplying power to many smaller ‘power pools,’ not just one large one many wind farms → supply clean renewable energy to small localized power pools or power stations tidal, marine current turbines, solar, and even geothermal power will help to keep the many power pools topped up so the energy needs of our growing country can be met existing hydro dams will continue to produce some power, but fossil fuel burning thermal power plants will be slowly phased out and the ones still in operation will run on cleaner burning natural gas the less we rely on fossil fuels the more stable our energy prices will be many small power pools throughout will reduce the need for long range, power transmission lines which are vulnerable to damage in severe weather conditions at individual residences small wind turbines and solar panels will produce as much as ¾ of the power that the home requires some homes and farms may generate more energy than they require → would then be allowed to sell back energy to the power company the more energy conserved, the greater the revenue producing surplus Hydropower renewable energy from falling water hydro dams generate electricity that is totally renewable, relying on the water cycle to produce a never-ending supply of fresh water no harmful emissions are released into the atmosphere → does not contribute to global warming or acid rain hydro dams produce a great deal of electricity very inexpensively and account for a large share of electrical production in Canada Solar Power the amount of solar radiation reaching earth every 30 minutes in theory could supply the world with energy for one full year unfortunately, it is not concentrated and harnessing it and storing it in large amounts is difficult and very expensive solar panels placed on roofs of homes can lower overall heating costs considerably however, on rainy and cloudy days solar panels may produce almost no energy many buildings today are designed for passive solar heating walls and especially floors can be constructed from materials that readily absorb and store the incoming solar energy floors and walls heat up during the day and slowly release the energy at night → considerable savings in energy costs generation of solar electricity has been slow developing even in countries that are in the ‘sun belt’ and enjoy continuous sunshine drawbacks that affect the growth of the solar energy industry high initial cost of constructing solar generating systems governments continue to subsidize electricity produced from the burning of fossil fuels solar energy for water and space heating will continue to show steady growth but electrical generation will remain a minor source of energy until the cost of generating electricity from fossil fuels rises to unacceptable levels governments decide to subsidize renewable energy generation such as wind, solar, and tidal power in efforts to clean up the environment Wind Power a very environmentally friendly source of energy renewable and does not contribute to acid rain and adds no greenhouse gases to the atmosphere using a single large windmill, instead of burning fossil fuels, can prevent the emission of 5000 tons of CO`2` into the atmosphere in just one year a wind speed of 50 kph delivers more than twice the energy of a 50 kph wind habitat destruction is minimal when installing wind turbines, as areas with little vegetation are often the windiest locations at higher elevations, wind velocities are higher than they are close to ground level, so companies are building even high and larger wind turbines wind power is one of the most cost-effective renewable energy sources available but the initial cost of building turbines is very high and consumers must absorb these costs by paying more for wind-generated electricity as more wind farms are built, the price of wind power energy will drop advantage → the technology to build wind turbines is readily available and relatively simple wind power is available everywhere so I does not have to be imported, and it does not harm our environment Geothermal Energy utilizes the heat inside the earth to create steam be used to drive turbines to generate electricity in volcanic regions hot magma may be very close to the surface ground water that comes in contact with the hot tock becomes super-heated and often escapes to the surface in the form of hot springs and geysers geothermal power harnesses this energy in this hot water to create electricity geothermal power potential exists on every continent advantages renewable energy source does not contribute to acid rain or green house effect, as do fossil fuels no fuel is needed to create power very little habitat is affected once cost of the power station has been absorbed the energy is almost free disadvantages salts and heavy metals may be contained in the groundwater that is brought to the surface, possibly contaminating the environment close to the power plant undesirable gases such as hydrogen sulfide may be given off geothermal power plants are noisy huge amount of heat is released into the atmosphere Back to Top